Aloha!
I’ve been wanting to go to Hawaii for several years but never had the opportunity to do so because I wasn’t financially ready to take that trip. I went straight from undergrad to a five year grad program, so lets be real- I was BROKE. For a while. Hawaii is not a cheap trip but it was worth every dollar. This is a trip that you’ll want to be sure that you save up for ahead of time. Unlike many other island destinations, Maui rarely offers all-inclusive resort options and the very few that are all inclusive are also on the pricier side. Flights to Maui (from NY/NJ) are also going to cost you just about as much as traveling abroad to Europe. Despite the expenses, there is so much to love about Maui. I do wish we had more time there to explore some more of the local areas. We traveled to Maui in July, 2019 and stayed for a duration of eight days. Today I’m going to sum up our trip in this blog and I’ll be discussing where we stayed, excursions, what we ate and some of our additional expenses.
Where we stayed
We were lucky enough to stay at the Grand Wailea Resort and we traveled with a fairly large group of friends and family. The group check-in was handled quickly and efficiently. This is a five-star Waldorf Astoria Resort. This resort had five dining options on the property itself. The Grand Wailea also has a very large spa. We personally did not take advantage of the spa because we were in Jamaica the week before and already had the spa experience there. A family member did go to the spa, however, and she was pleased with her massage. This resort also had two extremely large pool areas that were connected to a small cave and tube slide. One of the pools was an adult pool and it was open until midnight. This was by far the latest pool curfew I’ve ever personally ever seen and it made our days feel even longer. Inside the cave part of the pool was a mini waterfall that had a swim-up bar inside. The pools also had cabanas available for rentals if you wanted to take advantage of that experience. The Grand Wailea also offers a Luau experience on some nights, which was phenomenal and we would 100% recommend it!
Okay, but that BEACH though. The resort is located right alongthe beach and it is rated one of the best beaches in Maui, and one of the top beaches in the world. Watching the sunset on their beach was also one the many highlights from this trip. The water is very clear and clean and the waves were not very high. The resort also offers some extra water activities such as kayaking, snorkeling, and paddle boarding for free. I recently went on their website to check their prices for 2020. Their rooms started at $730 USD for two guests staying for a duration of one week. Including breakfast is an additional $50 USD total for both guests. We personally feeling the breakfast is very much worth the price. They offer large buffet breakfasts in their Grand Dining Room, which also offers outdoor seating overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
What did we eat and drink?
Everything. Literally everything. Great, next topic?
All jokes aside, I did gain a hefty 10 pounds upon my return home from our Jamaica and Hawaii trip. Be aware that you will be tempted to eat an outrageous amount of deliciously seasoned pork while you are out there hitting up the local spots. We only ate outside of the resort twice and they were both quick lunch spots along the way during our day trip to the volcano. We tried all of the restaurants on the resort and were really pleased with the food. We also ate during the Grand Luau show. This was open bar and the food was served buffet style. We watched them roast a pig in their traditional form right outside the resort and they had an entrance show to go along with it. In terms of drinking, the resort had several bars all over. They had top shelf beverages that you’d typically find elsewhere in the US and prices were similar to upscale resorts in the US. Overall, the prices again could have been slightly cheaper but it was also worth it for us. Our favorite restaurant on the resort was Humuhumu!
Humuhumu ($$$)
This restaurant only offers outdoor seating and it sits above the lagoon for enjoyable sunset views. Their menu offers Polynesian and Hawaiian cuisine. They recommend reservations but it wasn’t crowded on the night we went so we walked in and only had to wait about ten minutes. You also have the option of sitting at their bar area, which offers scenic views that are just as lovely. I ordered the seafood ramen because our family was raving about it the night before. My Fiancé ordered the mahi mahi. Both dishes were flavorful and decently sized. We only ate here once as it does get a bit pricey to eat here regularly throughout your trip.
Bistro Molokini ($$)
This restaurant sits above the activity pool and right beside the adult pool. We spent most of our time at the bar grabbing drinks by the poolside or munching on their appetizers throughout the day. We had dinner here once as well and the food was always good. They are open for lunch and dinner. Our favorite items on the menu were the ahi poke nachos, the grilled pacific shrimp gyro, and the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich. They also offer wood oven pizza which we usually ordered when we wanted finger food by the pool.
Grand Dining Room ($-$$)
This restaurant offers panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. We only saw it opened for the breakfast buffets in the morning. The lines got long on some mornings but they put you on a waiting list and gave you a pretty accurate time estimation. We really enjoyed starting our days with the breakfast buffet. It offered a great variety of breakfast foods, fruits, and desserts. There was an omelet station as well. Another bonus is that children under the age of five eat here for free. Otherwise, they charge about $50 USD total for two people during their entire one week stay.
What did we do?
If we could change one thing about our trip it would be spending more time roaming the town and local hot spots of Maui. One thing we knew that we definitely wanted to do was to drive up to the top of the Haleakala Volcano. We had the option to do an official group tour, which required us to leave sometime in the middle of the night in order to watch the sunset at the top. After talking to some of the locals and employees at the resort, we were advised to just rent our own car and to take the drive on our own time. We ended up getting a rental car from a company called All Save. We also did a wine tour at the Ulupalakua Wine Vineyard. This excursion led to a series of events that day which honestly should have been filmed. We almost got stuck at the winery, then stuck on the other side of the island caught in a brushfire. This was for sure the most memorable part of our trip. Lastly, we participated in the Grand Luau on the resort which was an evening filled with drinks, food, and traditional “shows” and entertainment.
Haleakala Volcanic Crater
Haleakala Crater looms 10,023 feet above the Pacific Ocean, taking up three-quarters of Maui’s 727 square miles. Its summit is considered one of the leading destinations in the world for observing and monitoring astronomical wonders. According to Hawaiian legend, the volcano—which is frequently referred to as the “House of the Sun”—is the spot at which the demigod Maui ensnared the sun, freeing it only after it promised to linger longer in the sky. Myth aside, Haleakalā emerged from the ocean floor more than a million years ago, when the Pacific Plate drifted over a hot spot—“plumes of super-heated rock,” the National Park Service explains, “that well up from deep in the Earth, melt through the crust, and build shield volcanoes.”
This entire excursion felt like we were living in a dream. We rented a red convertible from a local car rental shop called All Save early in the morning. This was my fiance's boujee but fantastic idea. We didn’t drive up early enough to catch the sunrise as it is recommended to but we were honestly very exhausted from drinking the night before. We spent around $30-40 USD for the 24-hour car rental. Once you drive up to the top you spend an additional $15 USD for parking. We were also advised that it is very cold once you drive up to the top of the volcano so we brought jackets with us. Obviously you’ll want to wear sneakers as you’ll be hiking for a short period to walk up to the top of the crater. It took us about one hour to drive from the bottom of the volcano to the very top. The drive up can be a little scary and your ears will probably pop a few times since you’re going up to a high altitude. Some people also say they feel it is slightly harder to breathe at the top due to the lack of oxygen. We didn’t experience a shortness of breath but both of our ears did pop throughout the drive to the top. Once you get to the top you literally see yourself driving above the clouds. I personally don’t feel like the photos did it any justice but it was absolutely a sight to hold onto in our memories forever.
Ulupalakua Vineyard Wine
I wanted to love this wine vineyard so so much, but as a millennial I must say we experienced some challenges with the lack of cell phone service and had trouble finding an Uber to get back home. This vineyard is also pretty much in the middle of nowhere and it took us an hour to catch an Uber there. My biggest recommendation when visiting this vineyard or anywhere in Hawaii is to rent your own car!! Another small con is that I expected the vineyard to be a little bigger than it actually was. Despite these faults, I can say that we were very impressed with the selection of wines and the employees were kind to us. We even purchased a couple of bottles to bring back to the US. We had our private wine tasting along with a small food platter to snack on. The tasting flights cost from $12-16 per person and the 30 minute tour was complimentary. They only require reservations for groups of 8 or more. One thing about this excursion was that one great surprise kept leading us to another. As I said before, this day truly should have been filmed.
On our way up to the winery our Uber driver basically told us “good luck” with trying to find an Uber driver near the winery to drive us back to our resort. Of course that made us feel super safe and secure. Along the way we also kept seeing smoke in the clouds along with small helicopters that looked like they were attempting to put out a brushfire. The Uber driver assured us that we should be okay and that these brushfires are actually pretty common in Maui. He also informed us that the tourists are typically the ones that start these fires from throwing their cigarettes onto the ground without properly putting them out first. Okay, once again, feeling safe and secure right? Well the fire kept getting worse the further we drove. Once we finally reached the vineyard it became apparent that the fire was not only getting worse but also getting closer to us. In fact, the vineyard called for an early emergency shut down so that the employees and visitors can get home safely before the skies and roads become filled with smoke. Naturally, we couldn’t find an Uber to take us back. We tried calling local companies (with the added struggle of having no service.) Thankfully, one of us was finally able to get in contact with a driver. He arrived and we were saved. The end.
Just kidding. Of course there is more. All of the roads were blocked and we ended up spending hours at a really disgusting chain restaurant that had bugs in our drinks. Just when we thought the coast was clear, we were told that more roads were blocked. Long story short, we had to get on a speedboat that took us across the island and back to our resort. Was it safe to do so at the time? I’m honestly not sure since no other boats were in the water at the time but it definitely got us back home safely. Internally I was panicking the entire time but externally we all remained pretty calm and collected. Please be sure to check out the photo gallery below so that you can visualize how red and smokey the skies and roads actually were. The entire day was filled with plot twists, but we made the best of it and you bet we opened some of those wine bottles throughout the day and kept ourselves entertained throughout. So lesson of that day? Always keep alcohol on you at all times.
Grand Luau
Honua‘ula takes us back to a time when the mighty seafaring Polynesians discovered these islands of Hawai‘i, thereafter calling themselves Hawaiian. It touches upon the documented voyages of La‘amaikahiki and Mo‘ikeha who first came to this sacred island Maui, and named this place Honua‘ula. It speaks of gods and goddesses that watched over these courageous people and how they were able to coexist and live in harmony. Lilinoe, the goddess of the mist was said to linger above sending cool rains to nourish the uplands of Maui. The ancient Hula evolves and in the 30s, swingtime hula emerges and takes the stage. The love story legend of Naulu, the goddess of the clouds, could only visit her lover Kanaloa upon the clouds. These stories combined create an exciting evening of traditional chant and hula bringing the history of our island home Maui to life. Hele mai, come and enjoy the magical enchantment of Honua‘ula.
My Fiancé and booked this Luau directly through the resort. It cost us $155 USD per person for premium seating to be directly in front of the stage. Standard seating for adults is $130 USD and $85 USD for children. The Luau included an all you can eat buffet, open bar, and numerous evening shows. One thing about the seating, however, is that you will end up sitting next to several others at a table for eight. We ended up being seated next to a really sweet couple and their four children. I even got on stage with two of the younger girls to get some hulu lessons. The Luau started at 5pm and ended at 8 even though it honestly felt longer than that. It was by far our favorite food experience in Maui. So naturally, we included a photo of our dish below.
Sample Breakdown of Expenses
Duration- 8 days, 7 nights
Flight- $600 USD roundtrip from NJ/NY
Hotel- $780 for 2 guests ($390/per person)
Food and drinks- $900
Additional
Car rental- $40
Haleakala Volcanic Crater- $15
Grand Luau- $155
Total without excursions- $1,890 USD per person
Total with excursions- $2,100 USD per person
تعليقات