Since we took waaaaaaay too many pictures of our six night stay in Maui, we did our best to go through them all and majorly pare them down – but it still adds up to two posts (you know we like to over-share). We wish we could have taken you all with us in our suitcase, so I guess the next best thing is posting all about it. In this one, we’ll cover:
- where we stayed
- where we ate
- our “neighborhood”
- how we saved money
And in the next post we’ll detail:
- all of the activities/adventures that we tackled while we were there (with a toddler in tow)
- the home-related purchase we made to remember the trip
- our vacation “tradition” that we continued in Hawaii
Oh and over on Young house Life we just posted all about flying with a toddler and how we helped her adjust to the time difference.
So without further ado: where we stayed. We found our little condo at a resort called Aina Nalu in Lahaina (a fun walkable area on the West Coast of Maui) through HomeAway.com. This is definitely under the “how we saved money category too” since booking a room at the same resort through a travel agent or their main site could have cost a lot more (they’re billing a comparable room at $185/night right now, which adds up to $126 more over six nights), but we got it for less by going through HomeAway and working directly with the owner (who was so helpful to email directly with any questions we had)! Here in Richmond some basic hotel rooms are $150- $175 a night, so we figure that rate in paradise (for a two bedroom condo with two bathrooms, a full kitchen, and a washer & dryer, no less) is a pretty great deal. And did we mention the beach was walkable along with tons of shops and restaurants? We really loved the area and the condo itself.
One of the coolest things about the condo owners was that they made the place completely kid-friendly. They even provided a pack n play, stroller, tons of beach toys that Clara adored, and safety features like outlet covers and cabinet door latches in the kitchen and bathroom. Some research about the location (we googled around for an area of HI that was ranked high for being child-friendly) and the the five star ratings on the HomeAway site definitely helped us pull the trigger – and we were very happy with our accommodations. Here’s the lobby of the Aina Nalu resort. Nice, huh?
And here’s the main bedroom and en-suite shower (we booked a two-bedroom over a one-bedroom because Clara sleeps much better without sharing a room with us, so it was definitely worth it to us).
Many of the rooms in the resort were treated like hotel rooms (so guests went in and out with a hotel key and there was housekeeping, etc) but ours was a residence, so we didn’t have housekeeping and used a regular key to get in and out. We’re a little crazy, but we actually liked feeling like it was our little private condo instead of a hotel room that would get regular visits from folks making the bed and refreshing the towels. There were definitely enough towels to keep us happy for the duration, and there was even a washer and dryer in our unit, so we did a load of laundry half-way through the trip, which was awesome for all of Clara’s ice-cream-and-sand-covered items.
Here’s a shot of Clara in front of our door (so you can kind of see how the grounds were laid out with pathways to different rooms/buildings…
… and there were also pathways to other areas like the lobby and the two pools on the premises.
Some days it got pretty busy (so we’d head off the to the beach, drive around the island, go out for food, look for whales, embark on some other adventure that we’ll share next week), but other days we had the whole pool to ourselves, so we’d go for a dip.
It was pretty sweet.
Not only were there plenty of seats for sunning, there were also these shaded little cabanas that we loved. They were like king sized beds twenty feet from the pool.
Here are two more random “accommodation” shots for ya. You can see the second pool in the left one below, and the view back at the rooms in the one on the right.
This is just a cute pic of my girl. Is she cute, or what? We each got one item of clothing to remember the trip, so John got the blue HI shirt that he’s wearing and I got a super soft t-shirt that says Maui and Clara got pink Crocs. She calls them her “rocks” and loves them. And they were definitely handy to have in all that sand and surf (waterproof + sandproof shoes = yay).
Now for more on Lahaina. It’s a great little area on the West Coast of Maui with sweet shops and restaurants that we could walk to from our condo.
There were even a few nearby beaches that were also walkable from our resort (don’t mind the rocks on this one, there were sandy ones too)…
We especially enjoyed one called “Baby Beach” thanks to the fact that coral reefs blocked any waves, creating a shallow little kid-friendly spot for splashing around. Sure there were some rocky coral spots, but kids could easily avoid them by staying closer to the ocean’s edge (Clara didn’t try to go beyond the boundaries we set for her, especially with all the fun beach toys that we brought to keep her entertained).
Sometimes she sat about waist-high in the water and splashed around or poured buckets of water on her head (after counting to three as if to warn herself it was coming). But other times she just sat where the water met the sand and played for hours.
Of course we loaded our pasty selves up with SPF, but other than that we had no responsibilities. Cell phones were off, we only checked the blog for about 30 minutes a day, I didn’t wear makeup all week, it was glorious.
When we got hot we all took a dip.
And watched the water (beyond the reef that kept the waves out) for whales. We never saw any at this spot, but we saw a ton of them on some other beaches (more on that soon).
Since this entire beach up to that area waaaaay in the background (where you see one wave breaking) was essentially a huge sandbar, you could walk all the way out and it was only about waist deep. The view back at Lahaina – and of the island beyond – was awesome from way out there.
By comparison, Clara’s favorite view was probably this kayak that randomly floated by. She stared at it, completely speechless until it passed, and then shouted “little girl and doggy on on on on on a boat! Hi doggy! Hi little girl! Hi boat! Hi man!” She only repeats words when she’s super excited. Haha.
Other than keeping an eye out for the dog kayak, Clara had a good time covering herself with wet sand. You think I’m joking.
So now that we’ve covered the accommodations and the neighborhood beaches, we’d be remiss not to mention all the amazing grub that we enjoyed. I mean look at it. It’s like a rainbow of deliciousness.
The top left photo is the fried rice breakfast from Lahaina Coolers (we loved sitting outside and watching people and dogs go by – oh and splitting entrees when we could, since HI food can be pretty pricey). The top right photo is Loco Moco (John got a hamburger on top and I got an egg on top) from Aloha Mixed Plate (so reasonable and such a great view if you get lucky and snag a table by the beach). The bottom left are burgers from Cool Cat Cafe, which was rated the best burger in Maui (so good!), and the bottom right is a giant slice of Hula Pie from Kimo’s (another great beachfront restaurant that we enjoyed). Oh and for those with kiddos, Lahaina Coolers and Kimo’s have crayons, which always earns a little extra credit with folks like us who are desperate to keep the bean happy while we chow down (although she had her fair share of the Hula Pie to keep her happy!).
This is Lahaina Pizza Company. They had great pizza and an awesome view from their upstairs balcony (not only of the folks walking by on the street below, but of the ocean and all the cruise ships and whale watching boats that jet in and out). That look in John’s eyes is bliss, btw. Oh and I had a cold angel hair pasta salad and it was awesome.
This is a funny story. We took Clara to hibachi and only realized once the first giant fireball blazed that she was terrified. She literally screamed and then kept repeating “fire is hot!!!” while bawling. Poor girl! Apparently when kids are younger they don’t get it and when they’re older they can rationalize that it’s safe and ok, but around two seems to be the sweet spot to be terrified. We felt awful, so I stood outside with Clara (who muttered “it’s ok Clara, it’s ok” to calm herself) while John waited inside for them to make our whole meal so we could get it to go. Then we ended up chowing down on one of the cabanas near the pool back at our resort. It was kind of disastrous and hilarious all at the same time. Definitely one of those things we’ll remember for years to come when we think back on our big Hawaii trip.
Thankfully Clara was great when it came to all of the other places that we ate. If they didn’t involve flames shooting up to the ceiling, she was a-ok. Here she is with John at The Mixed Plate (which we mentioned in that food mash-up photo above).
She enjoyed a lot of the local fare (especially snow cones, ice cream, bagels, and french fries, haha) but sometimes she wasn’t into whatever we ordered so we kept a steady stock of crackers, fruit, veggies and other snacks on hand to keep her smiling. Oh and see that “Aloha” sign behind us? Clara has been learning her letters so she was saying “Das a A, das a L, das a O, das a H, das a A” and one of the waitresses was so impressed that she gave her a flower. So cute. Clara was so proud she kept sticking it against her nose and mouth and exhaling (she thinks that’s how you stop and smell the flowers, by heavy breathing on them). Wish we had a picture of that.
Oh and we mentioned that we saw some whales at a few other beaches, so here’s one diving right out of the water while we ate at Aloha Mixed Plate. Is that a sight to see, or what?
The way you notice whales at first is usually by catching a big white splash like this out of the corner of your eye. Then you hold your breath, clutch your camera with a death grip, and hope that he or she comes diving back out (which is when we got the shot above). It really is amazing to see, and even after spying a bunch of them it never got old. The fifteenth whale spotting is just as exciting as the first one.
As for other places that we ate but didn’t snap any photos, here’s that list:
- Take Home Maui (a yummy deli with delicious fresh pineapple)
- Sunrise Cafe (a really reasonable breakfast joint that locals recommended)
- Bradda Hutts (an amaaaazing BBQ stand outside of Hana – just split a chicken platter and bask in the glory)
- Auntie Sandy’s (this was a stand that we stopped at at the Ke’anae Peninsula for fresh baked banana bread)
- Sure Thing Burgers (a fun local/organic burger stand in Lahaina)
- Moose Mcgillycuddy’s (a sports-bar-ish place that we were lukewarm about)
- Cheeseburger in Paradise (not associated with the Jimmy Buffet restaurants – it was right on the water and awesome)
- Fred’s (a fun Mexican restaurant in Kihei that ended up being great – we had actually tried to go to 808 Deli but it was closed)
Ok, and John would kill me if I didn’t mention Ululani’s. He visited another part of Hawaii about 7 years ago (Oahu) which is where he learned from a friend-turned-Hawaii-native that there’s “generic” shave ice (which is made with really course chipped ice, like you’d find here in the lower 48 states) but there’s also Hawaiian shave ice that’s super super fine. Literally, it’s like snow. And that’s the good stuff. It’s like butter. But sweet and soft and divine. Yes, I just said divine. It’s official, I’m turning into my mother. Oh and here’s a quick tip about Ululani’s – they’ll add more syrup to your shave ice if you’re halfway through it and it’s tasting more icey than favorful. They’re cool like that.
Oh and although we already touched on a few ways that we saved money, here’s the whole list for ya:
- Our last big trip was five years ago (our Honeymoon to Alaska) so we had a nice long time to save up.
- We learned that flights are typically most expensive if you book them on a weekend and least expensive when you book them on a Tues night/Wed morning (we definitely noticed it was true for HI tickets). They can also get super pricey if you wait too long (about 2.5 – 3 months out seemed to be the sweet spot for us, but it probably depends on the destination).
- We used HomeAway.com to find a two bedroom, two bathroom condo with a washer & dryer and a full kitchen for $164 a night. And it was an amazing place with two pools that was walking distance from the beach (fully equipped with and a pack and play and stroller for Clara, so we didn’t have to bring them).
- We carried on our luggage instead of checking it (we packed light knowing we’d have access to a washer & dryer in our room and saved any worries of lost luggage while dodging bag checking fees).
- We bought some basic groceries like cereal and snacks for Clara to supplement eating every meal out (because when a plain bagel is five bucks at a restaurant, you do what you can to avoid that). We also cooked a few low key meals in our condo since we had a full kitchen to offset the costs of eating out.
- We split meals a bunch of times. Instant fifty percent off. Haha. And almost every restaurant served giant portions so we didn’t go hungry. We did occasionally splurge for two entrees, but often were so full that we carried half of them home in a bag (which meant free lunch the next day).
- We booked excursions/adventures online or through special vendors (there was an Expedia agent with a booth at our resort who offered a lot of discounted rates on things like whale watching tours – and the aquarium that we visited offered 10% off for booking online).
So that’s Part 1 of our little Hawaiian adventure. We’ll be back with the second half of the goods next week sometime (where we’ll detail all the adventures/excursions/activities we enjoyed, the house-related purchase we made, and the vacay tradition that we carried on in HI). Until then, feel free to chime in on this post with favorite restaurants, activities, and other things to do while in Maui or just HI in general. We’d love for it to become a great resource for anyone else who is traveling out that way!
Nicole Barnard says
Love love love this post! That looks like a fantastic trip. Poor Clara with the flames at the restaurant!
I need to start booking some trips!! :)
kat says
We went to Maui for our honeymoon 2 years ago… we loved sunrise cafe and cheeseburger in paradise. Looks like you guys had some much deserved fun! Hope you guys got some POG while you were there too. My husband is still trying to find it here at home.
YoungHouseLove says
We had a POG flavored smoothie – does that count? :)
-John
Lisa says
Loved seeing your pictures of Maui! Clara looked like she was In heaven. We are fortunate to have family in Honolulu so we often island hop when we go to visit. Maui is a favorite! We usually stay up in Napili – gorgeous crescent beach – about 15 minutes west of Lahaina. And we always stay in a condo or condo-hotel. Next time you are in Maui check out the Gazebo restaurant – breakfast/lunch place in Napili – best mac-nut pancakes ever! Ignore the line – it moves fast and it is worth the wait. As to flying there – we always fly on off days and we use miles. We buy everything on our miles card year round and pay it off each month. Doesn’t take long before we have enough miles to get to HI. My kids (10 and 6) are champion flyers now. Starting early is key. We took our first trip to Europe two years ago. Boy do I miss Hawaii now!
Nicole says
I am so jealous. The pictures are beautiful, I love how green everything is. Definitely a dream vacay for me. We are tentatively heading to Purto Rico this year, pretty psyched. I love Clara’s videos, she is quite a happy girl!
Kristie says
Looks amazing, so happy for you guys! So excited to see that there’s hope in traveling with a toddler! Hubs and I haven’t had the guts yet (our boys are 3 and 6) but next year is our 10 year anniversary, so a trip (possibly Disney) is in order! You guys are fantastic, glad you had a chance to get away!
Kristin says
What a well-deserved break for your family. I see you went to Hana – did you do the traditional “Road to Hana” drive? If so, did you stop at Coconut Glen’s? His coconut ice cream = no ka oi!
YoungHouseLove says
We did do the drive, but sadly missed out on Coconut Glen’s. Bummer – I loves me some coconut ice cream!
-John
Amanda K says
So happy to see you got some shaved ice from Ululani’s. My husband and I went to Maui last February for our 1st anniversary/honeymoon and loved their shaved ice. We ate so much we almost filled up a frequent buyers card :) Maui is just such a great vacation place. I hope we make it back there before too long, we live on the west coast so not nearly as far of trip for us.
Melanie @ Mailbox Journey says
Looks like you guys had an amazing and very relaxing vacation! Those pictures make me want to move to Hawaii! Thanks for sharing :)
Dina says
This post is making me so jealous! My husband and I last went on a big vacation in 2008 when we spent 4 days in Playa del Carmen, Mexico after I took the bar exam. That’s 4 years ago!!! Other than that we’ve just been to Rehoboth/Bethany or the Poconos for long weekends. I’m dying to go to Hawaii, but we might have to wait a couple more years until our own little bug is a bit older (she’s only 4 months now). By the way, our baby’s got nothing but peachfuzz too, and I totally hear you on Clara getting mistaken for a boy! Especially when they’re not dressed head to toe in pink, right?
Quick question – when you say it’s cheaper to book a flight on Tues./Wed., do you mean it’s cheaper to buy the tickets on a Tues./Wed., or it’s cheaper to book a flight that departs on a Tues./Wed.? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
As for your flight question – I think actually both. We had heard that it’s cheaper to fly on off-peak days (not Friday – Monday) and supposedly flights are cheapest when purchased in the middle of the week too. Who knows if both are true in every case, but it seemed to work for us.
-JOhn
Jessica @ Quirky Bookworm says
Wow, looks amazing! I heartily agree that condos are the way to go. We went on a family trip to San Diego last year when Eleanor had just turned 1, and got a 1 bed condo. Even though she woke us up a bit in the night, it was nice that we could put her to bed and then hang out in the living room for a while before tiptoeing in.
But then at New Year’s we went to Flagstaff and all stayed in 1 regular hotel room…so we just had to be super quiet at naptime & bedtime. Boooring! So we’ve determined that we’re never vacationing again until we can afford a condo-type thing again.
I’ve never really wanted to go to Hawaii (I’m not a beach girl) but my hubby really wants to go, and your pics looks amazing! Maybe I could handle it. :)
YoungHouseLove says
The friend I traveled with to Oahu in 2005 wasn’t a beach person either, but we still had a blast hiking, kayaking, snorkeling and checking out some of the cultural sights so there’s definitely still stuff to do!
-John
Michelle says
Sounds like you guys had a blast! We are very fortunate as my mom lives in Maui so we get to travel there once a year to visit her. It’s also a plus to have a free babysitter there so the hubby and I can have some much needed adult alone time. We stay in Keihi each year as my mom has a friend that rents out her condo across the street from the beach for $95. I know! Crazy right??!! Last year our little guy had just turned 1 and wasn’t walking yet, so I’m really looking forward to our next trip in a couple weeks to watch him walk on the beach and play in the water.
Glad you guys tried a bunch of new places and drove around the island. Not a fan of Hana. Got too carsick on the ride there. YUCK!
Can’t wait to hear about the other half of your trip next week!!
Elizabeth says
My husband and I have been to the Big Island of Hawaii and O’Ahu. If you go to the Big Island, I would definitely recommend a hike in Waipio Valley. It has one of the tallest waterfalls in the state. The hike is about 1 1/2 miles in to the falls and it is spectacular! And I am deathly afraid of heights(it is about 800 ft. up), but when you travel 5000 miles you have to do it! The North Shore of O’Ahu is awesome-we stayed in Honolulu, but spent most of our time on the North Shore. Check out artist Heather Brown when there, and the surfing from late fall through early March. Great place to walk and Sunset Beach is beautiful! Aloha!!
Alexis says
You may call that picture of John at Lahaina Pizza Company ‘bliss’, but I say it looks a lot like smolder.
So glad you guys had such a great time, you really deserved a break. Now I’m super jealous of your Hawaii vacation.
YoungHouseLove says
Bwhahahaha. I just died laughing. It’s true.
xo,
s
Megan says
Great pictures so far. You really have me excited to take my 10 month old son to the beach for the first time this coming July. I hope he falls in love with the water and sand like Clara did :)
Melanie says
I think the cut-off age for terrifying kids at hibachi restaurants varies. We took our kids for the first time when they turned 4 and 6. When the oil-induced flames erupted from the cooktop, my daughter screamed “FIRE!!!” and ran sobbing to the exit with her little brother in tow. We did get them back to the table eventually but they would only eat soup and rice. We returned two years later and had a lovely dinner, after making sure to discuss what was going to happen and why before entering the restaurant! Thankfully, they did not remember us.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, that’s so cute that she saved her brother!
xo,
s
Donna Jean says
So, there is a place in Mechanicsville that also has the really finely shaved ice. It’s called the Sno Shak and is awesome. It’s not super close to you, but it’s a lot closer than Maui! It usually doesn’t open until late April or May and is open all summer, until about Labor Day. They aren’t shy with the flavor syrup (and have some really interesting combinations) and you can get it with “volcano” (a scoop of ice cream) and the prices are really great (cash only – it’s literally a little shack in the middle of a parking lot). My husband grew up 5 minutes from there and whenever we go to visit his parents we’ll get it and occasionally have made the 25 min drive just to get some!
Anyway, if you are having shaved ice cravings it might be worth the trip!
Love the videos of Clara – she is precious!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip! John will be giddy!
xo,
s
Mandy says
Ahh, Hawaii. We try to go twice a year (a small perk of working for an airline!) and it NEVER gets old. Looks like you had a blast. Thanks for the Home Away link. Definitely looks promising for our trip to Kauai in June!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow, twice a year is awesome! You’re a lucky gal!
xo,
s
Brandi says
I’m from Hawaii and have friends and relatives in Portland. OR and HI are the two places we travel to most so it’s so nice reading your vacation posts. I love recognizing the sites and seeing it through your eyes. Glad you guys had a nice time!
Nicole says
Looks like you had an amazing time! We are stationed on Oahu, and definitely hope to visit Maui while we’re here. We will be looking back at this post when it’s trip-planning time, for sure! (Especially since our little one is only a little bit older than Clara… Your trip w/ toddler advice = super relevant.) And Sherry, you should go sans makeup all the time – you look beautiful!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Nicole!
xo,
s
Jessica says
heven’t been in so many years, yet we are so afraid to take out twin toddlers…albeit, we are on the west coast so the flight won’t be TOO long. we took our daughter to europe when she was six, but she was outnumbered and a big kid. but i CRAVE a lava flow!! looks like you guys had a great time! thanks for sharing!
Katie says
So glad you guys made it to Aloha Mixed Plate — we ate there 3 times on an 8 day trip! Did you guys get out at all by yourselves (baby-sitter for Clara)? Glad you had a great time — Maui is awesome, I just wish it didn’t take so long to get there from the East Coast!!
YoungHouseLove says
No babysitter for us in Hawaii, but we were glad to get lots of family time.
-John
EJ @ Not A House, But A Home says
I love Clara’s little dances. So cute. In some photos she looks so grown up too!
Chrissie says
Yay Hawaii! That looks like a fabulous break for you guys :-)
I was drooling at all the food pics.
Thanks for the budgeting tips. We’re headed for Thailand later this year (a Scoopon deal) so I’ll definitely implement some of these things!
Hayley says
Awesome pics! Everything looks so beautiful! I absolutely LOVE how Clara was soothing herself after her hibachi experience. So sweet!
Being a proud Louisiana girl, I have to say, our New Orleans shaved ice is pret-ty darn snowy! Snowier than snow…like the frozen tears of angels, dreamy, creamy, sun beamy. When you live in a place where summer temps regularly reach 105, and you get your recommended 8 glasses of water a day just by going outside and taking a deep breath, you can count on us being masters of delicious frozen treats, actually, we are masters of delicious food in general. And we happen to love babies named Clara, and dogs named Burger. Come visit and see for yourselves! ;)
http://youknowyourefromlouisianawhen.tumblr.com/post/8190365552/submitted-by-decepticon
YoungHouseLove says
Wow, I don’t know how we can say no to frozen angel tears! :)
-John
eRin @ growing up senge says
Oh, now I’m really jealous. It looks like you guys had a great time!! And thanks for sharing the resort info, that place looks fantastic. It’s so hard to get a deal in HI but that seems like a pretty great one! I’ll just keep dreaming until I get to go back…
eRin @ growing up senge says
Also, Clara at the Hibachi restaurant is too funny. Poor little thing! What a great memory and story though, sometimes the (hilarious) disasters make the best things to look back on!
KC says
More than the trip to Hawaii itself, I think I’m more jealous of the fact that Sherry is so incredibly gorgeous without makeup. You are a natural beauty. I’d never ever wear an ounce of makeup if I had your face.
(Clara, you’re a cutie too! Love those videos!)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, you’re so sweet. I’m blushing.
xo,
s
Hilary says
What a small world – I was also in Maui on vacation last week and enjoyed Hula Pie at Kimo’s, shave ice at Ululani’s, bbq at Brudda Hutt’s (did you stop at Coconut Glen’s on the way??), whale watching and wandering through downtown Lahaina (we stayed in Ka’anapali). Our favorite was a spectacular sunrise from the crater summit at Haleakala. Looks like you had as fantastic a trip as we did!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow, sorry we missed you! And we missed Coconut Glen’s unfortunately. Maybe next time!
-John
Carly says
You missed our crazy storm! Lucky you:) Maybe the islands are sad that you’re gone. I chuckled to myself when I saw the loco moco and fried rice.
Chrissy Henry says
Just so you know, my days were totally empty without my Young House Love fix! But you guys deserve a vacation just like the rest of us so I am so happy that you were able to enjoy some family time in HI!! But I still missed you!
In other news: are you being bombarded with questions as to when you are going to be adding another little bean to the clan now that Katie B shared her big announcement? ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we’re definitely on different schedules! Due to complications with Clara’s birth I’m not even allowed to try until she’s two and I have to say that we’re probably going to wait longer than that since we’re just not quite ready yet! But of course we’ll make a big announcement when we finally do!
xo,
s
karen says
3 Clara videos! I love it!
Looked like an amazing time. I would have flipped out if i saw whales jumping out of the ocean. so wicked!
Micole says
Looks like you guys had a blast in Hawaii! This might sound weird, but I really needed this post today. Husband is in the Army and we’ve been blessed to spend 3 years in Alaska, and now we are going on 2 years in Hawaii (Oahu). We LOVE Hawaii, but being almost 6 months pregnant I’ve been feeling really homesick and down about not being on the “mainland” near family. This post just reminded me how blessed we are to get the opportunities to live in places that most people only dream about. Hawaii is truly a beautiful place. Even though our baby girl wont have grandparents, aunts and uncles near by the first year of her life at least she can say that she was born in Hawaii! …and that pretty much guarantees her to be president, right? hehe
Oh, and LOVE Hawaiian Shaved Ice! Especially with ice cream on the bottom and sweet condense milk on the top. So delicious yet so sugary…its enough to put you in a sugar coma. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Mmm, yes we had it with ice cream and condensed milk on it! Amazing! And you’re right, your little one is going to love saying she was born in HI!
xo,
s
Meredith says
This is my first time commenting and I just had to chime in on this post! My husband and I are both from Virginia (go Hoos!) and we have lived in HI for the past three years. I’ve kept a blog as a way to keep in touch with family and friends on the East Coast.
You mentioned this post being a resource for other people hoping to make it out here to paradise, so here’s the link to my blog: http://www.tworooneys.blogspot.com. We’ve been to all the other islands and have done some incredible things, and we enjoy sharing our experience and recommendations.
Glad to hear you three had a wonderful trip!
eileen marie says
Your trip looked like such fun! Wish I had your recommendations before our trip -we were not lovin’ the over-priced cuisine, but I do think we enjoyed sunrise. Clara is such a trip! I feel bad she was skeered -but SO funny (telling herself it would be OK), & the counting before dumping water on her own head? -priceless. We might have bought the same shirts as you guys!! We bought the HI shirt in blue for my father-in-law, & I bought a super-soft Maui shirt THAT.I.LOVE for myself -share a pic if you have one in your next post!
PS Sherry, you don’t NEED makeup girl!
YoungHouseLove says
My shirt is purple and says Maui with this little whale icon on it. So cute. And you’re too kind about the makeup, but sometimes I do need it! Haha.
xo,
s
shannon says
looks like y’all had a blast! and the pictures are beautiful!
welcome back!
liz @ bon temps beignet says
I’m sure someone has probably already mentioned this, but New Orleans has snoballs, which are the same as shave ice. And they are AWESOME! Especially with condensed milk poured on top. De-licious!
YoungHouseLove says
Mmm, sounds so good!
xo,
s
statia says
Super jealous! We eloped on Maui. Such a great island, and one of the best times of year for whale watching.
Nikole says
Oh what an amazing vacation, the beach & yummy food, that is what they are all about!
Mary says
We have family friends who own a house on Baby Beach and it is absolutely the most amazing place to stay! We took our son when he was 1 1/2 and he had so much fun. My in- laws were there the same time you were, too. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Wow! The houses there are so nice! That’s amazing.
xo,
s
Jaz says
Hi Sherry,
Thank you for sharing your Hawaii trip! The pictures are beautiful, and I was especially impressed by the humpback whale shots. Good ones!
And, I must say that you and John are such great parents…Clara is one lucky gal!
Thanks for sharing!
Kate says
My daughter had the SAME exact reaction when we went to Maui and went to Kobe when she was just a little over 2. She cried and was scared. We ended up staying but taking her for lots of walks or clutching her while standing with our backs to the table-FUN! But in better news, we went a year ago in Disney and she really liked it! (She was 4.5 at the time)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, that is good news!
xo,
s
Christina says
My husband and I are going to Maui in May. I am loving your pictures, but trying not to look LOL! I have spent so much time pouring over trip advisor and websites making sure we stay at a good place, find good places to eat and don’t miss anything, that I feel like that by the time I get to Maui I will already see everything LOL! It is what I call TAS (Trip Advisor Syndrome) LOL! However, with your great tips, I am finally confident I have all the insider info I need, and can hang up the towel till we get to Maui! Thank you so much for sharing, I am taking notes.
But…now that I think of it maybe one question: Any advice on car rental in Maui as we will also be doing the road to Hana?
Many thanks again!!!
YoungHouseLove says
We rented a car at the airport (from Dollar Rent A Car with a car seat for Clara) and ended up with some sort of Chrysler (300 I think) but wished we had an Altima. It did just fine on the road to Hana, but parking around HI would have been easier with a slightly smaller car (we saw Altimas everywhere, and that’s our car at home, so we wished we had that).
xo,
s
Kristen says
The Hula Pie at Kimo’s is to die for!!
Heidi P. says
That picture of Clara with wet sand on her face is hilarious.
Here are my Hawaii must sees: Polynesian Cultural Center, a helicopter ride, Kilawea volcanic park, Pali (a spot on top of Oahu that’s extremely windy, Road to Hana (Maui – did you do this drive? It’s a-mazing), Waikiki, Diamond Head, the Blow Hole, snorkeling at Hanauma Bay (Hawaii), Queen’s Bath (Kawai). Maui and Kawai are the most beautiful for relaxing, but Oahu and Hawaii have more activities (my opinion only, obviously).
:)
katalina says
I love the the picture of Sherry and Clara– Clara has a side part is so cute!
And Sherry if you look like that without makeup– you don’t need it! I always wanted to go to Hawaii and see sea turtles!
Haley says
when my family and i went to hawaii a few years ago, that’s where we stayed in Lahaina, looks pretty familiar :)
Sherry L says
It looks like you guys had a blast! The hubby and I went to the Big Island (Hawaii)two years ago and were in heaven. Now anytime I even hear the word Hawaii I can daydream for a good two hours!
Amy says
Before I started reading the food section, I was secretly hoping you’d made it to the Aloha Mixed Plate, Kimo’s and Cheeseburger in Paradise! Sooo delicious. I’m yearning to go back to HI now!!
Morgan says
Lahaina is just wonderful! You guys chose a great, great spot! When we were growing up we’d head over to Maui every other year for a family vacation (we’re in California so it’s not as huge of a jaunt). Almost wish you’d told us in advance so we could share some of our favorite spots – but it looks like you found some great ones!!
PS This has probably been mentioned but your condo math of $184 per night only adds up to $164 in the post (no biggie but thought I’d throw it out there). I MUST check out HomeAway.com now though – it sounds amazing!! I wonder if you can also list homes on there… We’re in San Diego and are just beginning to explore options like house swapping this summer for saving even more dollars.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no, we paid $164 a night but other folks selling space not through HomeAway were charging $184 a night! Hope that makes sense!
xo,
s
Morgan says
Oh I see! Ha, read too fast :). What a smoking’ deal for Hawaii!!
Laci Waner says
LOVE!!!! I’m so excited about seeing the next post as well! After my hubs and I went on our honeymoon to Fiji (seems like a hundred years ago), I completely redecorated the house to include “beachy” things (not in a subtle or good way) in each room when we got back. Now I have learned to layer the things that remind us of the beach/our honeymoon into the overall decor…definitely more subtle now. I can’t wait to see what ya’ll collected and how you layer it in (since ya’ll are experts at that)! Oh, and as always, Clara is A-DOR-ABLE!! I love that her spirit is so bright it easily shines through photos!!
kristin says
three cheers for hula pie!!! what a fun trip! i have almost the exact same photo of my daughter at baby beach (watching the yellow submarine go by) when she was 13 months old. awwwww! such fun times, and that clara is a little smartie pants!