Taking a trip to Hawaii while on a budget can be challenging...but I found the deals! This trip was everything I could've hoped for and more. I'm going to let you in on my secret spots, deals, and tips to make the most of a vacation in this tough economy.
First off, I found a 'package deal' 1 week before our planned arrival date. We booked our's through Orbitz.com (flight, condo & car, for an entire week, all for $920.00 per person!) Our seats weren't initially together for the flight over, but I went up to the ticket counter & was able to get the 'Exit Row' (extra leg room) at no extra charge & together.
view from the plane arriving in Maui
Our condo was gorgeous (Aston Papakea, in Maui.) They don't upgrade rooms, but when I requested a room away from elevators/stairs...to accomodate my request, we were given a garden/ocean view, 1 bedroom condo, instead of the original studio, garden view only room, ( can you say, UPGRADE?)
views from our room...
We received a small, economy car, which was perfect due to the high prices of gas and our desire to site see the entire island.
The next morning we headed out to Costco to stock up on breakfast, lunch & dinner items. Deciding to only eat out one day on the trip. This saved us a TON of money! I packed lunch for us everyday & we were able to have picnics at isolated, gorgeous spots, away from the crowds. When we got back to the condo, the home cooked dinners out on our patio was a perfect, relaxing, end to our days.
My hubby wanted to surf while we were there, but after checking around, most people wanted $100.00 with a $100.00 deposit to rent a board. After walking all over Lahaina (even an old house we'd rented from 7yrs. ago) we became a little frustrated at the prices. Then my hubby remembered a friend of his back home used to live on Maui. He gave him a quick call.
He sent us over to Augie & Stephanie's house, (local artists-who sell art out of their home in Lahaina.)-awesome people! They gave us a board for free to use during the week. (This board deal may be difficult to work out, but before you head over to the islands, ask friends of friends who might know someone who lives there...you never know until you ask, right?)
walk back to where we parked by the famous Lahaina Banyan tree.
Augie cutting our coconut
He left a soft center so we can just push it open when we were ready to drink it.
He left a soft center so we can just push it open when we were ready to drink it.
Famous Banyan Tree (planted in 1873)
Mmmm just what we needed on the hot, humid day!
3 comments:
Looks like a blast so far!!
Gorgeous vacation pictures!
The place looks like Paradise on earth.
Thanks a lot for sharing your post - those pictures are absolutely breathtaking! Looks like you had a wonderful vacation! While vacations are the opportune time to relax and forget about the stresses of life, they can be costly (and there goes the stress!) I always encourage people to shop ahead of time for cheap deals. If you shop in advance you can find discount hotels to stay out, get reduced flight tickets and give yourself time to save cash to spend on vacation as opposed to blowing up your credit card. Great post and thanks again for sharing!
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