Maui Family Vacation 2018 (VIDEO)

We just returned from our favorite family vacation spot: MAUI! Are you ready to be slapped with 100 photos? Don’t worry though, once you get through them, there’s a very relaxing video for you at the end :). My husband makes THE BEST family videos!

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It’s amazing to see how much the kiddos have grown from  2011 when our son was just a little guy to 2014 (pre baby), then 2015 with the cutest baby on the beach and 2017 when we did some good eating! We didn’t go on vacation in 2016 and regretted it. 2016 was a roller coaster year with house hunting then building our house and all the stressors that are associated with that, and not living in our own place. We should have rested. Getting away from every day work and resting your mind is so good for your soul and should be done at least annually (GOALS!).

Beach Bums

Here’s my very favorite picture from the trip. I can still feel that happy carefree moment jumping through a wave…

Being on the beach is the very best thing about Maui. It’s free entertainment and seriously therapeutic to dig in the sand, walk the beach, swim in the ocean with your hair down (makeup free!!), jump through the waves and boogie board. The kids just couldn’t get enough of it and we get so much joy watching them have a great time. Joy is contagious!!

Where to Stay in Maui:

Our past 2 trips to Maui, we shared a condo in Wailea Beach Villas with my sister’s family. It was a ritzy and expensive place but we kind of outgrew it and this time, we each stayed in our own condos at the Wailea Ekahi Village.

The beach was really lovely and about 1 mile from last year’s Wailea beach except they didn’t provide umbrella service which was still ok. The condos had easy to carry folding chairs available. The umbrella service was SO NICE when we had a baby along but I didn’t miss it now that our kiddos are older.

The Ekahi units were half the price and the grounds were  nicely manicured with lush greens and flowers and a pool close to the beach. The units weren’t as new or modern as the Wailea Beach Villas and the kitchen was not as well stocked but for the price, it was still a good deal. Also, our walk to the beach was much shorter at this place with a unit closer to the water; super convenient with kids in tow.

With kids, we really did have a lot of fun in the pool. It was the perfect spot when the water got too rough in the ocean in the afternoons and swimming with the kids into the sunset was a cool experience.

Go to Costco:

The prices at Costco are pretty reasonable compared to everything else in Maui. Everything is imported into Maui so groceries are considerably more expensive than on the mainland. We always hit Costco right after we grab a rental car.

Cooking in Maui:

While you’re at Costco, buy pineapples (like 4 of them) because they disappear quickly. I saved an Instagram story about why HERE (click on the “Maui” tab). Also, if your kitchen is not well stocked, buy meats that are pre-marinated and ready to bake. There’s no shame in that and cooking on vacation should be easy! We hit up Costco twice to buy the Salmon topped with pesto butter and my kids LOVED every bite!

Another stop for smaller items (say to make soup for the kids), is FoodLand Grocery Store. If you register your phone number at FoodLand, there’s a big savings for doing it.

Most of the condos have a grill either on the individual balconies or in the common area of the resort/community. There’s something so pleasant about grilling on your balcony in Maui with a glimpse of the ocean!

Going out to Eat is:

1. Expensive (especially for a family)
2. Kids Menu Choices are Limited (i.e. no fruits and veggies)

It’s way better to cook at least some of your meals if you’re traveling with children. It made me feel great knowing they were getting wholesome fruits and vegetables. All of these homemade meals were devoured by our children because they are hungry and way less picky after a solid day of playing on the beach!

LEFT: Asian Salad, Pesto Salmon and Mashed Potatoes (All Costco items)
RIGHT: Toasted Bread, Pesto Salmon and Caesar Salad (All Costco items)

LEFT: My sisters and I came together for dinner (Steak and Caesar salad form Costco, My sister’s cabbage salad, white rice and poke from Food Land grocery store.
RIGHT: Mom’s Meatball Soup (ingredients form Food Land), Toasts with avocado and smoked salmon (All from Costco).

LEFT: Chicken breast with no-marinating time required (because I didn’t have time) and I used up what I had leftover from my other recipes (dill, garlic, clementine juice, butter) It turned out pretty awesome on the grill and on the skillet – yes I made it twice! If you want the recipe, let me know.
RIGHT: Grilled pineapple (I’ve never seen a pineapple disappear so fast!)

Dining Out:

Of course we were on vacation so we went out to a few places. Since we were traveling with such a big group (my sisters and their families were vacationing at the same time), we stuck with our favorites this time.

(the hungry children waiting for our table at Cafe O’lei).

Cafe O’lei – we went there twice for dinner and no one was disappointed.

For our family of 4, the two times we went out, our bills were $68 and $112 (we ordered the house special at $35 the second visit), so yes it was spendy but the food was very good.

(in my defense, we were both supposed to be doing silly faces)

Coconuts Fish Cafe – for their famous fish tacos that I recreated here.

Kihei Cafe – for an amazing, reasonably priced, huge portion (cash only) breakfast. It was SO GOOD! Those sure are eggs Benedict over a crab cake and super fluffy yummy pancakes.

Lappert’s was really good for Ice Cream with homemade waffle cones

If you’re looking for some pick-me-up power in the middle of your day, the gluten free paleo smoothie bowls at Choice Health Bar were great (reader recommendation from @itsme.albina on Instagram).

Activities:

We beached most of the time in Maui but did go on a parasailing trip through the UFO company (My first time – also recorded in Instagram stories).

We go to the aquarium every single time (look up the Visa Discount at the Maui Ocean Center to save 15% which you’ll want because tickets are pricey. Show them the discount you find online and then pay with your Visa card and it works in the gift shop).

Maui Sunsets:

We always make a goal of dressing up one evening; hair, makeup and the whole shazam and head to the beach for sunset family photos. The first night we attempted happened to be the only evening it was pouring rain. We tried anyways, trudging down to the beach with our umbrellas. It was a funny moment of everyone huddled under giant umbrellas.

Our last evening we tried again and the sunset was gorgeous.

My sisters families:

MAUI VIDEO:

My husband creates the most amazing videos of our family vacations but he’s never shared them with the world until this year. I did some convincing and told him if we loved it, other’s might be interested to see them as well. Enjoy the video!

P.S. I’d love to hear your feedback in a comment below and if you’d like to see more personal videos and vlogs.

Aloha friends! I hope you liked this post as much as I loved writing it 🙂