Good morning everyone, happy Friday! Laura and I just finished selling our old home, buying a new home, doing a few small home improvement projects around the new home (painting rooms, changing lights, etc.) and unpacking boxes. I haven’t had much free time to write blog posts over the last few weeks, but now that the dust has settled, I have more free time now.
A few weeks ago (in the middle of packing and moving), Laura and I went to Maui for her Spring Break (she is a teacher). We flew Alaska Airlines roundtrip from San Francisco (SFO) to Maui (OGG) using my Alaska Airlines Companion Fare. Since we both have Alaska Airlines MVP Elite Status, we were upgraded to first class on our return flight. In my experience, I have had good luck getting upgraded when flying on less popular routes and on less popular days (like weekdays).
We used AutoSlash to help get us a good deal on a Hertz rental car. The new Maui airport rental car facility is very nice – I wish all airports had a rental car facility and tram system like the one at the Maui airport. We stayed on the South Shore in Kihei in a Vacasa Vacation Rental. The rental cost 13,500 Wyndham Rewards Points per night and I used a combination of points from my Barclays Wyndham Rewards Business Earner Credit Card and transferred Capital One Points to Wyndham Rewards to top off for an award. Here is the view from our Vacasa Vacation Rental:
-
- View from our Vacasa Vacation Rental in Kihei
-
- View from our Vacasa Vacation Rental in Kihei
When we were in Maui, I booked some activities through Viator to earn some cash back. We did a Lahaina ATV Adventure with Maui Off Road Adventures, a Clear Kayak and Snorkel Adventure with Ohana Ocean Adventures, and a Maui Pineapple Tour that included 2-3 airport ready pineapples. During a previous visit to Hawaii, one of the tour guides said the best place to get poke was at any grocery store, so we went to Safeway and some local grocery stores every day to get poke for lunch.
Maui Pineapple Tour
Since we stayed at a Vacasa Vacation Rental, we had a full kitchen with full size refrigerator. We stocked up on groceries and had most meals at home. We did have lunch at the Duke’s Beach House in Lahaina (next to the Westin Nanea) where we devoured a huge slice of hula pie and went to the Maui Brewing Company for happy hour drinks and dinner.
Hula Pie at Duke’s Beach House in Lahaina
It was a short trip to Maui, but the views, food, and memories were well worth the trip. I’m actually planning another trip back to Hawaii later this summer to visit a few other islands. If you have any questions about anything we did or ate at Maui, please leave a comment below. Have a great weekend everyone!
P.S. Today is the last day to Register for FTU Virtual Seminar on Saturday, April 9 ($25) or Free with Online Annual Membership.
What did you pay per day for your rental? We are headed to Maui in late August and the cheapest 6 day rental I could find on autoslash was $1100. Instead, as always, I used Turo to book a Hyundai Santa Fe for $360.
Autoslash is down to $667 for the same quote. Turo still crushes it. Pickup and dropoff right at the airport which you note is small and makes things so easy.
We’re staying at the Westin North Villas (6 day/5 night timeshare preso = $500 + goodies). Any thoughts on that property?
Hey Mike, our Hertz rental was $183 for 4 days, so $46 per day. AutoSlash should be able to find you some deals as your trip gets closer.
I think I stayed at that Westin property a few years ago on a similar timeshare vacation package. It is right next to the Westin Nanea, right? I believe there are lots of pools and play area for kids :)
Ugh, so jealous. I love Maui and that hula pie. I loved staying at the Four Seasons Wailea, but the rates are out this world. No can do anymore. But thanks for the heads up about the pineapple tour, viator cashback, and the brewery–gotta plan for 2023!
I drove by the Four Season Wailea a few times and it looked like a beautiful property. I’m planning another trip to Maui but staying up in Lahaina next time. Hopefully you can make it out to Hawaii soon :)
Nice, I await the next trip report. I’m heading to HNL in May, but sadly no Maui or Kauai.
I’m heading to HNL this summer too, staying a few days on the North part of the island and a few days in Waikiki Beach. Do you have any big plans for HNL?
We just booked our family of four using the same tricks you wrote about. Booking with Vacasa is really slick. With my normal spend on the Wyndham Business card, this will be the second trip to Maui within seven months. We also did Westin North Villas to extend the stay last time. We got kicked out of Nanea pools next door because they weren’t doing reciprocal use. That was October, kids pools was closed at North and they did nothing compensation-wise. The only stick in the spokes is an expensive rental car… Keep on educating us Grant!
Hi Jacob, I had lunch at Duke’s which is right next to the Nanea pools, so I don’t blame you for using the Nanea pools (they looked really nice).
How many nights did you stay at a Vacasa and what part of Maui were you staying?
I have an upcoming trip to Maui and AutoSlash was able to find me a price that was $85 cheaper than the lowest price I booked a few days ago. Make sure you use AutoSlash for your rental car reservations and rebook quickly after you get the deal emails.
Salutations Grant, we have been staying seven to ten nights at a time. Our children are young, so Honokōwai Beach Park in Kaanapali is a perfect fit. There is a 1 bedroom with loft nearby.
I sleuthed out where you stayed, and my wife and I will put it on the list for a couples trip. This time, we are spending one week in South Kihei at a condo across from Kamaole Beach Park III.
Very good points about AutoSlash. I’ve been an advocate for years. I booked on the 6th, and am awaiting my first notification. I booked straight through Autoslash when going to Australia in 2019, and I had a few issues that they resolved quickly.
7-10 nights sounds like a great trip. I like to hop around and stay in different places. If you have a hard time finding a single property that has availability the entire time, you should consider looking for properties that have availability for the first half and then another property for the second half.
I’m hoping AutoSlash can work their magic on your upcoming rental car reservation :)
Congrats Grant!! On the new home, and glad you had a great Maui trip.
I may be the only one here but I wanna see pics / a report on your home painting and decorating before and after hehe
Hi Alex, thank you for the congratulations. We have painted doors, baseboards, closets, kitchen pantry, and we are halfway done painting the garage. No before photos unfortunately, but it looks good with a fresh coat of paint.