Hawaiian honeymooners on a budget
Written: Dec 06 '00 (Updated Dec 07 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Tropical, lots to do, paradise
Cons: $$$ Expensive $$$
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| eduveen's Full Review: Hawaii |
Kihei Akahi seems to be one of Maui’s best-kept secrets. It is located right across the street from the beach. The rates are reasonable and the accommodations were perfect for us. We stayed in a nicely furnished one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo with a living room, kitchenette and dining area that also was equipped with a washer and dryer for $70/night. Our suite was located on the first floor of a two-level building. The only sounds we heard were the birds, which merely added to the tropical atmosphere.
BUDGET BUSTER
Our seven-day Hawaiian honeymoon in 1997 was full of wonderful adventures, although they weren’t cheap. Maui is not the place to try a low-budget vacation, although there are ways to keep costs moderate and still have a great time. A rental car is a necessity on this island. And if you think the price of gas is expensive, just wait until you see the price of food. We went to the grocery store just to pick up items for lunches and snacks for the week and easily spent more than $100. It seems the only way to get reasonably priced meals would be to bring food with you. However, there is a Costco on the island, so bring your card if you’ve got one.
We had both just graduated from college two weeks earlier and we didn't have jobs yet, so keeping costs down was a necessity. The hotel, rental car and flights were covered in our vacation package. So we mostly just had to pay for gas, food and souvenirs, although everywhere we turned we were being offered expensive tours. Our first morning on the island, we went to a free island overview offered by our hotel. This helped us to plan what things we wanted to do. Since we were on our honeymoon, we wanted to do things at our own pace - and alone. We went to see the sights on our own, and we had a great time.
THE VOLCANO
Maui has stunningly diverse microclimates, from the tropics to the desert climate of Mount Haleakala, the island’s volcano. We got up insanely early to go up to the top of Mount Haleakala and see the sunrise. Since I was expecting to see the sun rise out of the ocean, I was disappointed when it rose out of the clouds, which are constantly hovering over the volcano. Because I am not a morning person, I’d pass on the sunrise next time, but it was worth the trip up to the top of the mountain to see the range of microclimates on the island.
THE TROPICS
The road to Hana was the highlight of our adventures. The 2 1/2 - hour trip through the rain forest side of the island was wonderful and refreshing (although I can see how some people could get sick on the windy road). My favorite part of the day was wading in the Seven Sacred Pools (we could have gone swimming but my dear husband forgot his trunks) and hiking through a bamboo forest to a gorgeous waterfall. Then we took the long way back, even though there is a warning against taking rental cars over the dirt road. We stopped to see the most gorgeous sunset. Hana took a full day but was well worth it.
THE OCEAN
Snorkeling was also a lot of fun. We brought snorkels with us but we didn’t have any fins. Although we could have rented them, we purchased mismatched (different color) fins for $5 each from the Maui Dive Shop. For us, this purchase has worked out great. We went snorkeling a couple times while we were there and we have used them since.
THE TOTAL COST
Our travel agent booked our trip through Apple Vacations and it included 5 days in Maui and 2 in Oahu for $2000. (See my Oahu entry to find out why I don’t recommend Outrigger hotels or the “lei greeting and airport transfer” service, or Oahu in general.) We spent at least another $500 on food and entertainment. (Keep in mind these are 1997 prices.) Although it wasn’t cheap, it was well worth it. For us, Maui was a honeymoon in paradise.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
eduveen
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Member: Emily Swanson
Location: Silicon Valley
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 2 members
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