Our flight arrived in Maui after dark, and we were greeted by Hawaiian music performers and hula dancers right in the airport in Kahului. The baggage claim area was open-air, and finally feeling the slightly cool tropical air after our very long day of flying was such a treat for us once again. We had no issues at baggage claim or at the car rental desk, and we were quickly on our way in our full-size car to the other side of the island and our accommodations for the week. We opted for yet another new place to stay on this trip, and booking through Costco’s travel site enabled us to get a good rate with our rental car included in the package. As we arrived in Lahaina, we made a very quick stop at a local grocery store to pick up just a few items before heading on to our condo.
We stayed at the Ridge Villas at Kapalua on this trip, and I highly recommend the villas to anyone looking for a nice condo for vacation in Maui. On our two previous trips many years ago, we stayed in condos at Kaanapali and Kahana, but we liked our condo here and the entire Kapalua resort even more. It is a little pricier than the other two places we stayed, even in present day dollars, but for this special belated anniversary trip, it was a real treat for us.
We stayed in a one-bedroom ocean view gold villa, and I am glad we opted for the gold unit and not a standard unit. Gold units are upgraded a bit from the others, and after staying in a gold villa, we would likely not be satisfied in a condo with furnishings older than what our gold unit had. Even in the gold unit, we found the sofa cushions were already past their life expectancy, as we would sink down too far in them when sitting. The other chairs in the living room were better, and overall, it was fine for our needs, since we were seldom sitting in the living room anyway. The rest of the condo was great, including the comfy king bed in the master suite upstairs. I’ll just let the pictures tell most of this story.
The villas also had a small pool nearby with a nice covered area with gas grills for cooking. We enjoyed a quick dip in the pool on several occasions to take a little cool break from hiking or sightseeing.
We always prefer staying in condos in Hawaii, as we find that we are more comfortable, have more of the conveniences of home and save a little money on food vs. staying in the hotels, which are usually even more expensive than the condos we’ve stayed in. On this stay, we also had a washer and dryer in a closet in the master suite, which allowed us to do a quick load of laundry each day. We were able to pack fewer clothes from home with this convenience, and we also went home at the end of our week with most of our laundry already done. Anytime we visit a beach, we always enjoy staying in a place where we can wash out our clothes and swimsuits each day, and this trip to Maui was no exception.
While this covers our nice condo for today, I will have more to share soon on the wonderful Kapalua resort and the Kapalua Coastal Trail, as we enjoyed pretty much enjoyed everything that Kapalua had to offer during our stay. I also have much, much more to share about our week in Maui, too!
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There are times when it’s a good thing to spend a little more and do something more memorable. I always think of those as ‘investing in your marriage’ — a concept that too many people don’t seem to understand. But then they invest for their retirement and never think that it might be good to invest in their partner, and their relationship as well. But don’t get me started on that one.
Believe it or now, we have never rented a condo. You and so many others seem to love the experience and somehow its never fit our style or opportunity. Hmmmm……
I see you’re getting better with the new camera! 🙂 Keep on clicking!
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I should write a post sometime about how we have always invested in vacations, even with our kids. I don’t regret one penny that we have ever spent on that quality time together either. Condos really are the way to go in Hawaii, if you still want a location on or close to some nice beaches, a little more room, a kitchen and a way to do laundry. We loved taking our time in the mornings at the condo with some good coffee and easy breakfasts, no cooking. This is most definitely the nicest condo we have ever stayed in, but the others have been very nice, too. Lodging in Hawaii is not cheap, but it’s also not as costly as some other places we’ve visited either. Flying for free helps, of course, or we would have to find some places closer to home for our beach trips. I’m just grateful we have the RV to get away more often now. What a blessing that has been over the past 3.5 years when we’ve had quite a bit of stress in our lives.
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I’ll have to re-think the condo option if we take Hawaii on, and maybe some other destination destinations….. 🙂
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Wow, beautiful condo. Nice accommodations sure helps with the overall experience of a trip.
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It is a great place to stay!
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