Maui On A Budget...Um...No...

When planning a trip to Hawaii you’ll probably want to visit at least one more island than Oahu. This is where careful research comes in and where careful choices have to be made. You’ll probably research Maui which is probably the second most popular island after Oahu. I did glance at it and from my research there was cheaper accommodation as well as some activities, perfect for a 3 night venture. Unfortunately while everything on paper was true regarding activities and cheaper accommodation I did screw up a very important factor which is logistics.

Maui is a popular place for honeymooners. As a result, most of the facilities on the island are catered to them. Most of the accommodation on the island is resorts which pretty much have everything you could want. As well, since most people visiting are on a honeymoon or an anniversary etc, usually their budgets are a lot higher than say ours. Shops and restaurants will have higher prices than say in Waikiki. 

Panoramic view from Lahaina Village

Getting from the airport to your hotel is quite expensive. Most likely you’ll either be on the south or west coast of the island which is FAR from the airport. The airport shuttle company had quoted us separately at $90 per person round trip to Lahaina which is outrageous. If you book as a group you can get a significant discount as it was $116 round trip if booked together. If that’s the price for an airport shuttle I’d hate to imagine the price of a taxi...

Lahaina Village

We opted to stay in Lahaina village which is an old whaling village on the west coast of the island. It’s a gorgeous village and our accommodation at the Lahaina Inn was great for the price. This is a tourist village as all the shops and restaurants are catered to tourists. You’ll find all sorts of restaurants which will satisfy anyone's taste. There’s also nightlife in Lahaina with a few bars/clubs BUT the village empties out at about 10pm when all the resort busses leave - so don’t expect it to be busy...

Luau at the Royal Lahaina Resort

Part of the deal we had with our hotel was that we had access to all the facilities at the Royal Lahaina Resort. Unfortunately public transport on the island isn’t the greatest and you’re looking at busses that depart every hour. Having to take a public bus and a free resort shuttle meant that getting to the resort would take over an hour in some cases as the bus and shuttle would just miss each other. We did however opt to do the resort luau which was great but a bit pricey at $70 per person. This however included a buffet meal and open bar. The show was great and showcased dances from many polynesian islands and finished with some fire dancing.

Thankfully the beaches are free and there are 2 nice beaches near Lahaina village, to the north and south. Apart from that a car would be required to visit most other tourist sites on the island. While I enjoyed Maui, it did present quite a few difficulties. I would highly recommend renting a car if planning on travelling here. Otherwise I’d also recommend maybe looking at some of the other islands.