Maui Recap || Outfits, Favorite Spots, + Traveling With A Toddler

April 17, 2018

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Maui Recap || Outfits, Favorite Spots, + Traveling With A Toddler

I’ve always believed in the notion of filling “your life with adventure, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” Which is why we’ve always made it a priority to save and invest in travel. I shared over on instagram that traveling with a toddler is never easy…. it comes with its highs and lows…. stressful moments… and “why did we do this again” thoughts…. but when it’s all said and done, the highs outweigh the lows… and you truly do walk away feeling “richer”…. more family time, more memories created, and more time spent disconnecting and reconnecting with each other. All that being said, I received a lot of questions regarding our trip…. where we ate, how we liked the hotel, and how to travel with a toddler. So, I thought I’d share a full recap and all details in today’s post…. including all outfits from the trip as well!….

Lodging:

The Westin Kaanapali Villas: We stayed here all 9 nights of our last stay (the first two nights in the new Nanea tower, the last 7 in the older tower….). It’s a beautiful property and the rooms are well equipped (the kitchens are great and we always take full advantage of them…). Westin allows you to use the amenities of both properties, which is nice since one has a pirate ship and the other has a more relaxed pool atmosphere. The beach in front of the hotel is great as well, so you also have the option of laying out there if the pool isn’t your thing. We were a little disappointed with some of the service we received, but overall it was an excellent experience.

The Marriott Ocean Club: We stayed here in October and loved it. It’s a little older than The Westin property, but equally as beautiful with excellent room accommodations. This property is closer to Whaler’s Village, which is a bonus as well. The beach in front is also gorgeous and we didn’t have any service issues during our stay.

In the end, while both properties are amazing and we’d go back to both, we lean towards The Marriott simply given the service issues we had at The Westin. Yet, you seriously can’t go wrong with either!

Restaurants:

Merriman’s: This was hands down our favorite place of the entire trip. The views are spectacular, cocktails are craft and made from scratch, and the food is absolutely delicious. They have, hands down, the best Mai Tais with the lilikoi foam…. not too sweet… and extremely fresh. We headed up here for happy hour and then grabbed a seat in the bar area, where live music was playing, for dinner. Seats at the bar can be hard to come by so plan accordingly, and make reservations well in advance if you want a sure thing. I also recommend heading up here just for happy hour if you’re not looking to dine (it isn’t cheap).

Monkey Pod Kitchen: Alright, we first ate here several years ago, before Harper, on a family trip to their first restaurant in Ko’Olina (Oahu….). So, we were pretty excited to see there was one on Maui. In all honesty, the only thing that wowed were the Mai Tais (they’re owned by Merriman’s… so that was to be expected). Other than that, it just didn’t live up to our last experience. I will say the appetizers were amazing…. and the food wasn’t bad by any means… just not what we were expecting. Lots of people love this spot, so if you haven’t been before, I’m sure you’ll love it too!

Japengo Sushi: We’ve eaten here several times (once 8 years ago when we dined in, as well as take-out the last 3 times) and have loved their sushi. Super fresh and delicious. I highly recommend. Others also recommended Sansai sushi as well (highly recommended, we just didn’t get there).

The Farmer’s Market: Head here for super fresh and delish açaí bowls. We’ve had their bowl three times and they’re never disappointed. Their Kale Salad and Raw wrap are both excellent lunch options, which we grabbed for take-out to enjoy on the beach. The actual market is great too… with a lot of the healthy items I like to purchase at home readily available.

Choice Health Bar: Their açaí bowls are good too…. but come in second to The Farmer’s Market. They also have cold pressed juices, smoothies, and salads to go.

Prison Street Pizza: We’ve gotten pizza to go here twice, both for sunset happy hours on the beach, and it’s delish! I highly recommend.

The Fish Market: This is a great spot to buy fresh fish and take home to prepare. We did this with ahi, shrimp, and ono. They also have amazing fish tacos, which we happily ate.

Down The Hatch: We had a decadent brunch here when we visited in October and it didn’t disappoint. It’s all outdoor seating, which is nice, and was featured on “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.”

Hyatt Residence Club: We love this spot to enjoy beautiful sunsets at Happy Hour. They’re right on the water and have pretty little twinkly lights.

Cheeseburger In Paradise: Alright, so, I know this is probably really touristy, but the burgers really are delish….. and sometimes it’s fun to do that kind of stuff.

Traveling With A Toddler:

I always like to preface this section with the fact that all kiddos are different…. so what works for one, won’t necessarily work for another. That being said, when we travel with Harper we bring her pack n’ play (which she is almost too big for… so, we’ll have to figure out an alternative soon) since it’s something she is used to and I like her to feel comfortable with her sleeping arrangements (note, some airlines will charge you to bring this item…. Southwest doesn’t though.).

For travel on the plane, we make sure we are loaded with snacks (lots of them….), novel toys (which don’t last too long), and we also bring along an iPad with some favorite shows. Since she’s of age where we have to purchase a seat for her, we did it two ways this past flight. On the way there, she didn’t sit in her carseat…. that was a disaster. For someone with Harper’s personality, it was almost too much space. She was all over the place and TJ and I were kicking ourselves for not bringing the carseat on (a choice we made at the last minute….). Obviously we made a different choice on the way home and brought the carseat on…. which made a huge difference. She fell asleep for about an hour (woohooo), and was able to stay in one place for the majority of the trip (I’d say she was out of the carseat and on our laps for the last 45 minutes (muuuuch better than on the way there). We both agreed that we will be bringing the carseat on future flights.

As far as helping kiddos adjust to the time changes, every child is different so what I recommend might not work… this is merely what worked for us. That being said, if we’re lucky, Harper sleeps all of 45 minutes on the flight. So, when we arrive, it’s around 3ish Hawaii time (6 at home) and we put her down for a quick 45 minute nap (enough to get in one sleep cycle) which allows her to make it to Hawaii’s bedtime (which would be almost 10:30 at home). It’s hit or miss the next morning when she wakes up. We’ve had her wake up at 4:30 (normal wake-up time at home) and 7 (which is good if we’re in Hawaii). Based on her wake-up time we plan naps accordingly. If she wakes up super early (i.e. before sunrise…) then she takes a quick mid-morning nap then a modified afternoon nap to get her to the evening. After the first day, she seems to start to adjust to the time change and her morning wake-ups fall more in line with Hawaiian time and we drop the morning nap……

Other RECENT recaps: Ko’olina, Maui