Maui with Munchkins

British Columbia is an amazing place to live and we’re very lucky to be here, but as the Winter month’s drag on, sometimes it’s nice to get away from the rain and escape to the Sun. My family did just that, on a recent trip to Maui.

After a 6-hr direct flight from Bellingham, we arrived in Maui. The flight was tiresome, but not as grueling as others we’ve been on with children. Luckily, at 6 and 3, ours are now old enough to be entertained by screens for endless hours. Upon arriving in Maui, we settled into our Condo – Maui Sunset in Kihei. Kihei was recommended by friends, as it is the sunnier side of the Island. A statement that is definitely true. It also has great beaches and lot’s of grocery stores nearby.

We got some great tips on where to take the kiddies to keep them safe and have the most fun. To keep the car-time to a minimum, we tried to visit places that were nearby. Here are some top spots you must visit.

North Island

1. Ho’okipa Beach Park – A great spot to see the Turtles. There is a spot on the beach where they are just laying there. You will see Turtles at other beaches too, but this is a guaranteed spot. Don’t be fooled by the first glance. It looks like a beach with just big rocks, but some of those rocks are actually turtles. Bring some cash because there are some vendors selling fresh, local fruit.
2. Twin Falls – this was recommended to us, but being from BC we have access to much bigger Falls – like Shannon Falls on the way up to Squamish. If you’re tight on time, I would give this a miss.
3. Pukalani – all we saw here was the Superette, a boutique grocer which had some local treats. We tried the laulau – a local delicacy. There are a few other little shops, but not too much to see here.

North West Island

1. Baby Beach, Lahaina – This little beach is protected from the waves by a large reef. There are shallow waters and safe, snorkeling opportunities. It could easily be a full day if you pack a lunch. If you have little ones too small for snorkels, pick up peekaboo boards from Snorkel Bob’s or a similar surf shop. Your child can then just look through the glass window as you walk beside them holding the board. We tried this on a bigger beach and found it very challenging as the snorkel locations were much deeper and over a big reef.

South West Island

1. Kamaole Beach I, II, III – These beaches are a great spot to hang out. They are quite busy, but there are lots of kids for your littles to play with.
2. Kalama Beach Park – has a great playground, although the beaches keep the children entertained.
3. Big Beach – literally a big beach, it is very deep so there is a lot of sand. It seemed to attract the late teens, early twenties crowd, but there will still some families. The water is a little rougher than some of the other beaches.

Whale Watching
We opted for a bigger boat, the Calypso when Whale Watching. I’m glad we did. There was a moment when a gray whale was right at the bow of the ship and my children were a little scared so they ran back inside. It was also nice that they could just get up and move around. They would not have been happy sitting in a small boat for 2 hours.

Luau
On our last night in Maui, we went for the big send-off and went to a Luau at the Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott. The Te Au Moana show was great, staff was friendly and I enjoyed the food. My kids were not keen to eat more than the fruit, unfortunately. Luckily kids 5 and under are free.

We chose to skip the road to Hana because of the drive time and size of our children. They can’t see much from the car and I was concerned they would spend the whole trip sleeping. We also skipped the Haleakala volcano for the same reasons, we didn’t go to Maui to spend our time in the car and the kids were just too small to enjoy it. Now we have a reason to go back in a couple years 🙂