I’ve been wanting to do a post about the cute Airbnb we stayed at in Maui since we got back in August and it seems like it went straight from August to October (wait what happened to October…..I started this post at the beginning of October and it has just been CRAZY month and now it’s the middle of November) and here we are. Everyone went crazy over this place when I posted it in my stories on Instagram and for good reason….the design and location were just perfect and it’s affordable too. I booked it back in March for our August trip so definitely try to book early if you can. There are quite a few others that are really nice too in the same area so if this one is booked you can do a search for the Lahaina area and they will pop up too if they are available for your dates. We have been gravitating more towards Airbnbs the past few years with our boys getting older and just needing more space for the four of us and we also like to eat in a lot so it’s nice to have a full kitchen (or even just a kitchenette) to be able to cook when we want. Usually we will eat breakfast at our place and then grab lunch when we’re out and eat dinner back at our place too. We do a lot during the day with hiking and snorkeling and everything so by 6:30-7:00 we are pretty exhausted and would rather just run by Foodland or Safeway and grab groceries to make dinner and relax the rest of the night than get dressed to go out. The sunsets at the Airbnb definitely did not disappoint so a lot of nights we would just go for a walk around the neighborhood to watch the sunset after we made dinner.
SHOP THE LOOK
Another reason I love staying at Airbnbs, is because I get a lot of interior design ideas and sometimes see things I never would’ve put together but it totally works. This staircase gives me major Brady Bunch vibes and I love it! And the tropical murals in the bedrooms are so cool. And don’t even get me started on the surfboard signed by The Beach Boys! I might be slightly obsessed with The Beach Boys and I’ve seen them live 3 times.
I got kind of addicted to these little bottles of Starbuck’s cold brew while we were there. I was up by 4 am everyday with the 6 hour time difference so it was much needed. Haha.
SHOP THE LOOK
Skirt ZARA
We have stayed in the Lahaina area and also in the Wailea area and we loved both. There are some really great hikes (check out this hike and this one near Wailea and this one Lahaina and Kapalua Bay) in both areas and both have beautiful beaches and lots to do. There are many great resorts in the Wailea area…..the Grand Wailea, Wailea Beach Resort Marriot, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Fairmont Kea Lani, and we stayed at Residence Inn Maui Wailea . They had a huge pool, amazing free breakfast buffet every morning, and it’s really close to some great beaches, restaurants, hiking, and The Shops at Wailea. They also have suites with kitchens and plenty of room for the whole family.
Lahaina has so many beautiful beaches, hiking, shopping at Whaler’s Village and Front Street and tons of amazing restaurants and food trucks (do not pass through Lahaina without making a stop at Manuela’s Malasadas…. just writing this is making me want one)! There are lots of amazing hotels and resorts in Lahaina too if an Airbnb isn’t your jam, like Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club, The Westin Maui Resort and Spa, and Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa. Not far from Lahaina, near Kapalua and Napili Bay, there are a few more beautiful resorts that we walked by on our hiking adventures and I would really love to stay in that area one day too. The beaches there are not as crowded as the other resort beaches in Lahaina and there are beautiful hiking trails right by the resorts, cliff jumping, and great snorkeling spots too. Kapalua Bay was our go to beach while we were staying in Lahaina and we went there almost every day. If you want to stay in that area, check out the Ritz-Carlton Maui Kapalua and Montage Kapalua Bay.
My legs and feet were super swollen here from hiking so much and not drinking enough water! Stay hydrated friends! Also still drooling over those Malasadas!
SHOP THE LOOK
If you’re trying to figure out which part of the island to stay on there really is no wrong choice because it’s all beautiful. I love driving around the island and just finding pretty beaches to stop at. The pics below are from Jonathan’s birthday when we went to Foodland a grabbed a Lilikoi cake (Foodland has amazing desserts btw) and just stopped at a random beach to enjoy the sunset and eat cake.
I highly recommend getting a rental car unless you just want to sit by the hotel pool and go to a crowded resort beach the whole trip. Rental cars were pretty scarce when we were booking our trip and if you were lucky enough to find one you needed to be prepared to pay four times what you would normally pay. Thankfully I think the rental car situation has gotten a little better in Hawaii but if the cars weren’t so scarce when we went then we never would’ve discovered how awesome Turo is. Turo is basically an Airbnb but for cars. People list their cars for rent and they have reviews and ratings just like Airbnb. I can honestly say that our Turo experience was 10/10 and after using it vs. these rental car companies I 1000% would recommend this as opposed to waiting in a huge line at the airport for 2 hours to usually end up not even getting the car you thought you booked (Jeep Wrangler….or similar…we all know you’re going to end up with the “or similar”). The girl we booked with had the car waiting in the airport parking lot when we got there and gave us a code to unlock. so we literally just got our luggage, walked outside, and drove away in our rental car…..AND it was about half the price of the rental car companies and the car was in much better condition. She was extremely flexible with drop off and pick up times (we just parked it at the airport when we left for our flight home) and she even sent us tons of info about Maui with things to do and about making dinner reservations, state parks etc. I’m sure all Turo transactions don’t go this smoothly but at long as you read the reviews and go with someone who has good rating I think this is the way to go….in Maui and everywhere!
I hope this was somewhat helpful and I really just had to post about this cute Airbnb because so many people asked about it and wanted the link. I loved the midcentury modern beachy/surfer design and all of the little details like the surfboard hanging on the wall signed by The Beach Boys and the Elvis photos and it was just perfect for the four of us. It would also totally work for 2 couples traveling together or a girl’s trip. And don’t even get me started on the pool! We were so busy we only got to use it one day but the views were insane! We even had the sweetest little stray cat that stopped by a couple of mornings on the back patio. If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for all animals so definitely a highlight for me. The location was equally as amazing….close to shops, lots of great beaches, restaurants, hiking, snorkeling spots, and grocery stores. I already have our next Hawaii trip in the works so stay tuned.
