Maui the Mustachian Way

[Kayano_55]

Fellow Mustachians. . .if any of you are looking for an outstanding way to vacation like a Mustachian. You've got to check out this location in Lahaina, Maui.

http://www.vrbo.com/116432

Let me tell you why:

• We never need to rent a car - this property is within walking distance of beaches, activities, shops, restaurants, you name it - 2 blocks from the waterfront, there is even an expedia booth right on site to plan whale watching tours
• For $1 per person you can catch the Maui bus across the street and ride up to Kaanapali, Napili Bay, or Kapalua Bay - some of Maui's best beaches
• Super nice kitchen included - we can walk to the local market and pick up our fresh fish and pineapples and cook everything right in the unit - this is a HUGE cost savings - they even have Stainless steel BBQ grills onsite to cook your own mahi mahi, we literally save $100s just on food alone when we go
• The setup is terrific -we stayed here with a couple of our friends and split the cost - each side of the condo has separate living quarters (bathroom and master/guest suites - you still get your privacy while cutting down the cost)
• Free WiFi!
• We also found a great way to fly down to Maui - pick up an Alaska Miles credit card (or simply sign up for their frequent flier program), through the card, we typically get one free companion ticket per year - good for anywhere Alaska flies - including Maui
• We've also found really good flight deals via Alaska as they tend to run specials throughout the year for the Hawaii routes

[Joet]

awesome, love it!

[theredviper]

In the past I've found Maui difficult to do without a rental car, this should help.  What's the recommended way to go to/from the airport?

[Nords]

In the past I've found Maui difficult to do without a rental car, this should help.  What's the recommended way to go to/from the airport?

If you're over by Napili or Kapalua then you're only a few miles away from Kapalua airport runway.  It'd be worth asking the VRBO owner if there's a shuttle going by the condo or if you should just wait for the bus.

[FreeBy45]

We stayed at this resort in January (different unit though). Loved it. Everything you say about it is true. My husband travels to Asia a few times a year for work, and racks up the frequent flyer miles like crazy, so we have been using them to travel to Hawaii each year for free and stay at condos like this that we find on VRBO or Homeaway. My coworkers can’t believe we can afford to go to Hawaii each year for 10 days, but if you do it frugally, it is totally possible.

[ToeInTheWater]

Not in Maui, but we've also used VRBO in the past with much success.

b

[Kayano_55]

@theredviper - we usually share a shuttle from the airport to get to the condo in Lahaina.  We've also run into folks at the resort in the past that are going back the same day and coordinate to save on costs when possible.

@FreeBy45 - glad to hear you second my opinion on this place. It's great. We especially like this unit because it stays cool (mostly in the shade), they are away from parking (so it's quiet) and the owner has a punchpad system on their door for easy access in/out (no worry about losing key cards in the ocean). They also have two king beds which makes it nice because it's like having two suites and we get the services of a professional management company when we go (not always available with other VRBO units).

The other thing I forgot to mention in my original post is that the complex is eco-friendly, they recently installed solar panels on the property so I feel good that I'm staying at a place that cares about the environment.  We can't wait to go back!

[Nords]

... they recently installed solar panels on the property so I feel good that I'm staying at a place that cares about the environment. 

Well, yeah, that and the 65% state/federal tax credits, the recent collapse of photovoltaic panel prices, and the fact that their electric rates are probably north of 30 cents/KWHr.

The people who were going photovoltaic in the 1970s-- those guys cared about the environment because there were hardly any subsidies and a looooong time before paybacks.