First Family Vacation
Monday, July 30, 2012 at 12:59AM
We just got back from a very relaxing vacation in Maui. We stayed in Kaanapali near Lahaina. It was our first real "Family" vacation where it was just the three of us - Me, Josh and Reese. We've traveled a lot with our extended family and friends but never just on our own. It was really special.
Every morning we'd eat breakfast outside on our patio, which had an ocean view. Reese would wake up stoked and say "Eaty shereal outside?" Then we'd get ready to head to the beach or pool where we’d relax for a few hours. We'd come back to our condo for an afternoon nap and then get up and head to the beach or pool again, followed by dinner out. Tough life huh?! I was able to get through three non-parenting books and took a long nap every day (talk about luxury), without having to worry about errands I needed to run or chores that needed to get done. Aside from beaches and pool time at the Ritz we went on a Sugar Train ride, which Reese loved, watched a couple of Hula shows and walked about downtown in Lahaina. A few things that made our trip a success:
- Lodging: We rented a condo so we had a kitchen and lots of room
- Location: Not knowingly, the condo we rented was 5-10 minutes away from beaches, resort pools, beach parks, restaurants & shops, Sugar Train and more.
- Research: We did some preplanning and compiled a list of different activities and beaches we could visit while we were there. This helped navigate our days without being overly planned.
- Baby Gear: We didn’t need a stroller, which was nice. We rented a car seat with our rental. And we rented a Pack’n play from this rental company. They dropped off the pack’n play so it was at the condo waiting for us when we arrived and picked it up the morning we left.
- Eating: We packed lunches some but also ate out a lot. We used Yelp! to find local hot spots. My favorite was Ono Tacos in Lahaina.
It was so much fun to spend time together as a family. It was really special, just the three of us.
The nearly perfect trip has to have a little drama right? When we boarded our flight to return home, Reese was already over tired. We thought she would snooze a bit during the long flight home but even after being up for 10 hours straight, no luck! She cried the last hour and a half of the flight. Ugh, dreadful! We were those parents with that kid! I with I had brought earplugs and chocolates to share with nearby passengers like Jennifer once suggested but since we’ve never had any issues it didn’t even cross my mind. Luckily the other passengers were sympathetic.
Needless to say we all made it home in one piece and it was all worth it. We had an amazing vacation and I look forward to our next!
Reader Comments (1)
That's great! I had no idea that there are rental companies for baby gear. I am so thrilled to have this new knowledge. We just went on a mini vaca and had to pack two pack 'n plays, a huge duallie stroller, etc... Aye Yi Yi! Talk about exhaustion when you are supposed to be relaxing. Glad to hear your trip was an overall success. I boasted, prior to having Olivia, that I could reading a non-parenting book in three days. Since Olivia's arrival, that doesn't happen so much anymore. Your trip sounded wonderful! I can't wait for another Hawaiian vacation.