We spent the first week of May in Maui. It was absolutely wonderful to get away, though I am always humbled to re-remember that traveling with a toddler is not "relaxing." This was a special trip because both sets of grandparents were able to come with us! We were very lucky to have them.
Paul's parents have a time share at the Marriott Maui Ocean Club and so we spent most of the week there in Lahaina. It's absurdly kid-friendly and perfect for families. Despite the fact that we live in San Diego, this was Ellerie's first experience with the ocean and swimming pools (I know) and she was pretty excited about both.
The pool especially. We hopped in the first afternoon and she was like a little fish.
We held her in the pool but she also wore this a lot. We're excited to get her into some swim lessons now that we're home.
All of the pools seemed kid-friendly but there was a special small pool with slides and fountains that was perfect for her (until we tried to get her to leave).
There was also shaded playground equipment that she LOVED. There is a slide at daycare that she spends most of her day on but this was triple the size. By the end of the week she could climb to the top by herself and I was wondering where my baby girl had gone.
Our biggest challenge was keeping her sunscreened and covered (we did well! No burns! This hat helped a lot) and getting a nap in. I wish I could just be That Cool Parent that says "hey! We're on vacation! No naps, no schedule, no problems!" but then it's 4pm and the toddler has lost her mind and you've forgotten what having a mind is like. So naps, even short ones, are key. We found that if we took her on a long walk around 11am she'd conk in her stroller for a good 90 minutes to two hours and that made a HUGE difference in the quality of our afternoons.
Ellerie was NOT into sleeping in her pack and play so Paul and I learned what co-sleeping is like. (#hmmmmm) This meant bedtime for all three of us was between 7-8:30 PM and we were awake between 5-6 AM. But the good news is we got a ton of sleep and we stayed decently on a PST time table. (The transition back to San Diego sleep wise has been so wonderful, I can't believe it.)
So that's toddler! Let's talk food!
The plus side of staying in a condo situation is that you have a kitchen. Maui has a (very busy) Costco and so the grandparents went there and stocked up and Paul and I visited the (24 hour!) Safeway so we had plenty of food. We ate breakfasts in the room, had sandwiches for a few lunches and BBQed dinner a few nights. This was also ideal for the 700 snacks Ellerie (and I) ate throughout the day.
We were also impressed with the food at the resort. We ate lunches and mid-afternoon appetizers at the pool bar few times and were impressed with everything we had. (The burgers, fish tacos and coconut shrimp especially.) The drinks, both virgin and according to Paul, boozy, were great too.
In the area we loved Leilani's (the fish tacos were great, best I had) and Ellerie and the grandparents went to Roy's where everyone had a good time and Ellerie enjoyed a cheese quesadilla.
We drove into Old Town Lahainia (fun shopping and a beautiful banyan tree!) and ate one dinner at Kobe which is a chop-chop place where they cook the food in front of you on the hot stove. We thought Ellerie would be super into it (dinner AND a show!) but she was a little startled and then that threw off her night. The food was good though. Get the garlic fried rice. Get the beef. Get the lobster.
We go out to dinner about once a week with Ellerie when we're home and so she's pretty used to it. The first "secret" to success is to make sure she's hungry. Then eating sort of distracts her from the fact that she'd rather be climbing on her high chair instead of sitting in it. The second "secret" to success is to make sure she's not so hungry that you want to strangle the waiter for a two minute delay on food service. We generally order as soon as we can. No "let's order drinks first" crap and then we make sure we have snacks (those dried peas are a hit) and water. When all else fails, taking her for a walk until the food arrives works.
That's food. Let's chat entertainment!
The cheapest, best entertainment is of course the pool and the beach. And long walks. Our hotel had a long paved path and we walked both ways many, many times a day. My step count was awesome. The views are great and the people watching is excellent. We walked and walked.
On Monday morning, my Mom and Aunt Kristen stayed back with Ellerie and the rest of us headed to Molokini on the Four Winds II to go snorkeling. I asked my dad why he picked this boat and he said "Yelp said it was the most fun." Yelp was right. It was a great crew. It was also, apparently, the only boat that serves beer on the way out to the coral. ;) The food (which they cooked and served up while we were at Molokini) was GREAT.
I tend to get a little claustrophobic while snorkeling but every time I try I get a bit better and this was a good time. We were out on the ocean for about four hours and loved the trip. This was probably the most relaxing part aside from when Paul and I snuck off for a few nights (more on that later). There were kiddos on the boat but Ellerie would have been too young for sure. I'm glad we had the option to not take her or I would have lost years of my life keeping her safe on that boat.
We also visited the Maui Ocean Center and that was really cool (albeit small). Again, Ellerie is just a touch young to get it. We're like "look at the pretty fish, Elle!" and she's like "Are there more stairs around this corner, Mama?" so we're getting there. Probably ideal if your kiddo is a little older OR a little less into climbing. She did LOVE the jellyfish ("Bubbles!!!!!!") and was moderately entertained by the scuba diver she saw in a tank ("Daddy???") It's a short trip from Lahaina.
Last, downtime! Sometimes Ellerie would be wandering the hotel room sort of whiny and unsettled and I'd think "what's wrong?" and then I'd remember it had been go-go-go since 5AM. She needs to sit on my lap and chill for 15 minutes. So we'd sit. Sometimes with an iPad and youtube videos and sometimes with a book. Kids need downtime as much (if not more) than adults.
Whew! It was such a great trip. I haven't touched on the two nights that Paul and I were very lucky to take to celebrate our five year anniversary and so I think I'll do a separate post on that early next week. Let me know if I can answer any questions and most clothing links are below.
Sidenote: all of these photos are from my iPhone 5s and most were processed with the VSCO app. I didn't even bring my big camera and every time I snapped a quick photo I thought "I'm so glad I didn't bring my big camera."
Clothing sources I have links for ... Ellerie's swimsuits here, here and here. Elise's swimsuits (similar) and here. Elise's hat. Ellerie's hat. Ellerie's sunglasses. Elise's sunglasses. Ellerie's sandles. Elise's sandals (similar). Ellerie's blue sneakers are MiniBoden. Elise's gray maxi dress is Z supply. Ellerie's mint top is Wildly Co. Ellerie's green jumper was Lily Pulitzer for Target and ditto my outfit in that last photo. Most of Ellerie's clothing is Old Navy or Target including those little white espadrilles. My white dress is last summer from Madewell. This is our stroller.
