Vacations on a Budget

Aloha,

Realizing the economy has taken a toll on most wallets, vacations shouldn't be written off or considered a "want"...they're actually a "need". Doctors have stated that reducing stress can lower high blood pressure. And the memories will last forever as opposed to just a few days. Although some might see planning a vacation as stressful in itself, here are some tips I found to make things easier.

Start by subscribing to airline emails that come out weekly with airfare sales. I found FareDeals.com a great website for indicating trends and when it's a good time to buy tickets. You can put in the city/cities you want to travel from and that will help in the initial planning. Once you know your dates of travel, contact me for availability at our "Kapalua Sunset" villa at the Kapalua Bay Villas. If your dates are flexible or if we have availability for your set dates, we'll make the reservation. Keep in mind the rates might be negotiable depending on different variables. In the event my condo is not available at all, I'm more than happy to assist in locating alternate accommodations....it's the "aloha spirit". So now you know you have your airfare and accommodations all set. Of course you're going to want to do some activities, so I can either give you suggestions or leave it up to you to figure that out. But an important part of vacation is food, and it can be very expensive on the islands. I check the supermarket ads online a day prior to arriving (Star Market, Safeway, Foodland all have websites). Once I know what's on sale, I'll start thinking about a menu. Believe it or not, we even bring dry goods, condiments and frozen chicken and meat in our checked bags--it's still frozen when we get here after flying 6 hours from Phoenix! We'll save over $100.00 just doing that. We'll go the farmer's market in Honokowai, and absolutely go to the swap meet in Kahului on Saturday for flowers and more produce. Now we're set for our stay. We'll go to the supermarket to fill in and get beverages and snacks, but for the most part the food is taken care of. This will leave some money for going out to eat!

We love the Pineapple Grill, which we walk to from the condo. Every Friday is 50% off the bar menu starting at 8pm. Sometimes we'll make a salad at the condo and eat it before going out, and the bar menu has something for everybody. The musician plays wonderful "Jawaiian" ukulele and sitting at the bar puts you in the best place for people watching! This has become a tradition for us, and we've been noticing other people with the same idea for an inexpensive Friday night out. The Kapalua Sansei restaurant--the original Sansei and best sushi restaurant on Maui--also has an early bird special. There's usually a line out the door for this great place, so get there early! And there's no need to waste gas in Kapalua....if you don't feel like driving, call the complimentary shuttle to get you anywhere in Kapalua! Tips are gratefully appreciated.

If you're a golfer, check out the twilight rates at the Bay and Plantation Golf Courses. After 1:30 the rates go down, so there might be a little left in the wallet for an "Arnold Palmer" after the game!

We hope these little tips help you in planning your vacation. Kapalua is a world class location, and not just for the rich and famous. If planned right, you can vacation in our "Kapalua Sunset" villa for a very reasonable price. We look forward to having you as our guests and seeing your comments in the guest book. Please contact us for availability either through the website or email us at kapaluasunset@cox.net

Cheers to living well,
Lisa and Peter Gannon

ps: Benjamin Franklin once said "vacations are one way of lengthening life". We agree wholeheartedly!!