Sunday, July 15, 2012

Vacation Planning with Baby

In August we're taking our first family vacation (well, I consider it our first real family vacation although our Spring and Summer has been sprinkled with several fun overnight trips and we're currently living 2 hours West of our home while our house is being renovated, I digress) to Maui for 8 nights.  I'm very excited to take our daughter to Maui; it's insanely gorgeous, very family friendly and generally outdoors oriented.  Maui is also where my hubby and I honeymooned and this will be our first visit back to the island since then.

Although our trip has been planned and airfare purchased for sometime I've been waffling and heavily researching about where we should stay.  I've only ever stayed in Kanaapali and I love it there.  The beaches are beautiful, there's a very long boardwalk that's great for a nice morning run on the beach and there are lots of restaurants and activities nearby and it's very close to Lahina.  Initially, I thought that booking a condo in Kanaapali would be the perfect fit for us; Maddie could have her own room, we'd have a full kitchen and laundry in our unit.  However, since we'll be on vacation I don't really want to do much in the cooking, dishwashing and laundry department.  What I want for vacation is lots of lounging next to a sparkling pool (under a cabana since Maddie's skin is so fair) and playing in the sand (under an umbrella to protect Maddie's skin as much as possible) on a large beach, not overwhelmed with other vacationers and peppered with only mild waves.  This line of thinking brought me to 3 choices: Four Seasons Maui, Fairmont Kea Lani and the Ritz-Carlton Kapaula.

Lobby of the Fairmont Kea Lani

Fountain at the Four Seasons Maui

Main Pool at the Ritz-Carlton Kapaula

All three resorts are very high end and incredibly child friendly with babysitting services available so hubby and I can take partake in non-baby friendly activities on one or two afternoons (snorkeling excursion and paddle boarding) and enjoy a date night one or two nights on our trip as well.

Which resort did I just book...?  I'll fill you in at the end of August after our fun filled (and relaxing!) family vacation in Maui.