Heading to Maui!

Heading to Maui

The first (hopefully of many) trips in 2022 is to Maui. I’m joined on this trip by some familiar faces from a previous trip to Hawaii: Cactoose, Lebron and Antetokounmpo!

In early 2022, Lebron, Antetokounmpo and I wanted to do a trip “somewhere”. We originally looked at flying to San Francisco in February. However, with rumblings and news of Canada dropping its testing requirements, we decide to postpone until late March.

Flights to Hawaii seem quite appealing and we start looking into it. Lebron and Antetokounmpo make plans to spend a few days in Honolulu before hopping over to Maui. I plan to fly direct to Maui and meet them there. After a random conversation about travelling with Cactoose, she decides to tag along and book similar flights to me!

Vancouver International Airport (YVR)

It’s been a while since I’ve been in the Transborder side Vancouver’s airport. And while it isn’t super busy, it isn’t the ghost town that it’s been for the past two years. So it’s encouraging to see signs of life in the airport and the recovery of travel!

YVR Transborder Maple Leaf Lounge

Being an Air Canada Status holder, I’m able to get both Cactoose and I into the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge. The lounge itself is fairly well appointed and spacious. While not packed in the early afternoon, I can see how it could get full if not for the pandemic. Cactoose and I weren’t too hungry, so we partook in a few beverages and snacks and relaxed while waiting to board.

Flying to Maui

Soon, it was time for us to board our flight to Maui. When booking this flight, I put in a request for an upgrade if space allowed. Thankfully, my request clears and I am able to be a little bit more comfortable on the flight. Unfortunately, because Cactoose and I didn’t book at the same time (and on the same itinerary) I wasn’t able to get her the same privilege! So after getting onboard, we part ways for the 5 hour flight. It’s bright and sunny in Vancouver, which affords me some spectacular views of our departure.

While I didn’t eat too much in the lounge, the flight did serve a full meal which I was happy to partake in. The appetizer consisted of a smoked salmon, while the main course included veal. I didn’t expect too much on this flight, but seeing that a good chunk of the in flight meal service has returned to pre-pandemic levels is a really encouraging sign!

After eating, I settled in to watch a movie and have a quick nap. Before I knew it, we were touching down in Maui. Instead of renting a car, we used Turo this time. Turo is kind of like AirBnB but for cars. We found that with travel returning, rental cars were pricing us out. So Turo offered us an affordable alternative. Lebron and Antetokounmpo arrived an hour earlier than we did, so they went to pick up the car and circled back to pick us up. 

First Few Hours in Maui.

Our first stop is right by the airport, Costco. We wanted to pick up a few supplies for the week ahead. Aside from me, no one had eaten in a while and so we partook in our first “meal” in Maui. A sashimi platter from Costco.

We all picked at the tasty fresh fish and caught up with each other’s travel stories. While a few pieces of sashimi could be considered dinner, we weren’t satisfied! So we drove a few minutes arriving at our intended dinner stop, Jollibees! This isn’t really a Hawaii thing, but all four of us really enjoy Jollibees, and knowing that there’s one on this island made it an immediate target for us! 

We each ordered some food and eventually leave for the hour long drive to our AirBnB. We check in and settle in the place we’ll call home for the next few days. It’s a two bedroom apartment that works well for the four of us. (Pictures taken at the “end” of our trip” )

We don’t really stay up too late because we plan to take advantage of Cactoose and I’s “jet lag” for an early start tomorrow. We will be driving the Road to Hana in what promises to be a long and hopefully exciting day!