Stacie

4 more days--hooray. I've heard that there is a Costco by the airport in Maui. Is it visable from the road? Also, is there a Walmart close as well? I know there is a grocery store close to our condo but was hoping to stock up on some things on our way out of the airport.

xxx

looking for a gallon of PB for your trip??

Unbelievable

Stacie,

You are going all of the way to Maui and are worried about Walmart and Costco????
Might just as well stay at home.

To each their own, but --------.

Unbelievable

Mike

You are on vacation, honey, so don't spend it tramping all over the island lookging for a blue-light special on Koolaid and bathroom tissue. Live it up and go to a convenient market and then spend your time at the beach and not in some Wal-Mart.

bluefan

Actually, it's not a bad idea to stop off at Costco to load up on some things if you're staying in Maui for a week or more. We stopped at Costco once we got our rental car. It's on the road leading away from the airport on your left hand side before hitting the Haleakala Hwy 37 I believe.

Instead of overpacking for the trip, we bought sunscreen, film, granola bars, Gatorade, frappuccino, alcohol, and a gallon of POG (ummmm!) to last us for the week.

You can usually get a mini fridge at your hotel upon request to store your drinks. But get a styrofoam cooler ($5-7) and straw mats ($2-4) at an ABC store for beach and sightseeing trips.

The 30-45min shopping spree will save you anywhere from $25-$200, depending upon the size of your entourage and beverage consumption. We weren't on our honeymoon so it was worth it at the start of our trip so that we could justify splurging a little bit later on (like dinner at Mama's!).

bbb

There is a walmart on the way out of the airport area. There is also a costco but i do not remember where it is. The best thing about the walmart was their hawaaian casual clothing section. we bought our t shirts there, much cheaper than in the tourist traps. Have a great time. barbara

Stacie

Thank you to the last couple of replys. For the 1st few, you guys are obviously not looking to buy diapers & inexpensive beach toys. By the way, what is POG?

sightseer

POG is a drink consisting of passion, orange, guava fruit juices.
Be sure to try it while you're in Maui. Have a great time!

joe

The Costco is directly left as you leave the airport.The main entrance is on the other side and it is a little tricky to find the parking entrance.

Margaret

AAA suggests going to Costco to stock up on essentials, especially drinks and suntan lotion. You can save a pretty penny stocking up on snacks and such, too. If you've been to the local grocery stores, you'll find that it's not so cheap and I suggest getting their store discount card, which they are more than happy to give to the tourist.
There is also a Kmart in the airport vicinity. For more accurate directions, for people like me who need them, use the store's website for locations.
If you spend a few minutes saving money, it's money you can put towards activities and running to stores later.

Stacie

Is the only Walmart/Kmart by the airport or is there also one in the Kaanapali area?

Nova

The only Costco, Walmart, and KMart on Maui are in Kahului near the airport.

Just how much money do you expect to save? It has to be at least $100 to make it worhtwhile and to save $100 you would have to buy at least $400 to $500 worth of stuff. And in the end you will end up leaving a lot of uneaten groceries behind anyway. A more likel;y scenario is that you will spend $100 in Costco / KMart / Walmart and save a lousy $15 or $20 (or less). Not worth it !!

Beth

I'll admit as a Chicago resident, I hate to pay some of those jacked up prices. While at home, I will schlep all teh way out to the suburbs or far north side of the city (Lincol/Devon) to go to a Super Kmart to grocery shop and its worth it! I get 2 liter for $.49, ground beef for $1.29/lb etc. vs. paying the in town Jewel price of $1.59 for 2 liter and $3.99/lb for ground beef (I could go on but you get the picture) However on vacation, my time is precious and I agree unless you are going to save over $100, its just not worth it!!!!!! Most people spend what 6 or 7 days in Maui? Why take hours off your vacation by looking for Walmart, then looking for a parking spot, then schlepping through the store, standing in line at checkout forver and then trying to get back on the road you are NOT familar with to get to the hotel. I say packa few items and what you don't pack either pay for at the bar/restaurant or stop in a small tiny 7-11 type store right next to your hotel to get exttras so what if they cost a little more? What is your time worth?

lcuy

Stacie- you're right, these guys have never had to buy diapers on maui...you'll save the price of a dinner with the savings on 2 weeks worth of diapers, and there is really no inconvenience involved, as you can get the big shopping over and done with. You'll have your car and there's lots of parking. Aloha shirts ($15.99 for nice ones!), mac nuts, kona coffee and breakfast supplies are also a very good buy at Costco. Costco has some nice snorkels and fins at the moment, but for kids' water toys, wall mart or K-mart are better.

Nova

How much does a two week supply of diapers cost and at a saving of 15 to 20% at Costco how much money will you save ?

Rita

Stacie, I hope you got the directions you were looking for.

As to the issue of whether your time is well spent shopping at Cotco or Walmart, well to each his own. If you are able to load up on stuff you didn't want to lug on a plane..then great.

Our last vaca was to Hilton Head, and the hotel wanted 7 bucks a day for chairs, and the beach stand wanted twenty. A trip that night after dinner to wal-mart, and we had chairs for 9 bucks along with snacks, water noodles, and other assorted junk. Did we save money? yes. did we convienently shop for the stuff we needed plus stuff we didn't yes too.

Have a great trip and remember save your nickels during the year spend dollars on vacation!!!

John R.

Some of the logic in this thread is pretty odd. Let's look at it this way:

A person is traveling to Maui, staying in a condo and planning to do some light cooking to save some $$ on eating out. They need to have certain things while there: diapers, sunscreen, drinks, bread, deli meat, beach toys, wine, film, underwater disposable cameras, etc. We would all agree that this is a fairly normal situation. Not for everyone maybe but fairly common. Now doesn't it stand to reason that a person in this situation needs to go shopping to buy this stuff? And if there is a large discount grocery store, very convenient to the airport they will be landing at, with much lower prices than other local stores, doesn't it make sense that they might want to stop there to buy their stuff and save some $$$? I fail to see why so many posters have scoffed at Stacie's plans. It makes perfect sense to me.

Stacie

Well, we leave tomorrow & I can't wait. Thank you to all who were helpful in letting me know where to find the stores. For the rest of you, to each his own. Regardless, we'll stop at Costco/Walmart/Kmart, pick up what we need and have a fabulous vacation.

xxx

You go girl!
Have fun!

Patty

I have to agree with John R. - I can't understand why some posters are so against going to Costco either. You drive right by it as you leave the airport plus they have good wines!