Staying a week at the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas. Based on my experiences in the past with timeshare rentals – the cupboards have been pretty bare. We have been lucky to find a couple packets of sugars let in a corner.

So my plan is to pack a few things in an extra bag that will be used for souvenirs on the way back.

I am looking for your recommendations on what you would bring as well…

All of this stuff below we are picking up at the local discount store. The prices at the mainland grocery stores are pretty high, so buying them the discounters can save a great deal of money here at home, and certainly can justify hauling them over.

What I don’t want to have happen is the state guys in Hawaii to confiscate the entire bag because I brought the wrong things over.

So far, my kitchen starter kit contains [all of this sealed]:
- Peppercorns with a built in pepper mill [McCormick they sell these for a couple bucks]
- Kosher Salt
- Onion and Garlic Powder
- Cinnamon
- Hot Sauce
- Olive Oil, soy sauce
- Mixes for morning breakfast quick breads and muffins
- Small packets of mustard, mayo
- peanut butter
- wooden skewers

We will probably mix in a bunch of prepared snack items as well. We have plenty of room in the rental car, and a 14 year old man/boy to haul the bag ;>.

Meats, fish and veggies will be picked up at the local Safeway or farmers market...

Staples [ketchup, flour, sugar, paper products] we will pick up at the market as well.

As far as kitchen utensils, I may bring my favorite knife, but it seems to be fairly well stocked:

http://www.westinkaanapali.com/kilist.htm

So l let mw know what you would bring along on your next trip, and thanks to all…

Steve

Unless you pack fresh produce you'll be fine.

It seems the condos have to be very careful of what they leave in the condos because of liability reasons. With lawsuits at the drop of a hat and some people with strange senses of humor I can kind of see that. You didn't say when you would be doing your bulk shopping but the thought of drinks for the first night might be handy.

I should have specified either mixes or tea or coffee.

I always bring a couple of my good knives. I wrap them in newspaper and put them in my cheched luggage. I do quite a bit of cooking, even when we're away, and there's nothing worse than trying to use cheap, dull knives. I also usually bring several herbs/spices that we typically use and bring them home again. They are so expensive to buy and one uses so little, I'd rather take them with me. As soon as we check in, I do a kitchen inventory against a checklist I make up at home since I'm usually so tired upon arrival that I can't think straight, and then send my hubby to the store while I unpack. It works for us! Have fun.

I pack all of the dry ingredients I can into an ice chest (our is about 16" high and 14" wide), duck tape it up and check it on (all they ask is if there is any ice inside - I have never had a problem doing this). We then use the ice chest when hitting the beach or pool. I always take my favorite spices, head of garlic, rice, vermicelli, pasta, soy sauce packets, coffee, cocoa, ranch dressing mix, pancake mix (in ziploc baggie), ziploc baggies (sandwich and gallon size), foil and any other dry stuff that I use all of the time and can pack in. You mentioned salt and fresh pepper - a must! Throughout the year I also save small empty containers with screw on lids that I pack oil, olive oil, syrup, etc. Also, I normally bring along a small igloo lunch box (with a small cold pack) and put in stuff that I already have at home that I don't want to buy in Maui like a stick or two of butter, a tub o'margerine, blue cheese, etc. I normally make a basic list of all of the potential menus (those dishes that you tend to make frequently)and bring as much as I can. We tend to throw quite a bit out when we leave (or the maids get it!), so I try to bring as many staples as I can to avoid buying a normal sized containers there. I hope that this helps!