This past week we had the opportunity to go on our first TRUE family vacation. You see we travel often but most of the time we travel for work or we visit family in Colorado, but this is the first time that just us a family of four went on a true vacation. It couldn’t have come at a better time for us. It was the perfect opportunity for us to enjoy each other, we unplugged, I even put my phone down, stopped taking pictures and videos and played in the water with my family.
Often times we get so busy, so overwhelmed that we need to do something to reset, to refill the tanks of sorts. That’s what Maui was for us, I was burnt out and didn’t even realize it. It wasn’t until we landed in Hawaii that I took a breath, and realized how badly I just needed a minute. It truly is a magical island, where you instantly feel lighter, you breathe, you are surrounded by beauty, and by the kindest people. Maui was a reminder to focus on my family, that everything could wait. As a family we played Go Fish daily, we body surfed, boogie boarded, swam, had races, made sandcastles, and most importantly enjoyed every single moment.
We stayed at the AMAZING Four Seasons Resort Maui and it was incredible. Funny story, Michael and I stayed here almost 14 years ago, when I went back in June with HeyMama, I was convinced it was a different hotel (I may or may not have had a few drinks when Michael and I were there so many years ago), that is until we came back as a family and slowly my memory came back. Pretty funny how different your vacations are as a young couple and then a family of four. Anyways back to the Four Seasons, it was everything and more. I was so impressed by how easy they made it for families. The kids loved every minute of it, the staff even taught the kids some Hawaiian Lingo, thank Fredo for getting Hutton all straightened out, now he knows what side to wear the flower to tell the ladies he is single. The room was perfect for us all, the food was beyond, one of our best meals ever was at Ferraro’s, I still dream of the tiramisu. The Beach Boys could not have been kinder and were so great with the kids, we even watched two turtles mate out in the water, oh and we swam with the turtles, a few times, and we had the opportunity to teach the kids about ocean etiquette, never touch the turtle and give the turtle space. They were able to see wildlife in the wild, it was pretty incredible! The morning crew at DUO was always so kind and got our morning started right. We even got to know Lucy, the resort Parrot who we sang Twinkle Twinkle Little star too every night, and she actually said goodbye to us when we left.
The best part of it all was I was present, I can honestly say I made the world wait. I went in the water, I dug in the sand, I was fully in every moment and it truly was a trip that we will cherish forever. Hawaii is now a big part of our family and I can’t wait to go back.
A few key tips
Whenever we travel I have a full set up. So grateful for Alaska Airlines
Such an amazing airline that always is so great to fly with kids. I love their family spirit and everything they stand for. Whenever we fly I have a few things that I never travel without. Like my Fly Safe Safety Harness for the kids, they never fly without them. I find the kids feel more secure because it is familiar like their car seats. I also love to have mats for the kids on the airplanes, so if food falls which always does the kids can eat it and it is safe. That way I never have to worry. It definitely makes my life much easier.
I found this amazing service called Babyquip, they literally had the car seats there at the airport for us, and they were nice car seats, the Diono’s just like we use at home. So we didn’t have to lug the huge car seats all the way to Hawaii, they also delivered 3 bins of toys, 1 for Hutton, 1 for Kenzie, and 1 filled with bath and sand toys. I never would have thought that this would have been such a hit but having something for the kids to play with while we got ready was key and the sand toys were used EVERY DAY! It was great, there were books, there were sketch pads all the fun and creative toys that kept them happy and us feeling good. A service that is nationwide, I highly recommend you check them out and rent whatever you may need for your next trip.
Also for the kids’ hair, between the saltwater and the chlorine, their hair was a mess, so I doused their hair with argan oil and Unite 7 Seconds every morning to treat their hair before hitting the water. It makes all the difference because it absorbed all the oil it didn’t take in much else and I found it much easier to brush out later in the bath. Seriously, it was a game-changer.
We also brought card games and often found ourselves playing Go fish at the dinner table, everyone was engaged and it was pretty fun.
Those are my takeaways from the trip. I hope it helps. What are your secret trips to travel?
