Maui: Part 1 – Van Camping and Touring

As much as I love the Northwest (aka: Upper Left), winter can be a gloomy drag. A solution: take two work holidays, add two weekend days, and mix in round trip flights to Maui and a camper van. Presto!

Sounds simple, right? Well, kind of. Sure, Thanksgiving and the day after are work holidays for me, which is awesome, but I clearly wasn’t the only one with this idea and hotels aren’t exactly a bargain for Thanksgiving weekend. But, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and I’ve always thought it would be fun to rent a VW camper on the island, so this was the trip for it!

We were able to snag a pretty inexpensive PDX-Maui flight that left late in the day on Thanksgiving eve, which added a little extra time in the Rainbow State. It also meant we got into Maui pretty late. Fortunately, Aloha Campers in Kihei was gracious and accommodating, and stuck around until we arrived around 10:00pm. We filled out the obligatory forms, got a quick rundown on the Vanagon’s oddities, er … features, and we were on our way to the campground!

Camp Olowalu is the only official (some might use the word legal) campground on the leeward side of Maui. That was important for our arrival because we wanted something relatively close to Aloha Campers’ Kihei pick up location. But as refugees from the Northwest rain, we were also hoping to stick to the sunny and dry side of Maui for the trip. The campground is easy enough to find and their “Tentalows” are kind of adorable (which is probably why they feature them on their landing page).

Unfortunately, while reservations/payment can be made in advance, Olowalu’s car camping sites are first-come first served. Our late arrival meant we got last pick. And frankly, it’s a gravel parking lot, so calling them “sites” is a bit of a euphemism. So, while it worked for our first night, when we got up on Thanksgiving morning, we decided to take our chances and find something more island-worthy the next night.

Camping in an unofficial location was an experience I wasn’t quite prepared for. And frankly, it gives me better appreciation for the struggles faced by people who are homeless. I can fully appreciate the luxury of choosing to rent a camper and park on the side of the road next to the beach versus needing to find a somewhat public place to sleep out of necessity. But when it’s not quite allowed, every set of headlights passing by has the potential to be someone ready to hassle you, or worse. Despite the sound of waves just outside, it wasn’t the most restful sleep.

On the plus side, Hawaii’s beaches have a bunch of public restrooms and outdoor showers, so that gave us the chance to freshen up before we wandered to the Te Au Moana Luau at the Wailea Beach Marriott. We’ve been to a few luaus, and while the Marriott’s food was really good, the luau entertainment wasn’t quite as good as the Grand Wailea’s.

Still, Lahaina sunsets can hardly be beat. Oh, and since most of the Maui luaus include open bar, we opted to leave the VW parked and took a Lyft to the event.

Having visited Maui many times, we split most of the rest of our non-camping time between the Little Beach and … well, Little Beach. Except the last day, when strong winds forced us to abandon the beach and take a tour of Maui Brewing (Side note: Maui Brewing does some pretty cool stuff, both beer-wise, and environmentally. Check it out.)

In all, renting a camper for about four days on Maui was almost everything I’d hoped it would be. Will I do it again? Maybe for a short trip (and maybe more likely for a holiday week when hotels are exorbitant). For other stays—at least in Maui—a traditional front door may be a bit more restful. But back on the mainland, well, that turned out to be a different story…

Note: while official campgrounds are few on the leeward side of Maui, there are legitimate camping spots elsewhere on the island. Haleakala National Park, for instance, has several places for camping (car camping and otherwise), including some I’m told are just steps from the water. If you don’t mind some rain with your aloha, be sure to check those out.