One thing I adore about Hawaii is …. Costco.
All of our trips to Hawaii have started off with a stop at Costco. Fresh produce, a little adult libation, some Hawaiian snacks, gas for the jeep rental and some goodies to bring home. All in one fell swoop. Perfection. Prices are high but not like the other grocery options on the islands.
One slight hiccup in our plan on the Maui trip this year was that our car rental line was out of control. And Costco was set to close in 40 minutes because we arrived on a Sunday. The horror.
Our hotel was over an hour from Costco and the last thing I wanted to do in paradise on our first full day was to drive back to Costco. We were only a mile away – I wanted to walk but the hubs wouldn’t allow it. So instead I paid $14 to Uber 1 mile to the Maui Costco. Ridiculous but worth every penny.
By the time the hubs arrived at Costco in our jeep I was checking out. And then he had the joy of trying to pack what I bought with our 2 huge bags in our tiny jeep. Ha!
Our shopping cart for the Costco Maui trip was as follows:
- Fresh sliced pineapple (a must! #sogood)
- Bag of Salad mix
- Tableside Guacamole (the hubs lives on this stuff)
- Organic Tortilla Chips
- Carrots & Hummus (I picked up the individual tubs this time which was a great call – easy to pack and I even brought the leftovers home!)
- Apple Bananas – local and #SOGOOD
- Wine – malbec is my fave and they had Norton! Score!
- Local Vodka – Ocean Vodka is awesome. See more about our tour of their facility here.
- Local Rum – We visited the Koloa Rum distillery on Kauai and had to pick up a bottle of the Coconut Rum. #SOGOOD
- Pack of 12 cans of Macadamia nuts to share at home (these are not gluten-free, according to Mauna Loa. #notsogood) and one box of individually packed Disney’s Moana macadamia nuts – these were miraculously labeled gluten-free. Yay!
- I also picked up a couple books for the kids to bring home. All of this shopping done in 25 minutes. I was pretty proud of myself.
Here’s one thing I don’t understand about Hawaii – LaCroix is non-existent. Costco in the states has it all over. Most groceries carry it. In Hawaii? Good luck. Costcto carries 5 varieties of coconut water and a bazillion local fruit sodas but LaCroix? Forget it. I actually found it at a local natural foods store in Maui and it was $1 a can. I asked the sales lady what the 12 pack price was and she said straight faced – $12. #notsogood. I bought 4 cans because I was going through withdrawl!
