Questions about Maui

CA.Giraffe

FI and I have decided on Maui next July. It will just be us, our three kids, and FI's mom. We're looking at a casual beach wedding at sunset, followed by dinner at a restaurant.

Here are some questions I had:

-Has anyone considered or used http://www.mauius.com? Their prices (the $525 package) fits our budget and meets our needs. Does anybody have a recommendation of another vendor with similar pricing and packages?

-Looking at pictures, we like the idea of Secret Beach. Does it get crowded? Are there other beaches with similar views we could consider?

-We're looking at renting a condo for a week. I came across these on VRBO - can anybody recommend these rentals and/or properties? Or, any others in the same price range?
http://www.vrbo.com/196686
http://www.vrbo.com/226751
http://www.vrbo.com/367902

Thanks!

FSForever

Welcome and Congratulations! 

We are planning something similar. Bringing 3 of our kids, my parents and a few friends. 

I don't have any recommendations for mauius.com but at when we first started planning we were going to use Lisa from Enchanted Maui Weddings. She had great packages and was very helpful. and always answered my calls and emails promptly.  We had to change our date and in doing so decided to go a different route so we are not using a WC. 

We booked 4 condos at Kamaole Sands off of VRBO based on great reviews and another brides recommendation. One thing to think of if you find a condo you are interested in, ask for a lower rate. We did and got it on all of the condos we booked. One was only $10 less a night but the rest were $30 to $35 less per night and it really added up. 

I haven't been to Maui so I can't comment on Secrets beach but I have heard it's not so "secret" anymore. Something to think about is that there will almost always be another wedding going on. We already know there is another party of 17 that will be on our date based on the permits already submitted. We will be on Po'olenalena Beach. Our reception is at Gannon's up the hill so it just made sense to keep the drive to a minimum. Gannon's worked because we could have the wedding reception feel without the huge price. Because there will be less than 15 of us we can use the al carte menu but we have a table/area booked with decor and a cake table. You still have to pay the 20% service but if you had a large party you usually have to pay that anyway. They have been great to work with and have great reviews on their food and ambiance. 

Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions.