Maui Trip Package Through Costco Travel — Real-World Experience

Flights, hotel, and rental car bundled through Costco Travel for a Maui trip.

Quick Take

✔ Nearly $2,000 cheaper than booking the same trip separately

✔ First-class flights included in the package

✔ Hotel and rental car bundled into one reservation

✔ Planning the trip was simple and smooth through Costco Travel

✘ Less flexibility than booking every component separately

✘ Lodging outside the package (like our VRBO in Hana) still needs separate booking

For this trip to Maui we booked our flights, hotel, and rental car through a Costco Travel package. After checking multiple booking options — including Expedia, direct airline bookings, and separate hotel/rental reservations — the Costco package came in almost 15% cheaper than any combination we could build ourselves.

On a trip of this size, that difference added up to about $1,884 in savings.

Arriving in Maui

At a Glance

Trip Type: Costco Travel vacation package

Departure Airport: Memphis (MEM)

Destination: Maui, Hawaii

Airline: American Airlines

Seat Class: First Class

Package Included

• Flights

• Hotel accommodations in Kihei

• Rental car

Total Package Cost: $9,366 (all included)

Estimated Separate Booking Cost: ~$11,250

Estimated Savings: ~15%

Condo across the street from the Beach

Key Details

Hotel: Maui Banyan (Kihei)

Accommodation Type: Condo

Trip Structure

• 3 nights in Kihei

• 5 nights in Hana (separate VRBO)

• 6 additional nights in Kihei

Total Maui Banyan Stay: 9 nights

Rental Car

Company: Enterprise

Vehicle: 2025 Chevrolet Malibu

Flights

Airline: American Airlines

Outbound: 1 layover

Return: 2 layovers

Full Report

Why We Looked at Costco Travel

When planning this trip we explored several booking approaches:

• booking flights directly through airlines

• reserving hotels independently

• arranging rental cars separately

• travel websites like Expedia

• combinations using VRBO and separate flights

In total we checked seven or eight different booking combinations trying to find the best price.

Most options ended up within the same general range — until we looked at Costco Travel.

The Costco Travel Package

The Costco package bundled together:

• first-class airfare

• hotel accommodations at Maui Banyan in Kihei

• a rental car

The entire package came to $9,366.

When we priced the same flights, hotel stay, and rental car separately, the total was about $11,250.

That made the Costco package roughly $1,884 cheaper, which worked out to about 15% savings.

Even after trying several different booking combinations, we couldn’t match the Costco price.

The Booking Experience

Another advantage of using Costco Travel was how easy the planning process was.

The agents were:

• easy to work with

• flexible with options

• able to show multiple combinations of flights and lodging

Once the package was booked, everything ran smoothly. The flights, hotel, and rental car all worked exactly as expected with no surprises.

Flights

The package included first-class seats on American Airlines.

Outbound travel from Memphis to Maui required one layover, which is fairly typical given the distance.

The return trip involved two layovers before arriving back in Memphis.

Overall the flights were smooth:

• no delays

• no rushing between connections

• no baggage issues

For a trip from the mainland U.S. to Hawaii, the routing and experience were very good.

Rental Car

The rental car was provided through Enterprise.

Vehicle: 2025 Chevrolet Malibu

Pickup and drop-off were both quick and easy, and everything was already handled through the Costco booking.

Having the car bundled into the package meant we didn’t have to coordinate a separate reservation, which simplified arrival.

The Hotel: Maui Banyan (Kihei)

Our primary accommodations were at Maui Banyan in Kihei.

The property is best described as a solid mid-level, roughly three-star condo complex.

Costco arranged a room upgrade, which turned out to be a very comfortable setup:

• 1 bedroom

• living room

• full kitchen

• 2 full bathrooms

• balcony with chairs

Free parking was available very close to our unit, which made moving luggage and groceries easy.

The unit itself was:

• clean

• quiet

• well-appointed

• everything worked as expected

Overall we were very comfortable there and would stay again.

One small surprise was the extremely cheap, almost nonexistent single-ply toilet paper provided in the unit. Not a major issue, but memorable enough to mention.

Another observation: our building had an elevator, which made access easy. However, we did hear other guests complaining about having to carry luggage upstairs in buildings without elevators.

View From Condo Balcony (Lanai)

Why We Split the Trip

The Costco package covered our main stay in Kihei, which is a convenient and central location on Maui.

However, we also wanted to spend time on the east side of the island in Hana, where we previously lived for about two and a half years.

Because of that, we booked a separate VRBO in Hana for five nights.

Our approach was:

• start in Kihei to relax and get oriented

• spend several days in Hana

• return to Kihei afterward

The Hana portion of the trip will be covered in a separate report.

Who This Type of Package Is Best For

Costco Travel packages make sense for travelers who:

• want to bundle flights, hotel, and rental car

• want to simplify trip planning

• want to avoid spending hours comparing bookings

• appreciate saving money on larger trips

It’s especially useful for major vacations like Hawaii, where the components can get expensive.

Who Might Prefer Booking Separately

Booking everything individually might make more sense if you:

• want complete flexibility with flights and lodging

• are planning a very customized trip

• are traveling for short business trips where hotel choice doesn’t matter much

For major vacations, though, the Costco package approach can be very competitive.

Reality Check

Costco Travel packages can save money, but they aren’t perfect for every type of trip.

Because the flights, hotel, and rental car are bundled together, you give up some flexibility. If you want to customize every part of the trip — specific flights, unique lodging, or multiple locations — booking everything separately may give you more control.

Packages also work best for larger vacations, where the bundled pricing can make a meaningful difference. For shorter or simpler trips, the savings may be smaller.

In our case the Costco package worked well and saved nearly 15%, but it’s still worth pricing the trip both ways before booking.

Final Thoughts

For this Maui trip, Costco Travel delivered both savings and convenience.

The package came in almost $2,000 cheaper than booking the same trip separately, while also simplifying the planning process.

Everything worked smoothly from booking to arrival.

For travelers planning a similar trip — especially to destinations like Hawaii — Costco Travel packages are absolutely worth checking before booking everything individually.