Maui flight- booked!! Now where to stay????

[remfam5]

Family of 4, never been to Hawaii. Any advise on places to stay? 7 nights. Condo or hotel? Which one?

We opted out of Disney this year and are going to Hawaii. But, we do have a BIG trip with family planned for Nov. 2011.

Thanks!

 

[cc1013]

So jealous! We were just in Maui this past November. We stayed at the Grand Wailea and absolutely LOVED it. The weather near Wailea is incredible and the beach is just gorgeous. It can get a bit pricey, but we found a wonderful package rate through Expedia. There was a good combination of families and couples. Since our group of 6 people were all adults, we chose to relax at the adult pool.
Feel free to ask any questions! This was our second time to Maui and we're hoping to go back in a few years.

 

[Jeafl]

It depends on what part of Maui, and how much you want to spend.

We really like the Ka'anapali area the best, but some people like the Wailea area too. If price is no object, go with the Hyatt Regency Maui. Great location, and gorgeous hotel. If you are looking for something a little cheaper plus lots of room for a family of 4 but still a great location try booking a condo through vrbo.com (Vacation Rentals By Owner). We've done this the last two times we went to Maui and have LOVED it! We found one condo that was wonderful, and only $140 a night! If we would have booked right through the condo company it would have been over $400 a night. When you book directly through the owner it is much cheaper. PM me if you want the link with pictures.

Also, if you want restaurant recommendations, let me know. We were there for 2 weeks and ate at tons of different places. Anything else you want to know, let me know!

 

[wvjules]

Edited b/c I woke up this morning and went "doh"! lol

 

[JoBird]

I have stayed at both the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua:
http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/KapaluaMaui/Default.htm

as well as the Grand Wailea :
http://www.grandwailea.com/


The Ritz- I would recommend to couples- there isn't a whole lot close to it.

The Grand Wailea- I would absolutely recommend to families with children. The pools are simply wonderful- and there is a kids camp type place there. The spa is unlike any I have ever been to before-- It's won all kinds of awards.
On the website above, find the link to the video for a tour of the resort. It gives you a great feel for what it looks like there.

Right next to the Grand is the Four Seasons--
http://www.fourseasons.com/maui/
And while I haven't stayed there- I have heard from many people it is "THE" place to see and be seen.

And down from that is the Kea Lani-
http://www.fairmont.com/kealani
again, never stayed there, but my old next door neighbor went there for her honeymoon and raved over it.

Just a sample of what you'll see,
taken from our last night at the Grand--

Have a wonderful trip! Let us know where you plan on staying- we're all jealous!

 

[cristit14]

I haven't been, but we just booked a trip to Maui too. I booked us in Kihei at Kamaole Sands. We wanted a condo to give us more room and be able to have some meals in. I can't wait!

 

[damo]

We stayed at the Four Seasons Maui while it was going through its renovation. We got a really great deal and loved the amenities and location. Not sure what the prices are now though.

 

[DawnCt1]

When are you going? I think the BEST condos on Ka'anapali Beach is the Ka'anapali Alii. You can rent directly from them or do what we did; go on VRBO and search. You will get a better price and it is a fabulous location. You can take advantage of all of the restaurants along the beach and at the hotels and you can cook. We love the barbecue area, right on the beach. Definitely the Alii for a condo. The Marriott, which is a time share is also fun for kids. Great pool. You can find units for rent there too. The good thing about the Alii is that you don't have to pick a particular week. Try both! Ka'anapali has more going on for kids. Wailea is quiet and more adult oriented.

 

[DawnCt1]

I have stayed at both the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua:
http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/KapaluaMaui/Default.htm

as well as the Grand Wailea :
http://www.grandwailea.com/


The Ritz- I would recommend to couples- there isn't a whole lot close to it.

The Grand Wailea- I would absolutely recommend to families with children. The pools are simply wonderful- and there is a kids camp type place there. The spa is unlike any I have ever been to before-- It's won all kinds of awards.
On the website above, find the link to the video for a tour of the resort. It gives you a great feel for what it looks like there.

Right next to the Grand is the Four Seasons--
http://www.fourseasons.com/maui/
And while I haven't stayed there- I have heard from many people it is "THE" place to see and be seen.

And down from that is the Kea Lani-
http://www.fairmont.com/kealani
again, never stayed there, but my old next door neighbor went there for her honeymoon and raved over it.

Just a sample of what you'll see,
taken from our last night at the Grand--

Have a wonderful trip! Let us know where you plan on staying- we're all jealous!

I think you have listed the most expensive resorts on Maui and they are indeed wonderful resorts. Maui is so wonderful however, that one doesn't need to spend that kind of $$$ to have a great time. We have been to Hawaii 4 times with a family of 6 and one year, we took a 7th (guest). Any of those resorts would have wiped out our budget for the rest of our vacation, where we visited two additional islands for a total of 17 days. I don't think that the Grand Wailea or the Four Seasons has an entree on the menu for less than $35. There are more affordable dining choices on K Beach.

 

[remfam5]

Thanks for all the responses!
We are going Apr. 28- May 6.
I have been checking many places out today.
The two hotels I am thinking about are the Hyatt Regency & the Grand Wailea. They seem to be equal on reviews.

Tomorrow I will be checking out condos.

**** A QUESTION ***** Do you think that kids (10 &13) would enjoy a hotel resort or be just as happy at a condo?

Thanks!!

 

[somcgregor]

Thanks for all the responses!
We are going Apr. 28- May 6.
I have been checking many places out today.
The two hotels I am thinking about are the Hyatt Regency & the Grand Wailea. They seem to be equal on reviews.

Tomorrow I will be checking out condos.

**** A QUESTION ***** Do you think that kids (10 &13) would enjoy a hotel resort or be just as happy at a condo?

Thanks!!

Just return from Maui last month!! We stayed at the ho olei at grand wailea, which is the Condo located across the street from the Grand Wailea and had full access to the Grand Wailea! I loved the Grand, I loved being Wailea and we had an amazing time!

We were able to snorkle and whale watch the whole nine yards. This part of the island was nice! We also went to big beach a bit farther south and did an early morning snorkle on our own and had a blast!. I would say your kids would really enjoy the Grand, because the pools are amazing! Even as an adult I enjoyed being a kid! So I think your would have fun! I don't think the Condo would work well for you, but I do recommend going to the ABC stores and getting food they have premade stuff for food!

Enjoy it and have a blast!

 

[JoBird]

I think you have listed the most expensive resorts on Maui and they are indeed wonderful resorts. Maui is so wonderful however, that one doesn't need to spend that kind of $$$ to have a great time. We have been to Hawaii 4 times with a family of 6 and one year, we took a 7th (guest). Any of those resorts would have wiped out our budget for the rest of our vacation, where we visited two additional islands for a total of 17 days. I don't think that the Grand Wailea or the Four Seasons has an entree on the menu for less than $35. There are more affordable dining choices on K Beach.

Since the OP didn't say what her budget was, I simply gave her my opinion and experience, as well as links to the ones I know of- so that she could price it out herself and see if any of them fit her needs.


OP- if you plan on staying at the Grand- there are other dining choices next door in the Shops at Wailea- http://www.shopsatwailea.com/Dining.htm (we walked there)
and if you are renting a car- there's places to eat close by, don't let the "Nothing under $35 entrees" scare you away from a wonderful resort. We didn't rent a car and certainly didn't go hungry.

It may make better sense for you to rent a car- a taxi from the airport to Wailea is pretty expensive there and back.

 

[Pakey]

Although we loved our stays at the Grand Wailea in Wailea and the Ritz in Kapalau, I have to agree with Dawn and say that there is more going on in Kaanapali.

 

[ZachnElli]

My dh and I went to the Fairmont Kea Lani for our 10 year anniversary and it was beautiful and wonderful, great food, etc. What we didn't like is that Wailea was so far away from all the stuff we wanted to do. What looks like a short drive on a map, is not on the island! The next time we went we rented a townhouse in Lahaina and were walking distance to the restaurants and shops and we were also feet from the beach! We paid like $250 a night for a 3 bed, 3 bath townhouse that was beachfront and it was awesome! We took our kids that time. We also got the townhouse on vrbodotcom.

 

[Duckfan]

I went to Maui on a cruise so I can't help with where to stay but if you haven't already, you should check out TripAdvisers Maui Forum. I used the Big Island one a lot when we went there.

 

[remfam5]

Does anyone have any experience renting a condo at Kaanapali Shores? It seems pretty nice.
On VBRO I found quite a few of them.
Taking everyones advise and sticking with Kaanapali area.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

**** A QUESTION ***** Do you think that kids (10 &13) would enjoy a hotel resort or be just as happy at a condo?

I don't think that kids care whether they are in a hotel or condo -- they're in Hawaii!

Really, when we're in a place like Hawaii, we like to hang out on the beach, play in the sand, snorkle, sail, zip line on the side of a volcano, etc. All of these things can be done whether you're in a condo or hotel.

Our kids were 10 and 4 when we were there. We stayed at the Wailea Ekahi Village condos. Got a recommendation for a specific unit from a friend, and it was beautiful! (The sunset pic in my sig was taken from their pool area, right on the beach). We booked it through VRBO. I like that condos are less expensive than hotels, in general, and since you have a kitchen, you can just buy groceries and have breakfast or sandwiches in the condo. I don't like to cook on vacation, so we don't do dinners or full meals there, but we like doing breakfast at our own pace most mornings.

Wailea is quieter, Kaanapali has more going on, and Laihaina even more. I second checking out the TripAdvisor Maui forum, there's tons of info there. See what area sounds most appealing to you first, then take a look at what types of hotels and condos are in the area.

Have fun!

 

[TiggerStac]

we stayed at the Hyatt on Ka'anapali beach and loved it!

Maui is beautiful. I can't wait til my kids are a little older and we are going to go back and take them. Hubby's work took us in 12/08 and it was incredible!!

 

[pixiewings71]

Can I ask where you got your plane tickets? We are thinking of HI but we have to go when the girls are out of school...well I want to but DBF's Mom is trying to convince HIM to take them out!!! GRRRRRR Anyway, just wondering what your flight was booked thru.

 

[abdmom]

*** A QUESTION ***** Do you think that kids (10 &13) would enjoy a hotel resort or be just as happy at a condo?

The terms "hotel resort" and "condo" are not mutually exclusive in HI! Check out Honua Kai at honuakaimaui dot com.