Maui, HI Hotels -- Help!!

[Rhonda922]

DH and I are taking the plunge and vacationing in Maui next Fall. This will be our first time there. What hotel do you stay at? I'm looking for a hotel that's no more than the $250-range per night (is this even possible? I hear that Hawaii is pretty pricey).

 

[Laura]

Oh, less than $250 is definitely doable. I've only been to Maui once, so I can't really give you a recommendation on which hotel. But there are some good websites out there to help you decide:

www.tripadvisor.com
www.visitmaui.com
www.gohawaii.com
www.fodors.com
www.frommers.com

We stayed in the Lahaina Inn, and we thought it was very nice--not many amenities, though. There are also lots of condos to rent on Maui, so you can save $$ by making your own meals.

 

[Rhonda922]

Thank you for those websites. I'm just having the hardest time making up my mind. All the hotels/condos look so nice! I know that even after I make my reservation, I'm still going to be second-guessing myself.

 

[DawnCt1]

Hi Rhonda, First you need to decide which area of Maui you would like to stay on. As winter approaches there is more sun in S. Maui, Wailea, S. Kihei, etc while Ka'anapali, and north towards Kapalua can be more overcast and rainy sometimes. Prices generally drop after Labor Day. You could easily find accommodations for around $100 per night if you wanted to stay in Kihei and did some shopping. Condos are a great idea, also consider chosing an area, the "stars" and Pricelining it. If you don't have your heart set on a particular hotel then you might get a great deal on a resort property so check out www.biddingfortravel.com Also, go on Fodors.com and ask about the weather, best buys for fall, etc. Kihei is more developed with less planning, more casual, Ka'anapali is a planned resort and Wailea is very plush with resorts such as Kea Lani, the Four Seasons, etc. All locations have affordable hotels also.

 

[mookie]

LOVE LOVE LOVE Hawaii. Been there 3 times in the past 5 years.

The Grand Wailea is awesome, which is in Wailea, but it can get very pricey. The Sheraton has a great location inKaanapali, but for the price might not be worth it. (You have to find a deal here early...it really goes up the closer to your date that you get.) The Hyatt is an excellent choice, but when we were there, I was told that they had already started converting those to timeshares. Actually, if you want to do Maui on a budget, there is a little known hint for saving money on hotels. If you buy the Entertainment book for Maui, you get 50% off the rack rates at any of the Aston Hotel properties. It isn't published in the book, but as long as you are a ent. cardholder, they will honor it. When we were there in March, we decided to go condo, but still liked the resort setting, so we stayed at the Aston Kaanapali Shores. We got 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom Oceanfront condos for 150.00 per couple/per night. A great deal when you are talking Hawaii. While the Kaanapali Shores isn't exactly on Kaanapali Beach, (it's up about a 1/2 mile) it fit us just fine. But, you can stay at the Whaler, another Aston property, and it's right next to the Westin Maui on Kaanapali Beach, which is a fantastic location in the middle of everything.

I love Kihei as well, but only to shop and explore. I like the more resorty area of Kaanapali to stay. We often drove down to Kihei for the day - LuLu's is one of the best restaurants, if you are looking for a good burger....and garlic fries!!

Trip Advisor has a great forum for Maui Hotels. I'd be happy to answer any questions, as well. We were just there in March for my sisters wedding, and I was the one who planned everyone's accomodations - for 30 people! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, I love talking Maui. Either way, have a great trip!

 

[JoBird]

We stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua and it was beautiful, but my old neighbor's had taken their Honeymoon at the Kea Lani and couldn't stop raving about it. Lahaina is fun, fun! And, make sure you look into biking down the volcano, Haleakala(sp?)! That was a beautiful trip!

 

[Patty3]

We are going to Maui for our third time in the past 4 years. We are staying again at the Four Season in Wailea, I love this area and love this hotel. There are 4 hotels there, Grand Wailea, Four Seasons, Kea Lani and one another. The one that I can not remember is the most reasonably priced and may be in your budget. Waliea does not get as much rain as Kapalua.

 

[mom2of2]

We stayed at the Whaler and LOVED IT!!!

 

[crz4mm2]

I am going for the first time in Feb!! I can't wait. We are staying at the Maui Prince. I am going for a conference (we got a great rate because of the conference!).
I have reservations for car rental with Discount Hawaii Car rental (which was a great deal I thought).
We are considering a whale watching tour for 59 bucks which leaves from near our hotel.
Any hints on what to do will be appreciated. I don't think we will be island hopping this trip(not enough time) though.

Thanks and have a great time!!

Cathy

 

[Rhonda922]

I have to say that I've really taken a liking to The Whaler. I'm checking it out now. Thank you to everyone who responded with hotel ideas. I still haven't decided yet but I will definitely take everyone's advice and look at the hotels that were mentioned.

 

[DawnCt1]

Pick up the "blue book", Maui Revealed by Wizard Publications. It will give you excellent hotel and condo reviews, in addition to a pass word protected web site with airial views, etc. Aston Hotels are no longer Aston but Resort Quest. The availability of properties with the Entertainment Book will depend upon occupancy rate. Book at the lowest available rate and then continue to look afterward. If occupancy is down, which it often is in the fall, there will be plenty of good deals. I have heard of the Sheraton going for $135 on Priceline. I would grab it at that rate. We are staying at the Ka'anapali Alii next summer. If you are interested in a condo, check out www.VRBO.com. Just remember that a lot of them require that you pay in full 60 days prior to arrival which would limit you from shopping for great rates at the last minute.

 

[Rhonda922]

Thanks Dawn -- I'll check out the book and the website! Sounds good.

 

[Jeafl]

We spent a week on Maui this past June and rented a condo from a private owner at the Ka'anapali Shores. We LOVED it! The same condo through Aston goes for $395 a night, we paid $120. It has a spectacular full ocean view overlooking the island of Lanai, a great balcony, full kitchen, king size bed, queen pullout, and recently remodeled bathroom.

The resort is on the beach, and also has 2 pools. My family liked it better than the Hilton Waikoloa Village and Hilton Hawaiian Village where we stayed on the other islands. If you want more info, let me know.

 

[lecach]

If you stay in the Wailea area there is a nude beach closeby. Not that I would know anything about that

We stayed in the Kaanapali area in an older hotel -the Royal Lahaina Resort. It wasnt fancy but it had a pretty private beach and it was clean and cheap. Next September the rate would be around $200 a night (make sure you avoid the rooms in the Hale building though). We liked this area (Lahaina) because there was so much to do (restaurants etc). The Wailea area was beautiful but not as much non-nature things to do.

 

[SideshowBob]

We are going to Maui for our third time in the past 4 years. We are staying again at the Four Season in Wailea, I love this area and love this hotel. There are 4 hotels there, Grand Wailea, Four Seasons, Kea Lani and one another. The one that I can not remember is the most reasonably priced and may be in your budget. Waliea does not get as much rain as Kapalua.

SSB stayed at the Four Seasons there, and was truly the most gorgous grounds that I have ever seen... beautiful!

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[chris1gill]

I'm a big fan of the Sheraton... if you join their frequent guest program & charge 1000.00 to their amex, you can get a 50% off award... easily under 250.00 at that point...

The beach in front of the Sheraton is awesome....

Second to that, I like the Hyatt, they have a great pool...

For even less expensive accomodation, you might try www.snaptravel.com & look for the Embassy suites... that looks to run around a hundred dollars a night...

 

[DawnCt1]

SSB stayed at the Four Seasons there, and was truly the most gorgous grounds that I have ever seen... beautiful!

Good luck, and have fun!

The rates at the Four Seasons start at $425 per night. The opulance the luxury don't come cheap. Maui is such a wonderful destination that one could be very happy in less than a five star resort.

 

[DawnCt1]

I'm a big fan of the Sheraton... if you join their frequent guest program & charge 1000.00 to their amex, you can get a 50% off award... easily under 250.00 at that point...

The beach in front of the Sheraton is awesome....

Second to that, I like the Hyatt, they have a great pool...

For even less expensive accomodation, you might try www.snaptravel.com & look for the Embassy suites... that looks to run around a hundred dollars a night...

I like that web site. I would have grabbed Embassy Suites on Kauai but the dates of their availability didn't match mine.

 

[Rhonda922]

$425 wow!!! There's no way I could afford that. I would have to leave after one night's stay. LOL!!

 

[chris1gill]

I like that web site. I would have grabbed Embassy Suites on Kauai but the dates of their availability didn't match mine.

What are your dates? Keep an eye on that website, units come & go pretty quickly, so you may get very lucky by grabbing the Embassy...? You never know!