Question for those who have been to Maui

[Disney-Kim]

Where would you stay? We like upscale but can't afford the Four Seasons ( I looked )
but we are considering:

The Sheraton
The Fairmont Kea Lani
The Westin

I want a really nice, upscale, newer rooms, nice beach !!!

ps...how is the shopping in Maui? we have only been to Oahu.

Thanks !!

 

[mrsv98]

Where are you staying on Maui? IMO, anywhere on Kaanapali is wonderful. Kaanapali Beach Hotel is nice, not upscale like others farther diwn the beach, but good all the same. Also, all of the hotels have wonderful restaurants and a couple have Luaus so you can go and visit even if you can't stay there!

Thanks a lot, now you have me thinking of Maui and sighing....oh well....

 

[robsmom]

Not on your list but we loved the Hyatt. It is in the Kannapali (sp?) area. The Marriott which was next door was also very lovely. You are about 20 minutes from lahaina and less then 30 the the marina area.

 

[mommytotwo]

The hotels that are located in Wailea are nice and upscaled. The Four Seasons Wailea is a nice hotel and pricey...but I heard that the Fairmont Kea Lani is nice.
There are malls in Maui along with the olden days downtown scene depending on where you go too.
You can request a brochure from the Maui Visitors Bureau-that may help you in finding information of things to do.

 

[marydmjj]

We stayed at the Sheraton Ka'anapali last year. It was AWESOME! Black Rock is right at your doorstep with great snorkling. The pool is great, the grounds beautiful. I could go on forever. I think we are going to stay at the Westin Ka'anapali next time we go (with our children) because the pools at that hotel have a bunch of waterslides.

 

[Deb in IA]

We stayed at the Sheraton Ka'anapali also. My cousin was the controller for the Sheraton hotels in Hawaii, and we got the room for $50!!

 

[Oh Kay!]

We stayed at the Ritz (not by choice--we were on a conference). It is a beautiful property but I thought it was too isolated. I visited Whaler's village( I think? ) and liked the fact that all the hotels were close to each other, and located right off the beach. I liked the looks of Hyatt the best though.

 

[Melora]

We are going to Maui in..(see trip count down below! )

We are staying at the Kaanapali Ali'i. We need a condo (6 people) so I chose that one and got an ocean front. I figure it might be years until we go back so I wanted wonderful memories and great views!!

 

[scarlett873]

i attended a convention there with my now ex-husband. we stayed at the hyatt...it was amazing!! very close to lahaina and incredible resorts and restaurants!

as a former travel agent, i used to have lots of clients who stayed at the Ka'anapali Shores. it's been awhile since i've had to recall anything about this property...but i know it's on the beach and it's a condo type resort. never had any complaints!

 

[m&m's mom]

I stayed at the Kea Lani when it first opened. It was not the "Fairmont Kea Lani" at the time- just "The Kea Lani". It is on Waliea which I found a bit more upscale. There is a very wide variety of properties on Kaanapali but, as I remember only nice hotels on Waliea.
The Kea Lani is incredible! Incredibly gorgeous. It was featured on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous".
They also had a great breakfast buffet. Pricey but yummy.
Have a great time- you should be fine w/ any of your choices.

 

[mcnuss]

Personally not a fan of Kaanapali (butchered the spelling, I am sure). It's a bit too much like Fort Lauderdale or Boca for me. High rise buildings and such.

Wailea is supposed to be great, but for my money, take me to Kapalua. Simply breathtaking!! There is the Kapalua Bay and the Ritz, but there are also some lovely villas.

At Kihei, there is the Grand Wailea which I've seen on the travel channel.

This might help you: http://travel.discovery.com/convergence/beachweek/wailea_acco.html

Finally, you can get amazing package deals for Hawaii...this is how friends of ours go every year, and they stay at the 4 Seasons. They get air, car, hotel packages for less than I've ever even seen just the air portion.

I am very envious!

 

[DawnCt]

The first time we stayed in Ka'anapali at the Marriott before the major renovation. It was a very nice hotel then. We also liked the area. It was a quick walk to the Whaler Village and a walkable distance to Black Rock for snorkeling. The last time we went to Maui we stayed in Wailea at the Outrigger (Marriott). It had a very nice pool area for kids with a water slide etc. The beaches are lovely there, a bit whiter and wider. The draw back? Not much going on if you have teens and quite a drive to Lahaina.
This summer we are going back to Ka'anapali. We were booked at the new Westin Resort Villas, 2 miles north of the Whaler Village but when I heard that the studio had no lanai, we switched to a 1 bedroom suite at the Marriott. I grabbed the last one for the time we are there!! The Marriott has been totally renovated with a good portion of it going time share, however, the location is wonderful and the pool reminds me of Stormalong Bay.

 

[ZachnElli]

We stayed and Kea Lani and renewed our vows there in 2002. We absolutely LOVED it!! Very nice! They had activities for the whole family! The food was incredible and they pass out free pineapples at the pool! It was very beautiful, the service was amazing! Dh's company sends us to nice places in only 5 star hotels and this is the nicest I've been to, imo. But, I did feel it was far away from alot of the stuff we wanted to do. We did take a scuba class and then went scuba diving right off the beach at the resort there. Have fun deciding! I really want to try Ka'anapali Ali'i next!

 

[mus muris asinus]

We've stayed at the Westin before and wouldn't hesitate to go back there again. It's a wonderful resort in a great location.

 

[nativetxn]

This is great info! I want to go to Hawaii and have no idea what resort to choose.

Thanks for asking this question

 

[Disney-Kim]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I read Tripadvisor.com for reviews constantly but it is nice to have some more personal reviews. I read all the web sites but again...nice to hear real people talk about their experiences.

The Westin,Hyatt, and Marriott were all considerations but the Sheraton is on the BEST beach. Its a hard decision because you read all these current reviews and people say the rooms smell, they are outdated, blah blah. (sound familiar) so I just don't want to spend $300 a night for room and not be wowed...when I could spend $400 a night and stay in 5 * hotel like the Kea Lani.
and...that $300 may get me a partial ocean view.
so...

we can't do a package, we have free airfare. don't want to do DVC. need to save points for next years WDW. Want to stay in a hotel. Don't mind the busy places. Just want nice nice for the money.
thanks everone

 

[Laura]

If Kaanapali Beach sounds great to you, you'll probably like the Sheraton. It's definitely in the middle of things! Me, I'd choose to stay in one of the properties at Napili Bay, like the Napili Kai. Such a pretty beach. I stayed in the Lahaina Inn last year on my honeymoon. Peaceful, even in the middle of town.

There's good shopping at Whaler's Village and tons of nice little spots in Lahaina. Crazy Shirts has the best t-shirts. It seemed to me that a lot of the souvenirs were either cheap plastic trinkets or expensive arty stuff, and not much in between.

Some miscellaneous recommendations:
Maui Ocean Center
Honolua Bay for snorkeling (we were there in May; I hear it's not so calm in winter if that's when you're going. Go to Snorkel Bob's--they'll guide you!)
Old Lahaina Luau
The Road to Hana
Hula Grill (good eats)

Have fun with your planning! Bring lots of film (or extra memory for the digital cam)--Maui is gorgeous!

Aloha

 

[DawnCt]

Originally posted by Disney-Kim
Thanks for the tips everyone. I read Tripadvisor.com for reviews constantly but it is nice to have some more personal reviews. I read all the web sites but again...nice to hear real people talk about their experiences.

The Westin,Hyatt, and Marriott were all considerations but the Sheraton is on the BEST beach. Its a hard decision because you read all these current reviews and people say the rooms smell, they are outdated, blah blah. (sound familiar) so I just don't want to spend $300 a night for room and not be wowed...when I could spend $400 a night and stay in 5 * hotel like the Kea Lani.
and...that $300 may get me a partial ocean view.
so...

we can't do a package, we have free airfare. don't want to do DVC. need to save points for next years WDW. Want to stay in a hotel. Don't mind the busy places. Just want nice nice for the money.
thanks everone

Book accommodations that you can cancel and then go to biddingforgtravel.com It seems, depending upon when you go, people are getting rooms for $140 to $160 per night on Priceline. it seems that the Sheraton comes up most often. I am tempted to do it but we are looking forward to the Marriott.

 

[Judy from Boise]

At Kihei, there is the Grand Wailea which I've seen on the travel channel.

When we stayed in a condo in Kihei we had a professional photographer spend a few hour taking family pictures of our group all over the property of the Grand Wailea. It is gorgeous!!!!the resort next door is nice to and puts on a good luau.

 

[*Fantasia*]

AAAAhhhhh.... Maui!! ...Lahaina!! I love Kaanapali Shore! All the hotels along that shore are all beautiful. I was there in Nov 2002 and NYE 2003. I stayed at the Marriott. Gorgeous! We checked out the Hyatt and the Westin too. They are also beautiful.. We didn't get the chance to walk all the way to Sheraton cause I got tired of walking. They are all walking distance, they are all next to each other. I got the ocean front! I can hear the ocean waves and the coconut leaves swaying... Ahhhh...I saw the sunrise/sunset. AAhhhh.... MAUI...It's the best!!

The best luau is at the Old Lahaina Luau. YOu have to go to the Front St. where they have great shops there. Both sides of the street are filled with shops! Make sure you check out the craters Haleakala. Drive along the shore coast and just enjoy the scenery. I wanna go back there again. Enjoy!