Traded for Sands of Kahana, Maui

[barb45]

Hi: Has anyone stayed at the Sands of Kahana in Maui? We traded our points (what will I do without my Disney fix?) for November and am wondering if anyone has stayed there. I looked at tripadvisor but you know how people sometimes complain. The only complaint I saw was a guy complaining about not getting the ocean front room he has "requested". Anyway I am very nervous about what this resort may be like now that I am used to Disney. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[Ella2]

Never stayed there, but read this review:

Sands of Kahana
(888) 669-0400 or (808) 669-0423

196 units, pool, keiki pool, spa, 3 lighted tennis courts. This complex is a mixed bag, but mostly positive. Let's start with the downside. The buildings look older than their early '80s construction and don't seem as well maintained as others in the area. They could use a good powerwash and paint job, and there seemed to be lots of little things broken around the resort. About 70% of the units are for timeshares and there are plenty of hungry timeshare salesmen roaming the grounds. Might want to start practicing to say, "I don't speak English," in your best foreign accent. On the positive, the rooms are large, especially the 2/2s and 3/2s at 1,200-1,400 sq. ft. (including lanai), and the layout is pleasing. The beach they're on is Kahana, and they don't seem to have the bad seaweed problem like their unfortunate neighbors over at Royal Kahana. The water is usually pretty clear, and the sandy beach is good for swimming when calm. The restaurant here is the Terrace, which is not bad and reasonably priced. Rates vary a lot with view and season. 1/1s are $130-$265, 2/2s are $180-$335, 3/2s and 3/3s are $275-$410.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[littlestar]

My parents are there right now! Their unit is beautiful. The whales are playing out in the water. They own at Sands of Kahana with my sister. There is no air-conditioning, but they said the trade winds are blowing and the unit is cool.

Mom said that last year when she was there they had a unit that was oceanview, but you looked at the ocean kind of at an angle. Check out the aerial photo map at the Maui Revealed book site:

http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/mauaerials.html


I have the Maui Revealed book and it is terrific. We used it our whole time on Maui when we went in 2001 and it was well worth the $15.00 we paid for it.

 

[barb45]

Hey Littlestar - Is this place clean and in good condition? I have heard some negative stuff about it. Thanks for the response - I'm starting to feel a bit better about it. Do you think it compares to the DVC properties. I'm not talking about Disney theming but about the condition of the place.

 

[CarolynFH]

Like someone else stated there is no AC, so you must leave the windows opened to get cool air and when we were there Thanksgiving week a few years ago the noice from children playing and running up and down the halls got to be to much

Also, be careful with the curbs and sidewalks at night. They tend to be dark and uneven. My mother fell right after we got there and broke her arm. Management was more concerned about getting sued than in her care or treatment on the island.

 

[littlestar]

The units my parents have been in have been nice is what mom told us. But, they are owners and I've heard owners get the better views and rooms. I think I heard mom say that some of the units are individually owned (not timeshares - if I remember correctly). Mom and dad said the grounds were beautiful. Very lush with lots of flowers.

If it were me and you got there and were given a unit that was not up to par, then I would ask to be switched to another unit. I think mom and dad said our aunt and uncle stayed there on a "Getaway" and the first unit they got was not great and Sands of Kahana let them look at a couple of more and pick a different unit. Of course, if they didn't have any more to look at that wouldn't work.

Oh, there is an Outback restaurant across the road from Sands of Kahana.

I'll ask mom if she thinks Sands of Kahana is as nice as the DVC resorts. Mom and dad have went with us on our Disney trips to VWL and Boardwalk, so they surely have an opinion about this. I'll let you know what they think. I should talk to them in a couple of days. I want to ask dad about the shark attack in West Maui. Did you see that on the news? I guess the man died.

 

[barb45]

Thanks Littlestar - I will be anxious to hear what you parents have to say. If they have any other tips, I would appreciate those too. I didn't hear about the shark attack, maybe you could fill me in on that too. Thanks again for all your help.