Trip to Maui before or after Aulani stay - would love advice

[travelbug]

I'm in the early stages of planning my fourth trip to Hawaii, this time in 2019 (probably June). I've been to Oahu twice, Kauai once, and the Big Island once. This time I'm planning to finally visit Maui, as I've wanted to for a long time. The rough plan would be 8 nights at Aulani and 7 nights on Maui.

It will obviously be quite a while yet until I can book Aulani. Once I do, then I'll want to book something on Maui as quickly as possible, either before or after the Aulani stay. Since I've stayed at Aulani before, I'm focusing more attention on figuring out the Maui stay.

So here's my question for those who are Maui veterans. In which area of the island do you like to stay? Any particular resorts? Are there areas where you would avoid staying for whatever reason? I've been looking around on vrbo.com just for fun to see what's out there. Would want an oceanfront condo, hopefully a 2 BR. Maybe $250-300 per night or so. But I know so little about Maui that it's hard to know what part of the island I should be focusing on for possible places to stay.

Any other words of wisdom about Maui that anyone has would also be very welcome. I'm just now starting to look at all this, and it sure is fun!

 

[Turtleship]

I can't say that I am a Maui veteran, but I have been there six times, most recently in January. I stayed in Wailea this times. All previous trips were to Kaanapali. When I stayed in Kaanapali, I felt my options were limited to Lahaina for dining and general entertainment.

Kaanapali is home to nicer timeshare brands such as Westin, Hyatt, Sheraton and Marriott. Wailea also has decent lodging options. More importantly, I felt Wailea was more well-rounded with better things to do and places to eat. I can say it was my best trip to Maui.

You can find plenty of VRBO and Airbnb options near Wailea.

No matter where you stay, you must visit Mama's Fish House. It's a little pricey, but well worth it. Also, don't forget the reservation.

One thing is for certain, traffic is very bad on Maui. That part of it I could've done without. If you decide to drive between those two locations, I caution you to give yourself plenty of time.

On a side note, Aulani is very nice but crowded. Personally, I think the hotel resort itself is a bit over-rated. However, the Ko Olina resort where Aulani sits is absolutely gorgeous.

 

[Midoria]

I never stay in resorts, so I’m of no help when it comes to that. I usually stay in a condo at the Aina Nalu (run by Outrigger) in Lahaina. It’s in the more townish part of Lahaina, though. So, if you want to be on/near the beach, it’s not a good idea to stay there. But I’m out of the hotel most of the time opting to drive around the island to my favorite spots. Also, the condo is very close to Front Street which has nice dining, entertainment, and shopping options. When on-island, I always go to Haleakala, Paia (for food and cute shops), Hana, Molokini for snorkeling, and the Alii Lavender farm. Iao Valley park was on my list until they closed it for repair. If it’s winter, I go whale watching.


I’d grab a tourism book on Maui next year (2018). I love Frommers but Lonely Planet is great, too. They lay out the islands really well and make planning easier.

 

[blondietink]

I would vote for staying in Maui after Aulani. Aulani can be very busy especially in June and not very relaxing, in my opinion. It is also on the west side of the island and requires one to travel through Honolulu traffic if you want to see other areas of Oahu.

We have stayed in the Ka'anapali area of Maui and the traffic can be bad (but no where near Honolulu bad), especially since you are going in high season. We like the area and the beaches on Maui are terrific. It is my understanding that they have widened the road around Lahiana a bit which should alleviate some traffic. The entire west side of Maui has a spectacular view of both the island of Lanai and Molokai. We are going again in September and we'll see if the road has improved any. Hawaiian airlines has also started direct service into the area near Lahiana from Oahu which could also improve on the traffic coming from the main airport on Maui, OGG. There is so much to see and do on Maui. One thing I think is over rated in the Road to Hana. Yes, we did it once but won't ever do it again. Just a 50 miles long very curvy road without any pull-outs to enjoy the view. Going to the top of Haleakala is worth it. The drive to the top is spectacular.

 

[poohj80]

I'm interested in the responses here as well as I am doing the same thing but later this month - Aulani first followed by Maui. Been to Maui once before via cruise ship but this will be my first time staying a couple of nights. Currently have reservations at the Hyatt Regency as it looks like it has a lot of amenities for DD. Planning to zip line and sightsee so appreciate any recommendations. DD loves mini golf so always try to find courses everywhere we go. Our flight doesn't depart until 9 pm so also looking for things to do between check-out and departure.

 

[travelbug]

Thanks so much for your responses, everyone! There was some really good advice here, and some specifics that will help me get started.

Sounds like Aulani has gotten busier than when I was there in late June of 2013. The resort was still partially under construction so it wasn't at full capacity yet. We loved it! The trickiest thing even then was getting pool chairs with some shade. The traffic didn't particularly bother us as we were all used to traffic back home. I'd rather go at a different time of year, but I'm taking 2 teachers with me and they are obviously limited by the school calendar. Since we are planning to go for 2 weeks, it pretty much boils down to summer.

Thanks again for your replies!

 

[BayouQueen]

I think you'll be happy with either Kaanapali Beach area or Wailea. They're both great beaches with lots to offer.
As for which first, I think this may just fall in place naturally when you figure out flights. There are usually a lot more options flying in and out of Honolulu. I might like to end my vacation on Oahu so I can easily get to the airport quickly and fly home. Sort of a "soft landing" at the end of a beautiful trip.

Any which way, you have a great trip planned. Have fun!

 

[flinkerfrosch]

My family and I are going to Maui & Oahu in Nov. I was torn which way to do it as well, and went back and forth many many times..
In the end, it came down to flights. For us, flying from Toronto Canada, it was cheaper and flight times were better if we did Maui first.
We're doing 10 days in Maui (The Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas) and then we will be at Aulani for 12 days.
Either way you will have such a great trip! Enjoy

 

[kaseyC]

We are doing this in June and July. We are doing Maui first for 7 nights. We used miles to book all of our flights so that kind of made the decision for us. We are flying non-stop from ORD to OGG, then from OGG to HNL and then from HNL to ORD. We rented a 2 bedroom condo at Honua Kai Resort in Kaanapali through a property management group. Our time in Maui will be a mix of active outings and laying around the resort/beach. On Oahu we are doing a couple of nights in Waikiki at a Marriott owned property called the Laylow. While in Waikiki we will do all of our more active sightseeing. We will then move to Aulani for 7 nights, where we plan to just hang out and enjoy the resort.

 

[goofy1954]

I'm in the early stages of planning my fourth trip to Hawaii, this time in 2019 (probably June). I've been to Oahu twice, Kauai once, and the Big Island once. This time I'm planning to finally visit Maui, as I've wanted to for a long time. The rough plan would be 8 nights at Aulani and 7 nights on Maui.

It will obviously be quite a while yet until I can book Aulani. Once I do, then I'll want to book something on Maui as quickly as possible, either before or after the Aulani stay. Since I've stayed at Aulani before, I'm focusing more attention on figuring out the Maui stay.

So here's my question for those who are Maui veterans. In which area of the island do you like to stay? Any particular resorts? Are there areas where you would avoid staying for whatever reason? I've been looking around on vrbo.com just for fun to see what's out there. Would want an oceanfront condo, hopefully a 2 BR. Maybe $250-300 per night or so. But I know so little about Maui that it's hard to know what part of the island I should be focusing on for possible places to stay.

Any other words of wisdom about Maui that anyone has would also be very welcome. I'm just now starting to look at all this, and it sure is fun!

We just got back from 7 days in West Maui, which we love, but no condo time this trip. However, I did in advance explore several Kaanapali area condos through VRBO, and I think you could find several two- bedroom options in that price range at The Whaler and other slightly older properties. We've also stayed farther north in the Naplili Beach area, and there are many excellent options on a less crowded beach not lined with towering resorts. Restaurants are limited in Naplili, so depending on how much you want to eat out, South Maui could be a better option. We flew from Honolulu into West Maui last time, and it worked just fine. Rental car options are more limited at that very small airport, but they will come and pick you up, at least from Kaanapali. Enjoy.

 

[DVCjj]

I

My family and I are going to Maui & Oahu in Nov. I was torn which way to do it as well, and went back and forth many many times..
In the end, it came down to flights. For us, flying from Toronto Canada, it was cheaper and flight times were better if we did Maui first.
We're doing 10 days in Maui (The Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas) and then we will be at Aulani for 12 days.
Either way you will have such a great trip! Enjoy

I stayed at the same Westin Villas the end of January after an Aulani stay. Loved Westin very much and surprised how much Westin offers in a studio vs DVC.
It was a lovely first trip to Hawaii.

Would stay again at Westin Villas after Aulani in a heartbeat. Crazy about both.

 

[flinkerfrosch]

I

I stayed at the same Westin Villas the end of January after an Aulani stay. Loved Westin very much and surprised how much Westin offers in a studio vs DVC.
It was a lovely first trip to Hawaii.

Would stay again at Westin Villas after Aulani in a heartbeat. Crazy about both.

I'm so happy to hear you loved the Westin.
Did you have kids with you by chance? And I'm just curious...did you prefer one resort over the other? Or did you like Oahu better then Maui or vice versa?
Anything you did in Maui you could recommend?
Thanks

 

[nkereina]

We stayed 3 nights in Maui before Aulani. We stayed in the Kaanapali area and loved it. Photos and details are in the trip report in my signature.

We stayed at the Westin because it was a small but beautiful resort with an awesome pool. It was also a good price point for us. They offered a free shuttle to the Lahaina area which was a quick drive, and it was right next door to Whaler's Village for a quick walk to shopping and dining. We thought the location was perfect. Only negative is that it's a solid 45-50 minute drive to and from the airport, but we used SpeediShuttle. We opted not to rent a car, but probably would if we ever returned. Driving seemed easy save for parking in Lahaina, which looked to be potentially challenging the nights we were there.

 

[oakleycat]

We just got back from a split stay in Maui/Aulani with our two boys (8 & 10) and had an amazing time. We did Maui first because we wanted to do more condo/cooking/exploring/adventuring on Maui and then go full resort/relax at Aulani. We stayed in a 1 bedroom at the Honua Kai and it was great, very clean, modern and great pools for the kids. We went ziplining, hiking and did lots of beach time. We then hit Aulani and did 5 days of alternating resort days and island exploring days (one Kualoa Ranch/Kailua Beach and one North Shore). It was perfect for us as we did more relaxing at Aulani plus the resort cannot be beat. Honua Kai was great but the kids were blown away by Aulani and would have been disappointed had we done it the other way around, whereas in our case they loved the Honua Kai pools and then loved Aulani even more! It might make a difference that we went at a low capacity time (last week of April) and both resorts were pretty uncrowded. We never had a hard time finding chairs at either resort, which made it a lot more relaxing!

 

[marx]

For Maui we prefer Lahaina.

We headed to Maui first on our last trip specifically to take advantage of the time difference with the mainland. Early in our trip, before we adjusted to Hawaiian time, we went to the top of Haleakala for sunrise (one of the most memorable experiences of our lives). It was easy to be up well before sunrise to make the trip to the top. (We went on our second full day in Maui). We also drove the road to Hana early on our visit to Maui for the same reason. OTOH, we planned our late in the day activities (like Old Lahaina Luau) towards the end of our Maui stay.

We relax at Aulani.

 

[ktlm]

I'm interested in the responses here as well as I am doing the same thing but later this month - Aulani first followed by Maui. Been to Maui once before via cruise ship but this will be my first time staying a couple of nights. Currently have reservations at the Hyatt Regency as it looks like it has a lot of amenities for DD. Planning to zip line and sightsee so appreciate any recommendations. .

Last summer we stayed at Aulani and followed it with the Hyatt Regency on Maui. We would absolutely stay at the Hyatt again. Our room was very dated and nothing special at all, but the minute I opened the window and saw the ocean view from the room, I didn't care at all. They were renovating some rooms when we were there, so maybe they will all be updated by now. The grounds are beautiful and DD loved the pool area and all the birds throughout the lobby. (Parrots, Cockatoos, Penguins). There is a shopping area in the resort. Our room came with breakfast every morning and the breakfast buffet restaurant was very enjoyable- nice views. The staff was great too. Now, compared to Aulani there are not nearly as many amenities for kids, but as far as non-Disney resorts go, DD loved it. Aulani is amazing. We actually decided to cancel some plans to explore Oahu a little more just to spend more time at Aulani instead. As far as activities that are fun for kids, we did go to the Polynesian Cultural Center (by way of the Dole Plantation) one day. I had seen some not so stellar reviews and knew it would be cheesy, but I had wanted to see it since I was a kid. DD absolutely loved it. We all really enjoyed it. We did not get there at opening, and really wished we had so we would have had some more time there. We did the Ambassador package that included the Luau, show, and a guided small group tour. You were free to leave the tour and explore on your own if you did not want to stay with the tour. I thought we would probably do that as we are typically more explore on our own types, but we found that we really enjoyed the tour. They teach you about the cultures, do activities with you, and take you to the shows and river parade. We thought the little shows were very entertaining.


Back to Maui in general for the OP:

We loved the Kaanapali area. We visited the Wailea area and decided that we made the right choice for us. Wailea seemed more spread out and less laid back. Kaanapali, you could walk to lots of places around the resort and it was a very short drive to Lahaina where you could park and walk to visit a bunch of restaurants and parks.

One thing I think is over rated in the Road to Hana. Yes, we did it once but won't ever do it again. Just a 50 miles long very curvy road without any pull-outs to enjoy the view. .

Did you have the CD guide? Hands down our absolute favorite thing in Maui was the Road to Hana. We loved it. We had been told ahead of time though that you have to have one of the CD guides to enjoy it and that there were 2 that were good. The CD guide tells you exactly where to stop by mile marker (it tells you where to park; what to look for; where to turn off the road onto side streets). They also had an online version you could play- but the problem with that is there are definitely areas where you will lose your signal- the CD was definitely better. We saw a ton of absolutely beautiful places. I wish we had more time. I would definitely say that a good number of those places you would not find or realize were there without the CD. There were things like "Park here; look for the small walking trail with the small sign marking it that starts here"; or take this side street down a mile and park here" The road to Hana isn't really about the drive, it is more about all the little hidden places you stop and explore along the way. We did stop at one place that they charged you to enter- it was called the Garden of Eden. We all decided it was worth the price. The views were stunning, the gardens were beautiful, and there is a spot where you got to feed peacocks. Later one of those drives off the highway took us to the Keanae Peninsula - I think I could have sat and watched the waves crashing in that area all day. I think we probably would not have enjoyed the Road to Hana nearly as much had we not had the CD, because I think we might have missed most of the places we stopped and stayed a while.

 

[flinkerfrosch]

Last summer we stayed at Aulani and followed it with the Hyatt Regency on Maui. We would absolutely stay at the Hyatt again. Our room was very dated and nothing special at all, but the minute I opened the window and saw the ocean view from the room, I didn't care at all. They were renovating some rooms when we were there, so maybe they will all be updated by now. The grounds are beautiful and DD loved the pool area and all the birds throughout the lobby. (Parrots, Cockatoos, Penguins). There is a shopping area in the resort. Our room came with breakfast every morning and the breakfast buffet restaurant was very enjoyable- nice views. The staff was great too. Now, compared to Aulani there are not nearly as many amenities for kids, but as far as non-Disney resorts go, DD loved it. Aulani is amazing. We actually decided to cancel some plans to explore Oahu a little more just to spend more time at Aulani instead. As far as activities that are fun for kids, we did go to the Polynesian Cultural Center (by way of the Dole Plantation) one day. I had seen some not so stellar reviews and knew it would be cheesy, but I had wanted to see it since I was a kid. DD absolutely loved it. We all really enjoyed it. We did not get there at opening, and really wished we had so we would have had some more time there. We did the Ambassador package that included the Luau, show, and a guided small group tour. You were free to leave the tour and explore on your own if you did not want to stay with the tour. I thought we would probably do that as we are typically more explore on our own types, but we found that we really enjoyed the tour. They teach you about the cultures, do activities with you, and take you to the shows and river parade. We thought the little shows were very entertaining.


Back to Maui in general for the OP:

We loved the Kaanapali area. We visited the Wailea area and decided that we made the right choice for us. Wailea seemed more spread out and less laid back. Kaanapali, you could walk to lots of places around the resort and it was a very short drive to Lahaina where you could park and walk to visit a bunch of restaurants and parks.




Did you have the CD guide? Hands down our absolute favorite thing in Maui was the Road to Hana. We loved it. We had been told ahead of time though that you have to have one of the CD guides to enjoy it and that there were 2 that were good. The CD guide tells you exactly where to stop by mile marker (it tells you where to park; what to look for; where to turn off the road onto side streets). They also had an online version you could play- but the problem with that is there are definitely areas where you will lose your signal- the CD was definitely better. We saw a ton of absolutely beautiful places. I wish we had more time. I would definitely say that a good number of those places you would not find or realize were there without the CD. There were things like "Park here; look for the small walking trail with the small sign marking it that starts here"; or take this side street down a mile and park here" The road to Hana isn't really about the drive, it is more about all the little hidden places you stop and explore along the way. We did stop at one place that they charged you to enter- it was called the Garden of Eden. We all decided it was worth the price. The views were stunning, the gardens were beautiful, and there is a spot where you got to feed peacocks. Later one of those drives off the highway took us to the Keanae Peninsula - I think I could have sat and watched the waves crashing in that area all day. I think we probably would not have enjoyed the Road to Hana nearly as much had we not had the CD, because I think we might have missed most of the places we stopped and stayed a while.

Would you mind sharing where you got the CD? We plan on doing the Road to Hana as well when we're in Maui in Nov.
Any tips you could share?

Thanks

 

[EagleRockTony]

2 Bdr Oceanfront on Maui for $250-300 is tight. I'd try Honua Kai, The Whaler or something in Napili. We would usually do Aulani afterward. Anything on Maui is a letdown to the kids after Aulani.

 

[poohj80]

We went ziplining, hiking and did lots of beach time.

Where did you go ziplining on Maui? Any tips or suggestions?

 

[blondietink]

Did you have the CD guide? Hands down our absolute favorite thing in Maui was the Road to Hana. We loved it. We had been told ahead of time though that you have to have one of the CD guides to enjoy it and that there were 2 that were good. The CD guide tells you exactly where to stop by mile marker (it tells you where to park; what to look for; where to turn off the road onto side streets). They also had an online version you could play- but the problem with that is there are definitely areas where you will lose your signal- the CD was definitely better. We saw a ton of absolutely beautiful places. I wish we had more time. I would definitely say that a good number of those places you would not find or realize were there without the CD. There were things like "Park here; look for the small walking trail with the small sign marking it that starts here"; or take this side street down a mile and park here" The road to Hana isn't really about the drive, it is more about all the little hidden places you stop and explore along the way. We did stop at one place that they charged you to enter- it was called the Garden of Eden. We all decided it was worth the price. The views were stunning, the gardens were beautiful, and there is a spot where you got to feed peacocks. Later one of those drives off the highway took us to the Keanae Peninsula - I think I could have sat and watched the waves crashing in that area all day. I think we probably would not have enjoyed the Road to Hana nearly as much had we not had the CD, because I think we might have missed most of the places we stopped and stayed a while.

Yes, we did have the CD guide and part of the problem was there were no waterfalls running during our visit. We did get to the National Park after the town of Hana along with Lindbergh's grave which we thought was very cool. The National Park did have a neat cascade to walk to with lots of people swimming, but still the road is a long, curvy and arduous to drive. There was a neat surfing spot also after Hana and we had fun watching the big waves. Still not something we would do again since it really takes a whole day.