Maui... where would you stay?

[lyddy]

My husband and I just found INCREDIBLY low rates to Maui! Problem is we have to book them in the next TWO days!!! So help a girl out... where have you stayed and liked? Or where should we avoid? Pretty much anywhere on the island is fine with us, but the closer to Kaanapali Beach the better although not a must. Somewhere between $200-300 a night would be ideal. Thanks!!

[Sazoo]

Personally I haven't been to Maui yet, but this thread Hawaii Chat (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3924) has lots of recommendations about Maui in general - places to stay, restaurants to eat at, sights to see, etc. It's a big thread with lots of posts to dig through, but there has been quite a bit of recent talk about Maui, so you might start on the last few pages of the thread.

Good luck & enjoy your vacation!

[lawyerlee]

You might consider Kuleana Resorts (http://www.kuleanaresorts.com/index.html). Our friends stayed there when we went in October, and they were nice. They got an awesome deal for rooms on the ocean, and the views were AMAZING. The resort is just a bit north of Kaanapali.

Everything is very close together there, though, so keep that in mind. We stayed the most north you can, at Kapalua, and we never felt like we were too far from anything.

[wendalah]

For 200-300 a night I'd see if you can get a deal at one of the Kaanapali resorts. The Hyatt is my favorite. You can also try the Westin or the Sheraton.

[wendalah]

I have found these helpful:
http://hawaii-exclusive.destinations.starwoodhotels.com/35_off/?EM=VTY_SPG_hawaii

http://travel-hawaii has good deals

Sometimes hotwire or priceline can get you a deal as well.

[Ohana]

I love the Sheraton, because that's where we stayed when we got married. Not sure what their rates are these days, but I'm sure there are deals to be found.

[newmommy]

Not sure about the current rates, but we stayed at the HYatt, and it was AMAZING!

Good luck!

[justHB]

You can usually get the Sheraton for under $300/night on Priceline or Hotwire. Since you're booking on short notice, you might also want to try Travelzoo.com or ShermansTravel.com.

[lyddy]

I hope it's okay that I post this here. I'm relatively new to using CC but I do know there's a "travel" section. Thing is, I have not been getting a good response to this question in there. There is also a "hawaii chat" thread over there, but it is SO long and I'm having trouble finding specific answers within it.

So here goes... to all who've been to the island of Maui before, where was the absolute BEST place you've stayed? My husband is taking me for my 30th birthday in April, but we're traveling in May. He doesn't want me to have anymore input because he wants to handle everything and make it as stress free for me as possible. So he said, "Just give me your top 5 choices of where to stay".

I've heard good things about the Westin hotel, but I think there are two? One in Lahaina and one in Wailea. Is one area better than the other & is one hotel better than the other? I've also heard good things about the Hyatt.

Please help and just give me your favorite. If you have two or 3 favorites, that's fine too. No cost restrictions. We are really celebrating and I think making up for a mediocre honeymoon 5 years ago. :) Thanks!!!!

Edited to add... Do you all think a rental car EVERY day is necessary? Is there a better option? My husband wants to book a hotel, flight + car kinda package. I just wasn't sure we needed a car all 10 days...

[laura]

My favorite place to stay in Maui is the Four Seasons in Wailea, but it doesn't fit in your price range, which is why I did not respond to your original thread. Outside of Wailea, I would probably stay at the Hyatt.

[HeatherFL]

I haven't stayed at the other properties you've mentioned, but the two I think are nicest are the Grand Wailea (www.grandwailea.com) and Four Seasons (http://fourseasons.com/maui/).

The Four Seasons is my favorite. I'm just comfortable there. I love the rooms (they are also refurbishing some of them, but it seems that there is very little disruption.) I like the location on the island. I love the staff and the service. The grounds are really nice, but not too overdone. The Grand Wailea is really nice and has a beautiful pool, but for me when it has come to service it just misses the mark. I just got back from the Four Seasons last month and I'm already ready to go back! :)

~H.

[ambula704]

Four Seasons in Wailea...without a doubt! We stayed there on our honeymoon and it was FABULOUS!! The beach was amazing, obviously the Four Seasons did not disappoint! We did the romance package and got their amazing breakfasts every morning (seriously, one of my favorite things!) a convertable mustang, couples massage, dinner at Ferraros overlooking the ocean, champagne, flowers, robes, etc. It was worth every penny!

PM me if you want more info!

Good luck, and Maui is amazing, no matter what!

[HeatherFL]

dinner at Ferraros

MMMM Memories!

~H.

[Rosebud]

If there were no cost restrictions, I would stay at the Four Seasons. Second choice would be the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea or the Hyatt in Ka'anapali.

:)

[lyddy]

I hope you're all able to see this, like I said I'm still new to posting! :o I wanted to say a big THANKS for those suggestions so far! You guys are great. I can now start my list for him. I'm really excited.

I welcome any other suggestions from anyone, and any tips, thoughts or even second'ing or third'ing the already mentioned places-- just so I can hear more great stuff about them :)

Edited to add... I edited above but thought I should put it here too. Do you all think a rental car is absolutely necessary? My husband wants to get a hotel, flight + car package (like thru travelocity) and I wondered if a car all 10 days is really needed. Is there a better option? Thx...

[ambula704]

I loved the Old Lahaina Luau...it was alot of fun and I very much enjoyed how authentic it seemed. Beautiful dancing and scenery!
Website (http://www.oldlahainaluau.com/index_main.html)

But by far, my favorite thing was the Warren and Annabelles magic show. It sounds silly but my husband and I LOVED it! We want to go back just do to it again. They have appetizers and drinks before, but I suggest just eating somewhere on Front Street (lots of choices there) and then walking to the magic show that night. You will NOT regret it, its so much fun. We were actually picked to be in the front and be a part of the tricks....but hes also a comedian. I just about laughed so hard I almost wet myself! Really!
Website (http://www.warrenandannabelles.com/)

Hope that helps!

[lyddy]

I loved the Old Lahaina Luau...it was alot of fun and I very much enjoyed how authentic it seemed. Beautiful dancing and scenery!
Website (http://www.oldlahainaluau.com/index_main.html)

But by far, my favorite thing was the Warren and Annabelles magic show. It sounds silly but my husband and I LOVED it! We want to go back just do to it again. They have appetizers and drinks before, but I suggest just eating somewhere on Front Street (lots of choices there) and then walking to the magic show that night. You will NOT regret it, its so much fun. We were actually picked to be in the front and be a part of the tricks....but hes also a comedian. I just about laughed so hard I almost wet myself! Really!
Website (http://www.warrenandannabelles.com/)

Hope that helps!
Yeah, we totally plan on the luau as we've heard so much about it. I can't wait for that. Thanks so much though for mentioning the magic show!!! I've never heard of it before. It sounds fun! We're totally into stuff like that. :)

[justHB]

I've only stayed at the Kea Lani, but I absolutely adored it. To this day, it's one of my favorite hotels anywhere. We're going next week and are renting a high-end condo up in Kapalua. The bathroom looks very similar to the one at the Kea Lani - separate soaking tub and walk in shower. I could probably live in the bathroom the entire time.

[ejs]

I agree with JustHB about the Fairmont. We loved it there. All the rooms are suites, which is nice. My ILs stayed at the Four Seasons and were fairly disappointed in the rooms. (They usually stay at Four Seasons when they travel and were surprised at how disappointed they were in this property.)

I think your first step is to decide which part of the island you want to stay at. IMO, the Wailea area is much more mellow that the Lahaina/Kapalua areas.

Whenever we have gone to Maui, we've always rented a car for the whole time. We didn't use it every day, but it was nice knowing we had the car available if we wanted to go somewhere.

I'm probably one of the few people who wasn't thrilled with the Old Lahaina Luau. And the main reason was that it doesn't have fire dancers, which I love. Minor, I know.

[Rosebud]

I would definitely have a car the entire time on Maui. It's just so much easier to get around that way.

Another great luau on Maui is Feast at Lele (http://www.feastatlele.com/). It's less traditional than Old Lahaina Luau, but also much smaller and serves excellent food. And they have fire dancers.

A couple threads from the Fodors boards that might be helpful to you:

Top 10 Things To Do On Maui (http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=1&tid=34440424)
Favorite Maui Restaurants (http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=1&tid=34418069)

[HeatherFL]

I loved The Old Lahaina Luau too. I have tons of pictures in my journal and I posted a few around the travel section. It was beautiful! I also heard that the Feast at Lele was really nice, but I chose the Old Lahaina Luau because EVERYONE was telling me it's so authentic.

My last Maui recap starts with post #679 in my journal (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27095&page=17) if you're interested. And be forewarned there are A LOT of pictures LOL! :)

IMO, the Wailea area is much more mellow that the Lahaina/Kapalua areas.
I really agree with ejs. It's really nice to stay south in Wailea, and then drive into other areas.

I'm probably one of the few people who wasn't thrilled with the Old Lahaina Luau. And the main reason was that it doesn't have fire dancers, which I love. Minor, I know.

The reason for this is that it is not historically accurate in regards to the original luaus that were thrown for the childrens' birthdays. The Hawaiians had luaus to celebrate their children living past the age of one, because of the illness and sickness that was brought to the islands. Fire dancing is more of a throw-in to wow the tourists.

For whale watches I'd go with the Pacific Whale Foundation (http://www.pacificwhale.org) in Maleaa Harbor. All proceeds go to research and sea preservation. I've been out with them twice and we've always seen a lot of whales. If you don't see whales, they give you the trip for free the next time.

Also, I'd definitely rent a car. Traffic and cabs are not like on the mainland. It takes longer to get most places because the speed limit doesn't exceed 45mph anywhere (that I can think of off the top of my head.) While most people go way above this, it does sometimes cause traffic because on a lot of the island the highways aren't like mainland highways. Cabs can be quite expensive. Believe me, you will be so happy you rented a car!

And I'd highly recommend a Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour (www.bluehawaiian.com)! This is amazing. Ask for seats up front. They can't guarantee it, but definitely tell them it's your birthday. You have to give them your weight and they seat you accordingly, but I've been up in the air with them four times and I've always gotten the seats I've requested. Just do it in advance if you go!
_______________________________

A few pics:

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g230/HeatherJWFL76/2007%20Maui%20Hawaii%20Share%20Pictures/DSC_0058.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g230/HeatherJWFL76/2007%20Maui%20Hawaii%20Share%20Pictures/DSC_0159.jpg

Susnset at the Old Lahaina Luau:
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g230/HeatherJWFL76/2007%20Maui%20Hawaii%20Share%20Pictures/DSC_0306.jpg

Some luau pics:
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g230/HeatherJWFL76/2007%20Maui%20Hawaii%20Share%20Pictures/DSC_0338.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g230/HeatherJWFL76/2007%20Maui%20Hawaii%20Share%20Pictures/DSC_0358.jpg



~H.

[wendalah]

I would stay in Wailea if you can afford it--I think the 4S is the nicest--agree with Heather's assessment of the Grand Wailea. If you want to go a bit less expensive, do the Hyatt in Kaanapali.

Yes, by all means rent a car. Hubby and I almost never purchase paid activities in Hawaii. We just hop in the car and sightsee by ourselves.

[Sal03]

Another vote for the Four Seasons. I thought the service there was just incredible (evian spritzes and cold towels by the pool and 3pm popsicles just to name a few of our favorites!) and our room was bigger than our NYC apartment! The Grand Wailea was gorgeous and the pool was AMAZING but everytime we walked by it looked like summer camp for kids. I would definitely rent a car every day. We drove to Lahaina a few times which we really enjoyed. Another vote for Warren and Annabelles. We talked about it for months after. I loved staying in Wailea. The shops at Wailea were really nice and there was a Lapperts ice cream there that was delish!
We went to Feast at Lele for a luau. DH and I differ on this. He thought it was something that we had to do in Hawaii. Me - for the $200 I thought it was a waste. I thought the food was awful (I admit I am a picky eater) and after eating at places like Spago and Mama's Fish House I would have preferred another night out like that! I did like Feast at Lele though because I liked having our own table. Hope that helps!

[Rosebud]

Another vote for the Pacific Whale Foundation. I've been on two of their trips and have been very pleased with them. They don't overcrowd their boats, the naturalists on board are very knowledgable, and I love that the proceeds from their trips go to marine mammal conservation.

[laura]

I really encourage you to read the 'Hawaii Chat' thread, and post your questions there. These questions have been asked and answered there many times already.

[lyddy]

I really encourage you to read the 'Hawaii Chat' thread, and post your questions there. These questions have been asked and answered there many times already.


I thank you Laura for your idea... I have read through to about page 10 (each and every reply) in the "Hawaii Chat" thread but the thing is, I'm not familiar ENOUGH with the island of Maui to know when someone is talking about a city in Maui or if they're talking about Oahu. So unless the reply states specifically "this hotel in Maui was my favorite (name of hotel), I got a little lost. Like whoever the very first person to post in that thread, they were very exact and that was so helpful. They wrote each island and listed their faves underneath that. A few people followed that format but others didn't. And so I thought it would be good to just get the names of hotels without all the other info surrounding it.

I also thought it would be helpful to put this in "chit chat" so that I'd get replies from people who didn't go inside "travel" often, but I think I'm seeing just now that this got moved. Which I have to admit sort of negates my original purpose. Oh well...

[wendalah]

Lyddy: Book the Hyatt (get the cheapest view, but sign up for the Hyatt Gold Membership and ask nicely for an upgrade when you get there), get a car, make reservations for the luau, and you can decide on restaurants when you get there. :)

[lyddy]

Lyddy: Book the Hyatt (get the cheapest view, but sign up for the Hyatt Gold Membership and ask nicely for an upgrade when you get there), get a car, make reservations for the luau, and you can decide on restaurants when you get there. :)

Definitely sounds like a good plan! :) But are you saying do everything separate (hotel, flight, car) as opposed to booking through a site like Travelocity? Do you think that's a better way to go about it?

Oh, and I am the QUEEN of always asking nicely for the upgrade :D I used to work in hotel reservations years ago, so I learned that trick! They usually do it too!

[wendalah]

Sometimes you can find a deal through travel sites. I usually have AmEx reward points to use for flights so I don't often do a flight/hotel package. However, I do check travel-hawaii.com and Pleasant Holidays to see if they can beat me on a "pieced together" itinerary.

[justHB]

I thank you Laura for your idea... I have read through to about page 10 (each and every reply) in the "Hawaii Chat" thread but the thing is, I'm not familiar ENOUGH with the island of Maui to know when someone is talking about a city in Maui or if they're talking about Oahu. So unless the reply states specifically "this hotel in Maui was my favorite (name of hotel), I got a little lost. Like whoever the very first person to post in that thread, they were very exact and that was so helpful. They wrote each island and listed their faves underneath that. A few people followed that format but others didn't. And so I thought it would be good to just get the names of hotels without all the other info surrounding it.

I also thought it would be helpful to put this in "chit chat" so that I'd get replies from people who didn't go inside "travel" often, but I think I'm seeing just now that this got moved. Which I have to admit sort of negates my original purpose. Oh well...Yes, but people get tired of answering the same question over and over again, which is the point of the group thread. You read through it and if you get to the end and need clarification, you ask.

FWIW, I *never* use any of the online travel sites to book my whole vacation. I like doing it piecemeal so that I know I'm getting exactly what I want and not anything else. In the five years we've been traveling to the islands (Maui, Big Island, Oahu, Kauai), I've priced out both options and they always end up being comparable, with my way getting us upgrades.

[laura]

My suggestion is to price out the options you want every way you can think of, and see which has the best deal. Before I book anything, I check packages on the "big" travel sites like Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, I call a travel agent that books Pleasant Holidays, et al packages, and I price everything out separately via each airline website, hotel website, car website, and then separately on the travel sites. I realize that sounds like a lot of work, but I hate paying more for something I could have gotten cheaper if I just put in a little effort.

FWIW, I booked our trip to Maui at the Four Seasons through Pleasant Holidays via a travel agent and I booked my trip to the Big Island on Travelocity; both were flight/hotel/car packages as those were the best deals I could find.

ETA: I have read every post in the Hawaii thread at one time or another, and if you follow the posts, you can generally figure out which islands. And if that doesn't work, you can always ask & someone can point you in the right direction. I'm not saying you shouldn't post this separate thread if you want to, but there are answers to these questions and many more you probably haven't even considered yet in that thread.

[ktsb]

Bumping this up.

Going in November and I'm thinking of going the condo route after staying at the Hyatt last time. I know I'll miss the pool but maybe not the high cost of eating out EVERY night.

Any more condo recc's in Maui??

[justHB]

ktsb - since you've been to maui before, i would recommend the kapalua bay villas. if this had been your first trip to maui, i would have recommended staying somewhere a bit more centrally located.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/148/401202679_9ddaf6bef6.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/142/401202701_05cc68b6ea.jpg?v=0

The unit was gorgeous, inviting, and very comfortable (with an awesome bathroom), but you have to DRIVE everywhere. That said, our two favorite beaches in Maui are right there (Napili and Kapalua Bays), so there's that. Also, while the weather can be gorgeous, it can also be frightful. The whole time we were there it was windy and it rained every morning and night. Down the road all was well.

Another good complex is the Grand Champions down in Wailea. My ILs stayed there for our wedding. The Palms at Wailea also looked nice, but I can't speak from experience, just observation.