We're traveling to Maui in August and are looking for tips on where to stay (for a reasonable cost). Any hints? Any tips from your past travels that I might benefit from?
(We're interested in staying in the north area; we're moving to the south for the last few days of our trip to attend a wedding...)
Thanks for all the tips on places to stay. I felt as though I had a wide variety and was well versed in what to look for. I really appreciate your help!
We ended up staying at the Kahana Sunset, which is between Kaanapali and Kapalua. About 5 minutes north of Kaanapali Shores. It's great place, private beach, nice pool, full kitchen, 1 bdrm with pullout couch in the living room and free parking. (Some places charged up to $18 per day to park your car.) It certainly wasn't the top drawer accomodation that one could stay at but it more than met our needs, friendly guests, kids our daughter's age, clean and quiet. We were very pleased. And, with the weather we missed in Seattle for the last 2 weeks, feel pretty lucky too!
Thanks again for the tips! J.
There's a website on the computer that you can find accomodation all over the world. I have used it several times when I went to Maui. The website is www.vrbo.com {vacation rentals by owner's}. D.
I would recommend the Whaler, too. My husband & I stayed there a few years ago & found it very nice. Nothing fancy, but not at all drab or depressing either. It was nice to have a condo so we didn't have to eat out all the time & could cook. And it was nice to be close to the Whaler shops, & be on a place of Kaanapali that actually had sand.
I have been to Maui 4 times and most recently when my son was 10 mos old. I LOVE Napili. It is farther north than Kanaapali (spelling?) but it was terrific. We have stayed at Napili Point 2 times and loved it. We had a 2 bed 2 bath condo with all of the amenities of kitchen and laundry in our unit. What a blessing with the baby. We stopped at Costco right outside of the airport and loaded up on food to make at the condo and ate out about 1 time a day, saves money too! Napili Point has a terrific cove for turtle watching and if you snorkle, you will literally have to push yourself back from the turtles in the water they come so close to you. The sandy beach is around the corner,but a wonderful beach. I literally had to threaten my husband in order to get him out of the water. Did I mention the view? AMAZING! There is also a grocery store no more than 2 minutes away! What a blessing! I will definitely stay there again! There is also a nice breeze all of the time up there to keep you cool! Have a fantastic time! B.
I am from Maui and we stayed in Kaanapali when my son was 11 months old. The best way to go is to find a condo that suites your finanacial situation. It is wonderful to be in more of a "home" vs. "hotel". But, with a 12 yo, you may be perfectly fine in a hotel....soooo...
A good condo with not too many bells and whistles is the Maui Eldorado. A resort with an AWESOME pools: The Hyatt.
Price wise...I really don't remember the price..it's all pretty expensive.
Have a great time :)
We have gone to Maui several times and have generally stayed at the larger hotels like the Westin, Ritz, etc. But this time we wanted a condo since we were traveling with our 2.5 year old. We also wanted either Kaanapali or Lahaina area for all they offer. We were referred by a travel agent to Lahaina Shores; which is more budget friendly, but we HATED it. The property is older, the "suites" feel motel-like and it was DIRTY. Yuck. Even my husband took one look at our room and said, "I'd rather pay a bit more if that is what it takes." After a last minute hussle and search, we ended up at The Whaler condos right on Kaanapali. We spent $320/night for a 1 bedroom condo with near perfect ocean views. It was very nice with upgraded kitchen and it was clean and comfortable. Each unit is independently owned, so the decor varies, but the property requires a minimum standard. Tip: if you do stay there and don't like the particular unit, you can ask the front desk if you can be moved (like a hotel)to another available unit. There is also a pool and of course the beachfront. It is just a very short walk to Whaler's Village and the rest of the area. This year we're going to the big island (Ko Olani area)for something different.
tripadvisor.com has hotel reviews from previous guests. In addition to honest information and descriptions of the properties, people post photos of rooms, views and surroundings. A real plus are the travel tips you can glean from the reviews.
Have you tried the website: www.vrbo.com These are homes/condos owned by people that "rent" them out for relatively inexpensive prices. When my husband's family and I went to Maui last summer, we were there for 8 days and it cost us cost us (splitting the cost evenly) just over 200!! Good luck, let me know if that helps
The Westin Resort & Spa and the Hyatt are both really lovely. But for a trip on a tighter budget the Royal Lahaina is nice. The rooms are quite large. The hotel's ambience and furnishings are more traditional Hawaiian. The restaurant has good food and the hotel has as few stores and an icecream shop. There is snorkeling very nearby; and there is also a large well known luau at the hotel.
Have fun!
We stayed at the Mahana in Kaanapali last March and the hotel was perfect! They are actually condos that are run like a hotel, with housekeeping and whatnot but they are individually decorated. ALL of the rooms are right on the beach with an awesome view! And the best part is, the prices are extremely affordable. I would highly highly recommend checking them out. Have fun! We are actually going back next week also :)
kaanapali shores is a great place to stay. the pool is gorgeous. there is a great beach in front. and they have fun things to do for the kiddos. what i liked best was each unit had a kitchen so we didn't have to eat out for every meal and snack. (you think food is expensive here? wait till you see maui's prices!) they do great incentives like stay 5 nights get the 6th free and stuff like that. it's not the cheapest place but based on beauty and service plus the savings of meals, it's totally worth it.
I regularly visit Maui and always stay in Kaanapali. We love it so much we bought into the whole timeshare thing. But it has been a huge blessing because we can return every year and never have to worry about finding a hotel to meet our needs. Our timeshare is at the Kaanapali Beach Club formerly Embassy Suites. They also rent out rooms besides the timeshare ownership.The rooms are very nice and give you lots of room. Traveling with your daughter will be very easy at this location. They have two and three bedroom units but if you don't mind her sleeping on the hideaway in the living room the one bedroom is plenty of room. If you google Kaanapali Beach Club you can find it and see the hotel. The pool area at this hotel is amazing. They also have a great kids program. The last time we visited was just after our daughter turned 0ne. We left her with grandparents but checked out the program and can't wait to return with both our toddler girls soon. The average night is around $370 a night but on google you can find great vacation deals as low as $170 a night so it is definately worth checking out. My girlfriends and I are taking a trip this November and did a lot of searching for hotels on several islands to check out our options and the best hotel for the price is definately this one. Looking forward to our girls trip hope you find what you are looking for and have a great vacation. SAHM of 2 beautiful and recently fully potty trained girls!!
My girlfriend and I went to Maui last November with my one year old daughter. We went on a budget, and thru a friend heard of a place called the "Napili Sunset" that is VERY inexpensive, yet nice and comfortable. They say they do not have air conditioning, but I looked and all the rooms had it, so it must have been an old internet posting. Also they do not charge you to park overnight like most hotels do. We got the Internet special for 115.00 a nite. You can go to napilisubset.com to take a peek. I am told that this hotel does not advertise at all, and gets all of it's clients from word of mouth or repeat visitors. I dont know how many rooms they have but if you wanted to check it out I would do it right away as they fill up fast. And if you shop for groceries there, go to Costco. If you go to the smaller stores, be prepared to pay 9.49 for a gallon of milk!!
We have stayed in several areas in Maui, though we usually spend a good part of it at the Outrigger Maui Eldorado...it is on the North end of Kaanapali, right past the Sheraton, so it is a little more secluded, yet close to the black rocks at the Sheraton, always a great snorkeling spot! The outrigger has condos with 1-2 bedrooms, kitchens, and are pretty spacious. It is more like a condo set up than a hotel, but there is still a pool, maid service, and it is close to (on!) the golf course. We have always gotten great deals there, though i am not exactly sure how my husband got those deals--i would go to their website and look into it. I know at least once we stayed there for as little as $100 night! Anyway, good luck, and have a great trip! I love it there!! Enjoy!
We stayed at Kaleialoha condos- not the Ritz, but clean and nicely supplied with gorgeous views. The kitchen in a condo will help you save a lot of money on food, which is outrageous, especially now. We found Kaleialoha from a comprehensive list in Maui Revealed, our favorite travel guide. Pack as much food and other supplies as you comfortably can (without getting stuck with outrageous luggage charges!) There is a Costco near the airport.
For entertainment, check out Pacific Whale Foundation and the aquarium -professional and sincerely green businesses. Stick to tours and touristy areas. With a few pleasant exceptions, the locals don't like us.
I remember staying there several times when I was younger and been keeping tabs on their website. I was about 12 when I went and had a blast. Its a little past Kaanapali but out of the hustle and bustle of 'Main town' I loved it and remember it always.
Enjoy your trip where ever you stay! Aloha!
The Napili Surf is phenomenal! It is a little north of Kaanapali but sits right on Napili Bay which is one of the best snorkeling beaches on Maui. You are also within walking distance of Kapalua Bay which is gorgeous and also has great snorkeling. It is a condo facility so you have a full size kitchen to use, which saves a TON of money on food. They have 2 pools and beautiful grounds too and you are literally steps from the ocean. Their website is www.napilisurf.com. If you have never been I suggest staying in an ocean front or ocean view room. We fell asleep to the sound of waves every night! They often have summer specials, so be sure to check that out. It is a little farther north, but still a 10 minute drive to Lahaina, walking distance to a snorkel shop and convenience store. Plus a ton of people drive up to Napili Bay for the day because the beach is so awesome - you would already be there!
We have stayed here twice - the first time being with 20 friends for our wedding - and love it! Multiple people who were at our wedding have been back and stayed there again. The rooms vary depending on the owners, but all of them that we have stayed in have been very nice and well kept. Even though it is a condo you get daily maid service, Mai Tai Wednesdays with the owner out on the lawn and doughnut Friday mornings. They also have boogie boards and BBQs you can use and 2 shuffleboard courts. I cannot say enough about how great this place is - we hope to go back soon! Email me if you want pictures!
Hi J.,
I'm a travel agent and there are a lot of specials during the summer months. If you send me the dates and how many days you want to stay in the north and south and your price range I will see what might be available and make some suggestions.
You can do a search through my website to see what you might like, but I'm also often able to get even better deals by contacting the resorts directly.
Here's my website:
http://www.VickiGreenTravel.com
We stayed at the Westin and loved it! It was a bit pricey, but was worth the splurge. The pool was amazing!
Papakea, just north of Kaanapali, has really nice grounds and pool areas. The condo units are fine (nothing spectacular), especially a good deal if you know someone trying to get rid of their timeshare during that time. Only a 10-minute drive from Napili Bay or Lahaina. Good location. Have fun!
We are going for the first time in October.
This website really helped us decide where to stay - it walks you through what you are looking for and describes each, then makes recommendations. Its not a selling site so I think its fairly honest, someone gave it to me:
http://www.mauihawaii.org
We are going to stay at Kaanapali Shores and already have reservations. I would recommend making them right away - August could be a busy month.
I did an event at the Westin and thought it was really fantastic (http://www.westinmaui.com/). Yes, depending on your budget, it could be on the high side. But really so very worth it. It has an amazing pool with a slide that would be perfect for your 12 yo. It also has a canal running through it with swans and outdoor restaurants. It's also right next to Whaler's Village and a short drive to Lahaina, where the Maui Myth & Magic theatre is (kind of a circe de soleil meets Hawaiin history show). It is to die for - I've sent convention attendees there and it's really worth it (http://www.mauitheatre.com/). Lastly, for a fun luau with ocean views, I suggest Old Lahaina Luau (http://www.oldlahainaluau.com/index_main.html). Have fun!
