Excellent trip to Maui - Westin Resort
May 21st, 2007, 10:18 AM
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Excellent trip to Maui - Westin Resort
Know this is a long first post - Hope it does not cause issues.
Started to try to summarize my trip report, but decided to send the whole thing. We got lots of good info from Fodor's and basically agree with everything you have. Could add our good experience with Maui Surf School on Kaanapali Beach, Add Bubba Gumps Garlic Peel-n-eat Shrimp - Declicious in Lahaina. Add our vote for the Kihei Cafe - but need to change the "bowl-shaped egg scramble" to Fried Rice with eggs so folks know what to get. A great treat! Add our vote for the Old Lahaina Luau - not to be missed. Add some merit for both Lelani's and Hula Grill as great places to eat & Drink. Don't miss the Hula Pie - an expereince! We had a great experience at the Westin Spa & Resort. Would highly recommend. So now, if you like read on for the long version.
Our stay:
May 3-8, 2007 for our 25th Anniversary. We are in 55-60 age range. This is our first time to Hawaii. Wanted to go at a time when there were less people, so chose May. Weather was fantastic. We have seen such great information on Tripadvisor that we wanted to pay it back with a review.
Why the Westin:
We selected the Westin, after exhaustive searches because of an invitation based on our Starwood Preferred Guest membership. (ok, ok, so we took the cheapest deal we found!) Thought it was a great price at $750 for 5 nights + a rental car and $75 resort credit. We had a wonderful time, do not regret our choice and would return to the Westin and would recommend it to anyone we know. They do ask you to go to a presentation and entice you with additional credits if you go. We went, had fun looking at the Westin Villas a little to the north and got $300 of extra credits for doing it. Also got another card for 50% off future stays at Starwood properties, except Hawaii. For an hour or so, not bad, for us at least.
I have noted that the reviews really vary depending on people's expectations and travel experiences. We probably tend to be less critical than many people we know. We travel some, but not a lot and thought the rooms were just fine for the amount of time we spent in them. We would have liked a larger fridge as we like to keep a few breakfast things and some drinks, but that is about it. Otherwise, very comfortable and clean (My wife is a clean nut and she did not make one comment on the room cleanliness.) Some amenities we liked: Heavenly bed (it was!), double headed showers, thick towels, small liquid creamers provided, 2 free bottles of water each day.
Check in went smooth. Upgraded from a parking lot view to a Garden View right above the coy pond and the waterfall, so a little noisy. But again, we liked it just fine. Rec'd a bottle of champagne for our anniversary, which was a nice touch! All service was friendly and quick, no complaints at all about anyone.
We checked in early afternoon and stopped at the Tropica, Westin's beachfront restaurant for our first drink and some relaxing Hawaiian music. Then went next door to Lelani's in Whaler's village for something to eat. Had our first Lava Flow, which we recommend, some good grub, and finished it off with a Hula Pie. Only need one for a couple, if you still want to fit in your bathing suit.
The Pools:
5 pools, was really great. Spent most our time at the adult pool. We have a similar complaint that people grab the lounges early, go back to bed, go down and have breakfast and then come to the pool. I guess this is the way of the resorts, but we found it to be really rude. We wish the resort would remove their things after 30 minutes as promised. The bar at the adult pool has a drink special everyday. If you hear someone talking about a "Sweet Lorraine", be sure to try one. Fantastic! Similar to a Lava Flow, only better.
The Area:
Ka'anapali Beach is about 10 minutes North of Lahaina and 45 minutes from the airport. Quite a few resorts along this stretch of the beach. There is a beach walkway between the resorts and the beach and it gets used a lot and you get to view a ittle of all of the properties in the area. It really fills up in the evening as peopl are venturing out to eat, view the sunset and generally mill around.
Being next door to Whaler's Village, you can get about anything there you need, and some things you don't need and can't afford
. Great shopping. Several really good restaurants.
The Beach:
Ka'anapali is a highly rated beach in many publications. The waves aren't big at all, but do break right onto the beach, so if you stand right in them, they will really rock you. Just move a little father out and you just bob up and down in the swells and it is not worrisome at all. My wife was a little worried, so we checked out a free noodle from the Westin and she just floated on that and had fun. The water is very clear. As others have said, a good place to snorkel is a few minutes walk north at Black Rock and the Sheraton, which is a sister hotel.
Things To Do:
At 56, I took surfing lessons for the first time from Maui Surf School just a few minutes walk south along the beach walk. You can see the waves on the point to the left from the beach in front of the Westin. This was very convenient and they were great. The waves were just right for beginners. I had a blast, altho could not use my arms for 2 days!
We wanted to do the parasailing and watercraft, but it is shut down for the whales until May 15th.
The Old Lahaina Luau was a highlight. Great fun, good food, good presentations and service. It is a buffet style, but worked for us. Do book it as early as you can for the best seats, altho any seat had a good view.
Shopping and eating in Lahaina is fun. Be sure to see the Banyon tree.
Drive to South to Wailea, be sure to drive to the end of the road and the lava flow. You get to see some great snorkeling areas and scenery. And North to Kapalua and beyond. Road gets very windy, but great scenery.
Places To Eat:
*Ka'anapali : Places really fill up 6-8 PM. If you can get there by 5-5:30, you will get right in and can relax and watch the lines.
- Lalanie's (can you remember Hula Pie? Ate there twice and great foos and service.
- Hula Grill (a sister to Lelani's) - Good food and good times.
- Rusty Harpoon - Had a good lunch. Ate there for dinner and had one good meal and one so-so meal.
- Castaway - We were told about this place just north of Black Rock, but could not find it in the dark and did not get back to look for it. It is a local place and right on the beach, but I think the resorts kinda hide it. We really got a great recommendation for this one, but missed it so much food, so little time!
*Lahaina:
- Moose McGuillicudies – Great happy hour, friendly place.. Did not eat there.
- Bubba Grumps – Be sure to get their Garlic peel-n-eat shrimp. We wish we would have made that our whole meal. Their Bucket of Junk (? Something like that) was pretty good and filling. Margaritas were the worst we have had. Maybe they had a more expensive one that was better, but they did not ask us. The waitress there was simply great fun. Large line for the restaurant, but we got right in to a table at the bar.
- Several 2nd stories bars with happy hours including Moose’s, Hamburger Paradise. They sure sounded fun.
*Kihei:
- Kihei Café – On main street and with all the sites we missed it the first time through. One guide book called this a dive with great food. Maybe I need a definition of dive. It has a walk-in order, then go out and get a table. I would not call it a dive. When Barry tells you to get the Fired Rice and Eggs – Do it. Great meal. Our omelet was excellent as well. Both were well above average size, so we did not need to eat the next meal.
- LuLu’s. This is just behind the Kihei Café. We were actually looking for it when we at ate the Kihei café.. It is on the 2nd or third story, but you need to look down the side street to see it. We ate at one in Waikiki that was great and we heard great things about this one from friends and family.
That is probably more than you all needed. Hope we can get back soon and hope this helped anyone that is going the way this forum has helped us.
Bob & Sharon
Started to try to summarize my trip report, but decided to send the whole thing. We got lots of good info from Fodor's and basically agree with everything you have. Could add our good experience with Maui Surf School on Kaanapali Beach, Add Bubba Gumps Garlic Peel-n-eat Shrimp - Declicious in Lahaina. Add our vote for the Kihei Cafe - but need to change the "bowl-shaped egg scramble" to Fried Rice with eggs so folks know what to get. A great treat! Add our vote for the Old Lahaina Luau - not to be missed. Add some merit for both Lelani's and Hula Grill as great places to eat & Drink. Don't miss the Hula Pie - an expereince! We had a great experience at the Westin Spa & Resort. Would highly recommend. So now, if you like read on for the long version.
Our stay:
May 3-8, 2007 for our 25th Anniversary. We are in 55-60 age range. This is our first time to Hawaii. Wanted to go at a time when there were less people, so chose May. Weather was fantastic. We have seen such great information on Tripadvisor that we wanted to pay it back with a review.
Why the Westin:
We selected the Westin, after exhaustive searches because of an invitation based on our Starwood Preferred Guest membership. (ok, ok, so we took the cheapest deal we found!) Thought it was a great price at $750 for 5 nights + a rental car and $75 resort credit. We had a wonderful time, do not regret our choice and would return to the Westin and would recommend it to anyone we know. They do ask you to go to a presentation and entice you with additional credits if you go. We went, had fun looking at the Westin Villas a little to the north and got $300 of extra credits for doing it. Also got another card for 50% off future stays at Starwood properties, except Hawaii. For an hour or so, not bad, for us at least.
I have noted that the reviews really vary depending on people's expectations and travel experiences. We probably tend to be less critical than many people we know. We travel some, but not a lot and thought the rooms were just fine for the amount of time we spent in them. We would have liked a larger fridge as we like to keep a few breakfast things and some drinks, but that is about it. Otherwise, very comfortable and clean (My wife is a clean nut and she did not make one comment on the room cleanliness.) Some amenities we liked: Heavenly bed (it was!), double headed showers, thick towels, small liquid creamers provided, 2 free bottles of water each day.
Check in went smooth. Upgraded from a parking lot view to a Garden View right above the coy pond and the waterfall, so a little noisy. But again, we liked it just fine. Rec'd a bottle of champagne for our anniversary, which was a nice touch! All service was friendly and quick, no complaints at all about anyone.
We checked in early afternoon and stopped at the Tropica, Westin's beachfront restaurant for our first drink and some relaxing Hawaiian music. Then went next door to Lelani's in Whaler's village for something to eat. Had our first Lava Flow, which we recommend, some good grub, and finished it off with a Hula Pie. Only need one for a couple, if you still want to fit in your bathing suit.
The Pools:
5 pools, was really great. Spent most our time at the adult pool. We have a similar complaint that people grab the lounges early, go back to bed, go down and have breakfast and then come to the pool. I guess this is the way of the resorts, but we found it to be really rude. We wish the resort would remove their things after 30 minutes as promised. The bar at the adult pool has a drink special everyday. If you hear someone talking about a "Sweet Lorraine", be sure to try one. Fantastic! Similar to a Lava Flow, only better.
The Area:
Ka'anapali Beach is about 10 minutes North of Lahaina and 45 minutes from the airport. Quite a few resorts along this stretch of the beach. There is a beach walkway between the resorts and the beach and it gets used a lot and you get to view a ittle of all of the properties in the area. It really fills up in the evening as peopl are venturing out to eat, view the sunset and generally mill around.
Being next door to Whaler's Village, you can get about anything there you need, and some things you don't need and can't afford
. Great shopping. Several really good restaurants. The Beach:
Ka'anapali is a highly rated beach in many publications. The waves aren't big at all, but do break right onto the beach, so if you stand right in them, they will really rock you. Just move a little father out and you just bob up and down in the swells and it is not worrisome at all. My wife was a little worried, so we checked out a free noodle from the Westin and she just floated on that and had fun. The water is very clear. As others have said, a good place to snorkel is a few minutes walk north at Black Rock and the Sheraton, which is a sister hotel.
Things To Do:
At 56, I took surfing lessons for the first time from Maui Surf School just a few minutes walk south along the beach walk. You can see the waves on the point to the left from the beach in front of the Westin. This was very convenient and they were great. The waves were just right for beginners. I had a blast, altho could not use my arms for 2 days!
We wanted to do the parasailing and watercraft, but it is shut down for the whales until May 15th.
The Old Lahaina Luau was a highlight. Great fun, good food, good presentations and service. It is a buffet style, but worked for us. Do book it as early as you can for the best seats, altho any seat had a good view.
Shopping and eating in Lahaina is fun. Be sure to see the Banyon tree.
Drive to South to Wailea, be sure to drive to the end of the road and the lava flow. You get to see some great snorkeling areas and scenery. And North to Kapalua and beyond. Road gets very windy, but great scenery.
Places To Eat:
*Ka'anapali : Places really fill up 6-8 PM. If you can get there by 5-5:30, you will get right in and can relax and watch the lines.
- Lalanie's (can you remember Hula Pie? Ate there twice and great foos and service.
- Hula Grill (a sister to Lelani's) - Good food and good times.
- Rusty Harpoon - Had a good lunch. Ate there for dinner and had one good meal and one so-so meal.
- Castaway - We were told about this place just north of Black Rock, but could not find it in the dark and did not get back to look for it. It is a local place and right on the beach, but I think the resorts kinda hide it. We really got a great recommendation for this one, but missed it so much food, so little time!
*Lahaina:
- Moose McGuillicudies – Great happy hour, friendly place.. Did not eat there.
- Bubba Grumps – Be sure to get their Garlic peel-n-eat shrimp. We wish we would have made that our whole meal. Their Bucket of Junk (? Something like that) was pretty good and filling. Margaritas were the worst we have had. Maybe they had a more expensive one that was better, but they did not ask us. The waitress there was simply great fun. Large line for the restaurant, but we got right in to a table at the bar.
- Several 2nd stories bars with happy hours including Moose’s, Hamburger Paradise. They sure sounded fun.
*Kihei:
- Kihei Café – On main street and with all the sites we missed it the first time through. One guide book called this a dive with great food. Maybe I need a definition of dive. It has a walk-in order, then go out and get a table. I would not call it a dive. When Barry tells you to get the Fired Rice and Eggs – Do it. Great meal. Our omelet was excellent as well. Both were well above average size, so we did not need to eat the next meal.
- LuLu’s. This is just behind the Kihei Café. We were actually looking for it when we at ate the Kihei café.. It is on the 2nd or third story, but you need to look down the side street to see it. We ate at one in Waikiki that was great and we heard great things about this one from friends and family.
That is probably more than you all needed. Hope we can get back soon and hope this helped anyone that is going the way this forum has helped us.
Bob & Sharon
May 21st, 2007, 11:11 AM
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Thanks for your report. Did you happen to take the water slide at the Westin's pool for a spin? I'm 48 and was getting funny looks from the youngsters because I kept going back and couldn't get enough of it! You're never too old.
May 21st, 2007, 08:32 PM
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Glad to hear you liked the Westin. We have stayed there twice in the last two years and had a great time. If you go again, have dinner, at sunset, at "tropica". Very good. We had reservations at 5:30pm (sunset was about 6:10pm) so we were able to take in their happy hour specials, followed by dinner. Needless to say, we staggered back to our room which overlooked the same restaurant.
May 22nd, 2007, 06:13 AM
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What is the Westin charging these days for Resort Fee and Valet Parking {I know you can self park there, but curious as to cost of valet? Also, was your room refurbished yet [they were doing that when we were there in 10/06] and did you have a king bed or 2 doubles?
Thanks.
Thanks.
May 22nd, 2007, 07:32 AM
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Thanks for the report.
As to the "reserving" chairs issue..lately, I have been to at least two places where other guests have taken the responsibility of "removing" those reserving items on behalf of the establishment.
I also witnessed at least one subsequent "confrontation" when the late-to-rise people finally showed up and got indignant only to be told by the persons actually occupying the spaces, "Gee, I guess the hotel must have removed them."
As to the "reserving" chairs issue..lately, I have been to at least two places where other guests have taken the responsibility of "removing" those reserving items on behalf of the establishment.
I also witnessed at least one subsequent "confrontation" when the late-to-rise people finally showed up and got indignant only to be told by the persons actually occupying the spaces, "Gee, I guess the hotel must have removed them."
May 22nd, 2007, 10:58 AM
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Thanks for the nice replies.
iamq - Yes, both the wife and I took the waterslide. Have always loved 'em and let the kids gawk!!! We had fun on it.
DebitNM - WE had a king. I think we must have had a refurbished room. Everything was in great shape. As Colunbiana sais, the resort fee was $20. The parking lot get full after about 8 and so they valet park you for free, which is nice.
Golpher - we had plans to do the sunset at the Tropica, but just did not make it. We did stagger back from a few places. I think my wife was drunk becuz she looked a little fuzzy
Dukey - we sure thought about removing some of the more agregious people's stuff and blaming it on management. We just ordered another Sweet Lorraine and glared at them thru our sunglasses when they came down to the pool. They musst have been drunk to becus they started to look fuzzy....
Most important was not to let them break up a perfectly good mood.
iamq - Yes, both the wife and I took the waterslide. Have always loved 'em and let the kids gawk!!! We had fun on it.
DebitNM - WE had a king. I think we must have had a refurbished room. Everything was in great shape. As Colunbiana sais, the resort fee was $20. The parking lot get full after about 8 and so they valet park you for free, which is nice.
Golpher - we had plans to do the sunset at the Tropica, but just did not make it. We did stagger back from a few places. I think my wife was drunk becuz she looked a little fuzzy
Dukey - we sure thought about removing some of the more agregious people's stuff and blaming it on management. We just ordered another Sweet Lorraine and glared at them thru our sunglasses when they came down to the pool. They musst have been drunk to becus they started to look fuzzy....
Most important was not to let them break up a perfectly good mood.
