I am considering a stay at the Westin Maui (the hotel, not villas), but have seen some unfavorable comments (small rooms, noise, poor beach, outdated decor, etc.). Has anyone stayed recently and how was it? Could the problems be overlooked if the price was $149 a night? I haven't been able to find anyplace rated as well for under $250 for September. We have small kids, and that factors in as well. I could overlook funky decor if the place was clean. Thanks!

If you're price sensitive and traveling with a family, you may want to consider alternative options- like renting a condo. There are some in Maalaea Bay at the boat harbor with cheaper rates, plus the added bonus of a separate room for the kids. Most places are cleaned professionally and have most of the amenities of a hotel.

The westin is in a great location. We stayed at the Marriott while my sis, her dh and 3 kids stayed at the Westin. They had a great time. So great that they didn't really leave the beach much in the 10 days they were there. She had no complaints about the room.

we stayed there in 2000 and thought the hotel was really nice. didn't think the decor was outdated. your kids will LOVE the pools. our oceanview room was indeed small but it was very clean and actually the nicest of all the westins we've recently stayed at (st. john, bahamas). our only complaint about the beach was that there's a fee to use the beach chairs (thought that was outrageous since we were in one of the more expensive rooms..actually it's outrageous -period- to charge hotel guests for their use. needless to say, we didn't use them).
regarding the noise, there's a huge waterfall feature between the hotel building and the pools. we were on the top floor and could still hear it with the patio door closed. i think for anyone staying on the lower floors, it wasn't soothing but had to be annoying. so i would advise to stay on a higher floor.

We were there Aug 2001 with our 2(8&11 at the time) children. We had a great time there. The pool is a lot of fun.Your kids will love it. Rooms are clean,but small.I will say that the small room size did surprise me when we walked in. I thought it would be a problem, but quickly realized it wasn't due to being at the pool and the Sheraton's beach all day long.There is hardly any beach at the Westin. Decor is just fine.I would not call our room outdated. The hotel structure itself I suppose is a bit outdated. The grounds are well kept. Each morning we watched the sunrise from our mountain view room on our little balcony while eating cereal and donuts I brought along. Dining choices at the Westin are weak. Much better next door at Whalers Village. We really liked the Hula Grill. Very casual. I think $149 a night is a steal, and would grab it, but not before emailing or calling the hotel to see if any renovations/construction are going on. I think we paid $235 a night with a Starwood discount. Have a great time!!

Thanks for all your replies. It appears from their website that they have recently renovated. I guess we will give it a try. If we get a small noisy room, at least it will look nice! They do have a $15 a day resort fee. Silly, isn't it? That doesn't include the beach chairs. I will just sit on a towel. Re: Hula Grill-its sister restaurant on Kauai is Keoki's, which we liked. We look forward to being so close to Whalers Village. We wouldn't have said that before kids, but that sure has changed. Convenience is everything now.