travelinwifey

Personally I would use it for the Kapalua Bay. Yes, the rooms are not as fantastic as some of the other 5* hotels but the trade off is that the scenery is the best. This is just my personal opinion but I would not stay the extra 4 nights in Oahu. As you will see, Honolulu is congested, very much like a typical American city albeit on a gorgeous shore. 4 nights is plenty. Very crowded, you will get more of the Aloha feel on Maui.

Between the 4S and Ritz, well that is up to you. Your stay will not be as bad as mine was since the kiddies are back in school the end of August. You will get bragging rights to say you stayed at the 4S Maui. Their beach is good. Ritz is in a more secluded area and more romantic. Pools at the Ritz are superior to the 4S. If I had to choose for 2 nights only I would probably say go for the 4S, just to see the other side of the island. But as mentioned before, be aware that dining at the hotel is $) Factor that in because the breakfast buffet runs around $60 for 2 people, don't know about the Ritz. Alternatively, did you check pleasantholidaays.com for prices on both the 4S and RC? There will probably be no discounts this far ahead but definitely keep checking as your dates draw near.

travelinwifey

oops I meant pleasantholidays.com

stever

Thanks travelinwifey: I haven't checked pleasantholidays.com yet as it is too far in advance. That is correct. BUT, I did call the Four Seasons and they already have discount rates available for that period. $480 a night for garden view (not the Mountainview over that dreaded parking garage...). This includes breakfast. They said they NEVER upgrade someone from Mountainview to garden on the 1-800# today. She also suggested that we END in the Big Island and NOT Maui as Maui is much more active, more things to do, more happening, whereas the BI is more laid back and people tend to spend more time in their hotel?

Never thought of this before... We never planned on using the Sheraton/Starwood points to extend our trip on Oahu, merely to use the 4 nights we have coming to us for free ON Oahu as our 4 nights there. We'd forego any special convention rates and just use our points there.

Steve
Maryland

travelinwifey

Sorry I misunderstood. In that case, I definitely would not use the points for Oahu if you are already getting a discount.

I agree with the advice to save the BI for last. It is definitely the most laid back of the islands you've chosen. However, it is still nice to drive around to the more lush parts of the island-Hilo and the NW. The southern part of the island is very dry and hardly never rains. Anyhow, as your rates draw closer I think pleasant holidays will be several hundred dollars cheaper for your BI portion, again my suggestion would be to find a virtuoso.com agent and then book through pleasantholidays.com or classiccustomvacations.com. But in my experience my TA has secured upgrades several times for the Hawaii hotels because of the virtuoso clout (virtuoso has a contract with 4S to get upgrades when availible). The 4S also upgrades their clients that have booked dierctly with them more ofter, but keep in mind that you may also be paying several hundreds of dollars more than by going with pleasantholidays and the lie.

When I stayed at the Hapuna it was also through a package with luxurylink.com similar to the KB package. But that auction has not been there in more than a year. But it may be a good idea to keep an eye on luxurylink because the Fairmont Orchid shows up every 3 monts or so and IMO only is a better hotel than the Hapuna.

MaureenB

Personally, I'd take the partial ocean view over the garden view any day. And having breakfast included for less per night would clinch it for me! We have liked the Kapalua area, because our preference is to be out of the congestion of Maui. We haven't been there in recent trips to Hawaii, though, as we prefer the more laid back Big Island or Kauai. Our experience has been that anytime we've compromised on the hotel room view, we've been sorry we gave up views of the ocean (however "partial"). Hearing the ocean at night and sitting on the lanai with coffee in the morning or a drink in the evening can't be beat in my opinion. I would think a Ritz would be as swanky as a Four Seasons, but I could be wrong.

stever

Thanks Maureen B. My wife read your post and she REALLY wants an ocean view too, however "partial" a view it is. The FS said they WON'T upgrade a Mountainview room to Partial OV or even Garden view when you book the $425 a night deal w/ car and breakfast included. That doesn't seem too good for us as there will be NO view. I think we are now leaning towards staying at a hotel (Ritz or other) that DOES guarantee us an ocean view. We live very far from the ocean and if we travel 15+ hours or more to get to Hawaii, we at least want that great view of the ocean! That makes it all worth it to us.

I appreciate your comments more than you can imagine. We totally enjoy the balconies too and we sit out alot in the am and pm enjoying the views when on vacation.

If we can get the Kapalua Bay Hotel (using Starwood points) for free for 3-4 nights WITH an ocean view, that works for us too. We'll have to see how this goes... But to stay at the FS without a view isn't going to be good for us in the end.

Steve
Maryland

Peace,
Steve

fivestar

Please remember that Kapalua Bay Hotel is a relatively small hotel, so upgrades can be hard to come by if they are busy. On points, you get the lowest catagory room, which is ground floor. The grounds there are nice and the view is the prettiest I have ever seen, but don't expect real glamour for the rooms. They are nice, but need an update. The bathrooms are very nice. The best thing about this hotel is that you can't help but feel relaxed there. In the early evenings they have a very classy hula show in the Lehua Lounge. We would sit on our lanai and just soak it in.

stever

Thanks fivestar: If we got the cheapest room at the KBH with Starwood points, would be probably not have ocean view? We've decided we NEED ocean view! If we use points, we'll probably just use them for the Moana Surfrider in Oahu as they can guarantee us a room in the NEW tower is we call in advance. That's cool

Your description of the rooms at KBH as being dated doesn't jibe too well with the wife. I think she'd rather pay more, not end up with 1rst floor non view rooms and just do the Ritz with the view and the breakfast.

Cool beans.
Steve
Maryland

welltraveledbrit

Stever,
One of the best websites for hotel reviews is Tripadvisor.com it will give you a very vivid sense of all of the properties you've mentioned with specific reviews from those who have been to each place.

Hope it helps, I use it all the time.

stever

Thanks welltravelledbrit: I just read a ton of reviews on the Trip advisor site for the Ritz Carlton Maui and it seems that this hotel fits our needs best for the money ($355 Partial Ocean view and full american breakfast + the obnoxious $15 a day resort fee - total price $370 a night, still $110 a night LESS than the FS Maui with their breakfast included). Like others on trip advisor have stated - not sure why some people have said it's not a great hotel when people just coming back from there says it IS. We'll have to wait till they load the rates for next year in October for the final decision. I didn't realize that Trip Advisor was so up to date and current with it's info. It is a great resource that I forgot to use!

Cheers,
Steve
Maryland

MaureenB

If you were to commit a deposit to the Ritz Kapalua now, do you think they would lock in this year's rates for you (with a guarantee they'll be lower than the 2005 rates)? It might be worth a try. I don't know about you, but one thing we try to avoid when traveling is moving too many times. It takes most of an entire day to pack up, check out, fly to another island, check in and move in. We've always limited our stay to two islands max. during our two week stays in Hawaii. Just a thought.
Also, while on Maui, if you like to snorkel, try a trip out to the Molokini Crater. It's a very cool place to snorkel, and you can sail out on a boat that will provide a nice lunch on the way back. We did it years ago, so I assume you still can do it.

stever

Thanks Maureen. Q - Is going to Oahu for 4 nights (we have to, we have a convention there at the convention center), 5 nights in Maui, & 5 nights on the BI too much moving around? I think you're right about doing something like 3 nights at the Ritz and 2 at the FS... I guess we should pick a place in Maui and just stick with it.

I contacted the Ritz and they can't book next Sept yet even if they wanted to as the dates aren't loaded into their system yet. They said to call back in October. Too bad. FS can book whenever!

So... I'll admit it, I'm still confused where to stay, after all this! I REALLY wanted to try the FS but $480 per night which is what it costs now (with breakfast) for the garden view room just seems like WAY too much to spend for a room. If the Ritz is still $110 a night lower than this AND has the partial oceanview available WITH the breakfast, we'll probably just go with their better "deal".

I'll still call my friend who works for FS 1 month before traveling and see if she can get us into the Maui FS for the "friends and family" rate she talked to me about. I'll also try to get her to do that same deal for the BI, but for the BI, she said she probably couldn't get us that special rate of about $350 a night unless it was just for a night or two.

Steve
Maryland

MaureenB

Steve, you ask: "Is going to Oahu for 4 nights (we have to, we have a convention there at the convention center), 5 nights in Maui, & 5 nights on the BI too much moving around?"
It's totally a matter of personal preference, of course. I tend to feel like I'm wasting vacation time when I have to pack/unpack, travel, and check in/out of places. When in Hawaii, I'd rather be on the beach or snorkeling! But if you feel like you'd be missing something by not hitting all three islands, then that's what you do. The three islands you mentioned are very different from one another, and if you haven't seen them yet and can't return for awhile...
We went to Europe in June, spent 5 nights in Vienna, 3 in Prague and 4 in Munich-- and we were glad we'd seen all three places. So I contradict myself! Just set your priorities and go for it. You know, either way, it's Hawaii and you'll have a great time.

stever

Thanks Maureen. If we only did 2 islands, we'd only get to do Oahu and the BI. I thought it would be cool to go back to Maui, as it's been 15 years for both of us since we've been there, both with our first spouses.

We did St Lucia for our honeymoon 4 years ago and that was OK for 12 days... but the BI for 11 days instead of splitting it up?

Yes? No?

Steve
Mr Undecided but still having fun

MaureenB

It's totally your own personal taste. We have done the Big Island for an entire stay of 12 or so nights, but we've broken it up by staying in a large resort, like the Mauna Lani (sp?), for half of it, and then moving to another spot on the island, to Sea Village, a condo complex we like south of Kona, for the other half. That way we've had a change of pace without too much trouble. But we're a family of four, so a bit more cumbersome to move.
To each his own-- 11 nights might be too long for you on the one island. Good thing you plan early-- plenty of time to decide. It's fun to plan such a nice trip.

thebigkahuna

Stever, since you have a lot of time before you take your trip I would try to contact Mariott Vacation Club. They had a deal this winter where for around $800. they would put you up in either the Mariott or the Ritz for 5 nights + a rental car. You do have to sit through a time share presentation though. Normally they send out the invite, but you can try to contact them directly through the internet or phone to get on their mailing list. Four Seasons though is the best resort on Maui, but you have to decide on your budget. The "friends and family" program would be a great deal! We stayed at the Renaissance for 3 nights and the Four Seasons for 5 nights in Jan 02. We stayed in a mountain view room at the FS and it came to around $300. with the free night. (they don't do that program anymore with mv rooms.) We didn't notice any noise in our mv room and we were very satisfied with our location. We had a gorgeous view of the sun comming over the mountain every morning, and we ate our breakfast on our balcony enjoying the beautiful emerald green mountains. I love the ocean also, but in Hawaii I'm at the beach from 10am til sunset, so I don't have to have an oceanview room. I'm glad we got to stay at the Four Seasons, but for the $$$ we decided to go back to the Renn. for 10 ni. in Jan 03 at $200.ni. (entertainment rate). I'd rather stay longer and pay less per night. At the Renn. I was able to get a free upgrade from mv to ocean view. The Renn is the best value for the $$ in Wailea. Good luck!

stever

Thanks Big Kahuna. I especially appreciate the low down on the mountainview Four Season's rooms! It's so hard to know till you get there if it's any good or not. The reservation guy I talked to at FS said to request the 7th floor as it's the quietest with the best view. We don't want to stay at the Rennaissance Hotel even if it's ALOT less as we are sold on trying our 1st FS. If anything, we'd rather spend a little less money and do the Ritz if we couldn't swing the FS and got some killer promo rate for that period of time. Your timeshare Ritz deal sounds appealing, but the wife wouldn't want to deal with it on a big vacation like this.

This will probably be the last 5 nights of the trip, so having no view of the water probably won't kill us, as the previous 5 nights will be Ocean View at the Hapuna Price on the BI. I think we might just end up going with the 5 night MV room for $425 with breakfast and a car at the FS. I know the Ritz will be great too, and some have suggested staying 3 nights here, and 2 or 3 nights there, but my wife really hates to move all her stuff. She packs a tremendous amount of stuff for the bathroom (God love her and she can never find stuff once she starts packing and unpacking it so many times.

Now for the tough decision - go straight thru from Hawaii to Washington DC on the way home or stop in San Francisco or some other California city for a break up of the trip on the way back??? Any east coasters out there care to comment? I stopped in SFCA the last time I did this on my 1st honeymoon.

Steve
Maryland

thebigkahuna

Steve, we also stayed on the top floor mountain view. I'm a light sleeper, and the nice thing about the FS is that the building is well built and very sound proof. You will love the FS experience, and even though an ocean view room seems important to you now, when you get there it won't matter that much. The bellman joked with us that if you set up chairs in the hall in front of your door it can be an ocean front room! (large glass windows in hall looking towards ocean). Seriously though, the mountain view rooms look out at Kula, horse country/farms in the distance, and the gorgeous emerald green mountains. When we checked in the bellman showed us several rooms and let us pick the one with the best view. We also got a refrigerator in our room so we didn't need to eat breakfast or lunch out. The problem with the breakfast buffets is that if you eat too much you feel too full all day long, and when you go to a restaurant you usually lose 1hr. I'd rather be doing an activity during the day, and go to a nice restaurant at sunset when beach activities are through. Also my wife is vegan and has a special diet. As far as a San Francisco stay over it depends on how many extra days you can add on to your vacation. One night is not enough, because by the time you get your luggage, get to your hotel, settle in and then have to leave the next morning it doesn't make sense. However, if you can stay a few days that may be a good move! We are on the east coast also. I like to spend every last min. in Hawaii, so we take the red eye and try to get in by 9am, get home by noon, and then get 6hrs. sleep, wake up for a few hrs. and try to get back to a normal east coast schedule.

stever

Thanks Big Kahuna. Great advice. We are definitely going to do the FS route after reading your post. And we will also do the Mountainside deal with the car and the breakfast included. I've heard the rooms can be dark and noisy, but we're willing to bet they're wrong!

Some people had said save the BI for last as it's the most relaxing, but the FS people in Maui said the opposite - to save Maui for last as Oahu is full of action and excitement, the BI will be kind of restful, and then Maui has the action again and more to do.

I think we'll take your advice and try to push on through the whole way home without stopping, unless the wife just wants to stay at the SFCA airport to break up the trip. I'll leave that one for her to decide. I'm not into going to SFCA for a day or 2 as I'd rather use those days in Hawaii!

Steve
Maryland

iamq

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