joanna

My daughters will be going to Maui for a few days but not renting a car. Not having been there myself, it seems as if it might be best for them to stay in the Kaanapali area to have access to a nice beach yet not be far from Lahaina by public transportation/taxis. I want them to stay somewhere nice but not too expensive. Do you have any suggestions? Many thanks.

Carolyn

The Hyatt Regency would be a good choice. On the beach in Kaanapali and close to Lahaina.

Jeff

Carolyn is right the Hyatt is the nicest property on Kaanapali but I dont think it meets you second condition (not too expensive). I would look at pricing for the following:
Hyatt, Sheraton, Westin, Marriott. If one is in your price range take it. These are all great properties. Each of these hotels has a certain advantage and great pool areas. Go to their web sites and see if you can find promotions. Westin and Sheraton are Starwood properties and if you join starwood (no cost) they have 33% off rates for members. Also check to see if they have AAA rates. May be worth a 1 year membership.
If they want to go to Lahaina during the day, they can call Hilo Hatties and get a free shuttle. It stops running early though. May need cab back.
Good luck and email me if you have specific questions

wtroberts

My husband and I just returned from Maui. We stayed at the Hyatt. It was wonderful. They are doing construction on part of the pool but there is still plenty of pool to use. It think it would be a great location for not having a car. As in previous post, you can get a shuttle to Hilo Hatties and walk around downtown Lahaina. I'm not sure what time the last shuttle back is. Also there is a walk that runs all the way down the beach. We walked to Whaler's Village several times during our stay. I great place to shop with nice places to eat. We had lunch at Hula Grill and I have the best bar-b-que sandwich ever there. I can't say about the cost of the Hyatt as we were there on a business trip. Our room has a partial mountain/partial ocean view. In my opinion, it doesn't matter what room you have as we were never in it except to sleep. So getting the least expensive room would not be a problem for me. Hope this helps.

bluefan

Joanna,

The Maui Hyatt is a wonderful resort hotel in Ka'anapali (arguably the best)like the other posters mentioned, but it is also generally the most expensive in that area. But I have seen some incredible deals for the Hyatt on applevacations as well as Expedia on occassion.

If you're a Starwood member, you might be able to swing a deal for the Sheraton (ideal location right at Black Rock) or Westin. Better values may be found at the Whaler, Ka' Beach Hotel or Ka' Ali'i. They might not have the name recognition but the authors at Maui Revealed have given them either solid gold or gem ratings.

Hope this helps!

joe

I'd much rather be carless in Kihei than in Kaanapali.Kihei gets trashed alot on this forum but it has some of the best beaches on the island.
A beach front condo in Kihei would be much less expensive and still be within walking distance of many dining and shopping opportunities.

ddd

I agree with Joe. Kihei has great beaches and lots of food options nearby. It seems to me that they really should rent a car; they would have so many options with a car.

aaa

The only advantage of Kihei is that it is cheap. And it is cheap for a reason.

noname

It would really be a shame for them to to all the way to Maui and miss most of it because they didn't rent a car. I suggest that they rent one. Driving on Maui is pretty low-key. Drivers are polite and there aren't many speed demons. If they have car insurance already, then it won't be that expensive. Good deals to be had on car rental companies' websites.

My vote for where to stay is the Wailea area. Not the cheapest, but surely the nicest, and close to some of the business of Kihei.

SG

I wouldn't send two young girls without a car to Kehei. Kanapali would be safer. I'm not sure how much a shuttle to town would be. Wailea is fancy and more couples.

Nova

Ther is no question that two girls in their twenties would enjoy Kaanapali Beach more than any other part of Maui. They would be bored to death in Wailea.

Jan

They are not girls. They are in their 20s. They are women.

Ivanna No

No, Jan, if mommy is planning the trip for them down to the level of whether to rent a car or not, then they're girls. Age does not equal maturity.

grant

If these 2 are not financially independent Mommy has every right to plan the trip. Women/girls who cares? It's just a question about Maui.

SG

My husband lived in Kihei last year during the week to oversee a resort construction project. Eventhough they stayed in a 5 million dollar home, there is a lot of riff-raff. I'm 32 with a child and I get catcalled all the time there. It's a darkened highway area that I wouldn't want to walk around at night. People go missing in Maui often. There are some harsh bars there too. Kaanapali is a well-lit secured resort area with a beachwalk to all the hotels, shops and eats. I would say that is the best spot for any age of women alone without a car.