Help! Has anyone been to the Puamana Townhomes outside of Lahaina? I am getting confused with all the choices. We stayed in Kapalua in '01 and, again, would like to stay on the west coast... in a condo. They look nice but I have heard such horror stories. Any others we should look at? (We will be there in October.) Janice

We really liked Lahaina Shores:
http://www.lahainamauihawaii.com/shores/
Also, check www.tripadvisor.com. Some of the condos in Napili are well rated also.

The Big Kahuna says Puamana is a very nice quiet condo complex. As any condo complex, units can vary. Some back up to the busy street so check location and interior condition. Find out when unit was last updated. Stayed in an ocean front unit a few years ago over Thanksgiving & the Mauai Invitational Basketball Tournament. Unit had a great view of the island of Lanai. They have an adults only pool right next to the ocean, and several family pools. Great sunset views, nice clubhouse.

Thanks to you both. The unit offered it oceanfront in building 58. Close enough to the clubhouse and a wonderful view. The interior looks nice. We will probably book it. Now, how about Kauai? We stayed at Pali Ke Kua (Princeville) in '01 but I am not sure I like their cancellation policy and the fact they don't take credit cards. Any advice? Janice

We have stayed at the Noelani twice now and love it there. We rented a Studio Deluxe, the same one, both times. It is right on the ocean. It is very nice, clean and quiet. It has 2 pools and a hot tub. There are barbecues that can be used. There is also an herb garden available. We would definitely go there again. The view is to die for.

All of the condos mentioned are either on a poor beach or no beach at all.

Hi Rusty... Please tell me MORE! We want to step out the door and into the water!

Please be aware the beach in front of Puamana is not swimable, nor it is very nice for anything other than walking. I find that to be a big negative, if I can't get into the water in front of where I am staying.

Dear AG... if this is true (nowhere to swim) do you have any suggestions? Further north perhaps? When we stayed at Kapalua, the hotel had a very nice beach... but then it was a very nice hotel!

Any ideas anybody?

We liked the Maui Kai. All units are oceanfront and there is a decent beach right at the base of the building. The beach is wider on either side of the Maui Kai, with great snorkeling to the south of it. www.mauikai.com

We are staying at the Ka'anapali Alii this August. It would be hard to find a condo in a better location. It is right next door to the Marriott and a quick walk to any of the major hotels along the strip. It is also an easy walk to the Whaler Shopping area and a variety of restaurants. The accommodations are all supposed to be very nice. It will be our first time at the Alii but our 3rd time on Ka'anapali Beach.

If you want to step out the door and into the water you may be better off renting a cottage or beach house instead of a condo in a complex.

This site has basic information on Maui's beaches - http://www.visitmaui.com/beaches.html

or try this site - http://www.mauidiveshop.com/divetrips/locations.htm

This site has some oceanfront cottages where you literally step out your door and are feet away from the water:
http://www.homeaway.com/Hawaii-vacat...on-rentals.htm

To narrow down your selections write a list of what you are looking for in a beach, what is nice to one person may not suit another.

Some beaches are suitable for young children but might bore young adults, some beaches are for expert swimmers, some have picnic facilities and would attract families, some are great for snorkeling, etc.

I have a question about the North shore. My wife and I are newbies to Maui and are staying at the Maui Seaside Hotel in Kahului. Is this hotel clean and comfortable? We saved quite a bit of money not making reservations on the South or West shores.

rjkollar - I hope you're narrowing down your choices. I can give perhaps one helpful hint. You will note that some places advertise "oceanfront" and some advertise "beachfront." Speaking from, unfortunately, experience, when it mentions "oceanfront," that usually means just that: there is ocean but if you want to use the beach, there may not be beach as you think of it, with sand. Remember that Hawaii is a gigantic volcano, and there are lots of black rocks everywhere, even in the front of deluxe condos.

Also, some places you go into the water (like the area in front of the Kaanapali Shores) has lots of coral right underneath the surface of the water. Just be sure to bring your aqua shoes for when you go in.

Dawn - you will LOVE the Alii. Their units are very large, so it's got plenty of room to spread out. The location is, IMHO, the best in the Kaanapali area, right in the middle of everything, with a lovely beach with sand.

Now it has been a few years since I've been there, but the only disappointment I had was the pool was fairly small for the size resort, especially compared to the mega Marriotts, etc., that have these elaborate pool areas. The Alii's was fairly simply. But the water was just as cool!

We even used the BBQs for a couple dinners.

Aloha y'all!

Reply to rjkollar,
You mentioned a preference for credit card rental at Pali Ke Kua. In our experience we have found better prices renting through www.vrbo.com, which usually involves some prepayment by check or Paypal, however realtors (which you can find already listed if you research this site) or Hawaiian travel agencies such as www.travel-hawaii.com/Pali_Ke_Kua.html#agentsays
do accept credit card payments for condo rentals. Good hunting.

Bartman,
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ui_Hawaii.html

Sounds like if you keep you expectations low, you will be okay.

-Bill

Bartman, you don't want to stay there. We did for one night as we flew in late and were taking an early flight to Kauai.

It's a very basic place, and they do their best to make the cinder block rooms as pleasant as possible, but it's in an unappealing location for a vacation (right downtown - noisy lots of traffice) and draws mostly either one-nighters like us, or much lower socioeconomic class folks (think lots of drinking, loud parties, hanging out in stairwells, etc).

If it were really cheap (say $50 a night) I could maybe see a reason to stay there, but when we stayed it was $125. You can do much better in a condo for that price (try VRBO.com). We stayed in a very nice condo on the west side just south of Lahaina for $130/night. While it wasn't on the beach, it was very comfortable and had great views. http://www.westmauicottages.com/

There also smaller hotels all over the island in better locations. Keep looking.

Bartman, I was going to jump in with all that the other couple of posters said. Don't spend your vacation in Kahului, get a condo on the north (west) or south (west) part of Maui. If you are budget conscious, there are many reasonable places in Kihei.
Lahaina is fun for boating, night life, shopping, etc., but not for those expecting to walk out and kick back on a beach-centric vacation. Again, go north or south.

FYI - We stayed in this particular units (rented directly from the owner) in S Kihei. While it was only a ground floor garden view unit, the grounds were very nice, the place was relatively private, and it was just a short stroll down across the lawn and through the gardens to a great beach park (Kamaole Beach Partk 3) on the other side of the road:

http://www.vrbo.com/global/siteframe...vrbo/24976.htm

Looks like it is available for most of October with a rate of $99/night for that particular month. Place was clean and well-maintained - exactly as advertized. We definitely return again. Nice unit, great location, terrific price.

Posted several photos of the unit and grounds in my Maui photo album here:

http://community.webshots.com/user/lordbalfor

Ken

Never heard of ANYBODY spending a vacation in Kahului !! Do not do it !!