Fairmont or Paia Inn
 

I would like to surprise my wife with a trip to Maui. We've never been and she'll never expect that I would plan a trip like this since Europe is our yearly destination. My heart was set with the Fairmont but came across the Paia Inn. Both are similarly priced so it really boils down to the experience. Has anyone stayed here and would share their thoughts? Can you comment on the location and the proximity to all he first time tourist would do in Maui. I am looking for a week's stay.

Thanks in advance.

Every visitor should do the first time they come to Maui - museums, restaurants, walks, scenic views, activities, sporting events, etc.
While adventurers hike the dormant Haleakala volcano, more relaxed travelers can soak up the sun on one of many different beaches or test the fairways at one of Maui's 14 golf courses.The island offers up its history and culture at sites like Iao Valley State Park, Banyan Tree Park and the Old Lahaina Luau.
All the best for your trip and your wife will be happy with this surprise.

thanks. are you familiar with the Paia area?

You could not have chosen two more "opposite" feeling places. The Fairmont is a big fancy hotel in a "development" - hotels, condos, beaches, shops, restaurants ---- beautiful but manicured. The Paia Inn is in Paia, which is a small charming town with a hippie-surfer dude vibe.

thanks sf7307. is Paia off the beaten path? do we need to go very far to see and things that a frist time visitor would do in Maui?

Paia is actually very conveniently located.

Paia would bore me silly after a day or two and it is not close to the nice beaches on West or South Maui.

Thanks for all your help. I may end up splitting my week between the 2 properties.

I've stayed at Fairmont. I've not stayed at Paia Inn. I'm rather surprised they are the same price point. I find it to be a bit pretentious for the environment, but staying in Paia has always been something I'd like to do.

I think splitting between a grand suite hotel only a 5 minute drive to Makena Big Beach and Paia Inn only a 5 minute drive to Hookipa to watch the surfers and windurfers for awhile would be a nice mix. I have often split my time between west south and Hana. I like splitting things up to take in each area more completely.

Inakauaidavidababy---- do you think its worth the effort to spend 3 nights in Paia and 3 nights at the Fairmont? By staying in Paia the whole time as our base, what do I give up?

We chose to stay at Paia Inn our first two nights on Maui. We did so because we had a Road to Hana/Helicopter tour reserved with Blue Hawaiian. We also wanted to see upcountry and explore Haleakala the next day. The Inn was very comfortable, the staff very friendly, the breakfast really tasty, and overall it just had a laid-back vibe. We enjoy that, and we really enjoyed the town too. I would not, however, spend my whole time there because it's not really a beach destination. We moved to a condo at Kapalua after that and enjoyed exploring that side of the island, as well as Lahaina and the beaches around Kihei. We aren't resort-type people so we didn't even consider a hotel. We like the convenience of having a condo. If I were to go back to Maui (probably won't), I would stay in a condo on Napili Bay. That was by far my favorite area on Maui.

Paia is a gateway gentrifide hippie surfing town that can get quite congested with daytripper traffic. You will have to cross that traffic to get to the beach. I would find it a blast for a couple of days. Like Austin, we rent condos and cottages more then ever now. But we did enjoy our grande resort stays.

What would you miss not staying at Fairmont? I'd miss quick daily access to Makena in a quick drive and off shore snorkeling walking distance. I'd miss taking a kayak out to visit the turtles. I'd miss morning strolls on the ocean path, watching the grande resorts wakeup and taking in the amazingly landscaped grounds. I'd miss evening strolls on the same path with a flashlight and enjoying the tiki torches and artwork . The grounds and art at each resort are impressive.

I think a blend of two very different experiences would be quite satisfying and exciting. Just make sure to pack a bag with your swimsuits in case you arrive earlier then check in. Then you are prepared to enjoy the pools and ocean.

thanks again guys. it gave me a lot of insight and clarity.

We normally stay in the Kaanapali area but always go thru Paia when we eat a Mama's Fish House, a must on every trip to Maui.

Inakauaidavidababy is right about the traffic. It is really a pain trying to get through Paia to Mama's.

If you are sure you want to spend a few days in Paia, you may want to look at the Inn at Mama's. They have some lovely cottages on their property. I've always thought it would be nice to stay there.

http://www.innatmamas.com/

bettyk, when we were recently at Mama's for lunch, we noticed a couple have a very affordable lunch with an order of Kalua pork $8 to eat with house bread and a shared soup and fish crudo. We had already ordered but they sopped up every bit of pork we almost ordered a side and bread to go but restrained.

I was lucky to be invited to be a guest at one of the cottages at the Inn at Mama's. We met friends for a week in West Maui and our friend made a mistake when she booked their condo and needed a place to stay their last night before flying home. They booked the cottage and invited us to join them. It was a really nice treat to have dinner at Mama's, then walk across the lawn to the cottage. Great location and view!

Impossible to believe Paia Inn is as costly as the Fairmont. No comparison. The inn is right ON the road -- they even supply 'white noise' machines. I'd stay there one night if I couldn't get into my condo or had to leave early. Cottages At Mama's are nice for a night or two -- superior to Paia Inn. This is NOT a wonderful swimming beach area.

Now...do you want the grande hotel experience? Wailea is full of them. Tops is Four Seasons. There's the new Hyatt Andaz. The Marriott Wailea is fine too. Most Old Maui Hands don't like the Grand Wailea due to its' "kid magnet' pool complex -- less awful when mainland schools are in session. Makena Beach Resort is just south.

MANY of us have left behind the single hotel room, fighting over lounges at the pools, tipping right and left, paying ridiculous 'resort' fees and valet parking. We book condos. Few visitors 'fly and flop', remaining on a resort property. Especially as a first-timer, you will be off exploring the island many days during your stay. Will you attend one of the two best luau in the state? (Lahaina) Will you take a snorkeling excursion to Lanai or along the coast? Visit piney Kapalua? Walk around the banyan on Front Street in Lahaina?

You need air, lodging, rental car. When will you visit? What are your best -- shortest, most comfortable -- flights?

chisue, you sure do ask a lot of questions without showing the courtesy of answering one very specific one - Have you stayed at either property? Do you know first hand what the sound conditions are at Paia? Which room did you stay in? Did you use the noise machine? Have you stayed at Mama's? Do you have first hand experience? And why oh why are you asking about their flights? Oh yeah, you insist that everyone take big body planes.

For me, Paia is a day-trip to grab lunch at the Paia Fish Market, do a little shopping and maybe watch the surfers. I prefer to stay in Wailea because there is excellent snorkeling at Ulua Beach and all the beaches there are long and beautiful to walk on, plus there are many more restaurants and services in the Wailea/Kihei area. We also have stayed many times on Napili Beach, which is a little more distant from some of the tourist sites, but it is a pretty beach with affordable rental options and more of an old-Hawaii vibe than Wailea. Napili also has a good small grocery and fish market nearby. You might enjoy the Napili Kai Beach Club, which is a small and low-key resort.

Another positive about Wailea and Napili: both have long oceanfront walking paths that are great and popular for morning exercise. The Napili one heads north towards Kapalua. The Wailea one winds along and past Wailea beaches.

Mama's Fish House is a pretty spot, and we have stayed in one of their non-view units, which was quite nice. It is a very tiny beach, but the food is great of course.

I would stay all 6 nights in either Wailea area or Napili (if you add another night you can get a condo more easily, which is worth it.) Another option is to stay at Mama's Fish House the night you arrive (especially if it's a long trip), which isn't far from the airport, and then see Paia for the day before heading over to Wailea or Napili for the remainder. In Wailea, try Ekahi or Ekolu for condos if you are able to go that route.

I think the two places are very different...Wailea is full of luxury resorts with multiple pools and large rooms with ocean views...this is what I equate the Fairmont with. If you want to feel like you're on a luxurious tropical vacation in an exclusive enclave then I'd go with the Fairmont.

The Paia Inn, is afterall, an Inn. It's much smaller, rooms will be quaint, it's boutique-y so probably done up nicely but you won't find the sprawling grounds you'd usually think of when you imagine a luxury beach resort in Hawaii. But if you like that sort of vibe and prefer smaller, more personable lodging, I think it'll be nice too. But for the same amount of money I'd personally choose the Fairmont hands-down. The all-suite rooms are a huge draw for me!

Paia has restaurants and shops (chic and beach-y) and I do like Mama's Fish house for a nice dinner. It is rather convenient to the airport and is on the start of the road to hana and close to the base of Haleakala, both of which are 2 main attractions. But I do think the traffic in Paia is horrendous (we were stuck there for close to an hour one day coming back down from Upcountry Maui).

Wailea has it's share of nice restaurants, many of them which are in other resorts, but Kihei has more casual fare and is a short drive away.