Hawaii - 1st time-9days
 

Author: excited_confused
Date: 08/23/2005, 04:41 pm
Hi, I am visiting Hawaii for the first time from Dec 21st-30th with my family. We get into Honolulu in the evening so have to stay the night. I was hoping to cover both Maui & Big Island in the remaining 8 days, since we may not make it there again, is that too crazy? I am booked at the Ritz for 1 night & at the Best western for the remaining 3 in Maui( trying to average the price) & then at the Big Island Waikoloa Hilton for 3 nights & I night back in Oahu. I need feedback from others who have stayed at these hotels. I am trying to stay within $2500-2700 for accomodation. Are the inter-island flights very unreliable as far as on-time performance? I don't want to spend time waiting at airports. Which areas in Maui/Big Island have less rain? We are beach people. Would welcome any advice/alternate suggestions.
Thanks

I think it would be a huge mistake to put yourself up at a Best Western in Maui. If this is a one time trip, I'd do it up right. No, you don't have to stay at the Ritz on Maui, but there are somewhat reasonable condos on the beach in nice areas. Where you stay will be a lot of how you feel about your vacation. The Lahaina, Napili, Kapalua areas are nice. There's condos like Napili Sunset (www.napilisunset.com) and others comperable that I think would give you a nicer experience than the Best Western.

I second that it would be a big mistake to stay at the Best Western in Maui. It is NOT a nice place. We stayed at the Maui Prince, and it was more reasonable than alot of places and yet still very nice accomodations! If you're going to Hawaii, do it right!!

I'll 3rd that notion to avoid the BW. Either throw down for a nice place the whole time or get a condo as tcapp said. We always stay at a condo in the Napili or Kapalua (Kahana Falls?) area ourselves...there are many lagoons that are unspoiled and uncrowded near Napili. Great for snorkeling or just laying around.

...and you're only a short drive from Lahaina.

I think you could stay down hear Kihei even a lil cheaper and probably? a lesser chance of rain...Somebody else would no better than me.

Since you state your family are beach people, I assume you already know that there is no real beach whatsoever at the Hilton, just some artifical lagoons. You can drive up to Hapuna State Beach Park which is not too far and enjoy the facilities there if you tire of the pools at the Hilton.

Another option would be to check prices at the Hapuna Beach Prince hotel as they periodically run some specials and see how the rates compare to the Waikoloa.

Thanks for the input. The problem with getting a condo was that they all seem to have a 5 or 7 night minimum for that time of year. The only one that I did find available was the Palms at Wailea (would love input from anyone who has stayed there) but the beach is 10 minutes away. I read great reviews of the beach at the Best Western.
I picked the Hilton because my sister spent a week there & loved it & because it seems to have a lot to offer.(We have 2 teenagers) I am a little concerned about the size & the time it takes to navigate the hotel itself. Any feedback anyone? Neither of the two Prince hotels are available for those dates.
Lastly, I am still waiting to hear if the schedule seems to crazy. Has anyone done 3-4 days per island?
Thanks.

3 islands seems like too much in your time frame, I think you should choose between Maui or the BI, you'll waste too much vacation time in the airports. These islands are somewhat similar in that each has its "wet" and "dry" sides. The BI has a lot of variety in its terrain - are you interested in seeing the volcano? Are you interested in driving to Hana? Each of these sighseeing trips will take up one long day.

I didn't know they had Best Westerns on Maui! The one on Keawakapu Beach is at least a nice location, I wouldn't want to stay in Lahaina town on my first visit to the islands.

3 islands would be way to hectic for my taste with only 9 days. Since you have a 1st and last night in Waikiki, that' s only a week remaining.

I would choose either Maui or Big Island. There's plenty to do on either for 7 days time. You'll save a little money and time, and have a more relaxing trip IMO.

Thanks again, we do not necessarily have to stay in Waikiki on the way back, our flight to the mainland is at 7.15pm so can fly in that day from BI.That will give us 5 days in Maui & 3 in BI. We definately do want to see Hana & the volcano in BI, and so a sunrise or sunset on the crater in Maui.I agree that it will be more relaxing not to do both, I just want to see as much as possible! Any thoughts on staying at the Palms in Wailea. I guess I should rule out the Best Western based on the earlier replies tho' I am still curious as to why it is so bad! Anybody know how the non oceanview rooms are at the Maui Prince?

You can look it up on tripadvisor.com and see what kinds of comments or complaints you find about any of the hotels.

The non-oceanview rooms that I have seen and stayed in at the Maui Prince were quite acceptable. Also, friends of ours stayed there last year, and plan to again, this fall. Rooms include a lanai, and the usual facilities for a hotel room in that price range. We would stay there again, no problem. While the beach is great there, as is the golf, it is a bit isolated from other places and activities, and while we enjoyed that, some people wouldn't. It is on the dry side of Maui, so the weather should be good. We got rained out of golf and the beach in Kapalua in late March, and yet Wailea never had a drop, so we went all the way there from Kapalua, 3 times! As far as doing that many islands in a short time, we did 3 islands in 15 nights before, but that was too much and we now settle on 1 island per week as being the best for us. You can, however, easily arrange a day trip on another island, if there is something specific that you are interested in, but that can get somewhat expensive. And as for the Hana trip, remember, its the journey, not the destination there. A lot of people get disappointed when they rush to Hana, and find out what's there, versus what they missed on the way....

If we are to stay longer in Maui itself, then another choice are the Lokelani condos, less expensive than the Prince. If anyone has stayed there or knows much about these. please let me know.
Thanks so much.