HELP!!! Renaissance Wailea, Wailea Marriott, or Maui Prince
 

HELP!!! My fiancee' and I are planning a trip to Maui in late September to be married. First trip to Hawaii. We've finally narrowed it down to these 3 hotels. But, just can't decide. I would definitely love some input from you experienced Hawaii travelers. We aren't looking for anything special. Just a nice big swimming beach!!! Wailea & Makena both sound great. I realize Maui Prince is secluded but is it really that far away from stuff to do? How far a drive is it from Wailea? Is there anything to do @ the resort itself or are we going to have to drive every single time we want to eat, shop, etc...

The Prince, Renaissance, and the Marriott are all within 5 minutes of one another. I think the Renaissance & Marriott are closer to The Shops of Wailea (restaurants & shopping). The Prince is the nicest of the 3. My personal 2 favorites are The Grand Wailea & Fairmont Kea Lani, but these are splurges. There will be more driving involved if you stay in Wailea (short distances). Many people go to Kaanapali to have everything centralized and within walking distance. Many of the hotels are high rises in Kaanapali along the same beach with a boardwalk that connects them and the Whaler's Village with many shops and restaurants.

We stayed at the Renaissance for our honeymoon back in 2000. The hotel was nice. Dinky pool, but the beach right in front of the hotel was perfect for playing in the wave and fairly good snorkeling.

Have fun!

"The Prince, Renaissance, and the Marriott are all within 5 minutes of one another" - this is incorrect

the prince is at least 15 minutes away down a long dark jungle road - it is beautiful, but secluded. We stayed at the Renaissance for our honey moon and loved the Marriott is next door(was the outrigger then)

The Renaissance has a beach with a snorkeling right off the hotel Marriot(outrigger) does not have as close beach access it is actually between two beaches Waliea and Mokapu - you have to walk down. The marriot was much larger and seemed less personal, but they have more of a pool.

The server at the Renaissance was spectaclular and the rooms were very good. IMO the Renaissance is the way to go. I would not have stayed at outrigger, but it might be nicer now that marriot took it over(alhough we stayed at the Kuaui marriot and did not care for it)

can't help much on the prince but the area is beatiful has lots of snorkeling and even sea turtles. one of my favortie beaches is near there(big beach state park)

We had a deluxe oceanfront room at Wailea Marriott last September- loved it (we were literally 10 feet from the water). September is a great time to visit Hawaii- pretty quiet. The Renaissance looked really nice- we went to the beach in front of them a few times. But we loved Makena beach in front of the Maui Prince and I said it would have been fun to stay there if we hadn't be splurging on the ocean front room. It is maybe 3 miles down the road from the other hotels so it feels secluded but isn't that far. I don't think you could go wrong with any of these- the Renaissance and Prince probably have nicer rooms than the Marriott. Also, the Marriott is on a rocky ledge between two beaches, not directly on the beach like the other two. The plus is that you are closer to the water from your room, negative is that you walk maybe 100 feet to get to a beach.

I stayed at the Marriott/Outrigger last month and was very happy with most aspects. I would certainly stay there again, but if so, I would be much more choosy about where my room is. One of the nice things about the Marriott is that it is a large, sprawling property with rooms located in a number of buildings around the property; thus it doesn't feel crowded. We stayed in the "tower," but I would want to be in one of the smaller buildings out closer to the ocean. Also, it has been raised here before, but there is construction on the south side of the property, between it and the Grand Wailea. The heavy equipment is out six days a week, and there is a lot of noise if your room is on that side. We walked up to the Renaissance, and it has very nice grounds. I'm assuming the rooms are fairly comparable.

One of the things I like best about Wailea is that with the walking path that connects the all the resorts and the easy access to Shops of Wailea (through the Marriott/Outrigger), you have many different restaurants and some good shopping at your disposal, without ever having to get in the car.

Unfortunately, I can't help re: the Prince. I stopped by for a quick look once, but that was 10 years ago.

Wherever you choose, you will enjoy it.

Friends who stayed at the Prince described the rooms as nice but sort of stark and sterile, as I remember. More of an Asian feel............ several years ago, but don't know if it is still owned by the same management. But, yes, you would need to get in the car to do anything that you weren't doing at the Prince. Makena Beach is gorgeous, tho, where it is located.

But you can't go wrong with the Renaissance........... I think it's terrific in every week (three vacations there.) Have fun whatever you decide!

The beach at the Prince ("Makena"-not to be confused with Big and Little Beaches) is beautiful and great for swimming. The restaurant has a first class Sunday buffet. The hotel is down the road in Makena, though they run a shuttle to Wailea. Recall they have their own boat operator for off shore adventures. Renaisance has 2 very, very good snorkeling beaches, Mokapu and Ulua. Amazing variety of sealife, especially considering the number of snorkelers who ply the waters. Outrigger has no beach, though steps away. You've picked a great area. If I wanted seclusion down south, I'd choose the Prince.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Does anyone know if any of these resorts have jetted tubs? How many swimming pools are there?

The Marriott has three pools -- two are in the main area and the third is a kiddie pool complex over on the south side (near the construction).

Here is a picture of the two main pools: http://community.webshots.com/photo/...28883026RIyFjp

The lower one is an infinity pool. You might be able to see in the picture that there are several hot tubs also in that area. Our room did not have a jetted tub, if that is what you meant.

There are a few other pictures in this album from around the grounds of the Marriott, as well as a picture of one of the beaches by the Renaissance and some along the Wailea walking path. These are all from my trip last month. Hope they are helpful.

Also, if you go to the Outrigger site (as opposed to the Marriott site), there is a fairly detailed map of the property.

kg2797, if you are looking for a Disney-esque pool, you won't find that at Renaissance Wailea, although they have a really nice, normal-sized one. They do have three outdoor jacuzzis nestled in the greenery near/around the pool. It is a lovely pool area, set in their beautiful gardens, but not anything like pools at the Grand Wailea, for example. I would chose the Renaissance in a minute!;-)

Nice pictures! Thanks! I guess I didn't clarify my question on the jetted tubs. Sorry. I was wondering if the rooms had jetted tubs in them. Thanks for the swimming pool info. I appreciate all. :)
It sounds like the Renaissance pool is pretty small. The Maui Prince pool seems small too from the Expedia website picture. I guess we would spend most our time at the beach but just in case we wanted to relax in the pool, I don't want it to be dinky & crowded.

Personally, I like to look at the ocean and swim in the pool! Love them disney-esque pools!

kg2797, I have not heard any complaints about the Renaissance pool. When we'd go out in the evenings after sightseeing, we'd have it all to ourselves. But it doesn't have a swim-up bar or water slides, like some of the pools at the mega-resorts. Of course, you're on a wonderful beach......... so we're out there a lot. You won't have anything but a wonderful time at any of them, but the Renaissance is my very favorite resort in Hawaii!:-)