If you only have 5 nights for Maui, OK to split 3 FS and 2 Hotel Hana Maui or better to stay in 1 place?
 

Not going to Hawaii till Sept 2005 but we've decided to stay at the FS Maui instead of the Ritz for our 5 night say there. We got the $425 Mountainside/Car included/Breakfast included deal. This will be the end of a trip that starts in Oahu for 4-5 nights (for a convention), then the BI at the Hapuna most probably for 5 nights, ending up with Maui for 5 nights. I just happened to be checking on cool stuff to do in Maui and I noticed alot of people take the road to Hana (which and I my wife have both done before but it's been 15 years) and then stay at the Hotel Hana Maui at Hana Ranch. Some of the Trip Advisor reviews on it say they liked it more than the FS Maui as it's incredibly relaxing and not near as crowded. It got me thinking... should be maybe stay at this incredible place too? Should we steal a day from the BI to do it and do 3 nights at the FS and 3 at Hotel Hana? We fly out that last day... wouldn't it be a VERY long drive out of Hana to get back to the airport, as opposed to just staying at the FS and leaving from there? If we stayed at Hana-Maui first, then it would be a very long drive the day we land there to get to the "Ranch". Is this just complicating our trip trying to stay here too? My wife doesn't like to change hotels alot, which is another consideration. In all actuality, we originally decided to blow off the road to Hana on this trip as it's a LONG day... and we've both done it. BUT, if we could take the road and just stop at the end and do the hotel for a couple of days, that might work...

What would you do?
Steve

Perhaps, and this is just a suggestion, fly into Maui early morning and head to Hana. The later start after flight and car pickup will mean a pleasanter ride, with no rush to get to anything. And then 2 nights before heading to 4S!!! I never have enough time in Hana, but two nights is always better than one!...and you can get an early or late start to Wailea. Fun!!!

That's a good idea, going straight to Hana after an early morning flight from the BI. Leaving Maui at the end of the trip all the way from Hana that last day wouldn't be that stress-free! Do you think it's worth staying in Hana even though we have but 5 total nights on Maui? And lastly, if we can't afford the Sea Ranch Cottages, are the Garden View Junior suites still pretty great? I haven't seen one review on Trip Advisor of these Garden View cottages. http://hotelhanamaui.com/rooms_rates.shtml

I'm guessing, how bad could they be at 697-835 sq. ft. each... Most people say you MUST stay at the Sea Ranch Cottages, but they are VERY expensive. The Garden View cottages are $375 vs $500 for the expensive cottages.

Thanks,
Steve

Hotel Hana Maui is nice and I love Hana, but do you really want to pack and unpack AGAIN? It is a personal thing, but frankly when I visit the islands now, one island is enough, and I like to unpack 8-) and pack :'( only once. If you were spending the entire non-Oahu time in Maui, then 3 or 4 nights in Hana would seem more doable to me. To paraphrase something Kal posted a while back, I'm no longer a "hopper". I'm more of a "flopper". Have fun planning. My suggestion: Stick with the FS for the 5 nights. Whatever you decide, it sounds like you are in for a great and memorable trip.
-Bill

Personally, I stick with FS (though we actually stayed next door to it at Kea Lani, which we loved - all the rooms are hugh suites). I like to unpack and feel settled in, but that's me. Also, Hana is really out on its own - not much there at all (with the exception of the natural beauty). Definitely rent a four wheel drive vehicle for the Road to Hana - if you don't you have to drive the whole road back the way you came. With 4 wheel drive you can do a loop and not retrace your steps - we didn't rent 4 wheel drive and regretted it. Have a great time - there is so much to do one Maui (not to mention good ol' relaxing), why waste time changing hotels? :-)

I would stay in one place.

Great advice, fodorites... I think you're right. There are ALOT of great hotels and places to see on the islands, but picking up, packing all that stuff all over again, turning in one rental car to get the free one we get at the FS for our stay there all takes, time, stress and most likely alot of frustrating moments. I guess it's better to keep it simple and just stay at the FS for the 5 nights.

Once again, I appreciate your input.

Steve

I just wanted to comment on the post about needing a 4WD vehicle to do the whole road to Hana. We just got back from Maui about a week ago, and we did the entire Hana loop in a compact rental. It's very bumpy, but the car handled it just fine. I don't think it would've been any less scary in a 4WD vehicle.

we had a trip last year, 6 days on Oahu followed with 4 days in Maui. We split Maui with a stay the last night in Hana (our flight the next day was a red-eye). We were really glad we did because we didn't have to leave for the Road to Hana super early and once we got there, we were able to explore the areas without keeping by a time schedule. Also by finishing the drive the next morning, we had a lot of time to see Oheo Gulch and hike to Waimoku Falls, (stopping for dips in lava pools, hiking through a bamboo forest) this was a great experience. We didn't know if we'd ever be back to Maui, so we wanted to get the most out of the short stay. If we ever go back, since we've seen the popular sites we can just relax. We don't pack a lot so changing hotels to get the most of a trip doesn't bother us, just adds more adventure :)

Also, we liked the jeep wrangler, driving with the top down seemed to enhance the experience, gave us a better look at the scenery.

In Hana last July, we stayed at the Hana Hale Malamalama. Their website is www.hanahale.com. My trip report with lots of details is http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34436140.

It's right on Hana Bay and the property is lush and beautiful. We stayed in the Bamboo Inn Villa, a big two story villa with a full kitchen, a big glass block shower, and a freshwater tub on the porch! I think it was $225 a night. There's fresh tropical fruit in an open-sided hut overlooking the waterfall and fishpond each morning with the owner who is very nice and laid back.

It's a good alternative if you're looking to spend a little less, and there's several other housing options on the property for different rates.

love
roxy

Thanks Roxy... great trip report. I DID read it before via the search function and reread it again tonight. Sounds wonderful. We've both been to Hana before 15 years ago with different spouses, and originally in our 2005 Maui plans we thought we'd blow it off and try other stuff... that's until I started reading trip reports from Maui and about how great the Hotel Hana was.

I'll let some time go by and see how we feel about leaving the deal we have at the FS and maybe changing hotels midstream to do the Hotel Hana. I'm guessing my wife would rather just stay planted in one hotel so I'm not sure Hotel Hana will work after all. I showed her the pics on their website and she got excited about it, but I still just don't know.

Steve

There are no wrong choices, as you will love and make beautiful memories wherever you arrive. If you believe your cup is half full, you will know you have arrived where you should and take advantage on you destination of choice and all it has to offer. And this positive living works from 1 star to 5 star.

gyppielou,
I like your viewpoint! You are right!
Great way to look at things! Thanks for putting things in perspective!

mahalo Ashley
I am trying to become a kinder, gentler gyppielou!

It sounds like you have made up your mind not to split the trip but here are my two cents worth. We went to Hana for our first two days in Maui. We had the typical Mustang convertible and loved having the outside around us. Two nights in Hana is enough but we surely loved it. We actually loved our day driving past Hana even better than the drive to and from Hana. We had a deluxe junior garden suite, though we had booked a junior garden suite. It was totally comfortable, spacious and understatedly luxurious. We had one more day in Maui than you are planning so didn't find the moving around too much. Have fun!

Thanks for the perspective. I think we'll just keep it simple and stick with the FS after all for the entire stay in Maui and maybe blow off Hana altogether. We've both done it before, and we love relaxing, and seeing new things. Maybe we'll take a day trip to Haleakala and do the hike on the slippery sands trail (or whatever it's called) instead. Neither of us has done THAT.

Otherwise, the free rental car from the FS will have to be returned if we change hotels to do the Hotel Hana also, we'd have to get another rental car... and other aggravating stuff will happen too with the room change. If I was single, I really wouldn't care, but I don't want to put my wife through anything stressful at the end of a long trip away.

I hope we've made the right decision... I'm sure we have. There really aren't any wrong decisions here.

Steve

Steve, last year we spent a 6 nights at the Hotel Hana Maui and one night at the FS Maui. I have to tell you we hated the Four Seasons after being in Hana...it seemed so anti Hawaii. The FS wa busy, crowded, with wall to wall people on the beach and at the pool. Women in latex bikinis with gold chains etc. I guess it's all in what you enjoy, but we loved the serenity of the Hotel Hana Maui, the scenery, being the only ones at the pool and the beach, reading a book and going horseback riding along the ocean. If you want to be busy busy busy, go out to eat at different restaurants, and shop, then Hana is definitely not for you. I will tell you the service at the FS is outstanding and they will do everything to make your stay enjoyable.

Thanks travelchik. Great info... I wish I knew the perfect answer to my question for us. We like to relax, we like to shop, we like quiet, we like excitement, we like something totally different, we like standard fare... Maybe we should shave 1 night off our 5 night BI stay and do 3 nights at Hana Maui and 3 nights at the FS.

I wonder if 4 nights on the BI is enough? I think we basically want to relax by the beach at the Hapuna Prince (which will probably get boring after 2 hours for me as I can't take much sun), see some volcanic activity, and maybe hit Hilo for a couple of hours. I'm guessing 4 nights will be enough!

Lost in thought,
Steve

Stever

WE have a trip planned to Maui, Kauai and Honalulu for Sept. We are staying 6 nights in Maui. We are staying all 6 nights at one hotel but we are staying 1 night at the Hotel Hana Maui so we don't have to do the road in one day. I know it is extravegent two have 2 hotels for the same night but this way we don't have to check out of the first one so we can just take an overnight bag. We can't wait to stay at the Hotel Hana Maui even if we can only afford the one night.

Our plan is to go all the way around the road in a convertable if the weather conditions are Ok for doing that.

To Kaymit: Thanks for your response. I'll bet you're one of the only ones out there to ever do it this way! Pretty cool plan. Are you staying in the Sea Ranch cottages or the cheaper cottages? Just curious. What is the other hotel you're staying at in Maui?

We're still not sure what to do... Maybe 4 nights at the FS and 2 at the Hana Ranch.

As long as I get to drive to the top of Mauna Kea in a 4X4 to experience the highest point in Hawaii (on the Big Island while we're there), I'm happy doing that for our now reduced 4 nights on that island...

Steve

Steve

Hi Stever

We are staying at a moderate resort Napili Kai Beach Resort in an oceanview studio for 6 nights and in an oceanview sea ranch cottage at Hotel Hana Maui.

My husband is not an early morning person and this way we can leave a little later since we are spending the night and take our time at the stops we make and then the next morning be at the 7 sacred pools and Lynberg's grave long before the crowds get there. Plus we don't have to check in and out of hotels just pack an over night bag. This way if someone did break into our car on the drive up they would not find anything but overnight stuff. Plus we will get to spend time at the beach near Hotel Hana Maui and experience this wonderful hotel if only for one night.

Hope this helps you in your decision

Kay

Steve, in helping you make your decision...since it's been awhile, the road to Hana drive takes around two hours without stopping (if I remember correctly). If you want to stop and see waterfalls and/or beaches longer. I think two nights in Hana and the rest at the FS would be enough...After the long drive you will be ready to just sit and relax...then take the next day to explore.

We stayed in a sea ranch cottage which was nice, but honestly our "view" of the sea was blocked by some sea grapes/palms out front so it wasn't all that. I believe the junior suites garden view will be just as nice. They were renovating them last year while we were there. You won't be missing anything by staying there. How much will you be sitting in your room anyway? There is a beautiful pool at the hotel and expansive grounds to wander around on.

I need to tell you that there is nothing to do there however other than the following: sitting by the pool, reading, swimming in the pool, going to Hamoa beach, horseback riding, and hiking in Haleakela National Park...I mention this because of the sun factor. No stores, restaurants or anything other than the Hotel. It does rain more on that side too so that could help with the sun thing.

We drove back to the FS the other way around, in our rental car. It was fine, just a few gravely roads. We stopped at the winery on the way down to the FS, this could be fun for you if you decide to stay in Hana.

Thanks again!
Travelchik - from a monetary standpoint I like your idea about staying in the cheaper (by a $100 a night!) Bay Cottage (garden view room) by the main building... that's alot of free food for the $$$'s difference. I talked to a lady that works the desk there today and she RAVED about the Sea Ranch cottages over the Bay cottages, though. She said if we can swing it, it's definitely worth the difference in money. Hmmmmmm. Not sure about that one. She also said they do a 10% discount (which helps) for AAA but the reservation lady wasn't in. I always get her voice mail! This place must be really small:o)

Kaymit: That sounds like a good plan you have there to have BOTH rooms at one time for your purposes. Lucky your other room isn't TOO expensive. My wife wouldn't allow for the 2 room at one time deal. I think we might do the first 2 nights in Hana Ranch now and the last 4 at the FS. Still not totally sure...

Now: Bay cottages vs $100 more for Sea Ranch cottages. ????

Steve

steve...IMHO it's a good choice to stay in Hana. It will allow you to do the drive at a more relaxed pace, and even though you both have done the road to Hana before, maybe you'll have time to see some sites you missed before. We stayed one night in Hana and even with that missed some spots. Plus, after all the deliberations, at this point, if you decided against it you may find yourself staying at the FS the entire trip and wondering if you missed out by not staying in Hana too.

3 islands, sounds like you're in for a great trip!

ggrtist: Thanks for the comment and spot on, too! That sounds like a plan. I'd hate to NOT have done the Hana part of the trip, and wonder if we should have just "gone for it".

Now: to spend the extra money for the Sea Ranch vs the Bay cottages...

$375 vs $495 a night. Ouch for the $495 rate, you know!? Even with the 10% AAA discount it's steep for us, but doable if need be. Anyone stay in the Bay Cottages and wish they had sprung for the Sea Ranch ones? Or were they just fine as is?
http://hotelhanamaui.com/rooms_rates.shtml

Steve

Steve, here's my two cents. We stayed in a deluxe ocean view sea ranch cottage with spa. Room looks exactly like when you go to hotelhanamaui.com and click on the first pic in their photo gallery. I didn't think it was worth the money and I'll tell you why. 1. We barely had a view of the ocean. If you went out to the end of your deck and craned your neck around you could see some ocean waves in the distance. 2. We spent 95% of our time at the pool and wandering around, eating dinner, and going to Hamoa beach. I would only recommend the sea ranch cottages if you were going to book the Ocean Front category since those do have great views. The only advantage to the cottage we booked was the spa on the deck and perhaps a little more privacy, however not much since these are duplex style in case you did not know so you still have a neighbor. If you book the bay cottage and you want to see the ocean the resort has adirondack chairs set up all on the large grassy area that overlooks the ocean and you can sit out there and gaze if you wish. There is a pic of those in the photo gallery page 2 I think. Save your $$ and spend it for a nice dinner in the restaurant or get a massage at their spa.

To Travelchik - Your 2 cents has turned into $100 for us!!! I'll take you up on your suggestion and just book the cheapie room and save the rest for yummy food. I'm assuming that this is the type of place that doesn't upgrade you based on availability :o) , right? I'm sure we'll be happy without the ocean views.

Fodors is invaluable due to kind people like you. Try to get this kind of unbiased info from ANY travel book.

Steve

Steve, enjoy and post when you come back. I'm interested in hearing your opinions of the FS (which was too plastic/fakey for me). I do think the service can't be beat. Wonderful. I forgot to mention that the Hotel Hana Maui also has a hot tub at one end of the long pool. You can sit in there and see the entire view of the ocean and beyond. It was better than the one on our Sea Ranch deck by far. Food in the restaurant is expensive but equal to the prices in other Hawaii resorts. There is a small lunch place across the road that is also owned by the restaurant that is a bit cheaper. But the food is kind of gross. Good for a hot dog or ice cream and that's about it. I don't know what nite you will be there but one night the resort invites all the guests up to the plantation cottage and offers free drinks and food. I think it was called the manager's cocktail party. My goodness I ate my entire dinner up there.

I don't think they'll give you an upgrade but you never know. Very small only 65? rooms in total....but nice to experience once.

Travelchik: I most certainly WILL post a just back report when we return, hopefully telling everyone how great the Bay Cottages were in relation to the money charged for them.

Great perspective you have. Thanks for sharing it.

Steve