Rocky

We just got our frequent flyer tickets to Maui for next January (2006). This is our first trip to Hawaii and we are not sure how to break up the trip. We are thinking of staying in three locations (Kaanapali(4-5days), Hana (2-3days), and Wailea(4-5days). We will probably splurge on the Hana hotel, but would like to try and get a deal on the other two. To all the experts... will we get a better deal booking through Priceline or should we look for condo rentals. We would like to spend between $150 and $200 per night. We don't need Four Season luxury, but would like to be on the water and have a some ammenities (pool, close restaurant, refrig). Thanks for your help.

Rocky

Boxer

I can recommend the Maui Kai condos in north Kaanapali.

Husband and I stayed in unit 1003 (top fl. studio) for 13 nights in Dec. 04 (found it on VRBO "Vacation Rentals By Owner"). We found it to be perfect. Very low key .. read: not a luxury hotel. Close to everything. Walk to the Star Market and other small restaurants. The Maui Kai is planted directly on the sand - every unit has fabulous views. The location of the Maui Kai building is right in between The Embassy Resort and the Mahana condos.

Haven't stayed at The Mahana condos but the building looked nicely maintained and it is also smack on the sand with unimpeded ocean views.

As our unit at the Maui Kai was a studio (e.g. good for 2 people) we paid a very reasonable US$125 a night (including tax).

Check out Aloha condos and they have, I think, 3 Maui Kai units they represent and I think they are one bedrooms.

If you check on Tripadvisor.com you will see that the Maui Kai has almost uniformly good reviews.

You may find you don't want to bounce around between different accommodations. I know once we were "planted" at the Maui Kai I was happy to come "home" every night. We did drive to Wailea and snorkel at Ulua beach and Ahihi Cove. Also spent 3 or 4 days on the beach at Napili Bay (5-10 minutes from the Maui Kai).

Whatever you choose, you will LOVE Maui.

carbogilligan

We have stayed at the Maui Kai twice now and agree with Boxer. A great deal for the price. We opt for the one bedroom corner unit as it has a roomier feeling with windows on two sides of the unit. You can make reservations thru the front office too. Check out www.mauikai.com. Booking thru the maui kai, gives you daily maid service. The views from all units are awesome!

Samson7256

I recommend taking a look at www.stayonmaui.com. I booked unit 1017 for $165/night (plus tax) for 10 nights in June 2005, directly w/ the owner. The room is in the Mahana, which as the previous posters indicated, is right next to the Maui Kai. I haven't stayed there yet but from looking the pictures online, it seems to be a great deal.

biker

We used Priceline - staying at the Hyatt in May-Jun for $160. The Sheraton typically goes for $150, both on Ka'Anapali Beach. We also used it for a car and got a convertible for $20/nite, which is by far cheaper than any other bargain I found.
However, January is high season, so you may have to consider bumping your bids a bit.
Biker

ajcolorado

We stayed at the Hale Kai last June and absolutely loved it. www.halekai.com. It had a kitchen complete with dishwasher, full stove, frige etc. The view was fantastic and we felt very close to the water. The saltwater pool was cleaned every night. It was close to Lahaina but not too close and close to some great snorkel spots like Honolua Bay.

We also looked at the Kahana Sunset: www.kahanasunset.com

Rocky

Thanks for the ideas. It seems that most people are staying in one location. Is Kaanapali and Wailea close enough to do day trips without driving a lot. We don't want to enjoy an afternoon at the beach and then have to drive an hour to get back to the room.

Boxer

As I recall it was approx. a 45 min. to one hour drive from north Kaanapali to Wailea. That is why we really based ourselves in the Kaanapali/Napili area for beaching ... only 10 min. home from either place.

I know that people drive to Mama's Fish House near Pa'ia for dinner from Kaanapali and it is an hour's drive both ways. I just wasn't up for that so we ate nearby. Sansei in Kapalua, Roy's in Kahana, The Sheraton in Kaanapali.

My choice for accommodation in Maui would be a condo over a hotel. The hotels are much more crowded. It's nice to come "home" to a quiet place at the end of the day. You can go out to the hotels and experience what they have to offer (bars, restaurants, see their pools, etc.).

If you have the inclination, try the buffet at The Ritz Carlton up in Kapalua and after breakfast have a little lie down on one of their nice lounge chairs by the fabulous pool. If I had the means I'd stay there in a minute.

dantheman

The Mana Kai looks very nice and sits on a nice beach at the beginning of Wailea. There are a couple units advertised on VRBO. The Maui Kai looks very nice also. I enjoyed the Wailea area when we stayed there this past February. I paid $280/night at the Grand Wailea. I usually go the condo route or private home route but the Grand Wailea was very nice. I like the beaches better in Wailea. I feel you have a larger variety of dining choices in Wailea also since you are so close to Kihei. You can choose from fine dining at the resorts in Wailea or inexpensive in Kihei. You can't go wrong with either location. I also enjoy the Huelo area.

OldSouthernBelle

We thought about splitting our stay up like yours, but decided to just stay 5 nights at Maui Kai and 3 at Mana Kai (for the reasons stated above). Will let you know how that goes after July.

Enjoy! Belle.

lindsayjoy77

I stayed in Kihei for 8 nights at Menehunu Shores and loved it. The group I was with had 4 different rooms and we ended up paying no more than $70 a night. Our rooms were one bedroom and living room with a pull out couch and full kitchen. There was also a washer and dryer. We had a really good time. You need to check out the Swap Meet on a Saturday morning in Kahului from 7-12. I got lots of souvenirs really cheap. T-shirts 5 for $10 and the popular wrap pants for $5 a pair. They sale for $25 in stores. It only cost $0.50 to get in.

rjscott

A lot of people break up their stay on Maui b/t the Kaanapali area and Wailea or South Maui. It eliminates a lot of driving, especially if you want to try the beaches in one area, but are based in another.
I think you are allowing too much time in Hana. There really isn't much there, and although staying there is a great idea to be able to do the Road to Hana in a leisurely manner, I think 1-2 nts would be more than sufficient.

rjscott

Thanks for all the good reviews on the Maui Kai. We're booked there for a week at the end of Nov. It looks great on their website, and I do trust my TA, who specializes in Hawaii, but it's always reassuring to have first-hand feedback. Belle, be sure to post a trip report upon your return.

Trisha

We are staying at the Maui Kai for the same reasons Boxer described. Boxer, did you go to Black Rock to snorkel or Dig me Beach? I'm curious if you did because it looks like it's within walking distance from the Maui Kai.

crazy4Hawaii

dantheman-
How did you get such a great deal for the Grand Wailea? I paid a lot more than that for a terrace room!

Rocky

Thanks for keeping this thread alive. I still haven't decided where we are staying. I have decided to stay in Hana for only one night and split the rest of the time between Kaanapali and Wailea. With all the choices out there, it's really hard to make a decision. I want my first Hawaiian experience to be close to perfect. I usually can make these vacation decisions easily????? I guess I am just over thinking the whole thing.

rjscott

Rocky, yes, with all the choices, you are probably overthinking your decisions. Check tripadvisor.com to see firsthand reviews of some of the hotels you're considering. Maybe that will help. Most places in Kaanapali are on the ocean, but not all units are oceanfront, so if you want an oceanfront room/condo, be sure to specify that. All units in the Maui Kai are oceanfront, as are the units in the Mahana. As for pools, some have decent pools, others have small ones, so if a pool is important, be sure to check that out. Personally, I really prefer a condo over a hotel room. You have a more room, even with a studio (vs a 1 BDR)and having a kitchen and full-size refrig gives you some options.

Trish, here's a website that will give you an idea of where accommodations are in relation to each other. The Sheraton is at Black Rock. http://www.mauiaccommodations.com/w-map.html

Boxer

Trisha:

We had a rental car and drove to the Sheraton in Kaanapali. You could, I suppose, walk to the area of Kaanapali Beach where Black Rock is but I don't know if you can get around the outcropping of Black Rock on the beach, you might have to go up onto the road.

We parked at the Whaler's Village. We enjoyed the snorkling at Black Rock but I enjoyed it much more at Napili Bay. There were a lot of young guys jumping from the rocks at Black Rock and that kind of put me off. The beach is nice but can be windy.

One of my favourite evenings in Maui consisted of having drinks at the poolside bar at the Sheraton (starting at approx. 4:30) and waiting for the sun to set and the tiki torch light ceremony. We sat right at the edge near the sand. There were two guys singing and playing ukeleles at the poolside who were really good. Tasty mai tais (plastic cups but, oh well).

I hope that all of you who have booked your stays at the Maui Kai enjoy yourselves as we did. As I have posted before, we stayed in a studio unit on the top floor (#1003). Our unit was just right for two people (no more). It had been newly remodeled and everything was very nice. It was breezy up there though ... you could get quite a cross breeze going if you had the sliders and your front door open.

I have read some trip reports lately describing unhappiness with the painting going on at the Maui Kai. Hopefully that will be finished by the time you arrive. As I also reported we dealt directly with an owner and had absolutely no problems. The owner's representative lives on Maui and was available by cell phone if we needed her (which we didn't). I personally didn't care for the front desk people and other than on our arrival day, didn't ever go in the office.

We only used the Maui Kai pool on our last day. It is behind the building so there is no view of the ocean. However, it was warm and sunny and you can bring your own beverages down and keep them in the refrigerator. Fine for reading a book, having a beer and just basically relaxing.

We were on Maui for 13 nights and used our rental car every day. Our favourite beach for lounging was Napili Bay. In fact, I would like to stay at the Napili Kai or one of the other condos on Napili Bay next time.

nancytwo

One night in Hana would be enough for me while it is beautiful and it takes forever to get there once you get there is not much to do.

Deblynn

Rocky;
That's what we did; split up our time between Kaanapali & Wailea. Didn't have enough nights for a stay in Hana, but wish we would have. Just got back a couple of days ago. Stayed at the Sheraton in Kaanapali for first 4 nights, and they were great. Had reserved a partial ocean view room and upon check-in they upgraded us to an oceanfront room atop black rock because it was our anniversary. It was great!! They sent us a bottle of champagne upon arrival, the snorkeling at Black Rock was awesome!! We went early, about 7-7:30 am before cliff divers started. No winds that early and the snorkeling was great; seen tons of tropical fish, eels, and lots of turtles. Stayed for the last 5 nights in Wailea area at the Maui Prince. It was nice too, but still liked the Kaanapali area for more variety of restaurants and being able to walk to everything from the Sheraton. If you like hiking to waterfalls, etc., plan on at least 1 night in Hana. We did a daytrip and left @ 6:00 am and hiked only a couple of good waterfall trails and the bamboo forest, and we didn't get back until after dark. Wished we would have had one night at the Hotel Hana. Good luck and have fun!! We can't wait to go back, it's a wonderful paradise!!!