Maui & Kauai
 

I am looking into planning a trip to Maui for one week and Kauai for one week. Anyone have any advice on resorts to stay on these islands. Are there any all-inclusives and is there a time of year that is better than another both weather and price wise.

I recently planned the same trip for my family! Because we have a child who loves pools and the tropical resort experience, we chose the Grand Wailea and the Kauai Hyatt. The way I understand it, winter is "on season" and summer is "off season". Going anytime is expensive if you go the resort route! If you want to stay on the lush north shore of Kauai the weather in winter can be very wet. Let us know what your priorities are and whether children will be going. You will get lots of good advice from seasoned Hawaii travelers and locals on this site.

Also, I haven't heard of any all-inclusives on these islands.

The Grand Wailea is the best resort I have ever stayed at! Great pool (almost like a water park)for kids
Also the Kea Loni is amazing! A must try is the restaurant Nick's Fish Market! Its to die for!

MY husband and I took our 4 kids(ages 12-19)to Maui last July and we stayed at the Kea Lani. It was wonderful. We stayed in one of the villas which are situated between the pools and the ocean. It was absolutely perfect. Tons of room and your own private plunge pool. Nick's is a great restaurant(the kids loved the flaming dessert they have). At night a man goes around dressed in full Hawaiian garb lighting all the torches,and all of the little children follow him. At night the place is breathtaking.

There are no all inclusives. Have stayed at Hanalei Bay Resort in PRinceville and the Hyatt on Poipu. Both are great.

I took my teenage daughter and her friend last summer to Maui and stayed at the Outrigger Wailea Resort. It was serene and beautiful. It had a quieter grandeur than the nearby Grand Wailea and it cost less. The beach was beautiful, the service was excellent and for us it was the perfect resort. The concierge assisted us in finding plenty of activites to fill our days when we wanted to go beyond the beach or the pool. We walked less than 200 feet to the fancy mall to satisfy our shopping urges, went sailing, snorkeling, dining, and traveled to Hana for a day and a night. The weather was perfect.

We went to Maui last year and stayed at the Hyatt on Kaanapali and loved it. We are going back to Maui for 1 week and Kauai for 1 week on April 15 and I can't wait. We went by ourselves last year but we are taking our 23 year old boys with us to Maui this year and another couple will meet us in Maui also. We decided to stay at The Whaler on Kaanapli because that is where the action is. Our boys and our friends will be leaving us on the 22nd and we will go on to Kauai and Pu'u Poa Condos on the north shore. That is where we will have our down time and our alone time we enjoyed so much last year. In short, we decided to split our two weeks up and do totally different things, one active and one totally relaxing. I think we will love both. Good luck with planning your vacation.

WuWuWu,

Just curious why you aren't staying at thy Hyatt again when you loved it so much. Is the Whaler better for teens because that's where the action is??? I ask this because where considering the Maui Hyatt at Christmas with our teen boys.

Thanks.

The Hyatt is in the heart of the Kaanapali action as well. They're probably having a bigger crowd with them this time. Condos prevent the need to rent multiple expensive resort rooms! Am I right?

I'm not sure what happened to my reply but here goes again. We loved the Hyatt. It is in a great area and the pool is very nice. If I had two teenage boys (I had three) I would probably opt closer to Whaler's Village where everything is so convenient. We are staying at The Whaler condos because our boys (now in their 20's) will be visiting us for a few days and we have friends that will be in Maui at the same time. We thought it would be a good place to hang out and maybe even cook a meal or two at home. You can't go wrong either way.

Regarding Maui...I know you are planning a trip for your honimoon. We stay at the Grand Weilea (kids ages: 12+10)...wonderful! If you want total peace and quite stay at the Fairmont or the 4 Seasons...Regarding food...We love the best and I go to great lengths and research. Since we are only on Maui this time for 5 nights, we are planning 2 at Nick's Fish Market at the Fairmont - this restaurant is by far our favorite! The kids still talk about the Tahitian Vanilla Icecream. Since we eat fish 3+times a week the fish selection is beyond wonderful - great view of the beach - great service - very upscale. We also plan to go to Pacifico's which is at the end "main strip" shopping area after buying gifts for home. Pacifico's has a wonderful view and is beach front dining. It is also upscale and very memorable. Mamma's Fish House has lovely beach view and atmosphere but the food was a few steps down. It is a good restaurant for lunch or to try another good one - just not as good as the two above. There is zero view at Halimaila General Store which is not in a good beach location, but, if you love exceptional food here is our 2nd/3rd favorite - and we are going back. We always eat light for breakfast & lunch so I will add that the a la carte breakfast at the 5 palms with beach front dining is well worth it. We walk to it and enjoy the more simple fare. I am willing to consider other places to eat (we liked Longhi's) but, we are very picky. We have world class dining in our area (Washington, DC suburbs) so ethnic food is what we are too used to.

Trip advise: There is a Costco near the Maui airport (and a good grocery) - we purchased a cooler, snack foods, wine/beer/and makings for blender drinks to make in our room....I even bring my own blender. My husband was quite upset with the grocery bags at such a nice resort until he saw the other carts - they ALL had grocery bags! It saved us money and made it easy for us to avoid some of the nickel and dime issues at our resort. I hope this helps. Best regards!

Marina,
I was so excited to find your post. We will be heading to the Grand Wailea with our ten year old daughter in June. So many people trash this resort! It's great to hear from someone who likes it. I love good restaurants and have Nick's Fishmarket and Sarento's on my list. (Have done Mama's and feel like I can skip it this time.) Were any of the restaurants at the resort worthwhile? Any other tips for breakfast and other places to eat? Any other tips at all? Would love to hear as much about the resort as you feel like sharing. Mahalo!