Maui Condo Recommendations - ok to use VRBO?
 

Hello! We were planning on vacationing in Maui in September and looking for a Condo rental b/w $100-$200 in the South Maui area. Some places we were thinking were Kamaole Sands, Maui Kamaole, and Ekahi Village (we could afford the upper village). Are there any opinions about any of these places or another place we should look at to rent? Also, would you be concerned about renting from VRBO? When I was researching places to stay it seems like there have been some horror stories from renters dealing with properties that are going into foreclosure and resulting in a not-so-memorable vacation.

My wife and I had a true "horror" story at a VBRO place in Kanaluopia.

I have used vrbo with generally favorable results. Be sure to verify that they have an on-island representative for things that might go wrong (plumbing, lost key, etc.). I also like to check real estate listings to make sure the unit I'm renting is not for sale. This is particularly important if renting several months in advance as new owners are under no legal obligation to honor existing bookings. An easy-to-use site for this is www.delmore.net.

I prefer to rent from established small on-island agencies who handle units in some of the properties you mention.
These are just 3 of the agencies I am familiar with who handle So. Maui properties:
www.aaoceanfront.com
www.bellomaui.com
www.aliiresorts.com

I've used vrbo for houses and condos on every major island. I have experienced no problems and found the owners to be very honest. I have also read some stories about unethical landowners. I am sure that some bad apples are out there so do your homework.

Have used VRBO numerous times with great results on all the islands, but I usually book properties who have been renting thru VRBO for at least a year and ones with lots of reviews. We are going in April to Maui, I did use onsite rental this time at Hale Pau Hana right on the beach in Kihei as the few units I found on VRBO for this property were booked for this time, their price was comparable to what the price was for VRBO properties, if interested to look at this property website is hphresort.com. Good luck

Pick your unit at upper Ekahi carefully as many of those units face Wailea Alanui Drive and the traffic noise could be an issue in some of those units. Location will dictate price. It is a nice complex and even though the walk down to Kewakapu Beach is a long one from those upper units (not that long), it is a fabulous beach...one of the best on island.

Have you looked at Palms at Wailea or the Grand Champions? Grand Champions is a fair drive from the beach, but can be walked. They represent a good value.