maddie123

My fiance and I are spending our honeymoon in Maui in mid July. We are staying for 9 days. I have two questions.

1. My original thought was to spend 4-5 days in Kapalua area and the remaining 4-5 in the Wailea area. For those that have traveled to Maui before, do you think this is a good idea? Would you suggest one area over the other and would you just suggest saying put in one spot?
2. We plan to stay in the Westin in Kapalua (haven't booked yet) but are torn between the 4 Seasons or the Andaz Maui for our Wailea hotel. I've heard GREAT things about the 4 Seasons from multiple people but do not know anyone who has stayed at the Andaz. We could afford a partial ocean or ocean view room at the Andaz but would have to do a mountain view at the 4 Seasons because of cost. I'm not that worried about the room view because we love to explore and would not be in the room all that much. However, we do want a very nice, luxurious feel with great service while we are there. We normally go really cheap on accommodations when we travel but want to splurge a little for our honeymoon. What would you suggest? (Looking for suggestions from people who have stayed at both hotels or who know people who have stayed at them).

Thanks in advance!

suze

Bringing this back up for you. I've been to Maui but can't help with any of your specific questions. Maybe someone else will chime in.

tom42

I've never been to Wailea but I've been to Kapalua (most recently in September) and Ka'anapali. The Westin is in Ka'anapali, not Kapalua. While the two areas are pretty close to each other, they are distinct. I like both areas. Ka'anapali is basically a long stretch of beach with lots of resorts lining it. Kapalua is quieter and more like a community. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua and loved it. There is a free Kapalua shuttle that takes you anywhere within the village. So we used that for off-property restaurants. But Ka'anapali is fun too. There's a beachwalk that runs the length of the beach which is nice and you have easy access to Whaler's Village for some shops and restaurants. And also an easy taxi ride to Lahaina.

Regarding moving between different areas - I guess I would ask what is your purpose in doing so? I've split a Hawaii trip before -but between Honolulu and Maui. I've never done it within one island. Not saying you shouldn't. I'd just suggest you think about the benefits are to you versus the hassle of packing back up, checking out, driving to the new hotel, checking in, unpacking.

tomfuller

My wife and I went to Maui in 2018. We stayed in a condo in Kehei. Maui is not such a big island that you can't get to the other side in less than half a day. If you can afford the splurge, stay at the nicest place for the whole time.. Are you renting a car at the airport or getting transport to your hotel with a bus or limo?
There is an area on the NW shore of Maui that is quite wild with a blowhole to hike to. Enjoy your honeymoon in paradise

raincitygirl

I've been to Maui many times. For the number of days you have I'd stay in one location only, if you have a rental car you can drive to different areas to look around. (that's just me though, I like to unpack once and stay awhile. If you don't mind packing up mid trip, then I'd say go for half in Kaanapali, half in Wailea)
In terms of location I guess it depends on what you want to do while there. If you stay in Kaanapali then you are just down the road from Lahaina which is a little busier at night time along Front Street. Fleetwood's (owned by Mick Fleetwood) is really nice, get a table on the rooftop, and if you are there for sunset they do a whole ceremony with a conch blower, tiki torch lighter etc. There's a fun place called the Dirty Monkey for drinks and dancing and I think they have karaoke too.

Wailea is gorgeous, with lots of different beaches but it is quieter at night than Lahaina/Kaanapali.
Out of your two hotel choices in Wailea, I like the Four Seasons because I love the beach in front of it, and well, it's the Four Seasons. The Andaz is newer and a little more up to date in terms of decor etc but personally I prefer the location of the FourSeasons. There is a nice beach near the Andaz (which you can also drive to from the Four Seasons, it's not far and there's parking). It's called Ulua beach, it's nice for snorkelling. Not good for boogie boarding as it's pretty calm, but you can see turtles there and there's kind of a reef off to one side so you can snorkel there easily.

Staying in Wailea you can drive to Makena State Park which is so lovely, not crowded, and there is Big Beach and Little Beach. (little Beach is a nudist beach). There are usually a couple of food trucks parked in the car park at Big Beach so if you get hungry you can wander up and get a bite. It's about an 8 minute drive from the Four Seasons. This is a beach with good waves for bodysurfing and boogie boarding but be careful here and always watch the waves for a while before going in as there is often a dangerous shore break here.

Have a wonderful honeymoon in paradise!

edjim

We've also been to Maui quite a few times, and you've gotten good advice so far. We have stayed each time in the Kihei/Wailea area and when we wanted to "go into town," we'd make an evening drive to Lahaina for the street vibe and bustle. Kimo's and other places have oceanfront dining. It doesn't take that long to get around Maui, so I would stay in one spot and take day trips. Don't miss the surfers at Paia and the upcountry with Haleakala. And of course there's the Hana Road -- plenty of threads on this forum, pro and con.
I think the beaches are better in the Wailea/south side, especially for snorkeling, but you might get an argument from others, especially fans of Black Rock and Kapalua.
Raincitygirl mentions several of our favorite beaches in the south.

Odin

I've been to Maui 3 times and prefer the Lahaina/Kapalua/Ka'anapali/Napili areas, have been to Wailea but found it too manicured and resort like but for a honeymoon it might be spot on. For another upscale area, Kapalua is lovely. Snorkelling is great at Honolua Bay, near Wailea is La Perouse Bay which is also excellent. It is not necessary to have 2 bases on a small island IMO.

tomfuller

If you do have a rental car, the cheapest gas on the island is at the Costco not far from the airport.

karenwhitworth

Personally I would not stay past Kahana. Thanks to the West Maui Mountains, the weather patterns can be rather wet once you round that end of the island. To be safe, I prefer Kaanapali or south of there for accommodations. While beautiful, Napili, and Kapalua can be very blustery and drizzly, far more so than just a mile or two south.

janisj

The OP is from January and almost certainly the trip is not happening, at least not as/when planned????

rkrank

I am dying to get back to Maui. #goawaycoronavirus.

Jean

The mandatory 2-week quarantine for out-of-state visitors has been extended to July 31, 2020.

Podie

I live on Oahu. The 14 day quarantine will be extended past July 31. BUT, they are working on a plan to waive the quarantine for people who present a negative covid19 test result from the previous 72 hours.