rachelnyc04

my husband and i are headed back to hawaii to celebrate our 5 year anniversary (a bit early) in january. although we honeymooned mostly on kauai which we loved, the winter weather is leaning us towards maui which we also enjoyed. this time around i have booked (cancellable) 5 nights first at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua followed by 5 nights at the Four Seasons Wailea. I figured in the beginning we'll be quite jet-lagged and tired from the travel from London so if the weather isn't perfect there and as the area seems a bit quieter/more remote, this would be fine for relaxing at the Ritz. also got what looks like a great deal with a club level ocean view room including 1 night free. by the time we get to the four seasons we'll be looking for a bit more action and nearby activity, off-premises dining, will do the road to hana which we didn't do last time, etc. Four Seasons have just a mountainview room as I suspect much more of our time will be spent out of the room and off the property for this part of the trip.

Firstly, does anyone have thoughts/recommendations on these hotels and in this order? Secondly, the many reviews of the Four Seasons pool crowd control and having to line up at 6am to get a chair, etc etc is worrying me. We are fine having a large-style resort which is busy with people but I hope this isn't so off-putting as to ruin an otherwise relaxing experience. i am also, for the record, not waking up at 6-7am on vacation to reserve a chair so if this is the only way possible to enjoy the adult pool, would like to know! (That being said, we are happy to walk a few minutes to the beach, etc, also - but if the crowds are the same everywhere this would be useful to know)

thanks for any and all help!

FrankS

While Kapalua isnt Kauai, expect the occasional brief morning showers and wind on January mornings as a common weather pattern. Expect more sun and calmer wind in Wailea but its not as pretty as Kapalua. Ive never had to line up for chairs at the FS, but Ive never gone there during the highest season.

For January, Id take a mountain view FS over a club level Ritz. btw: Dont expect a great OV at the Ritz- Personally I like to get the 'Resort View'(not Terrace) which often have about the same partial OVs as what Ritz calls OV for much less than an OV Club

ChiSue

Summer and Fall are good seasons for the Ritz. Kapalua is always breezy. In winter you are likely to have overcast, real *wind*, and rain. People complain that the pool area is too breezy at other times of the year. The hotel is built on a bluff, with the beach below. There are carts if you don't want to walk. Merriman's restaurant is nearby, with more choices farther south in West Maui in Kaanapali/Lahaina.

Four Seasons Wailea is a better choice. (South Maui is a better choice!) The ocean will be calmer, and you are better located to tour Maui's major sites: Haleakala, Road to Hana, Iao Valley. Each of the Wailea hotels has fine dining. There are several restaurants in Shops At Wailea and more free-standing choices.

I would tire of eating out for every meal for ten nights. Might you want a condo for a week, then 4S? Perhaps Honua Kai in Kaanapali if you want to stay West Maui part of the time. (I prefer South Maui and low-rise, low-density...Makena Surf?)

Might you want 4S Lanai for some of your stay?

ChiSue

I forgot to ask about your route TO Hawaii.

We go to Maui every winter from Chicago. We prefer 767's and 330's to the narrowbody 757's with uncomfortable seats in both coach and first class.


You have several East Coast choices to HNL from the mainland that avoid 757's and the West Coast. We take one nonstop Chicago-Honolulu then hop to Maui without leaving airport security. We can also fly Chicago-Dallas-Maui with 767's on the long legs.

Marginal

I think the Club Level at the Ritz is a great idea. They had the very best Club Level facitities and food that I have experienced, and I often stay in Club Level facilities. They are to be congratulated on the imaginative and varied offerings and the efficiency of their staff. I also liked haveing a Mountain View- seemed more lush. I realized that I really prefer my Ocean Views to include a beach and the waves, so the Ritz being up and set back on the bluff doesn't quite give you that experience. Rather minor criticism. You'll enjoy it no matter what the view.

rachelnyc04

thanks everyone for your help so far. i will definitely check out condo option for half the time since that looks great as well - we loved the wailea beach villas but for just 2 of us its a pricey option for self-catering. will check out the suggestions above! some further information: the ritz ocean view is the cheapest option at club level at the moment - no idea why. its about $20 per night more than a room-only non-view package. also, for ChiSue - i have taken both 757s through phoenix and dual-aisle airplanes from other connections cities. however, we live in london now and will be taking whatever includes the fewest stops given we have about 18 hours of travel time! looks like london-vancouver-maui.

kelrad

Sorry I can't answer the rest of your questions, as we always go to the Big Island, BUT just a logistical tip... have a Four Seasons Preferred Partner travel agent capture your reservation and you will receive free breakfast each day, upgrade (based on availability), and I think either 1 lunch for 2 or a f&b credit. Costs you absolutely nothing and is such a great deal. Have fun!

DanM

I just want to chime in to say that we loved the FS. We never had to wait for anything around the pool, prefered the location in South Maui to West Maui, and still consider it one of the best stays ever.

rachelnyc04

thanks all! the four seasons preferred partner approach DEFINITELY seems worth seeking out and will do that for 4S. Despite the weather concerns in Kapalua, I still may keep it as a way to see a different part of the island (we have stayed in Kaanapali before), and in the beginning of the trip after our long travel im sure we'll be staying very low key. plus, we are in london - a bit of tropical rain and breeze is OK for part of the trip I think. we will see - thanks for all the advice!

ChiSue

The Ritz should be less expensive since it's not the best season to stay Kapalua (or Napili).

If you'll end with 4S, maybe you'd want to try a condo in West Maui. The Honua Kai is quite new. It should certainly have something available -- 600 units! I like this site for South Maui condos: www.mauiownercondos.com

Your route sounds fine to me. We buy coach and use AA miles to upgrade to first. I can sleep on a single long leg on a 767.

jeanned

I have to say that we were disappointed with the FS there.

This is what we did not like about the FS:

* we had a one bedroom MV suite-- the room did not face the mountains but rather overlooked an ugly parking lot of the FS and the neighboring hotel! In addition there was construction happening at the hotel next to us which was loud. So while the room was lovely, the view and noise was terrible. And since the hotel was crowded with a meeting (I think Home depot?), there weren't any rooms available for us to change to. I would strongly suggest that you have them clearly define what your view will be and whether there will be any construction going on.

* we had poor service at two of the restaurants there for dinner and didn't honestly think the food was very good (and it was quite expensive)

* we asked the concierge about what we could do when it rained (we probably got more than a year's worth of rain while we were there-- i think this was very abnormal) and they didn't have many suggestions.

* the comments about securing lounge chairs by the pool is true. It was very difficult. We also weren't willing to get up super early to reserve seats. But the FS did have a system whereby they took our cell numbers and contacted us when seats were available. Usually within an hour or two


The good:

* We had booked the hotel to include breakfast and the brunch is very nice.

* Oh, be sure to go to the sunrise at the volcano-- really worth it! The hotel was very nice in giving us blankets to bring with us (it is freezing at sunrise there)

* there was a very good restaurant with relatively reasonable prices (entrees were around $25 vs the hotel where an entree was about $45) close by to the hotel. I can't remember the name of the hotel off hand so I'll have to look it up.

* the road to hana is wonderful. Be sure to get up early as there is lots to see on it.

rachelnyc04

thanks all. short update - have found a package for the 4S which includes breakfast, 1 catagory room upgrade, and $100 resort credit for about $30 per day less than ritz. Granted, Ritz would be an ocean view room on club level (also with breakfast) - but now I'm thinking with the weather concerns, might be worth just staying full-time at 4S and use it as a base to explore other areas?

FrankS

Sold!
Nice package rachel

IMO: unless you have teens wanting to snack every 30 min, or want some extra drinks, I dont think the Club Level is worth it. Since the remodel, the Terrace Restaurant at the Ritz no longer opens up to the outside which gives the FS another plus over Ritz

enjoy

rachelnyc04

i agree - not sure i'd use the club-level amenities as much as would make it worth it to spend the extra and risk the weather. might stop in for lunch to see the ritz property if we do any driving around there anyway!

FrankS

Banyan Tree is good for lunch, but it gets very casual with the pool & beach crowd. ITS A BETTER DINNER OPTION IMO. Consider the nearby Plantation House for a better atmosphere for lunch

Marginal

I heartily recommend spliting the time between two locations. They will each have something different to offer. The club level food amenities make life at the Ritz much better in my opinion. I found the restaurants to be busy and really hated having to wait for a seat or for slow service when I really just wanted to get a drink and some tasty appetizers. We rarely really wanted to eat a full restaurant meal and much preferred eating nearly all our meals at the club facility.

ChiSue

Given the season, stay Wailea. 4S is Maui's top hotel. Ritz is #2 -- but Kapalua is *always* breezy and can be too cool and rainy in winter. Pick a sunny day when there is no golf tournament and drive up through West Maui.

rachelnyc04

small update yet again - ritz now offering $500 resort credit - so that plus the free 5th night means we'd save about $700 to split the time 5 nights ritz/5 nights four seaons than to do the whole 10 in wailea. im going to see if four seasons does publish any new offers soon for 2013 (right now only thing is bed&breakfast which we have anyway) and decide before changing what we have booked. still concerned about the weather, but we'll see...

jeanned

You should call the hotels and see if they can do better. My husband does this all the time and the FS and the Ritz will both negotiate, especially if the hotel isn't full!

tifa2276

I actually really enjoy split stays on Maui. I really loved the Ritz on our stay in secluded Kapalua. We went in November, and didn't get any rain. It was a little windy, but not something that would deter me from going back. I didn't stay in the FS but we had an OK dinner there (food - meh, service- excellent). However, my sister stayed there for her honeymoon and she did say it was really nice but not amazing like she expected. With the resort credit at the Ritz, you can spend a lot of time at their wonderful spa - so it wouldn't matter if the weather wasn't too good.

BTW, I wouldn't let the thought of weather concerns really drive my decision to stay where I want to. I went to Kauai in January, and although I could have gotten an amazing deal at the St. Regis in Princeville, I opted to stay in Poipu because every guide I read said the north was much wetter esp in Jan. However when we got there, Princeville was hot and sunny and just amazingly lush, and the only time it rained during our trip was in Poipu. Sigh...