Maui Marriott or Hyatt Regency
 

I am having a tough time selecting either the Marriott Ocen Club or Hyatt Regency. Both have pros and cons. Basically my wife and I want to have a romantic get-away. The Marriott Ocean front and Hyatt partial ocean view ar the same price. I don't know how much more ocean view you get with the Marriott. We would really like an ocean view. From what I can see the grounds of each hotel are very nice. We want something on the Lahaina area. Anyone have their favotite of these two or another that would be equivalent?

also, can anyone tell me how the rooms in these two compare?

We have stayed at both.

The Hyatt is much more romantic and generally a more upscale property.

If the Marriott is Ocean Front, you will get a whole lot more view. The Hyatt will be just a part veiw of the water and likely mostly a land view, whereas the Marriott will be a full view.

Either way you will have a great time in Maui.

Either

Thanks xroadwarrior for your reply. Just another question, how do the roome compare? Did you have a partial ocean view at the Hyatt and a Ocen front at the Marriott?

Also, did you happen to eat at the Swan Court? Can you recommend any other romantic restaurant in the area?

We stayed at the Hyatt in 2003. We were very happy with the room decor and extremely happy with the comfort of the bed. The grounds are also beautiful. (The only bit of inconvenience was the limited parking in the front lot of the hotel--if you get back late at night--although there is lots of room in the back of the hotel, but less convenient.) We had made a 9PM reservation for the Swan Court after the Magic Show in Lahaina, but we were delayed, and wouldn't have arrived until 9:15PM. We called but were told that 9:15 would be too late for them to serve us dinner (they close at 9PM.) When we arrived back we decided to try the Cascades restaurant at the Hyatt, which has an Asian influence and is very romantic(open until 10PM with the bar/appetizers available until midnight). We had a table overlooking the ocean with candlelight and romance all around. We even went there another night we were so pleased. Although we never did get to the Swan Court while we were in Maui, from what I understand the "view" is artificial. There is a pond that is man made, and I believe indoors. Try to experience both and let us know what you think.

Thanks for your comments wolfshin. What type of room did you have (ocean, Mountain)? How were they. I think I will book the Hyatt as there are very few negative reviews. I am just wondering if it's worth it to upgrade to ocean delux from partial ocean.

If you stay at the Hyatt definitely upgrade to deluxe ocean view. The partial views are just that and hardly worth it.

Yes, have eaten at the swan court several times. It is a very romantic restaurant.

Two good restaurants within walking distance are the Hula Grill and Leilani's. They are in a beachfront shopping center right at the Kaanapali Resort.

The other restaurant we like is the Plantation Resort. A little drive but in a spectacular setting.

When are you going?

We are going in Feb 3 for two weeks. Actually we are staying in Kihei for the majority of the time. Just my wife and I are going the resort for one night (the honeymoon we never had). My wife doesn't even know, it will be a surprise so I want to make it very special.

I have stayed at the Hyatt three times and the Maui Ocean Resort one time. We had the view of the swan court and the ocean from the Lahaina Tower shown in this photo: http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/mrhyatt.html

The room and lanai were very nice.

The view we had at the Marriott was the parking lot side of the Lanai'i wing shown here:
http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/mrmarriott.html

In both hotels the ocean and sunset were visible as you sat on the lanai. We do of course prefer the Hyatt as it is a very nice hotel. The Ocean Resort is more family and quite a bit busier due to the time share status at the Marriott. Even our kids (8 & 12 when they last went to Maui) who have stayed at both remarked how much nicer the Hyatt is over the Marriott.

We ate at Swan Court which was very nice and also at Va Bene at the Marriott which has an ocean view and you can hear the luau. We thought the food was very good there, much better than anything at Whalers Village. Hula Grill is fun if you eat or drink in the sand but neither Lelanis or Hula Grill are rave worthy.

kpoe - I can't provide any input on the Hyatt, but I did stayed at the Marriott Ocean Club last year and my husband and I (and a couple of friends with us) were all unimpressed with the Marriott. The best feature of the place is the pool, which is wonderful. But the rooms were shabby and the decor seemed too "Motel 6"-ish for a so-called 5-star resort on Maui (and this was after the refurbishment!). Also, the upkeep on the grounds was not as diligent as at many other places we've stayed (greasy fingerprints in the elevators that remained there for a few days). There was also no beach at all in front or right near the resort, which really irked my husband since he likes to swim in the ocean every morning. I hear the beach near the Marriott disappears each winter, though I'm sure someone else would know for sure on that.

I say go with the Hyatt. It HAS to be nicer than the Marriott. Have a wonderful time!

Hyatt is good if you're planning a conference, given the cavernous size of the buildings and property. It is indeed on the beach, but rather a hike to the sand. But some here say they prefer it, and they may be right.

Without a doubt the Hyatt is far superior. If you can swing it, definitely go for the Ocean Deluxe. Nothing like waking up in the morning and seeing the ocean. Then going out on the balcony with coffee and just gazing at the ocean. Spectacular. Swan court is beautiful and very romantic. I didn't find it artificial feeling. The front of the restaurant is open air that looks out onto the swan court and the ocean beyond. At night, you can't see the ocean, but at breakfast (which also is amazing - fantatsic buffet spread) you certainly can. Enjoy!!!

Thanks everyone for their comments. All your comments where very helpfull. I have booked the Hyatt Ocean Deluxe. It sounds great. It's nice to hear from people who have actually stayed in these places rather than getting the info from the hotels web page (which is never bad!).