2016adventurer

We want to take our two children to Hawaii this year for Christmas. We are looking for a place close to the beach. As it is a busy and popular time of the year to visit, is it better to stay in Maui? Where? Lahaina? Or is Waikiki a better option? Which hotel? My eyes are bleary from the internet research. The Waikiki hotels are so hard to distinguish. Please help! The dates are December 22-29th. Thank you!

tomfuller

DW and I spent a few days at Kehei Bay Surf in late May. We got a better deal than anything in Lahaina and we didn't have any parking problems. Kehei Bay Surf is across the street from a small beach.
Kehei is less "touristy" than Lahaina IMO. Try to get a pass to drive your rental car up to the top of Haleakala instead of paying big bucks for a tour bus. The sunrise is spectacular if you can get up that early.

lcuy

I think Tomfuller means Kihei, not Kehei.

Odin

Napili Bay is a short distance from Lahaina and is a beautiful beach with lots of condo accommodation plus a couple of hotels.

Kathie

It may be a matter of where you can get reservations.

For Waikiki, I like the hotels right on the beach, especially the Moana Surfrider and the Royal Hawaiian. For something with great views, but cross the street from the beach, consider the Hyatt Regency.

On Maui, I like the Wailea area.

sf7307

You really need to decide what kind of trip and area you're looking for. Each island is so different from the other islands.

Oahu is of course the most developed (Waikiki, Kailua and Honolulu), but is also spectacularly beautiful (north shore beaches, Kailua/Lanikai beaches, Diamond Head, the H3 from Kailua across the island to Haleiwa) once away from the population/business centers. It has the most cultural and historical attractions. If you watch the beginning of Hawaii 5-0, you can see what Waikiki looks like.

Maui is more developed than Kauai in that it has resorts that were specifically developed as such (it also has hotels and condos in areas that are not resort areas per se. The two resort areas are Kaanapali Beach and Wailea. We have preferred Kaanapali in the past, but we're splitting our time (half in each) in September. Kaanapali Beach has a range of hotels (Hyatt, Westin, Sheraton, Kaanapali Beach Hotel), condos (Kaanapali Alii (my favorite), Honua Kai) and rentable timeshares (Hyatt, Marriott, Westin). Wailea's hotels are more upscale with the Four Seasons, Fairmont, Grand Wailea and others, plus a number of condo developments. Kihei is more of a "working town" but also has many low-key, not particularly upscale, condos for rent. The beaches in Kihei are beautiful but I don't like the town myself (for a tropical vacation that is). Napili is north of Kaanapali and other than being a longer drive to Lahaina, the airport and the other half of the island, it is beautiful and quieter. Even more north than Napili is Kapalua which is also very nice, with a Ritz-Carlton, and a lot of condos for rent. I get the feeling most accommodations in Kapalua are on a hill/cliff, rather than at sea level, but I've never stayed there. Maui has the volcano (Haleakala), upcountry, the Iao Needle, Lahaina town, and a few other things to 'see'.

Hope that helps.

suze

Agreeing with posts above, I would decide which island was of more interest, rather than basing it on a resort or hotel.

I love Waikiki because there's so much to see and do and you aren't always tied to a car to get around. Maui is very beautiful and I did enjoy being in Lahaina there, but again, it's because I like to be able to walk places from where I'm staying, not always have to get into the rental car.

As far as hotels, if you want actual beach-front, there are only 7 of those on Waikiki, so it really isn't too overwhelming if you are choosing only among those.

jamie99

With kids, I would look for a condo rather than a hotel room. Maui has a lot more beachfront condos although for Christmas most of the best ones may already be booked. We stayed at a condo in Honokawai and it was very nice except did not have a swimmable beach so we drove up to Kapalua most mornings.

suze

My family stayed at Lahaina Shores, a condo/hotel walking distance to town.

2016adventurer

Thank you all! Very helpful. I will see what is available. Maui sounds more our speed right now.

TJM_70

We own a place on the Big Island, so, we most often go there...but, every now and then we visit a neighbor island, too. Visited Maui this past June after having not been there for 13 years...wow, it seemed hardly like Hawaii to us! Enjoyable, but, as compared to the Big Island, it just didn't seem very "Hawaiian". We stayed in Kehei and really enjoyed it - beach is beautiful, lots of dining options but it just sort of reminded me of a small version of Myrtle Beach with better scenery. Lots of traffic. Very heavily developed in areas. Lot of mainlanders.

There's nothing wrong with that, it's a beautiful island with much to offer. My .002 cents.

ChiSue

Like the White Rabbit said, "You're Late! You're Late!" You stand a better chance of finding a condo *near* a good beach on Maui. Lots of price ranges, but limited supply by now. I wouldn't choose Lahaina Town -- busy Front Street of restaurants, bars, ye olde tourist shoppes, and no beach. Between there and Napili are good choices in Kaanapali, Honokowai, Kahana. Napili and Kapalua are lovely, but sometimes too cool and windy as winter sets in.

South Maui puts you closer to Maui's main sights: Road to Hana, Haleakala, Iao Valley -- and OGG. We own at Maui Kamaole in South Kihei and drive to Lahaina Town in 45 minutes mid-day, provided there's no traffic tie up on the 2-lane road that is the sole access to West Maui (between Maalaea and Lahaina). Our complex, and the others across from the ocean on South Kihei Road use the good Kamaole Beach Parks -- lifeguarded swimming, big lawns, shade trees. Our 'kids' also walk to Keawakapu Beach at the border between South Kihei and Wailea -- more condos and great beaches in Wailea. I prefer low-rise, low-density condos in Hawaii over tall, elevator buildings that could be in many cities.

If you've decided on Maui, you might post again with that title. While you shop condos, reserve your rental car ASAP for airport pickup/drop. Agencies DO run out of cars -- these are *islands*! LOL

suze

Because of going over the Christmas holiday, I would look at what is available and what prices are like, before you spend too much time picking out the ideal single location.

2016adventurer

So, we scrapped the idea of Christmas and are going over the spring break in April. We settled on Oahu for ease of access to the beach. I am staying at less than posh apartment hotel, near Kuhio Beach on Kuhio Ave. I can't afford waterfront hotel. Is it too far from the beach though? It looks like it is three blocks, but I remember Waikiki blocks being pretty substantial.

Also, Would you recommend renting a car?

Kathie

"We settled on Oahu for ease of access to the beach" This makes no sense to me. You can rent a hotel or condo on any island that is on the beach, across the street from the beach or very nearby the beach. Only you can tell us whether three blocks from the beach is "too far" for you and your family. It would be too far for me. If you are staying in Waikiki, you do not want a car unless your hotel offers free parking (very unlikely). You might want tp rent a car for a day to drive to the other side of the island.

I'd suggest you look at options on other islands.

suze

Waikiki is tiny. Kuhio is an OK location (no idea about the "less than posh" place you picked though, there are some pretty divey digs in Waikiki!). I've stayed back as far as overlooking the canal and it was fine. No I would not rent a car.

nelsonian

We stayed at the Waikiki Baynan both times we have visited Waikiki. Look them up in VRBO or Air BNB. It is a two block walk to the beach. We really enjoyed our stay there. The last time was Christmas 2016.

2016adventurer

Waikiki Banyan is where we are staying.