My wife and I are going to Maui for our 5yr anniversary in early November. We plan to stay the first two nights at a beachfront resort, and the last 5 at the Ho'olio House. Originally we were hoping to stay at the Maui Prince since we really adored both the Hapuna Prince and Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the B.I., but it was booked to capacity for the nights we wanted. We then settled on the Sheraton because of it's great beach.
Yesterday some rooms became available at the Prince so we went ahead and booked one. It's their Mauka Suite, which is one of their biggest ones, for $350 (normally $700). This is more than we are paying at the Sheraton ($250 for Mountainview), but of course there is no resort fee, parking charge, etc at the Prince. So now we must decide which one to go with. I do like the fact the Prince is more secluded. Also, the Ho'oilo House is on the West side of the island so staying the first 2 days in Makena/Wailea might be nice.
Has anyone stayed at both these resorts? How do the beaches compare?
Thanks,
M

Have not stayed at either, but thought the snorkeling was better (to the left of the rope swing) from Maui Prince, over that around Black Rock (Sheraton).
Also a very convenient catamaran trip departs from Maui Prince to Molokini if snorkeling happens to be unfavorable at Maui Prince.

Having inspected both of these hotels, I would recommend the Sheraton over the Maui Prince however, if you like a more quite, secluded resort, it's definetly the Maui Prince. The Sheraton impressed me more than the Maui Prince overall. The Maui Prince is surrounded by a golf course and has a small pool compared to the Sheraton which has a more meandering free form pool. Both resorts are nicely landscaped. The decor at both hotels are creams and soft colors but I found the decor more sparse at the Maui Prince. I think both are nice resorts but it depends on what's most imporatant to you.

We stayed at ther Sheraton in July /August for 1 week on our 25th anniversary. It was wonderful. The beach was great, There was awesome snorkeling at & around the Black RockI am not sure about the comparison to the other hotel. The Sheraton was immaculate & all of the staff was very helpful & friendly. They had excellent food(breakfast buffet ,pool/grill/bar, & a nice restaurant). The pool was beautiful & well kept. It had a seperate kiddie pool away from the main adult pool. We loved it & will return.

I have stayed at the Sheraton at least 3 times and I just love it. The rooms are generous sized, and have frigs. We love to snorkel all the way around the Black rock. I like the pool, and it's not as frenzied or loud around the pool as it seems to be at the Westin or the Hyatt. I have stayed at the Hapuna Prince 2 years ago and it was a wonderful laid back resort. Interestingly, I am booked at the Maui Prince in Feb for a conference, so it will be interesting to compare the two when I come back. Now that I reread your comment I realize that your stay is already over....Tell me, where did you stay, and how was it?

We stayed at the Maui Prince for our wedding anniversary, and drove to Kaanapali on one of our day-trips. We walked as far as the Sheraton along the beach walk. We didn't care for the Kanapali area, it is way over-built. One big hotel right next to the other. For sure the Sheraton had the best location along Kaanapali, but we didn't like Kaanapali. Too busy, too much concrete, too much traffic, took 30 minutes just to get a parking spot. People everywhere, lawns full of lounge chairs when you take the beach walk between the beach and the big hotels.

The Maui Prince feels nice and secluded, with its own beach that has good snorkeling, yet it is just a couple minutes drive to the Wailea area, and about a 15-minute pleasant and easy drive to Kihei for more variety of restaurants, with no parking problems, no traffic problems. Yes, it's true that the Maui Prince only has a mid-sized pool, but we're not pool people, and I knew this in advance, this wan't a problem for us. Who needs a pool when you have a beach, that's our attitude. Also the Maui Prince only has small jacuzzis, we didn't bother to use them. But the beach was great, never crowded. My husband saw a turtle in the water. It was January. I hear the turtles are even easier to see in the summer.

The Maui Prince is one of the few hotels where you can actually get a room that is close enough to hear the ocean at night, which we loved. From our room we could leave the balcony door open at night and let the sound of the ocean lull us to slee. This was January. In the morning there's no surf, it's nice and calm for snorkeling. But at night there was enough surf to hear the water which was romantic. (Summer conditions might be different probably with even calmer water.) Best time to snorkel is in the morning, before noon, as the wind picks up after lunch time and the water won't be as calm after that.

I have a couple photos of the view from our room at the Maui Prince, and a photo taken of the Kaanapali area if you want to see them. E-mail me [email protected] and write "Maui Prince hotel" in the subject line so I will know you aren't junk mail, I pre-view my e-mails that way. Have fun!

The Maui Prince is pretty and in a very nice, secluded location, but I have to say the Sheraton is overall a better resort...bit more luxe.

I stayed at the Sheraton and it was great. If you decide to stay there, get a free starwood card. I got free stuff and a free upgrade to an ocean view room. When you make your reservation, let them know you are a starwood member and that it's your anniversary. This gives you a good shot at a free upgrade when you arrive.