Maui Resort for Family of 5?
 

Planning way ahead for July '07 with wife and 3 daughters--7, 11, 13.

We like really nice resorts but since most resort rooms max out at 4, we'd need 2 rooms. This is going to price us out of the top resorts we are accustomed to.

Condos seem nice but the pools seem small in general and, I don't know, I feel like I'm going to miss the luxury of a fine resort.

Thinking about Hyatt, but after 5 R/T air tix, might not be able to spring for 2 rooms. Any other suggestions?

A few years ago we took our family of five to Maui and stayed at the Embassy Suites. Our kids were ages 16, 13 and 11. The Embassy allowed five in a one-bedroom unit. My husband and I slept in the bedroom, the girls slept on the pullout couch in the living area, and our son slept on a rollaway bed in the living area. There was only one bathroom, but the bathrooms are very large. There is also a kitchen, which is nice for snacks.

The Embassy includes all-you-can-eat breakfast, which was wonderful for our teenage son.

The pool area is also nice, with a big pool, waterslide, etc. This is not the fanciest hotel we've ever visited, but we really enjoyed our stay there and it was perfect for our needs.

We also looked around and got a great deal for the Embassy. I think we attended a 90-minute timeshare presentation to get a discount.

You might consider the Maui Prince Resort. They are more affordable than the big resorts. Their pool is very small, but they have an absoutely terrific quiet beach for swimming and snorkeling. Personally, I will pay money for a great beach, but not a great pool. I can always go to a mainland waterpark for all the fancy pool stuff. In Hawaii, I put my money into a beach.

I'll read up on the Embassy. Re: Maui Prince, we stayed there on our honeymoon on our only other visit. Might be a bit to quiet and away from everything for this trip with kids though. Seemed more like a couples resort.

Thanks for the replies so far. Keep them coming.

Maybe you could check out the Marriott Maui Ocean Resort. We had a great time with our 2 kids there. The pool is really fun and for little ones there is a sand bottom pirate pool area. The main pool has a walk through cave area with a waterfall and a slide (short). The poolside cafe is soooo great for kids. They offerred a mug for sale for like $21 and you could fill it with soda or starbucks coffee for free all during your stay. They have name brand pizza, hamburgers, chicken fingers and all types of other kid food. They also had great sandwiches on nice breads. Our favorite was turkey on foccacia. They also offered other great choices. I was always amazed at how they really had a variety for kids and adults. The hotel restaurant was so fantastic, Va Bene, that we ended up going 2 times. It is on the ocean side of the buildings and you can eat outside. The waiter was so great. The 2nd time we got pizza for the kids and they ate in the room while we ate at the restauarant. I think there is some construction going on in parts of teh resort but it should interfere with teh pool and otehr amentities. Also it's right near Whalers Village where you can shop and eat. The beach on Kaanapli is really great too. Good snorkeling at black rock. Also walk down to the Sheraton for the nightly torch lighting ceremony.
Since the ocean resort is time share they have different configurations so you may find something that works for you.

Gosh, Embassy Suites seemed mainly geared for families when we stayed there with our eight year old. The large pool has a waterslide and a separate area for small children... My daughter loved the crispy bacon at the morning buffet and the talking parrots in the lobby.

We are staying at the Sheraton in 10 DAYS and I just read on their website that they have Family Suites - they call them Ohana suites - we got a great deal on hotwire for $169/night when we booked in December.

Ohana Suites, huh? That sounds like a possibility depending on $$. I'm getting great feedback from you folks. Thanks. 5 is such a tough number for travel. Any other places I should be checking out?

For the price of a moderate hotel room, you could get a great condo. 2 bdrm, 2 bth, kitchen, w/d, the works. many are right on the beach, most have nice pools.

Hi:

We just returned from a week on Maui with a group of 6 adults. Finding lodging for a group this big was a challenge, but we couldn't have been happier. We rented a house with a pool in Wailea which was great! We didn't have to share the pool with anyone and had beautiful lanias with ocean views and a full kitchen, grill etc. and every couple had their own room. There are many houses for rent on line in a variety of price ranges. We paid about $4500 (cleaning, taxes etc included) for the week( Gardenia House is the home we rented through Maui vacation rentals). We could walk to the beach and there was plenty of parking at the beaches further down towards Makena. We spent a lot of time on Wailea beach in front of the 4 seasons. I can't wait to go back.

Kristen

Perhaps the Fairmont Kea Lani would be what you are looking for. The rooms are larger than most hotel rooms at 840sf and sofa beds are standard in the rooms, so along with 2 doubles you can easily sleep 5. A friend of mine told me they also have microwaves and minifridges in all the rooms which is always handy with kids. The beaches in Wailea are just gorgeous.Good Luck...

I would recommend the Fairmont Kea Lani in a heartbeat.

It's an all suite hotel, the rooms are huge. The bedroom is completely seperate from the living room (with doors), and yes there is a microwave and a minirefridgerator. The bathroom is HUGE. I am not sure about a sleeper sofa or two beds in the bedroom, but that could easily be answered by the website or a phone call.

I loved:
open air, beautiful lobby
being greeted with fresh leis
fresh squeezed mango juice at check in
pineapple slices by the pool
cold cloths by the pool
Nick's Fishmarket
awesome pools (including one for families)
awesome beach, that is not shared with other resorts
beach path along ocean to other resorts
amazing service

You can't go wrong.

The Westin has a great pool that your kids will enjoy. It's in a great location too. I'm not sure if they have suites for families, but worth a look just for the pool.

Have you looked into the Kei Lani? My sister has three kids and books 2 suites every year, there. Not sure what is expensive for you but it is very nice - right on the beach.

The Four Seasons is the only hotel we've stayed at on Maui (with kids). We loved our two weeks, there but it is very expensive.

I highly suggest you look into the Wailea Elua condos. The complex is lovely, right on the beach, with two pools (one is beautiful with a very large outdoor kitchen and library, too). You'll have daily maid service in addition to staying in a first class condo. http://www.drhmaui.com/ We go to Maui every year and love it!

The Sheraton in Kaanapali has family suites, take a look at what they are offering or call them directly

We love the Wailea area, and usually stay at the Polo Beach Club in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo. This facility is RIGHT ON the beach and is lovely. The beaches in Wailea are gorgeous! Perhaps you could check out the Wailea Elua complex as was stated above. We are leaving on Saturday for our 4th stay in Wailea. We like this area because it is quieter than other areas further north. I guess it depends on what type of atmosphere you are looking for. I found on the internet a couple who just bought their condo at the Wailea Elua and completely refinished it within the last 9 months. You may want to have a look; www.waileaelua101.com. They have on-site management as well as a couple who live on Maui who can take care of anything you need. We are a family of four and could not justify staying at one of the nicer hotels, because in most instances you'd need two rooms. We've always enjoyed a condo, having a full kitchen, laundry, two bedrooms, 2 baths, living room, lanai, and the ability to have lots of room to call home. We also like the ability to have meals in which saves on expenses. We too, love the luxury of a fine resort, but just couldn't swallow the cost. Perhaps you could break up your trip, and have a piece of both worlds. We are at the Elua for 5 days, and then at the Four Seasons for 2. I hope you find what works best for you and your family. Aloha!!

We stayed at the Maui Eldorado, originally supposed to stay at Ourigger Palms until we were told our unit wouldn't have AC. Maui Eldorado was very near Kannapali as well as Lahina. Eldorado looked outdated from the outside but our unit was outstanding, 2 full bedrooms with 2 bathrooms and a pull out sofa. I wasn't crazy about the pool however.

RichYak, what a deal you got on hotwire. Those suites are going for $877 per night for our dates in August. We are staying at the Ka'anapali Alii, there are six of us this year and we can use the room....and the kitchen.

Thanks for all the replies. I thought the Fairmont, despite being all suites, still maxes out at 4 per room. I'll check that out too.

Most of the hotels in Hawaii max out at four. That was a problem for us with five two years ago. I called the manager of the hotel that I was interested in. It was several months before we planned to travel. I told him that there were five of us (3 children) and we would like to stay at his hotel but two rooms were out of our budget. He okayed the five of us. We stayed in a one bedroom suite and there was more than enough room. They also provided a rollaway bed.