Knowing

We are going to Maui in Feb for two weeks. We have narrowed our hotel choices down to these three. Here are some of our questions/concerns:
1. The pools. We live on a lake and have a beach, so we really appreciate a great pool. What are your thoughts on these three?
2. Valet parking. Have they left any room to self-park?
3. The Fairmont and Hyatt have laundry facilities, but are they so crowded it's next to impossible to use them?
4. FS has free cabana's, but how many do they have? What about beach chairs at all three? Are there plenty or you need to be up early?
5. FS was renovated last year. How do the other hotel rooms (mountain view)look?
6. The Fairmont is all suites. That's appealing because my husband sleeps later in the morning and goes to bed later. But is it worth it in other ways?
7. We spent two weeks at the Hyatt in Kauai the last time we were in Hawaii. We have been told the Hyatt in Maui is not as nice. How would you compare the two?
8. We have also considered spending a week in Wailea and a week at the Hyatt so that we could do a lot of things on the west coast without having to drive up too often. But we also hate the idea of re-packing.The south coast is appealing because of the sunshine. Is the differnce in the weather in Feb comparable to Princeville vs Poipu?
Can you share any other info? Thanks!

Weadles

We just returned tonight from Maui, but stayed in West Maui at the Sheraton, which I thought was fabulous, although it doesn't have much of a pool.

If you are looking for an amazing pool, look into the Grand Wailea, whose pool is supposed to be one of the best, if not the best on the island.

Oh, and by the way, friends of ours stayed last summer at The Fairmont and were completely unimpressed by their rooms and the general ambience of the hotels. They thought it was a bit shabby.

Knowing

We are actually thinking now that we may split our time in Maui. A week in West Maui and a week in Wailea. That way we are able to get a different perspective on the two sides and it will be easier to enjoy more dining options.
We had talked briefly about the Grand Wailea, but heard it's crowded and the chairs are tightly packed in around the pool. We also heard you wait for your towels and the grounds are becoming run down.
Thanks for the heads up about the Fairmont. We were getting so caught up with the idea of a suite, a posh bathroom and the huge lanai's that we needed something to push us one way or the other.
Thanks again. Are you doing a trip report?

emcash

We stayed at the FS maui for our honeymoon 5 years ago. Unfortunately, I can't answer your specific questions, but i can say that if we went back to Maui the only place i would stay is the FS. It has a very special vibe.

The fairmont, which you can walk to from the FS, seemed to be very nice. You sort of feel like you're on a Greek island with all that white, but as nice as it looked, we just really loved the FS-- i mean, you can't beat the FS service that's for certain.

the grand W is a bit too much for me-- to much going on, too theme parky, too many kids if this is a romantic vaca.

Weadles

I wanted to book The Four Seasons, but since we were going with the kids, it was just too expensive.

I had apprehensions about The Sheraton after reading some poor reviews on tripadvisor, but our rooms in Bldg. 6, overlooking Black Rock, the island of Lanai, and miles of uninterrupted ocean (!) were large, with that amazing view, and luxurious. Also, with my AAA card, less than half the price of The Four Seasons.

The only downside to that building was the trek from our rooms to the main pool/snorkeling area. It took three elevators ( unless you took two staircases instead) and just under 8 minutes to get to the main pool. A little longer to walk to the lobby.

However, since the rooms were so removed from the central property, it felt very private and quiet. Removed from the large crowds around the pool area.

The property itself is gorgeous. Beautiful grounds, and that famous beach which is long, wide, and reknown for its snorkeling.

There is excellent shuttle service into Lahaina, which has several very good restaurants ( we loved LONGHIS!). And the hotel is within an easy walk of Whaler's Village, a small shopping mall with a couple of restaurants, none of which I'd really recommend for anything more than a burger.

Hope you have a great time in Hawaii!

Weadles

I forgot to add that we saw sea turtles and sometimes dolphins each morning from our terrace!

Weadles

My last post on this for today, anyway! I just spoke to a good friend who returned last Thursday from The Four Seasons. He said he was very disappointed in his overall experience, and would book elsewhere next time. Thought his room ( oceanview) and property were vastly overrated and overpriced.

silvana756

We stayed at the Sheraton in Maui last year. I agree that it was a bit tricky getting from the room to the pool and beach, but worth it. The room was very private and the location on the beach next to Black Rock was just perfect!

offlady

Talking strictly pools, The Grand Wailea and the Hyatt in Kaanapali are tops.
Splitting your time between the two areas Wailea (south) & Kaanapali (west) is a good idea. Weather may be iffy in Kaanapali in Feb but is nothing like Princeville which is situated on the north shore.

Knowing

We are mostly ready for the FS as we stayed at the FS on Nevis and it was great! We stayed in a mountain view down there and slept well except for all the frogs.
On west Maui, we heard the Penne Pasta Cafe and the Mala are definitely worth eating at and of course Roy's where we ate on Kauai and in Vegas.
We saw some whales the last time we were in Kaui, but friends have assured us that we will see more in Maui.
Offlady, can you elaborate a little further on iffy weather in Kaanapali in Feb. You're saying that it's less of a difference than Poipu than Princeville, right?

Weadles

Add LONGHI'S to your restaurant list for Maui. The food is unbelievably delicious and fresh, much of it locally grown. Breakfast, too, is something special with heavenly pancakes and cinnamon rolls.

offlady

The Hawaiian islands have a leeward (dry) side and a windward (wet) side. The lee areas get very little rain all year long and usually have the sunny skies and sandy beaches. This is the southern side. The windward areas get the rain, some areas get it daily, and that's where you find your waterfalls, rain forests, and lush tropical grounds, mostly the north and east shores.

Wailea is on Maui's leeward side (south ) which gets an average of less than one inch of rain annually. The weather is almost always sunny. Kaanapali is considered on the west end but bordering on the north. Winter months usually brings more rain which can spread into the leeward areas such as Kaanapali, but they are sporadic--which means it may rain for a few days, hopefully not the few days that you are in Kaanapali. Otherwise, you should have nice sunny weather, even in February.

Kauai's Poipu is on the south shore (leeward) and Princeville is on the northern coast.

thebestpuppeteer

We just returned from Maui in May. We stayed at the grand Wailea. Loved the pools there. Plus they give us a complimentary microwaves in the room. Washing machines are also complimentary. We were in the end building facing the pool and the ocean. We also ended up not using the valet because the self parking lot was right outside our building. As far as Longhis, the gravy is good but the chicken parmigiana was served as a whole chicken breast instead of a cutlet.

Knowing

Ok, I get it. Thanks for the clarification. I would like to believe we won't get any rain for the week we stay at the Hyatt. If we do, well, then we do. We actually got 3 days of rain in Poipu the last time we were in Kauai and we didn't even care because a rainy day in Kauai was better than no day in Kauai! It would be nice to take advantage of the pool though, in addition to all the things we are going to do up there.
Looking forward to sampling the restaurants. We may just take our clothes out to a local place and wash them. We've done that before on Oahu.
Keep any comments coming. I'm writing it all down. Thanks again!