Kathy Maloney

I'm going to Hawaii for my honeymoon in February and would like some information about the Ritz Carlton versus the Sheraton in Maui.

annemarie

Hi, there! We stayed at the Ritz a couple years ago and it is a spectacular property but I am not sure I would stay there again as the beach is a downhill walk away, but moreso, it is not always a safe beach to use. The yellow flag was always up when we were there(Summer mon ths) and that was supposed to be the most tranquil time. It is also cooler and windier up in Kapalua. It is certainly worth the drive, though. I have not stayed at the Sheraton as it was being built when we were in Maui, but have only heard that the foliage around the pool area is sparse(i.e., very hot). How about I confuse you a bit more?? Why don't you look into the Four Seasons down in Wailea. I would consider this the ultimate place to stay as a honeymooner. We stayed next door at the Kea Lani and had the opportunity to check it out. A smaller property conparatively speaking, highest ratings repetitively on Maui. I did recommend this spot to a daughter of a friend of mine and she went there for her honeymoon and she couldn't say enough wonderful things about it. Not at all snobby, aiming to please and the rate includes much more than most properties. Why don't you call their 800 number and get the info to consider it? Feel free to email me direct for further info if you wish.

annemarie

Message: Hi, there! We stayed
at the Ritz a couple years ago
and it is a spectacular property
but I am not sure I would stay
there again as the beach is a
downhill walk away, but
moreso, it is not always a safe
beach to use. The yellow flag
was always up when we were
there(Summer mon ths) and
that was supposed to be the
most tranquil time. It is also
cooler and windier up in
Kapalua. It is certainly worth
the drive, though. I have not
stayed at the Sheraton as it was
being built when we were in
Maui, but have only heard that
the foliage around the pool area
is sparse(i.e., very hot). How
about I confuse you a bit
more?? Why don't you look
into the Four Seasons down in
Wailea. I would consider this
the ultimate place to stay as a
honeymooner. We stayed next
door at the Kea Lani and had
the opportunity to check it out.
A smaller property
conparatively speaking, highest
ratings repetitively on Maui. I
did recommend this spot to a
daughter of a friend of mine
and she went there for her
honeymoon and she couldn't
say enough wonderful things
about it. Not at all snobby,
aiming to please and the rate
includes much more than most
properties. Why don't you call
their 800 number and get the
info to consider it? Feel free to
email me direct for further info
if you wish.

Melinda

The Ritz is nice but really off the beaten path. It is usually cooler and windy there. I am with the above poster in going down to the Wailea section. The Four Seasons, The Intercontinental or the Grand Wailea (look at other postings on this property as it is spectacular)would be perfect for a honeymoon. Real romantic spots.

Frank

Kathy: If you have cable tv, watch the Mercedes Golf Tournament on Friday 1/7, Saturday 1/8 and/or Sunday 1/9 on ESPN. Why, you ask? Because the tournament takes place at Kapalua, where the Ritz is, and you will get a feel for the wind (it was windy when I watched the tournament last night) and also see the beauty of the area...sometimes before they break away for a commercial, they show the surrounding area and maybe even give a glimpse of the Ritz.

Jill

Kathy, we stayed at the Ritz Carlton for our honeymoon 2 years ago. While it's a beautiful property, it rained there every single day, and we'd drive a few miles until we found sun. Apparently, the fact that Maui has some rainy and windy spots during the winter (we were there in December) isn't something they frequently share. Maui was a wonderful island for a honeymoon ... enjoy!

Bebe

Although we didn't, I would stay at the Sheraton. We were next door to it and It looked fantastic with some rooms up on the side of the cliffs. You also have Black Rock for great snorkeling right at the end of the Sheraton's beach. Kaanapali Beach is a fun area.

lil

My vote would also be for the Sheraton for the same reasons. Although my husband and I did not stay there, we did stay in the Kaannapali area. The Sheraton is morely ideally located, and the Black Rock (excellent snorkeling) is right outside the hotel. The Ritz area is too windy.

Frank

Kathy: Not to further confuse matters, but have you considered staying at the Hyatt Regency instead of the Sheraton? I have stayed at the Hyatt four times and obviously enjoy it. The gardens, art work, pool, and "feel" of the hotel is, in my opinion, far superior. While the Sheraton has the snorkeling at Black Rock, it is also available to the public and that is hardly a determining factor. As for hotel dining at either hotel, I'd recommend that you have dinner at the excellent restaurants outside the hotels (Roys, Sansei, Hula Grill, etc)...although the breakfast buffet in the Hyatt's Swan Court is excellent.

Scott

Aloha Kathy! Scott here, with www.Maui-Info.com. Take it from a "local" and stay at the Sheraton. It's so much closer to everything, and you don't have the wind and rain to contend with. As mentioned in other postings, Maui has "micro-climates," which most visitors aren't aware of. The closer you are to Lahaina, the less rain you will experience. When I can be of further assistance, please don't hesitate.

kathy

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for all your suggestions. This has been very helpful. We've decided to stay at the Sheraton. We tried to make a reservation at the Four Seasons, but they were sold out! Thanks again.

Kathy

jeanne

Kathy,

Please update us when you return. I have reservations in March for the Sheraton. It was my 3rd choice so I am a little apprehensive about the decision. I would like to know if you liked the accomodations.

Julie

We stayed at the Sheraton Maui this past October and to be honest, we didn't care for it at all! We had tried to get reservations at the Hyatt but they were booked

The hotel isn't laid out in a very user friendly manner. It was a LONG walk to the parking garage and you could only enter at the far end from where our room was located. You have to insert your room key into a key reader in order to enter or exit the garage and the way the entry drive is set up, I had to literally get out of the car in order to insert the key. The garage attendant would sit there and LAUGH at guests struggling to enter and exit.

We ordered from room service once. We were told that they couldn't deliver to our room and that we would have to come to the restaurant area to pick up our order. Then they charged us a delivery fee and circled the tip area on the bill. I saw no reason to tip when we picked everything up ourselves and paid the delivery fee on top of that! We did eat at one of their restaurants our first night and were told that you couldn't order anything "simple". After travelling for two days, I just wanted something light like a grilled cheese or club sandwich. I ended up with a big piece of fish which was the best they could do. Those items aren't available anywhere in the resort according to our waiter.

Be warned that you will be charged an additional activities fee of about $7 a day for parking, newspapers (which we never received) and use of certain facilities. I'd prefer that they just up the room price by $7 a night and not tack on mandatory fees.

The sprinklers come on in the early evenings. They have very nice tiled walkways but the sprinklers are aimed onto those same walkways. I saw an elderly woman take a very bad fall on the wet tiles. When I called maintenance to report the problem, they showed up at our room with towels thinking the problem was with our room.

Make sure you pay for your hotel room yourself and don't go through a travel agent or you won't be credited with Starwood points.

The Sheraton looks very nice but it just didn't work well, in my opinion. The rooms are appointed nicely (almost identically to the Hyatt) although we had a broken light in ours. Every room basicaly has an ocean view. We didn't swim at the hotel nor spend much time there. We just didn't want to!

We've stayed at the Hyatt and loved it and I would have no second thoughts about staying there again. Any one of the drawbacks about the Sheraton would have been okay. Two would have been acceptable. It was just lots of little annoyances that added up to us not wanting to return.

mh

I have to agree with Julie. We went to Maui in Aug 99 for our honeymoon. Although we wanted something very nice, 4Seasons didn't have any packages in the month of Aug and we decided to go with the Hyatt. However we did contemplate b/w Hyatt and Sheraton. And although Sheraton has Black Rock which is great for snorkeling, when you look at their property, we made the observation that the rooms and the main lobby as well as the beach area were "long walks away!" Also, the Sheraton only had private parking so whenever we snorkeled there, we walked from either the Hyatt or we parked at the shopping center (I forget what it is called) that is in the middle of the 2 hotels.

I just felt I was in paradise at the Hyatt! And the breakfast buffet in Swan Court is absolutely wonderful not only for the food but for the scenery as well! Their other restaurants are wonderful too! In my opinion, the Hyatt would be the better choice.

ctl

we honeymooned at the ritz-carlton in january 2 yrs ago. we really enjoyed it, for it feels as though you are the only people there. there is a quiet, sedate, elegant feel to the place. oh, the morning buffet is quite nice. i recall they had some reasonable packages, which included the morning buffet, and ultimately, i thought they offered excellent value for the money.

it IS located further from most tourist sights, and you will need a car to get to anywhere. i don't think it was any further from lahaina than the wailea region. it perhaps was more breezy, but the weather was so mild that it didn't matter a bit to us. but the service was impeccable, the facility wonderful. good luck to you!