My husband and I will be spending 1 week in Maui and 1 week in Kauai for our 1 year anniversary. We need help narrowing down our condo/hotel choices. We are using our timeshare benefits, so we are limited to these locations. We will have a rental car and do like the idea of having a kitchen. Please comment if you have stayed in any of these spots!

MAUI
The Whaler, Lahaina
The Westin, Lahaina
Marriott Maui Ocean Club, Kaanapali


KAUAI
The Embassy Vacation Point Poipu, Koloa
Marriott Waiohai, Koloa

Thanks!

Before I make a suggestion it will depend on the time of year you are going.

The Whaler and the Westin, although, they mau have Lahaina mailing addresses, are on Kaanapali Beach very close to the Marriott. All are good properties, with the Whaler being the least expensive option of the three.

We are planning a trip in September and are confused on where to stay. I want a NICE condo on the beach. We have had bad experences in the past with rentals, and don't want to ruin our first Hawaii trip. We would like to stay in Maui and Kauai. Any suggestions? I do prefer something comparable to a 4-5 star hotel. Thanks for your help.

Suzie-we will be traveling from October 14th through the 28th. We are able to use our timeshare for one week and will pay for the other week. Any suggestions are appreciated! Thank you!

Excellent. We went in October so I can at least compare resorts crowd-wise for you.

The Whaler and the Marriott are on the beach stretch known as Kaanapali. The timeshare Westin is a bit north of that and is not on the strip of beach that includes Whalers Village. The Westin Hotel is near Whaler's Village.

We stayed at the Marriott in Oct. Here's what I liked:
Marriott offers you the opportunity to purchase a mug for around $20. During your stay you may fill it with all the coffee (starbucks) and soda you want from the poolside cafe during your stay with no further charge. We really liked the poolside cafe. Sandwiches were outstanding, like smoked turkey on foccacia. Lots of other food and appitizer choices. Poolside service is available but not always prompt. Make friends with the waitress early on and you'll get better service.
Pool is very nice and in October there were plenty of chairs for everyone despite the annoying habit people have of putting towels on chairs and then coming back in the late afternoon expecting the towel to still be holding their seats. Sure. Though other resorts had lower occupancy in Oct there were more people at the Marriott due to it's timeshare status.
The restaurant, Va Bene, is fantastic. we ate there twice. The location is very nice and during that time of year the beach is larger than at other times. The beach walk connects you to the other resorts and makes for a nice evening walk.
I prefer the Kaanapali location to the location of the Westin north of Kaanapali. I prefer the Marriott to the Whaler which doesn't have that resort feel that I look for while on a vacation like this. Other people may want a different experience.

On Kauai I'd go with the Marriott because it's newer and it's on a fantastic beach. Unlike the Hyatt it's not set back as far back. Several pools are avialable. The Embassy is nice butnot on such a great beach.

For the kauai choices, what are you looking for? The advantages of the Waiohai is that it is right on Poipu beach. Great swimming and snorkeling right there! The embassy is not on a beach, but overlooks Keoneloa bay(AKA shipwrecks beach) Great views but the beach is a NOT a swimming beach. The embassy is very nice though so either choice is a good one.

debi824,
Suggest you start a new thread with your question instead of embedding it in this one. You will get more responses.
-Bill

I agree with Suzie on the Marriott property in Kauai. That's where our timeshare is. I went to the Hyatt for a spa day and it's a beautiful hotel but I thought overall the Marriott was a better property. Have fun!