boundformaui

My fiance and I are travelling to Maui in mid October for our honeymoon. I have researeched several resorts both on the Northwest and Southwest coasts.

We are looking for a romantic, beachy resort that will not be flooded with children and families.

My search is narrowed down to either the Four Seasons or Fairmont in Wailea for the second half of the trip and either the Ritz Carlton Kapalua, the Kapalua Bay Resort or the Westin Maui for the first half.

Is Kapalua/Kaanapali usually sunny at this time of the year? Is the Kapaula Bay area a nice beach spot? Also, when offering suggestions, please note that we'd like to spend about $5,000 for the lodging portion of the honeymoon-so money is not a huge object.

caribtraveler

hi there..westin maui is a beautiful hotel but it's geared for families (we were there in '01). i wouldn't go there if you don't want screaming kids and are looking for romantic. we drove by the ritz one day. looks fabulous. hopefully someone who's been there can tell you more.
good luck.

bogart

congrats and aloha!

We stayed at the Kapalua Bay Hotel in May. Beautiful! Loved the area and hotel...it's a small and charming property, very old-hawaiian feel, attentive/personal service, quiet, no kids, and boasts a gorgeous crescent-shaped beach. We were very happy with the hotel, enjoyed the views and lush gardens, delicious breakfast and dinner at the Bay Club, and the laid back atmosphere. The rooms are not as plush as say the Ritz or 4Seasons...they were slightly dated, but clean, spacious and nice enough for us. We appreciated the complimentary fruit/champaigne and the little fish pins that told a continuing story every night left on our pillows. The sound of Hawaiian tunes coming from the bedside cd player as we entered the room was also a nice touch and left a lasting impression. The weather was good, a few rain showers in the morning, days were sunny. I'm not sure about October, I guess you take your chances anytime of year. You can always take a short drive to find the sun.

good luck!

bogart

also agree with caribtraveler....although the Westin is a nice hotel, it was very crowded with families and kids when we visited it.

travelinwifey

You can easily go over 5k staying at those hotels! LOL How long will you be spending in Maui?

Although I was there in July, the Four Seasons was completely over run with children. It really put a damper on our stay. Very misbehaved kids. I wasn't particularly wowwed by the place, Have stayed at almost every hotel in the islands and was most disappointed here. Oct. may be much better though.

Regarding the Kapalua Bay, it has a great beach. They just built condos where there used to be beautiful coconut trees. The snorkeling is among the best on the island. There were very few children at this resort- maybe a total of 3 the whole time in Sept! You don't mention how long you'll stay bit there is an excellent auction for Kapaua Bay at luxurylink.com. 6nts ocean view and breakfast. Has been there for years so you have plenty time to bid. Weather in Kapalua was perfect during our stay. No rain.
Ditto the coment re: Westin, it is more of a family resort.
Hope this helps.

kindra178

I am going to the KBH in a couple of weeks; I will provide a trip report. After researching all of the ones you mentioned, plus the Sheraton, we liked the KBH the best, notwithstanding some negative reviews. We wanted the quietest place that offered luxury, and it seemed to us that the KBH would provide that. Bogart's previous posts also convinced us to book there. We do intend to use the pools at the westin one day though

boundformaui

Sorry-We are looking to stay in the northern area for about 5 days and the southwest coast for 6 days.

Any thoughts on the Ritz Carlton-is this too far from the nearest beaches?

Any insight into the Fairmont-I'm leaning towards this one for the latter half of our trip.

Heavens

We stayed at the Ritz in April a couple of years ago. It is a beautiful property, but so quiet with not much to do. Kind of boring, actually.

Our main complaint was the wind. It was so windy by the pool that you had to hold tight to your paperback so that it wouldn't blow away. I had a shrimp salad sitting out on a deck and thought my shrimp were gonna fly off my plate.

The rooms are beautiful. Very comfy and lovely. But don't think I would stay there again.

Heavens

travelinwifey

Just FYI the KB luxurylink auction is for 6 nts. Congrats & good luck.

travelinwifey

Oops and did you know many resorts offer a 5th night free package? Four Seasons does either 5th or 7th night, depending on time of year.

Sherri

We stayed a few days last summer at the Fairmont Kealani and really loved it. There were some children, but mostly adults. All rooms are suite type rooms and are spacious. Beautiful grounds and location. I would definitely stay there again. I have also heard good things about the FS in Wailea, but have never stayed there. There are quite a few previous posts about both resorts. Don't forget to have a sunset dinner at Sarrento's in Kihei. Yum!

michaelcrane

We spent our honeymoon at the Ritz and it was perfect. First, there is a great beach right at the resort (Fleming Beach) with full bar/wait service. Second, you are a short walk or free shuttle to Kapalua Bay beach which is arguably the most beautiful in Hawaii. Sansei in Kapalua has the best sushi in the state, and there are plenty of other great spots close by. I noticed no children there. If cash is not an issue, consider an upgrade to the Ritz club level which was well worth it--great food presentations and cocktails throughout the day. I would also check out the Hotel Hana Maui and would likely stay there if I was looking to diversify my experiences on the island. I found Wailea to be crowded and busy with a lot of children around. Hope this helps.

luvthebeach

The Fairmount was wonderful!!! The hotel rooms and grounds were absolutely amazing. I would NEVER stay at another hotel in Waliea! I went to the 4S to check out if I missed anything and I am SO thankful I was not!

We were there in November and there were NO children there at all!

Go to the Fairmount Kea Lani-you won;t regret it!

boundformaui

Anyone knowledgeable about the whether in Kapalua Bay in October? Are we better to stay in Kihei and Wailea?

JohnD

We visited Maui for over a week last October, and it actually rained heavily in Kihei for a few hours (but not in Wailea or Lahaina one evening).

We did not experience any rain in the Kapalua area. Here is a link to typical Maui October weather:
http://www.hawaiiweathertoday.com/co...hp?pid=19#-Oct

JohnD

Corrected link:

http://www.hawaiiweathertoday.com/content.php?pid=19#
oct

RachelG

The Fairmont is a beautiful hotel, but there were tons of kids (ours included) there last week. Same for the 4 Seasons and Grand Wailea. In October however, you would probably see less kids as they would be more likely to be in school. I think the rooms are nicer at the Fairmont than at the Grand Wailea as well. Someone else mentioned Sarento's on the Beach in Kihei--My favorite restaurant on Maui--definitely go there (reservations required)--very romantic and excellent service.

kimamom

I've been reading this and other boards for info to make a final decision on a Maui hotel. I am almost sold on the Kea Lani Fairmont. I also noticed that it is in our Entertainment book this year. Keeps those opinions on this and other (FS and GW) coming in!! Your info is so helpful for others trying to make final decisions. ***kim***

JohnD

Reply to Kimamom,
As RachelG suggested above, on our last October visit, the GW did not have that many children or people in general and they upgraded us 4 levels, for no charge from their lowest rate (Terrace) room to a Deluce Ocean View room.

Ohhh to be there now, instead of this #$&*!@$ 20F degree stuff!