we will spend 1 week of our honeymoon in Maui (the other in Kaui) It looks like we have it narrowed down to the Rennaissance hotel, Fairmount or Four Seasons in S. Maui. If you have stayed at all 3 or seen them up close what are good and bad points of each? Is Four Seasons worth double price? We like nice clean places, room balconies with ocean view, nice beach. thank you.

Have stayed at Kea Lani & seen all 3. I think it depends on price. Kea Lani was amazing. Adult-only pool, pool slide & pool bar by general pools, nice beach, really clean suite w/huge bathroom plus microwave & fridge. Even a pretty spacious balcony. And great, friendly staff. It was everything we wanted for our honeymoon. But we definitely splurged on the price.

I saw Four Seasons & it looked beautiful also & also had a great beach. The pool seemed to be smaller and maybe a little more crowded. But I certainly wouln't have spent double the price to stay there.

Renaissance had a less elaborate look to it but I think would be a fabulous place to stay if you could save a little money by doing so & maybe then take in some nicer dinners or more excursions.

So my answer really depends on what rates you have been quoted for your ocean view rooms at each. If you can afford the Kea Lani - I don't think you can go wrong there. That's my opinion. After having been there and having only spent 1 full day at our hotel anyway, we realized we could have stayed almost anywhere in Maui & been fine.

by the way. thank you to all for your feedback!

Just got back from Maui on our honeymoon. We had originally reserved an ocean view club level room at the 4S at a rate of $695 a night but canceled when we discovered that construction was going on and that they were urging guests to use the beach instead of the pool.

Our other choices were the Grand Wailea and the Fairmount Kea Lani and we decided on the oceanfront Kea Lani premiere Kilohana Suite. We were able to get it at a discount using Pleasant Holidays. (plus a convertible car, a fifth night fee and daily breakfast for two)

We had heard so many good things about the 4S that we were not sure that we had made the right choice until we arrived at the Kea Lani. The view from our suite was incredible and it had a huge wrap-a-round balcony. The grounds and pools were nice, as well. (The other rooms we viewed at the Kea Lani were spacious and had nice views also.)

We walked next door the 4S and discovered their one tiny pool and their even tinier rooms. We got double the room and quadruple the pools at the Kea Lani.

I have stayed at 4S and Ritz properties before and the service at the Kea Lani was on par with them. Although the 4S provides complimentary cabana service at the pool, there are only so many crowded around their tiny little pool. And we are an active couple, so we did not spend much time lounging around the pool. Instead, we found ourselves snorkeling the beautiful coves south of Wailea.

The only fault we could find with the Kea Lani was that the carpet had a few stains. When it was mentioned to management, the carpet was promptly steam cleaned and a very generous credit was applied to our account. It was well worth it.

The Grand Wailea was a very beautiful, well-manicured property. You should look into that, as well. We toured the grounds, spoke with the staff, and had a few cocktails there at sunset. I would stay there over the 4S too.

I did not find the 4S to be worth the extra cost. My vote would be for the Kea Lani or the Grand Wailea.

Hope this helped

We just took our honeymoon to Kauai and Maui in July.

In Maui, we actually stayed at both the Renaissance and the Kea Lani. I wanted to stay at the Kea Lani and experience the huge rooms, etc., but we didn't want to pay for a big room all week we wouldn't stay in. So we started the week at the Renaissance, which we got oceanfront for $250 with an entertainment card (go to www.entertainment.com). The beach was nice, we had a nice view, and the service was impeccable. They messed up our room service order one night, and sent us a huge 3 course meal to make up for it, and a big basket of goodies with handwritten apology the next day. The beach was very nice, and it is a very nice hotel with a nice balcony. The only thing that is a minus is the size of the pool. It's rather small. BUT, we booked the Renaissance for 3 days that we went on the Road to Hana, a catamaran to Linai, and so forth. We weren't going to be lounging much by the pool those days anyways, and for the great quality, the price can't be beat. We're going back to the Renaissance in May.

The Kea Lani is fabulous, and actually worth the extra money for the HUGE room, amazing service, and proximity to Nick's Fishmarket... the hotel restaurant which has to be some of the best dining in all of the state. Everything was perfect, and I couldn't help but think that at the Grand Wailea and Four Seasons, people were paying the same or more for a room 1/3 the size. There are 3 pools-- 2 that are attached by a waterslide, and an adult pool. It's a beautiful hotel, and we didn't leave much. The beach is nice there, too.

If you have the money, I'd stay at the Kea Lani the whole time (I don't think FS can be worth the $), and if you're trying to save a little, you can't go wrong with the Renaissance, which is great. OR, do what we did, and save while you're exploring, and lounge & live in luxury on your last days before you go back at the Kea Lani.

PS-- If you join the Fairmont President's club online, they'll send you 2 upgrade vouchers. We used one of ours and had only booked the least expensive room, but they knew we were on our honeymoon and upgraded us to a deluxe oceanview corner room. It was fabulous.

Sorry to rain on the Kea Lani parade but I have to vote for the Four Seasons. When we first checked in to the FS, we thought - oh, this isn't us. We went and had drinks at the grand wailea and regretted our decision. Then we went back and fell in love with the four seasons. EVERYTHING was perfect. We asked for an upgrade, bam we got it. The staff is just so amazing, they really really make you feel like royalty. It is an awesome experience.

The hotel is so magical at night..we walked around all three resorts and always loved the four seasosn the msot.

As far as price, they had some special when I went (buy 4, get 1 free) which we booked. The with the $50 construction credit (construction which I never noticed)..it ended up being $200 per night.

We talked with several couples who stayed at the 4S and then went on to their next hotel. Time and time again, people weren't happy and checked back in to the four seasons.

The Four Seasons needs to be your last stop as nothing else will come close to it.

Jill-How did you get the 4 seasons for $200/nite..The cheapest I found in 2/03 is $500. Pleae let me know if you used a website or travel agent to get that amazing rate.