redrover

We have Starwood points for our Maui vacation, enough for either of these hotels. Any suggestions as to which is nicer? We are in our 60's, celebrating our 40th anniversary.
Looking for luxury, relaxation, not too many kids, nice rooms, good breakfast, good service.

sf7307

They're very different. The Sheraton is plainer, with nice grounds and a simple but very nice pool area. It's AT Black Rock so you have great snorkeling right there. The beach is also widest at that point. The Westin is center of the the Kaanapali Beach hotels, next door to Whaler Village (they're all on a paved beach path, so it's easy to walk there anyway). It's more upscale, with a fancy pool - I guess I'd call it "glitzy" whereas the Sheraon is "low-key".

(Don't know about the kids factor - I would guess that would have more to do with the time you go than which hotel you stay at. And I would never eat breakfast at a hotel, so I can't comment on that )

DebitNM

We stayed at Westim Maui; we had gotten a deal so our room was the lowest end and it was ok [they were redoing the rooms, back in 2006]. The hotel was nice, we didn't eat there at all - we walked to Whalers Village for breakfast and also had made a stop to get cereal and milk for breakfast in room [there were fridges].

The pools are fancy, and that attracts families with kids. I guess part of it depends on when you are planing to go. If it is at a time when kids are on vacation [which varies widely from town to town across country]I would think it may be very kiddy.

We didn't go to Sheraton, but they have a mini bus that will take you from one to the other.

Westin would be more upscale, but the kids could outweigh it.

Attnymom

I like the location of the Westin better because it is centrally located and it's easy to walk to the other resorts for their restaurants. I also like being close to Whaler's Village. We tried to snorkel at Black Rock in front of the Sheraton and it was so crowded we gave up. My only negative about the Westin was our room was really small. Not a huge downer because we don't spend much time there, but it was pretty tight.

Have a great trip!

qwovadis

Westin for me more central walkable better hotel class of

www.spg.com be sure to request your upgrade to best available

It is automatic but sometimes thay conveniently forget.

Have fun,

sf7307

>>

I don't know if this works both ways, but Sheraton guests are not permitted to use the Westin pool.

sf7307

>>

I don't know if this works both ways, but Sheraton guests are not permitted to use the Westin pool.

redrover

Thanks for the responses. The smaller rooms at the Westin are a negative for me. The Sheraton sounds better because of the wider beach and the cliff divers. Do they still have an atronomer program? I remember reading about it years ago, before our first trip to Maui, and we never went.

sf7307

>>

OK, but one of your criteria was "looking for luxury". The Sheraton is NOT a luxury hotel.

Weadles

No doubt the Sheraton is not a luxury hotel. But our rooms in the #600 building overlooking Black Rock where very nice, and the balcony was just inches away from the ocean. We watched sea turtles every morning from our balcony overlooking the water. The only downside to this building is that it's a hike from the main lobby, and a little maze-like in terms of getting to the pool, gym, etc. But oh, those views more than made up for any problems!! We had tons of privacy, and fell asleep each night to waves lapping just outside. It was heavenly.

I also think that The Sheraton beach, crowded as it can get, totally blows away the the beach at the Westin which is a much narrower strip. Whaler's Village is fine, but to me it's another upscale mini-mall with overpriced stores and mostly so-so restaurants, so I don't think of it as being a big attraction. You definitely should think about getting a car for this area because the best restaurants and day trips are off property in Lahaina and beyond.

DebitNM

You cannot use the pools at the other resorts, but you can use the beaches and the bus will take you from one hotel to other. [only your own hotel pool]

iowagirl

We've stayed several times at the Westin, the Sheraton, and have owned a timeshare week at the Marriott on Kaanapali for several years now. You'd probably be happier at the Sheraton. No, it's not necessarily a 'luxury' resort but you can get a really nice suite there, and as Weadles stated, ask for one of the rooms on the end that juts out over Black Rock. And it's MUCH quieter than the other two resorts. It also has much larger grounds and a bigger beach that's perfect for snorkeling. The service at the Sheraton was always pretty good as well.

The Sheraton also has an amazing breakfast service and a better restaurant. The Westin has a wonderful restaurant as well, but the resort itself is always VERY crowded, and usually has tons of kids. While we love the Marriott, it does get crowded and the restaurants leave a bit to be desired.