Westin Maui orMarriott Wailea
 

I know that I have asked before about hotels on Maui before,but have now seen the Marriott in Wailea. As we are two adults in our 50's celebrating our 30th anniversary, which part of the island is better or should we just go for hotel? We want to explore the island, but also have relaxation time. Also would prefer not to eat all meals in an expensive hotel, but local restaurants.

We have stayed both in Kaanapali (honeymoon) and in Wailea (for my parents 50th anniversary) and both areas are lovely with access to many different kinds of restaurants. As you want to be exploring, I assume you will be renting a vehicle. It is such a beautiful island! My personal preference is for Wailea. It is probably quieter and more secluded than Kaanapali and also more upscale. The restaurants in all the hotels there are excellent but very expensive. We actually went to the Luau at the Marriot and they put on a wonderful show. The food is probably as good as any luau but the whole family did enjoy it. I don't really think you can make a bad choice here. Enjoy your trip wherever you end up!

I agree with previous poster. Either Kaanapali area or Wailea area will be a wonderful anniversary setting. You can't go wrong with either. Maybe just take the best price deal you can get or choose the hotel that looks the most inviting to you on their website. Also, it's only a 40-45 minute drive from one of these areas to the other so wherever you stay, you can drive to the other area to enjoy what it has to offer. We do this often when on Maui.

My choice would be the Wailea Marriott. I stayed there a few years ago (prior to the latest upgrades) and found it very peaceful. I like the low-rise buildings with lots of green grass between, and the lovely adult oceanfront pool. The only drawback is that the hotel fronts a rocky shoreline and you'll need to walk down the path a bit to reach a sandy beach. One nice feature in Wailea is the Coastal Walk that goes along the shoreline. The views of the ocean are stunning. I like the plantings and the birds that visit. The walk passes all of the Wailea hotels so you can stop at any that catch your eye. I usually have coffee on the lanai at the Caffe Ciao at the Kea Lani. The latest "Hawaii" magazine has a nice article on this walk. For less expensive eating, there are some very good restaurants in nearby Kihei.

One thing I can say about the Westin is that it is NOISY and crowded. We stayed there in 1998 on our honeymoon and it was wonderful. However, we now go every year and stay at the Marriott on Kaanapali (timeshare). These days,the Westin has so much more activity right off the pool area and every time we walk by, every single lounge chair is filled and people seem to have a hard time walking around the area due to the crowds.

If I can offer an alternative, try the Sheraton down on Black Rock (on Kaanapali). The Sheraton's grounds are much more spacious, it's only a few minute's walk to Whaler's Village and is MUCH quieter. If you stay at the Sheraton you'd have the advantage of relatively quiet suntime during the day, but you'd be just a few minutes from Whaler's Village if you wanted to do some strolling for dinner and shopping. We've recommended the Sheraton to a number of friends and they have all enjoyed it immensely.

Wailea is beautiful, but as Barbara noted, the beach isn't quite as easy to get to, and it is a much more expensive area.

I am currently in Maui. Due to the recession, none of the resorts are crowded at this time. Neither are the restaurants. It's a great time to visit Hawaii before good economic times return again.

Just visited Kaanapali area in Maui...actually twice in 2009. I've stayed at the Westin, Sheraton, and Maui Kaanapali Resort. Westin is fabulous for location, but it can be rather pricey. The Sheraton had a nice beach with snorkeling around the Black Rock. The condo was by far our best location in that we had a kitchen and a huge lanai. Not all the condos there are nice, though. We were in 293...295 is also very nice for a couple. Beautiful views of the water and right outside the pool. Restaurant on the premise has good food if you don't feel like driving or cooking! Stay away from Paia though. Our bags were stolen from the trunk of our vehicle while parked by the Mama's Fish House valet service. No visible forced entry...

The issue is not to stay away from any particular area in Hawaii. In any area you may be subject to theft of valuables in your car, so the recommended solution is to not leave any valuable items in your car or trunk. Paia and Mama's are no more subject to theft than any other area. So, no need to avoid these wonderful destinations----------just leave your valuables locked in your condo or hotel room safe or take them with you in restaurants or as you walk around to see the sights.

Marriott gets our nod. Last year we stayed there for a week and loved everything about it. Excellent service, good food and all the amenities you'd expect.

You are absolutely right, montereybob, leave your bags in your condo or drag them into the restaurants. It was a beach bag that was stolen, not something I thought I would need to drag into Mama's. It's a very upscale place. Just adding a word of warning. I had no idea Hawaii had gotten that bad. The Kaanapali area is still my favorite on Maui. If I ever decide to go back there, that would be my destination.