TravelDiva

Hi All,

My brother will be getting married in Maui this Valentine's Day and I'm going crazy trying to find a nice place/good deal for my boyfriend and I to stay at for 7 nights.

They will be staying at the Fairmont Kea Lani and the ceremony will be held at a private beach by Makena. Though it would be nice to stay at the same resort, we're trying to save some money and are willing to stay elsewhere in the Wailea area (Makena, Kihei, etc.).

At the price range I'm trying to limit us to (around or under $2000 per person for hotel + r/t air from Chicago), we're going to need to choose between trade-offs. I like the amenities of a hotel and would prefer a package if possible through American (I'm an AA frequent flyer), so I haven't really looked into condos much.

Here are the four that I'm considering:

Moderate suite at the Kea Lani:
Pros - great resort, nice pool, a lot going on
Cons - worst room in the resort/view of the parking lot

Oceanview room at the Maui Prince:
Pros - view, nice grounds, good restaurants, nice beach
Cons - Run-down rooms/bathrooms, bad pool, remote location means not a lot going on here at night though things are a 15 min. drive away

Terrace room at Renaissance Wailea:
Pros - Nice grounds, beach access, good location
Cons - Also read this property's rooms are in need of sprucing (e.g. musty smell?), no view

Terrace room at Wailea Marriott:
Pros - Similar to Renaissance
Cons - Similar to Renaissance

In scouring Internet reviews, I've seen both good and bad things about the Maui Prince, Renaissance Wailea and Wailea Marriott, so I appreciate any advice on choosing between these or opting for the lowest-end room at the Kea Lani.

Thanks in advance!

thyme

We recently stayed at the Kea Lani for our honeymoon in a garden view room and loved it. The pools were great, service was great, the room was huge and very nice and we really liked the location and the beach path that connects the Wailea resorts. The beach is on the small side, but didn't feel crowded.

When we go back, we're thinking about staying at the Maui Prince, both to save money and because we loved the beach in front of the hotel. It had the best snorkeling we did while we were there and I really liked nearby Big Beach in Makena and Ahihi Cove. It's still a pretty quick drive to Wailea and Kihei.

What might help is for you figure out what's most important. Do you plan to spend a lot of time at the pool? Is pool service important? Do you want to do a lot of snorkeling and relaxing on the beach? Do you want a really nice room and several restaurants to choose from, or just a decent room to sleep in between trips? Do you want to be more isolated or in a location where all the action is? Do you want to spend more time with the couple getting married or will you do more expolring on your own?
Ultimately, I don't think you can go wrong at any of the places you listed.

Postal

Since you're staying for seven days, would you consider a condo. I always rent a condo off vrbo.com when staying in Maui. It's much nicer to have the extra square footage and a fridge!

gyppielou

alohapualani.com

We love this place, haven stayed at 4S and GW.....check it out! Outdoor kitchen is amazing.

jgg

If you can afford I would go for the room at the Fairmont Kea Lani. We have stayed there the past 4 years in March and have always had the lowest price room. All the rooms are the same, the price differential is just for location and view. The rooms are all suites so you actually have two rooms and the bathrooms are huge. So you have a view of the parking lot, so what? Go sit on the wonderful beach or by the beautiful pools. No location is that far from other things.

If you stay there you will NOT be disappointed!

Melissajoy

I agree with the person who said decide what is most important to you. I'm choosing a hotel in Maui for our wedding anniversary trip. We decided that our first priority is to stay at a hotel that is on a good snorkeling beach. We want to wake up and go out in the water and snorkel without having to drive somewhere.

We will probably stay at the Maui Prince Hotel because from what I have researched it has great snorkeling on the beach, which is Maluaka Beach.

There are other hotels which are more luxurious than this one, and there are other hotels with much nicer pools, but we decided the beach and snorkeling was more important to us.

I think you'll be happy if you decide what is more important to the two of you.

also, we don't like being where all the action is. We want to get away from it, so the Maui Prince's relative isolation seems appealing to us. We will have a car and can drive elsewhere when we want.

Pleasant Holidays has package deals that include the hotels you mentioned. That's what we're using. We are going to fly on Aloha which is now offering a non-stop flight in January to Maui from San diego, which is great for us!

Have fun.

TravelDiva

Thanks all for the input. These decisions are tough, aren't they?

Melissajoy--I saw your post as well. Check out my other post "Maui in Feb. for brother's wedding - help?" that also has good input. Personally, if this were our honeymoon (we're not even engaged yet after 3 1/2 yrs.!) and we were going to Maui, I'd definitely be going with the Kea Lani, but if luxury's not your top priority, than that I can see why you'd be leaning towards the Prince.

Being on a good beach is also a priority for us, but I think my sensible and my self-indulgent sides are at odds with one another. I'll let you know what I decide!

Melissajoy

TravelDiva, have fun deciding. I'm looking forward to hearing what you decide. (And tell us how you liked it when you return.)

If I was traveling without my husband I might lean towards one of the more luxurious places with the great pools and everything. But this is an anniversary trip, and knowing my husband, we won't be spending any time at the pool. He always wants to get out of the hotel and do something! He'll want to snorkel, go for walks, go hiking, even shopping. He doesn't like pools. If I pick a hotel with a great pool I'll end up looking longing at it and never actually getting to swim in it!

As for me, I'll be happy if our room has a romantic ocean view, which it should, and being on a nice beach is appealing to me. Also feed me well and I'm happy!

jett

Just returned from a 5 night stay at the Wailea Marriott and yes, the rooms do need a good sprucing up. Marriott is changing the badge on this property to a JW Marriott in the near future so it should get a big makeover. The property is bordered by two beaches on either side since the property itself does not have a beach directly in front of it. Pools are somewhat small but were never really that crowded even though the hotel was full while we were there. If you can get a rate below $200.00 I would recommend this hotel. Otherwise I would try a different South Maui property. The Prince is the last hotel on the road south and is quite secluded if you like the peace and quiet. Maybe a 10 minute drive to Shops and other hotels in Wailea and 45 minutes to 1 hour to Lahaina.

travelinandgolfin

Couple things.

1. Kea Lani. Just make sure your room does not overlook the air conditioning equipment. It's very loud and you won't be able to keep your lanai door open. The bathrooms are fabulous.

2. Prince. Haven't stayed there but driven by it many times. I wouldn't even say it's in a remote location. Literally only about 5 minutes away from Kea Lani.