OT: Where to stay on Maui
 

The wife to be and I will be honeymooning in Hawaii in late November and I'm just planning the trip now. I'm thinking about a week to 10 days on Maui and a few days on Kauai. Just wanted to get some recommendations on where to stay on both/ either island. I'm looking at the Westin Maui and the Four Seasons but neither of us have ever been to Hawaii so it would be helpful to get some opinons from folks that have been there, done that!
The beach area is most important along with access to good resturants and some night life buts that secondary to the place itself and the beach.

Aloha...Luxy

The Westin Maui is gorgeous!!! It is right on Kanapalii Beach, and a short walk from Whaler's Village. Also not too far from Lahaina for the nights out. You've chosen wisely grasshopper!!! :cool:

Maui Cottage
 

Honeymooned there just last October. We found this GREAT private cottage near Ho'okipa Bay (north shore), (best windsurfing and kitesurfing in the world). Secluded, private and extremely clean. Owners (Hank & Barbara) live on the property and take great care of the place. We took day trips with a rented Jeep, you can be anywhere on the island in 45 minutes. Drawback is that it is not on the beach, but that wasn't important to us. Best thing was only $85 per night!! you won't find anything less than this. Our cottage at LOTO is more!
Check it out at www.hookipabayview.com Say hi to Hank & Barbara. Book early, they fill up quick during whale watching season (nov to feb). Our friends are there mid October.

Congrats and Best of luck!
Travis:D :D

You wont be dissappointed. We went they to get married on the beach. Stayed on mauii for a week and kauii for a week. I am not much on vacations but this was one of the best things i have ever done. make sure you do the road to hanna trip it is cool!

The road to Hana trip is awesome. We did the 3:30 a.m. trip up Haleakula to watch the sunrise above the clouds - fantastic -
Check out Roy's restaurant in Kahana, near Kaanapalli - we had our wedding dinner there after being married on the beach
Maui is the best no matter what area you go to.

Best places to dine in Maui

1. Roy's in Kahana. Capt J hit it on the head. The best food you'll probably ever eat. The chocolate souffle dessert is outta this world.

2. Kimo's in Lahaina. By far the best, and possibly the most romantic atmosphere you can find. Dine out on the patio, where the palm trees sway in the warm breezes, tiki torches blazing, waves crashing under the patio, lotsa rum drinks with umbrellas in them, and outstanding seafood. This place is the consumate Hawaiin restaurant for a honeymoon. Kimo's Restaurants

3. Plantation House in Kapalua. Very elegant dining, great food. Maybe the ONLY place on Maui where one MIGHT think of wearing a tie. Don't give in!!!

4. Mama's Fish House. North of Kaalui on the Road to Hana. Seafood, seafood, seafood. A great place to stop for lunch on the way to Hana.

5. Bubba Gumps in Lahaina. Variety of foods, but specializing in shrimp. Also on the beach, but more of a fun place to go, not romantic.

6. Ruth's Chris in Lahaina. BEEF, BEEF, BEEF. Some of the best steaks you'll ever eat.

7. "The Gazebo" in Kapalu for breakfast. A big open-air outside gazebo with a thatch roof. Sits on top of a cliff overlooking Kapalua Bay and the waves crashing over the lava rocks. You can see whales swim past while you eat a great breakfast. The macadamia pancakes are a must try there!!! Not fancy, just good eats.

These are my pics. Enjoy!!! :cool:

We stayed at the Maui Marriott. it is beautiful. I will stay there again. in is also on the Kanapali beach. a long stretch of beach with about 10 mahor hotels. it is much better than waikiki because the hotel parking lots separate the hotels. in other words, from your hotel you can see 80 dgrees to the left and 80 degress to the right out to some of the neighboring islands

lots to do on Maui
1) luau - right at the marriott - awesome food and entertainment
2) ride (coast ) the bikes down from Mt. Haliakala. awesome all day event. see the sun rise at 5:00am and end the day on north shore.pedal for less than 1/4 mile!!

3) day trip to Hana

4) snorkel/cruise on Trilogy 60' catamaran, see sea turtles,snorkel, see whales. great grilled chicken and fruit

5) scuba dive

6) Lahaina whaling town

7) IAO valley national park

8) helicopter ride to see the entire island/ waterfalls

9) awesome beach at the marriott / Kanapali beach area

I WANNA GO BACK!!!!

have fun:D

I did the same thing about a year ago...We stayed at the Westin in Maui and it was really nice. You can go snorkeling/diving at Molokini crater which is a few miles offshore with lots of fish,etc to see. Make you sure you get in a fast boat because it can take the slow boats a long ass time to get out there...

Road to Hana is cool, get a CD that you can play in your car as you're driving because it will tell you the good spots to stop, etc..Also, if you rent a Jeep in Maui, you can drive all the way around the island after the road to Hana. There is a winery that we stopped at on the way back...Not too big, but still fun.

Watching the sunrise at Haleakala and then biking down after is awesome...We had some hippie guy in a van take us up and then we could bike down by ourselves afterwards..That seemed better that the bigger tours where all the bikers had to stay together. Pacific-O in Maui was good to eat at and also Roys.



In Kauai, we stayed at the Sheraton and it was nice. There's not as much activity and nightlife in Kauai compared to Maui. If you're into water skiing, you can water ski in Kauai in a freshwater river...It's awesome because you'll be the only person skiing...There's one guy who can pull skiers and you end up getting pulled next to kayaks and tour boats...Bubbas burgers in Kauai was good for lunch

Have fun!!

Oh yeah, I forgot. Probably the best beach on Maui...Kapalua Bay!!! It is right below the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua. Soft sand, palm trees, protected cove, kinda secluded, and great snorkeling. It reminds me of the lagoon on Gilligan's Island. :cool:

By far Wailea is the nicest (and most expensive) area in Maui! We stayed at the Grand Wailea Resort and Spa. ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. You can go to their website... www.grandwailea.com, and they have great pics and info about the resort. In wailea there is great shopping, awesome restaurants and Mama's Fish House in Paia is a must. The road to HANA is cool too. Also make sure you go the Molokini to go snorkeling. The Grand Wailea has a great beach and pools. The Spa has been rated #1 in the world for the last 7 years. It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. All the resorts around it are 1st class also and many movie stars have homes around that area too. You would be nuts to go there any stay anywhere else.

Yes on Mama's Fish House and also along the way - if you see a local selling fresh cut pineapple from any kind of stand - STOP!!!!
After having it there - you'll never go back to the the mainland version again.
Try to parasail out of Lahaina or Kaanapalli beach - the view of Maui, Molokai and Lanai is awesome.
We found that the Polynesian Luau things are pretty much generic and like a bad southern bar-b-q with flames and grass skirts. Save your money!(someone else may have found one worth doing)
But it would be worth looking in the events listing for any local wine or food tastings. Chefs come from the other islands to put them on and are hosted by the local hotels.

I am ready to go again......you may be talking me into a 2nd honeymoon

Jeep the road to Hana but GET ONE WITH A TOP. Those mountain clouds can produce some cold ones.

They are right about Kaanapalli beach and the Ritz-Carlton area.
THE BEST!!!!!
No matter where you stay - visit all these other hotels and tour their grounds. They are all open to that and all are beautiful.
Whalers Village for shops, lunch and info.

and post some pics when you get back!!!!!:)

The Four Seasons in Maui is second to none. One of the best hotel in the world.

Luxy,
We got married in Maui last November and it was great! Ka'anapali Beach is great and lots of fine hotels to stay. We stayed at the Hyatt and it was beautiful, they also have a spa that is pretty impressive. The road to hana was fun....bought the book "maui revealed" and gave places to stop that aren't on any maps. PM me if you'd like to use it! In Lahaina Town we enjoyed IO's restaurant...very classy and unique place on the end of the "strip". I hated Bubba Gump's but it is on the water...I thought their food sucked. Moose McGillicuddys for breakfast is awesome!!! Be sure to take a trip in your jeep all the way around the island as it is truly beautiful. That book Maui Revealed tells you tons and tons of places to see that you wouldn't know of by a map!! OH yeah...and congrats on the upcoming wedding!!!

I also went on a honeymoon in Maui, completely AWESOME!! We stayed at the Kea Lani and let me tell you....it is impressive. We looked at a bunch of resorts on the internet before choosing it, and we also looked when we finally got there and I can say without a doubt we will be staying there again when we go back. The place is immaculate, HUGE bathroom with a nice tub perfect for uhhhh..well you know. Anyways Kea Lani is Maui's ONLY all-suite resort, the grounds there are just awesome too believe me you won't regret it. By the way they also have one of Maui's best resteraunts on the grounds, Nick's Fishmarket. The staff there is excellent too...if you enjoy sipping cool drinks by the pool with a guy handing you fresh cut pinapple every 5 seconds, this is your place.

It's up to you which resort you choose but here are things I'd do while in Maui.
1. Road to Hana - this is a MUST...do the complete road trust me.
2. Snorkle - it's amazing, buy an underwater camera.
3. Pearl Harbor - this is really a MUST see....there are plenty of inexpensive flights to the island. I was truely moved by what I saw. Wherever you stay or whatever you do....you have to see Pearl Harbor in person, trust me.

I built a 29' Scarab for
a Gentleman who lives on
O'ahu close to Waikiki.
He also has a "FishingHut"
at Makena Beach about 15mi
south of Lahaina.
Very Quiet "DAKINE" Area,
If you want a day of diving and watching Sea
Turtle closeup thats the
place.
Look for a Bright Yellow
and Blue with twim 300OBs
Scarab Called A HUI HOU.
Im a bit older and 10 days there doing nothing was
Great.
OH Sunseeker when you were
in the Honolulu Yatch club
did you ever meet a person
whos last name was Brandt. Better brush up on your
Pigeon English.
Mike J.

Ok, first of all, its hard to have a bad time in hawaii. I'm jealous! The absolute best and over the top place in Maui is the Grand Wailea..........hands down!! Its next to or near the Four Seasons. Defintelly the "honeymoon spot", but not close to "the action" as far as night life or shopping. Stay in Kanapali at the Westin or the Hyatt if you want the action spots. The Ritz Carlton is nice but is in a very very consistently windy location.

In Kaui, there is absolutely no competition for the Princeville Hotel! Wow! It put any accomodation in Tahiti to shame! Its located overlooking Hanalei Bay. Don't miss it, but November through March is Kaui's rainy season and they get alot of it.

Good luck!

Luxy 60 (and anyone else)

We have a nice qwaint (spelling??) condo on the big Island in Kona right on the water. I'll give you a good rate brother, let me know if youre interested. We rent it year-round...when we're not there or course:D :D

Tank

Tank How long have you been going to Kona???
I lived there in the early
80s.
CO-Owner Kailua Marine and
Machine.
Ever been to Huggos.
But back to the subject,
Kaua'i is going to get wet
that time of year so make
sure you get a 4 wheeler.
Head to the caves at the
North end of the Island.
Don't forget to stop in
and see Charos Place it
even has good food.
Mike J.

Mike, been going there since I was 2 months old!!:D
Yea, been to Huggos...Don't know how long it's been since you were there but Huggos is way over priced now and a tourist trap! I'm going to be heading out there July 5th;)
Whats with absolutely no offshore boats there!?:confused:

Tank

I can't remember where we really stayed but it was in the vacinty of Kanapalii Beach. Been there a few times and have not been dissapointed. It is a bueatiful place.. And only short drive to lahaina where you can find fun night life and jimmy buffets cheesburgers in paradise. :D :D The snorkeling is unbeleivabe too, we went on a snorkeling trip on a big boat which they fed us a few great meals and snorkeled all day chasing the sea turtles.. (shhhhh don't tell) LOL!


Good luck and have fun bud.


Travis

Thanks for all the great feedback! It's sounds like there are lots of top notch resorts on Maui. This hasn't made my decision any easier!
mdbotr - The Grand Wailea is another place I will look into.
BCC - I had heard from some friends that the Ritz was in a windy area and the beach is a ways down in front of the resort. All the positive comments definitely have re-enforced my desire to go to Hawaii vs. an easier destination like the Caribbean or Europe. I wasn't aware it was the rainy season in Kauai. Is it too wet to bother or just the occassional shower?? I'm going for sunshine and playtime and would rather skip it if there's a chance of a lot of cloudy/ wet weather.

BossHammer - we will make it a point to head over to Oahu for a day and see Pearl Harbor. The extended family includes 3 Commanders and a CWO, two of which are stationed at Pearl, so we'll have dinner and hopefully get the VIP tour!

Thanks all for the best wishes and I'll post some pictures after the trip....those rated G anyway!:D

Luxy

We were in Maui last January and stayed in Kaanapali, it had great beaches and great snorkling. I was told by a local that the Grand Wailea was the nicest place to stay on the Island.

As far as the rain...it rained every day we were there (10 days) but it was still 80 degrees out so it did not matter. I am a person that does not usually like rain, but it is not like the rain we get here in the states. It was warm and the temp did not drop.

I would recommend driving the road to Hana, it is long but worth the drive. Stop at the Seven pools for a swim and to look at the water falls. Take a drive up to the top of Haleakala (sp), but wear some warm clothes. It was 40 degrees on the top when we were there and 80 at the bottom. Hawaii is a great place, you will love it there. :cool:

Marriot and Grand Walia are awesome. Not to impressed with the Hilton. Been awhile though for me. If you go to Kauai, then take a heli ride and be sure to rent a boat and try skiing and or boarding there, you will have a blast in some of the most beautiful places you have ever seen!
Chris

Wailea is definatly the place to be , Grand Wailea and the Aston Wailea are awesome ( I think the aston changed names)

Kaanapali is where the first nice hotels were built on the island, there's a reason, it's the best beach on the Island. I lived on Maui in the seventies and was just there in Feb.. We stayed at the Whaler on Kaanapali. 2 kids and grandma requires a condo. The pools and mega resorts are better in Whailea but the beaches, sceenery, night life, and surfing are better on the N.W. side. If your into diving take a boat to Lanai and dive the Cathedrals.

For dinner don't miss the Kapalua Bay Club, it sits out on the point across from the kapalua Bay Hotel. It was built as a club and has a pool on the point. Order a couple Mai Tai's just befor sunset, and watch the whales from the point. It gets an older crowd so you'll be the only ones out there. Very romantic spot.
One of the coolest local beaches is Slaughterhouse. It's just before Honolua Bay ( one of the best waves in the world ), they just built stairs down to the beach , it used to be a nasty trail. Ask one of the locals in the hotel for directions.

The Sheraton Princeviile on Kauai is one of my favorite spots on earth. Sitting in their infinty pool when Hanalei Bay is breaking is like sitting right in the line-up. North shore Kauai still has an "Old Hawaii" feel to it that's getting harder and harder to find.
November is iffy though. You will get some rain. But hey, your on your honeymoon, when it rains you should be able to find something to do.;)

Great choice! We honeymooned in both Kauai and Maui five years ago. BCC's suggestion for Princeville is a great choice for Kauai, as is the Hyatt at Shipwreck Beach and the Marriott. There is a great book, I think it's called Secret Kauai (lent it out, never got it back) that will give you great spots off the beaten path. I was actually bored in Kauai but absolutely loved Maui. We stayed at the Sheraton on Ka'anapalli Beach - beautiful resort, great service, highly recommend. My suggestion is whereever you decide to go, book your reservations directly with the hotel, not through a travel agent or the hotel's 800 number. I found that the hotels themselves were very negotiable and hold back some of their best rooms from the 800 reservations. We rented a Harley for a day, which was the best day of the trip! It was nice to scoot right around the tour buses full of blue-haired tourists going 10 mph. If you decide to take a helicopter trip, book it well in advance - we missed out! Your hotel concierge will be able to help you select a helicopter company or any other activities. Good luck!