Which hotel in maui (Kihei, Lahaina: where to stay, oceanfront, rental)

[Needadvice12]

I'm taking my wife to Maui for our late honeymoon and trying to figure out where to stay.

I would prefer something close to the beach and not the most expensive.

Thanks in advance

[Ellwood]

Have you considered renting a condo? Most have maid service and I think nicer than a small hotel room. There are some nice ones in Wailea (Ekahi condos) and Kaanapali.

[Needadvice12]

sorry for not introducing myself.

My name is Justin, newb on the forum.

I have free airfare with my american express points, and I want to stay somewhere nice. Never been to hawaii, but Maui comes highly recommended.

[whynot?]

Live in Ka'anapali (West Maui). Major oceanfront hotels are Hyatt, Westin, and Sheraton. Westin also has rental timeshare villas, as does Marriott. Less expensive (3-star) hotels are Ka'anapali Beach Hotel and Royal Lahaina Resort.

Rental condos at Ka'anapali Ali'i and The Whaler. Also at Maui Ka'anapali Villas, not to mention those farther north that are not in Ka'anapali Resort proper: Mahana, Ka'anapali Beach Club, etc.

I would suggest starting with some research on TripAdvisor unless there's a particular budget or preference for amenities (spa, golf, etc.) that is of primary importance to you. Also whether you might prefer West Maui (Lahaina/Ka'anapali/Kapalua) or South Maui (Kihei/Wailea/Makena). Much depends upon the kind of area you picture yourself vacationing in. And price range, of course.

We'll all be happy to answer your questions, but a little more info about how you like to spend your time and what you might enjoy doing would be helpful.

Welcome to the forum and best wishes.

[newUHprof]

How long will you be staying?

I stayed at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel, which is probably the cheapest one along that stretch. (I don't really like big, fancy resorts... I don't want to spend my time on vacation in a hotel, and if I don't spend time there, what am I paying for?) I thought it was very nice. Not lots of fancy grounds, and "only one" pool, but you're right on the beach, so who needs that stuff?

I highly recommend doing the road to Hana and finding a B&B to stay in while you're there. Spend a night or two if you can... well worth it! We stayed at the Bamboo Inn B&B and liked it a lot, but there are many choices in the area.

[Needadvice12]

Ok, guys thanks for the help so far. We have decided to go the condo route, and we are staying at the Lokelani Vacation Condominiums in Lahaina. They priced out at $129 and $189 per night. Two days in the higher priced. I guess they are somewhat beachfront (over a 20 foot lawn).

So now I need advice on what to do.

I have a list of some things from my research but hoping to get some advice from you pro's. We are going for 9 days. The things I have on the list if you guys could buzz in confirming good or bad, i'd appreciate it.

Drive up to Hana and stay the night.
Snorkeling and possibly scuba diving.
I'd like to go out on a boat that feeds sharks if they offer that. Like great whites
Maui Ocean Center - tropical plantation
Rain forest & waterfall hiking adventure
Whale watch tour (not sure about this depending on cost)
Watching sunset at Haleakala (where is it in relation to where we are)


I think renting the snorkel equipment for the week will be good. Where is Molokini Crater in relation to where we are?

Appreciate the help/advice

J

[Megs182]

Have never heard of feeding the sharks in Maui? I am not sure this type of venture exsists in Maui. I highly recommend Blue Water Rafting. They depart from the boat launch in Kihei so if you stay on the West side it's a bit of a drive and def. worth it in my opinion. Basically they take you out on the raft/pontoon boat and you get to snorkel in 4 different spots and see the lava formations of the island. Depending what time of year you are going you can also see humpback whales. We were there in March of 2009 and saw many whales. Some where so close the captain had to shut off the engine and wait for them to pass. Also saw dolphins and swam with the turtles. The best part of the tour is you get to snorkel off the backside of Molokini - scary at first, but awesome once you get in.

If you drive yourself to Haleakala I am sure the sunset is amazing but I would not want to drive down that road in the dark. To twisty! There is lot's of advice on 'doing' Haleakala and the road to hana on the TripAdvisor forum for Maui - take a look there.

[AustinTraveler]

Definitely take the drive up to Haleakala, but forget sunrise! It's a long, windy drive and it's freezing up there at sunrise. Head up in the morning if it looks like it's going to be clear that day. Stop at the second to the last lookout (Leleiwi) and make the five minute hike to the lookout. Far better views here than at the actual summit. It's a surreal sight and well worth the drive. Again, forget the cliche sunrise thing. People actually lug warm-weather clothes to Hawaii just to do that activity.

I would not plan each and every day. Take it easy once you get there and play it according to the weather.

You are, by the way, not staying in Lahaina. The whole area from Lahaina town and north to Kahana is referred to as Lahaina because of the postal code. You are actually staying between Kahana and Honokowai. Go to wizardpub.com and see an aerial view of your condo. Click on "Enter Hawaii" and then on "Maui". Scroll down to see a map of the island. Then click on "West Maui Accomodations". You'll see Lokelani listed under Honokowai Accomodations.

It's a nice area but just has a small beach to the side of the unit. Personally, I would pick a place a little further south and closer to Kahekili Beach Park. The beach there is long and stretches all the way to Black Rock. I found swimming conditions here to be excellent; way better, by the way, then the popular resort area south of Black Rock.

If you are looking at the Honokowai Accomodations, I would start with Paki Maui and work my way down the list. That way you have a walkable beach. Also note that some of the beaches have rocks in the water so you may want to get some reef shoes. They're super cheap and you can pick them up at Long's Drugs (they are called tubbies). You can also rent snorkle equipment really cheap at Snorkel Bob's and Boss Frog's.

I don't know what time of year you will be going but it can be really windy on Maui, and I mean really windy. I would definitely choose a sunny day and explore the northwest coast. Check the weather radar cause it can be sunny where you are and raining like crazy in Kapalua and further north. Check out the public accessible Coastal Trail at the Kapalua Resort. Definitely do not miss Kapalua Bay and Napili Bay. If you're at Kapalua Bay, it's hard to figure out how to get to the next bay, Napili Bay. Here's how:

Walk under the bridge next to Merriman's Restaurant. Walk through the parking lot and onto the sidewalk at the first condo complex you see. Follow the sidewalk down to the shoreline trail and that takes you to Napili. You'll be amazed at the beauty of this area.

In fact, depending on time of year, Napili Bay is where I would stay. Great snorkeling and wind-protected bay. Head further north from Kapalua and you'll see such stunning beauty you won't believe it. Honolua Bay has incredible snorkling and is gorgeous seen from above. Keep driving and you'll just see one incredible rocky coastline after another. Stop when the State Highway ends. You do not want to keep going. Trust me on this one. The road becomes a tiny one-lane road that has two-way traffic on it. Leave this one for the locals.

If you don't want to drive the Road to Hana yourself, I recommend the Hana Skytrack Tour through Temptation Tours. They drive you to Hana and show you the sights along the way. Then you get lunch and then back by way of a helicopter ride. It's incredible and you get to see the back side of Haleakala. If you plan on driving the Road to Hana yourself, I would definitely make it an overnight trip. But, don't miss doing a helicopter ride. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If the weather is nice, I would do the West Maui/Moloka'i tour. We used Blue Hawaiian and I can't recommend them more highly.

Let me know if you have any more questions!!

[DestinedForHawaii]

Don't forget a Laua! It's a very touristy thing to do but worth trying at least once (IMHO).

We were just in Maui in August and went to the Old Lahaina Luau (http://www.oldlahainaluau.com/) -- which is in the area of where you will be staying. It was a very nice experience: free alcoholic drinks (a bit watered down), good food, etc. What really made it special was the traditional island dancing and show, especially when it got dark.

[Dthraco]

Pick up a copy of "Maui Revealed". This book has TONS of great stuff to do on Maui. My wife and I go just about every year and stay with friends.

Hana - It is a 55mi road, 25mph most of the way. It takes most of a day to make this trip. There are gorgeous waterfalls and lookouts on the way. The Black Sand Beach and freshwater caves are excellent once you are in Hana. That being said...I don't usually recommend this drive unless people like road trips. You spend most of your time in the car for that day.

Haleakala Sunset - We have only done the sunrise and visited in the day time. The sunrise requires that you get up at 3:30am to make the drive in time. We found the drive down in the early a.m. to be more rewarding than the actual sunrise. You can see so much of the island from up there. Stunning.

The only other thing I would add is to plan time to not plan time. Leave at least 1/3 of your trip open to do whatever.

Have a great trip!