Staying in two different hotels in Maui during 7 night stay

[stuNYC]

I read that if you are staying a week or longer in Maui, it may be advantagous to break up your stay between two hotels on different parts of the island (for example West and South). The thought is that if you stay in the west you will not have to travel as far to Lahaina and points North. And if you stay south you are closer to the Volcano and road to Hana.

 

Has anybody tried this. Does the hassle of checking out and into two hotels on the same island, which I presume would be very time consuming, outweigh the benefit.

 

I was thinking of getting two different experiences by staying 3 nights at the supposedly more "authentic" hawaian Ka'anapoli Beach Hotel (west) and 4 nights at the more over the top four seasons or fairmont(south).

 

Any thoughts would be GREATLY appreciated on the concept and the choice of hotels

[cccole]

I think it's a great idea. You will spend so much less time on the road, and both areas offer their own personality. We have vacationed on both coasts and have spent nights at the end of the Hana Highway. If you really want to enjoy the Hana Highway and Hana you might consider 3 nights at the beach and a couple nights in Hana. I'll be happy to tell you our favorite hotels if you like. Have fun. Cherie

[beachchick]

We've done it both ways. My first Maui visit, my DH and I stayed outside of Paia for a couple of nights to do the RTH and Haleakala, then a couple of nights upcountry just because it's so different and fun to visit, then we ended with about a week on the west side (Lahaina area). Since then, we've stayed in one place a used it for our "home base."

 

We prefer the latter. However, for a first (or only) visit, the former can be a great way to go. These days we don't feel the need to see the entire island every trip. If we ever decided to do the RTH again, we'd probably stay in Hana at least overnight so that we wouldn't have to rush.

 

beachchick

[stuNYC]

Part of me wants to stay in one hotel (as you put home base- no checking in of two hotels in one week) but another part wants to see the more authentic Hawaiian Hotel (Ka'anapali

Beach Hotel) and the more over the top Farimont.

 

Not only two different parts of the island but two entirely different types of Hotels

 

Has anybody been to the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel- although Fodors doesn't recommend it- it sounds great.

[travelbuds]

[quote....

 

Has anybody been to the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel- although Fodors doesn't recommend it- it sounds great.

Aloha,

My wife and I are staying there for the 10th time in May. Least expensive resort on what we think is best beach. Snorkel off beach-a very short beach walk to Black Rock at the Sheraton. Good eating at Whaler's Village---Leilani's on the Beach, Hula Grill. Not as fancy as the other resorts on that beach, but nice and homey. Bar and grill at pool. Grounds kept up well. Staff very friendly.

[kusscate]

I think Ka'anapali is the nicest beach on Maui. That said, the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel is NOT the nicest hotel, so I would stay there first and then move down to Wailea to what promises to be a MUCH nicer hotel. We've only stayed at the Grand Wailea (fabulous!) down there, but the Fairmount and Four Seasons are both exceptional. Personally, I prefer the Sheraton or the Westin at Ka'anapali. We love both hotels but don't be looking for a giant room. (Oh, and skip their "fancy" restaiuants and stick with Hula or Leilani's. ) Say hi to my favorite black-necked swan at Westin. And don't miss the little penguins at the Hyatt.

You might also consider a time share rental. It's nice being able to cook and wash your beach cover-up. We usually do that for a week and then spend 5 nights in a hotel.

[sceptic]

Actually, the Waimea area of south Maui is just as far from Haleakala and Hana as Ka'anapali. Even though Haleakala is looming right above Waimea, there is no direct route: you must go back to Kahului (the airport) and then from there go either to Hana or upcountry. So don't think that you will save a lot of driving time to these locations. It might be five or ten minutes closer, but that's about it.

 

Where you want to stay depends on your budget and personal interests. We prefer the Napili-style condos to the Hotels. Neither choice is better - they're just different.

[Bucky3]

We also prefer Napili Bay. We cruise to Hawaii now, but have stayed at the Napili Surf Beach Resort condos in the past and just loved it there. If we were to go to Hana again and were doing a land based vacation, we would definitely spend a night in the Hana area.