Maui condos, etc

[Escaping Mississauga]

Hello, everyone. I'm planning on a trip to Hawaii in March, 2010. We'll start on Oahu (my wife left some items in the shops last time) and then it's on to Maui. I've been looking at resorts vs. condos in the Ka'anapali area, and I wonder if anyone has an opinion on the following:
Is the Whaler still in good shape? Any recommendation on condo rentals in this area? (I've been using vrbo.com for most of my searches).
Is Ka'anapali Beach the preferred spot, or are the beaches slightly further north as good?
Thanks in advance for any input.

[leashlaws]

The Mehana is a lovely property on that side. There are several VRBO units
and even Hawaiian Air does book with them as well. The building is
completely ocean front with just fabulous views especially during whale
season. I have not stayed there but my friends own units there and we've
hung out there with them. They do a VRBO and have a week minimum on their
unit, don't know what other units have as minimum stay days. Hope this helps just a little.

[Escaping Mississauga]

Thanks, leashlaws. I checked the site out, looks like a very nice property and the vrbo rates are much better than the resort itself, so this definitely makes the short list! BTW, the resort is now called Aston Mahana at Ka'anapali (I'm sure the name change came with a price increase!).
Appreciate the help.
Mahalo.

[HawaiiMama]

Hi there! Here is a link to the place where we stayed last summer:

www.vrbo.com/76327

I can tell you that we were there for 6 nights, and there were 3 of us adults (my husband, our 21-yr-old son, and myself), and it was plenty of room for us. We slept in the beroom downstairs, and Jimmy had the loft. It was a bit warm up there in the early evenings, but lots of fans helped. It was clean and it was a great base for us while we were there! It was our first time to Maui, and we would stay there again in a heartbeat. It absolutely has a million-dollar view--we got off the plane, got our car, and drove out to it--and then opened the door and stood there in absolute AWE of the view!! If you contact the owner (Dan), you can tell him the Clacks sent you. I have sooooo many fond memories of that place! Wish I was there right now.........

BTW, I saw that you said your wife left some stuff there when she went shopping in Oahu last time. Tell her I bought all the rest of it last August, and they should be restocked by now! HAHA!!

[snowbird]

It was our first time to Maui, and we would stay there again in a heartbeat. It absolutely has a million-dollar view--we got off the plane, got our car, and drove out to it--and then opened the door and stood there in absolute AWE of the view!!

Thanks for the awesome tip, HI-Mama! My ex-inlaws own a (empty) house in Napili Bay, but WE can't stay there. Your place looks just fabulous. Last trip over, I stayed at Ka'anapali Beach Hotel... Nice place, but the rooms were dated and musty. I'm sure they remodeled it by now.... But it was the same price or more as your nice big pad. I would love to go there too! Filing this info away in my trip planner. Mahalo, see ya.

barb

[HawaiiMama]

Yeah, my parents stayed at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel in the mid 70s, and were just raving about it...then some friends stayed there about 5 or 6 years ago, and I guess it was pretty run-down then, too. Sorry to hear that as I know it used to be gorgeous. Yes, our condo was GREAT, and I highly recommend it to anyone!! Like I said, the view was such that the condo (almost) could have been a rat-trap, and it would have been fine! HA! We would sit outside for several of the evenings we were there, and just watch the sun become this little eensy dot on the horizon........oh my, the memories!!!

[Escaping Mississauga]

Hi there! Here is a link to the place where we stayed last summer:

www.vrbo.com/76327

I can tell you that we were there for 6 nights, and there were 3 of us adults (my husband, our 21-yr-old son, and myself), and it was plenty of room for us. We slept in the beroom downstairs, and Jimmy had the loft. It was a bit warm up there in the early evenings, but lots of fans helped. It was clean and it was a great base for us while we were there! It was our first time to Maui, and we would stay there again in a heartbeat. It absolutely has a million-dollar view--we got off the plane, got our car, and drove out to it--and then opened the door and stood there in absolute AWE of the view!! If you contact the owner (Dan), you can tell him the Clacks sent you. I have sooooo many fond memories of that place! Wish I was there right now.........

BTW, I saw that you said your wife left some stuff there when she went shopping in Oahu last time. Tell her I bought all the rest of it last August, and they should be restocked by now! HAHA!!

Thanks for the tip, I just checked it out on the web and the views are amazing. I'm adding this to the list.

I'm glad the stores restocked for you, we were there in May 2007, and I can assure you we left them with plenty of cash for new inventory!

[legal_secretary_in_mtl]

When I first went to Oahu, I stayed in a condo. You can look up some good deals on http://rentalo.com/ I rented from Gerry's Waikiki condo, if you search for it. Good service, 3 blocks from the beach and the prices depends on which season you come in but its ruffly from 100$ to 175$ a night (Gerry's condos that is)

good luck !

Hello, everyone. I'm planning on a trip to Hawaii in March, 2010. We'll start on Oahu (my wife left some items in the shops last time) and then it's on to Maui. I've been looking at resorts vs. condos in the Ka'anapali area, and I wonder if anyone has an opinion on the following:
Is the Whaler still in good shape? Any recommendation on condo rentals in this area? (I've been using vrbo.com for most of my searches).
Is Ka'anapali Beach the preferred spot, or are the beaches slightly further north as good?
Thanks in advance for any input.

[spookrepitus]

Yeah, my parents stayed at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel in the mid 70s, and were just raving about it...then some friends stayed there about 5 or 6 years ago, and I guess it was pretty run-down then, too. Sorry to hear that as I know it used to be gorgeous.

I just stayed at Ka'anapali Beach about a month ago (seems like ten years now) and am happy to report that our room was very nice and appeared to be recently renovated. It was big for a hotel room, but for my money, I agree that a condo is the way to go.

Happy planning - I wish I still had my trip to plan instead of in the rearview mirror!

[HawaiiMama]

You know, I was just thinking about this and wanted to mention it before I forget--try to eat at this place on Maui called The Gazebo. I believe they are only open for breakfast and lunch every day, but unless you get in line super-early for breakfast, you'll wait for an hour or so...however, let me assure you that the wait is WELL WORTH IT! The first time we ate there was a Sunday morning, and it was jammed. The birds fly around and keep you entertained while you wait (and while you eat!), and we also got to see a couple of rainbows that were unreal. The next time we ate there was a weekday morning, and it wasn't nearly as crowded...but still busy. The food is GREAT and reasonably priced. The service is fast and very friendly. If I close my eyes and dream, we're there, listening to the waves, the Hawaiian music, and the laughter of others also enjoying their stay in Paradise...

[snowbird]

Hawaii Mama, this is kind of off topic or maybe sideways... As you recommended a restaurant, well, I have a question. I ate at a great spot in Lahaina many years ago. I believe it was called Chris's Ribs, or some type of BBQ beef name. Not Ruth Chris, though. A really good place to eat, and we had a coupon from one of those "This WeeK" tourist booklets that are all over the islands. I recommend those booklets to you, Escaping Miss... They are great trip planning tools: thisweek.com. For all islands.

So my question, HM, is if you saw a restaurant like that in your last trip... or you, Spookrepitus? The reason I ask is, this joint had THE BEST Hula pie in the world, and Sweet Potato Fritters to die for. I've been looking for those two recipes for years and years... must have bought at least 20 cookbooks looking for either one!

The 'This Week' magazines were very useful, with their money-saving coupons, especially for the current economy. I have all the current ones, and they still look like killer deals. Of course, if money is no object, well....

[Escaping Mississauga]

Thanks Snowbird, just checked out thisweek.com on line. Looks like a ton of info, very useful! I have to ask though, what is Hula pie?

[snowbird]

Thanks Snowbird, just checked out thisweek.com on line. Looks like a ton of info, very useful! I have to ask though, what is Hula pie?

The creamy goodness of aloha, all wrapped up into one dish.... no, it's really just a chocolate cookie crumb shell, layer of fudge sauce, with some kind of rum-flavored pudding filling, lots of macadamia nuts, and the obligatory whipped cream topping sprinkled with toasted coconut. Wow, did I just invent that? I'm not sure anymore; it's been so long since I ate it. Actually, it's something like the smell of Hawaii.... the smell of flowers in the air is something you might not be able to identify, but you certainly can't forget how good it makes you feel. Sorry, still looking for the magic recipe to bliss.

[cynsaligia]

my suggestion is the outrigger aina nalu, where eric and i stayed for our winter maui holiday weekend. it's in lahaina and only one block away from front street, which is tourist center of maui. (lahaina is about five minutes' drive south of kaanapali.) the pics at the website are accurate, showing the relatively new renovations and improvements. being hawaii residents, we got a great deal and unfortunately, i don't know what the rate would be for those who are not hawaii residents. i'd guess it to be competitive with what's in kaanapali, though. our one bedroom suite was clean, spacious, nicely furnished and had most every kitchen appliance you'd need to eat in. we'd stay there again. i'm too tired to give more detail at this late hour, unfortunately.

Is Ka'anapali Beach the preferred spot, or are the beaches slightly further north as good?
Thanks in advance for any input.

depends on the time of year. we preferred to drive 30 minutes to visit big beach...and small beach (little beach is what tourists, not locals, call it, i've been told by a maui boy who now lives on oahu). we followed our beach trip with beer and barbeque at fat daddy's in kihei.

[Escaping Mississauga]

Hi cynsaligia, thanks for taking the time to respond. The Outrigger looks amazing, however we need a 3 bedroom unit so I don't think it will work. We're looking at the Kahana Village; their reviews are very positive and the units look great. Are you familiar with this property? My biggest concern is that the beach in front of the resort isn't that swimmable; it seems that it decreases in size depending on the time of year. Would you know if that's correct? Do some beaches shrink/grow at different times of year?

Thanks as well for the tips re: beaches and eats. Hopefully I'll be able to cut down on the latter this year to be ready for the former!

[tutusue]

[...]My biggest concern is that the beach in front of the resort isn't that swimmable; it seems that it decreases in size depending on the time of year. Would you know if that's correct? Do some beaches shrink/grow at different times of year?[...]

Yes! Makaha Beach on Oahu changes dramatically between summer and winter. I mention that beach because I see it on a regular basis. It also happened when I lived in a beach community in SoCal. Someone else can better explain the tide situation...the whys and wherefores!