nypdblue12

Hi everyone!! Me and my DH received an offer for the Westin at Kaanapali beach for 6 days, 5 nights including a $75 resort certificate & $185 towards an avis rentsl car for $749.00. We've never been to Hawaii but we figured with a deal like this, why not? (Hopefully the hubby's flyer miles will also save on the airfare. Any thoughts or opinions on this resort, deal, etc.? We're looking to go in October/November and love lounging by the beach or pool but with a rental car we would love to travel the island. Any input would be appreciated!!

Bikom

That sounds like an incredible deal. We stayed there over Christmas and loved it. We also loved the Kaanapali area, although its very busy. The grounds at the Westin are very nice, and the pools are great. You're right next door to Whalers Village, which has lots of restaurants and stores. You can walk to Black Rock, which has incredible snorkeling.

If I were you, I would definately get the car, there are lovely areas north, (like Kapalua and Napili), and south (like Wailea). Breakfast at The Gazebo is not to be missed, and the Kihei area has lots of great restaurants. A search here and elsewhere will give you tons of information.

Hawaii is paradise, and Maui is wonderful.

iamq

Be sure to do the waterslide at the Westin's pool. If you want to go REALLY fast arch your back so you ride down on your shoulder blades and heels. Yeehaw!
Request a room in the tower on one of the upper floors for better views. The rooms are larger that than in the old wave building.

gigib

That IS a bargain! Is it a Starwood timeshare deal? We have one coming up for the Sheraton Kauai at Poipu that is similarly priced; it sounds as if we can put up with the timeshare spiel, or skip it and pay an extra $100. We've been to Hawaii many times, but it is just too cheap to pass up.

The $185 should cover a small car rental completely. Your hotel will have a resort fee of about $15/day, perhaps you can use the $75 credit to cover this.

Maui is wonderful. You'll only have 4 full days but you must drive around and explore. You can drive to Hana and back in one long day, the drive up to Haleakala and back takes about 1/2 day. Lahaina is just a few minutes from Kaanapali, and the Wailea beaches are about 1/2 hour drive. The Westin is not on the "good" part of Kaanapali beach, the best part is a few minutes' walk north towards the Sheraton.

The weather should be excellent Oct./Nov., warm and dry.

nypdblue12

Gigib,

Yes, the deal is through Starwood. It's not a timeshare per se although I'm sure once we arrive we will get bombarded with the usual offers!! I also heard that we could attend a timeshare spiel and receive another discount.
Thanks to you and the others for the responses - At least I have an idea as to where to eat, what to do, etc.
I can't wait!!!

DebitNM

We had the exact same deal in October 2006. They do try once to get you to do a timeshare thing, but it was easy to say no.

Don't expect much in the way of a room with a view. They will offer you to pay for an upgrade, but it wasn't worth it to us. We were on 2nd floor and did get a room facing the ocean by us asking [but it had 2 double beds; worked out okay as we used the spare for extra surface area]but we couldn't see anything but the trees. The other side would have overlooked the parking lot [that room was a king]. The room had a mini fridge. They were in the process of redoing the rooms when we were there. We used to coupons for food but it didn't go far.

I have a trip report on here telling more about hotel etc. type debitnm and use the drop down menu and highlight hawaii and then hit search button to find it.

Also, make sure you take car insurance on the rental. Another post on here about that too.

Only bad thing about Westin was the daily resort fee and that you cannot use the pools at their sister resorts. Also, you have to pay for chair and umbrella on the beach.

Debi

DebitNM

Here's the link to the first part of trip report on the Westin

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34887170

there are 2 other reports on food and activities if you are interested.
Debi

tmt

i don't think this is the case any longer.

"Only bad thing about Westin was the daily resort fee and that you cannot use the pools at their sister resorts. Also, you have to pay for chair and umbrella on the beach."

DebitNM

Yes, the Westin still has a daily Resort Fee. Also, you cannot use the pools at "sister" hotels. I was pretty sure, but wanted to double check on this for those that are interested:
Aloha-



If you are staying at the Sheraton you are not allowed to use the Westin Maui’s pool. You are only allowed to use the Westin Maui’s pool if you are staying with us on property.





Warmest Aloha,


If you are staying at the Sheraton you are not allowed to use the Westin Maui’s pool. You are only allowed to use the Westin Maui’s pool if you are staying with us on property.


lyndsey swenson concierge specialist

the westin maui resort & spa
2365 ka'anapali parkway lahaina, hawaii 96761
hotel 808.661.2107 fax 808.661.2199

colombiana

nypdblue12:
I will be staying at this property end of May and the resort fee is now $20.00 per day. Have a great trip.
Gina

MauiKim

Hi there,

I am getting married in Maui in Oct and I've heard a lot about this deal. It would be awesome for some of my guests! Did Starwood send it to you for being a preferred guest? I'm a gold member, broaching on platinum, and I haven't received anything. Wondering if I could find a way to get in on this deal...any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!

DebitNM

I got mine from someone here on Fodors's who is an owner at Marriott Ocean Villas [just down from the Resort] and emailed me asking me if I was interested in getting a package deal at Westin Maui. She had someone from Marriott send me an invitation to get the deal. Don't know how others got their deals. Sorry, as this probably doesn't help much.
Debi

ashandjim2004

My DH and stayed there back in March. It's really pretty. I loved the pool area - it's nice and big. Have so much fun! We'd definately go back - but be leery of the Timeshare stuff they try to sell you - it's a joke.

Poconolady

We are leaving later this week for Maui and are using this deal. With the room rate at $365 per night, this seems like quite an offer. We have stayed at this hotel many times in the past and it is our number one choice in Maui. We are Starwood Gold members and were contacted by phone in June of 2006, at that time we had just returned from The Westin Maui so we turned down the offer. In November of 2006 we were again contacted by Starwood and offered a Florida deal, I asked if there was any chance of getting Hawaii instead and the agent checked and got it for us. We had to use it by March of 2008. We have been contacted about upgrading the room, etc but have declined. We have stayed in these terrace rooms before and they aren't bad. I don't have any visions of getting upgraded to an ocean view-but who knows, stranger things have happened! After all, the Heavenly beds are the same, the pools are the same, the restarants are the same, we are only talking about the view. Even a view of the parking lot in Hawaii beats the view out my window at home!

Poconolady

Just back from the Westin Maui on the "deal". It is a fantastic offer and they live up to their promises, plus a few extras that they don't mention during their sales calls. There is a slight catch-- in exchange for this terrific price, they want you to listen to their timeshare presentation. I am generally against timeshare promos, but this one is well worth it. They are totally "no pressure", it takes about 90 minutes and is very interesting. If they call you--don't hesitate--grab this offer-- you wil never find a better deal on first class hotel accomidations in Maui!!