Marriott Rewards (including Ritz-Carlton) - Best Hawaii Property

Hello,

What is everyone's favorite Hawaii Property to stay at...either through points or cash? Need some thoughts for a 7 day get away. Price not an issue.

...it seems either the JW Marriott, or the Renaisssance in Maui. I've stayed at the latter one before, but anyone have suggestions?

Does marriott still accept points at ritz carlton, if so, is there one in Hawaii?

Thanks very much!

JW Ihilani. I have only used cash, as there are better places for me to use points than HI. That may not be the case for you though. For me, my decision is easy; use points at a Cat 7 in HI which costs about $300/night or use it for a Cat 7 in Europe which costs about $600/night, or Cat 6 in Vail, CO during ski season which costs $536/night. Now if you have no plans to visit Europe or other better points valued destinations, then perhaps HI is a good use of your points. There are usually M11 or AAA rates available if you plan well enough in advance. The last time I stayed at Ihilani, this past June, it was a AAA Ocean View rate for $333.

Avoid Ren Maui as this hotel has been closing for months, which keeps getting delayed. Service and rooms are not up to standards, and they lack basic understanding of elite benefits, IMO. I have posted details on this in the last few days so feel free to do a search on my recent posts in this forum to find out more.

Yes, you can use MR points for Ritz stays. Yes, there is a Ritz in Maui.

There, I think I answered all of your questions.

...thanks for the feedback....just btw, the JW Marriott in Hong Kong is very good use of your points as well. especially if you are platinum and they do upgrade pretty generously with awesome gifts and amenities....

i am more of a hyatt fan outside of the US, so if i use points, i use them domestically....but thanks for your input....i may consider vail next time using points...as i should i unload much points that are just sitting around

Personally, Oahu is my least favorite HI island, so while in terms of "luxury" the JW maybe the nicest, I would prefer one of the other islands myself. If money and points isn't an option, I might try and see if I can get a reservation for the Waiohai on Kauai or the Maui Beach Club on Maui. They are both MVCI properties. Much more room, very nice layouts and overall good locations. Because they are timeshare locations, it is very hard to even get paid rentals at the properties, but if you can snag one, they are worth it.

Wailea Marriott - My favorite place in the world....

Just beautiful.....


:):)

It really depends on what you're looking for in a hotel/location. I'll toss in the Kauai Marriott which is our favorite. Great property but so so rooms. Wakoloa Mariott on the Big Island is renovated but rooms are very small but the location is good.

We just spent a week at Ko Olina on Oahu and really enjoyed our stay. We used points, 100K for 7 days in a deluxe room, no view. Its a time share, so you can spend more points or money for the full villa, which is a 2 bedroom with full kitchen or take a deluxe room, which has a king bed, fold out sofa and a kitchenette. We really enjoyed the grounds and the pool areas, which are extensive. The main negative is the distance between the resort and Honolulu, where we like to shop & dine.

After Oahu, we visited the Big Island for a couple days and stayed at the Waikaloa Marriott. The rooms have been remodeled, but we didn't care for the beach. It has huge dunes build up to prevent erosion (I presume), but it makes it impossible to enjoy sitting on lounges and makes the view ugly. The good thing is you can easily walk to Kings center for dining & shopping. We ended up driving down to Hapuna State beach. Much better, IMO.

I have been to the Waikoloa (during the early phases of the renovation) and the Kauai Marriott. We like the Waikoloa; however, the onsite beach is marginal. If you don't mind driving to Hapuna Beach or Mauna Kea Beach, both are within 15 minutes drives, and they are great. Pool was on the small side and the second pool hadn't been built yet when we were there. On site restaurant was fine for breakfast and the rooms were okay. Pre-renovation they were nothing special but comfortable. There is easy walking access to the King's shop for more dining options. We enjoyed our stay at the Waikoloa a lot. Occupancy was fairly low during the renovation. Post renovation with high occupancy, I am not sure we would like it as much.

Next, we stayed at The Kauai Marriott this summer. I agree the rooms are only okay, never the less we really liked the property. The beach is great and they have a wonderful large pool onsite. In the evenings, it is pleasant to walk along the beach path. There are a few decent restaurant choices onsite or adjacent to the property. Good central location with a reasonable drive for visiting Poipu, Wameia Canyon, or Princeville. Overall this property just clicked for us. I would definitely go back again.

We haven't tried the Marriott Wailea yet. That is probably next on our list. We have been to Maui numerous times but have always stayed in private vacation rentals or bed and breakfasts.

--Jon

I've been to the Oahu JW, the Big Island Waikoloa, and Kauai. From a hotel standpoint, the JW was the best. But if I had to pick somewhere to stay it would be Kauai. Small differences in hotel quality rank low on my reason for choosing a vacation spot.

I haven't stayed at a Marriott on Maui, always SPG there, but unless it's a dive I'm sure that would be my choice - it's by far my favorite island.