mnredfox

Checking in here tomorrow and will post my experience. Too bad I couldn't use my suite UG cert.

pickles1107

If you are on a cash rate and the suites are simply not available, Ask again at check in. One poster had success by asking at check in.

l etoile

This is really awkward. Since the pit is, well, a pit and the sand drawing is down in the pit with a sign blocking part of the view of it, not even those there for the conference really see it. It's just blocking off a main feature of the lobby for everyone. This is a fail.

hailstorm

I wonder when they do those sand drawings. I would have liked to have gone down early to watch them do it sometime.

catsassy

We stayed here in February last year for 9 nights on points and although there were few hiccups (no leis, spotty service, inaccurate bill, etc) most were resolved by check out.

This year we booked 5 nights here on points (plus prior 4 nights at the Hyatt Regency).

Arrived about 4pm and greeted with white scented leis and check in was swift and well done. I forget the woman's name but she was friendly, knew we were diamond members, offered us lemonade, wine or beer and showed us to our room.

The room was on the 5th floor overlooking the tranquil pool with a partial ocean view from the lanai but inside the room the view was mostly the white wall of another wing.
It also turned out to be noisy at times as we were close to the elevator.
It did have a soaking tub and was slightly larger than the room we got last year so we decided it wasn't worth our time to ask about an alternative especially as our bags had been delivered.
We didn't plan on spending much time in the room anyway.

Highlights of the stay were the beautiful freshwater tranquil pool, the excellent food served at the pool (ahi poke bowl!), good service poolside and the fantastic beach.

The common areas of the hotel are well kept, the Malie toiletries are lovely and the sunset view is stunning.

No issues with the valet.
Maid service and turndown were mostly excellent and they responded quickly to the 'request service' light by the door.

A couple of minor disappointments marred our stay and although these are tiny blips they stand out in an otherwise perfect vacation.
Firstly the room (as mentioned above)

Secondly, this was our second stay and the 'breakfast experience' has gone downhill. The pantry buffet while perfectly adequate seemed lack lustre compared to last year.
Disappointingly, the salad bowl contained rotting leaves every day of our stay!
On our last day at breakfast the staff apologised as they had run out of papaya, blueberries, avocado and lilikoi loaf.
Yes, a large group (conference?) had arrived a couple of days earlier but surely they could have planned for this.
Every day the egg dish on the buffet was so overcooked I believe the yellow rubber concoction could have been used to make tyres.

Overall I have mixed feelings about returning to this property. Now the novelty has worn off I think the tranquil pool and the beach are the main draws for me.

Our stay at the Regency was better than last time, partly because the the lounge staff had stepped up a notch (they had fresh lettuce!!) and we enjoyed using the infinity pool at the Hyatt Residences next door (I'm not sure how long this perk will continue though!).

weezl

OMG what a letdown. We are used to the GHK and while this is a newer property and has "swagger," it is way overrated and frankly just not worth the beach or the pool. Save it for the rich kids who want to look cool and claim bragging rights to an elite hotel, not my cup of tea at all. Not going back...

catsassy

I will be looking into the GHK for next year! We've never been to Kauai and were considering a return to Big Island but weren't sure where to stay.

Astrophsx

Just got back from staying at the Andaz. The hotel was pretty dead the last week. We were upgraded to an ocean view room on the 7th floor. Bags took well over an hour to reach our room. Pretty pathetic when you see that no one else was checking in. It looks like the wood in the bathroom is starting to get some wear and tear.

We had three sources of noise. The first source was from the suite next to us. The doors allow a lot of noise to pass through. It then gets amplified when you lay in bed. I got to hear some pretty interesting phone calls from our older southern belle neighbor. The second source of noise was from something going on above us on the roof (maintenance?). The third source of noise was leaf blowers at 8 am from the gardeners at the condo complex just south of the resort.

There was a maximum of 10-15 people on the beach at any given point. When I went further south to do some snorkeling (far better snorkeling there) there was a huge amount of people there. While it is not allowed... we made our own drinks on the beach. I liked that the staff puts up umbrellas and chairs for you and there is no fighting over spots. I also liked that they provided small cups of sunblock.

From the reviews I thought I was going to see late 20's or early 30's rich kids roaming around. We did not see this beyond couples. There wasn't a party atmosphere and it was pretty quiet and relaxing. I'm not sure what is up with the smell in the elevator? Also, for two days just outside the elevator on the 3 and 5th floor it smelled like dog food.

I had a slight feeling that the hotel is aware of all the negative reviews and is currently putting a small amount of energy to resolve some of the issues with their staff. Checkout was extremely slow. I used the Kilehi option for parking the first night (very easy) and then used valet for the rest of our nights, but the hotel never charged us for valet. I had the front desk double check our bill... but they said that there was no record of us staying over night?

Breakfast each morning was decent. A little hard at times to get a refill on coffee. Talking about coffee.. how about that stale watered down poor excuse of what some might call coffee they serve at breakfast?

catsassy

The elevators either smelt of citrus or of sweat when we were there!

I believe these were "Andaz scent experiences" lol
The 'sweat-like' smell was appalling.

kaden1313

astro, we are planning on going to Maui Dec.23rd through Jan.2nd and planning on using points as well. We haven't decided on splitting it up between Andaz and Regency or just staying at one or the other the whole time. If you have a chance please tell me your thoughts. Thanks!

Astrophsx

I think it is a personal choice. The Andaz is about 30 minutes from the airport and the Hana highway. It is about 1.5 hours to the crater. We stayed for a few nights at the Grand Wailea just down the road from the Andaz. It was definitely a lot larger. Having a big pool area at the Grand Wailea was fun for a day since we wanted to drink and relax. The food in the town Wailea left a lot to be desired.

The rooms at the Andaz are small by my standards. I wouldn't want to put more than two people in a room. Though, I enjoyed the beach at the Andaz since it was not filled with a ton of people and you had more personal attention from the staff. Beyond that I think that I'd be bored after more than two nights at any resort. We were really blown away by the drive after the Nakalele blowhole where the road gets very narrow and the views become more breathtaking. For us a resort was great for a few days of relaxing, but after that it seemed like a waste when all we needed was a place to sleep since we were exploring things on the island.

You could split your time up between the two. Spend two nights at the Andaz and gets some beach time in, visit the crater, do some snorkeling on property... Then head up north and check into the HR and do sightseeing around that area. I have read a lot of comments on FT about people preferring the north part of the island vs doing the road to Hana.

kaden1313

Thanks for the response! My wife and I have been to Maui before but this time we are bringing our 12 year old twins. Last time we stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua.

catsassy

We've done 2 split stays between the Andaz and Regency (and a split stay between the Regency and Marriott Wailea before the Andaz opened)

I'd definitely recommend a split stay even with children. I like the variety.

The Regency has the club lounge so for diamonds this is a good deal.. and fewer points!

Your twins will probably like the pools, penguin feeding, parrots, etc at the Regency. Lots of food options nearby.

I agree with astro that Maui is worth exploring rather than spending all your time at a resort. Snorkle, whale watch, visit Haleakala.

Both hotels have very small spas if that's a factor.

bearcatsbucs2

Maybe I got lucky or things have changed but I was able to book on C&P today for a 6 night stay in late October. Has anybody else been able to book on C&P lately?

suite2suite

Nothing available Sept-Oct-Nov if you're talking Andaz Maui.
Just hung up the phone with the agent in Omaha.
How did you get it? Must be luck. Good for you.