Reading upthread about the experiences another Platinum member had at the Andaz, I figured I'd provide my Platinum perspective as well, just having completed a 5-night stay in Maui with a combination of points, points+cash, and Chase certificates.
For what it's worth, I've had Plat status for a couple years before getting the credit card, but the bonus + points-earning opportunities were too good to pass up... maybe it makes a difference that I was a "revenue Plat", because our stay was phenomenal. Typing this review brings back some of the sunshine.
- We were upgraded to a partial ocean view king at check-in, and loved the extremely comfortable bed, pillows, and amenities. We were at the hotel for our last trip before my wife delivers our first child, and couldn't have picked a better, more relaxing venue. When we decided to keep the partial ocean view instead of upgrading to a suite for our last two nights, the manager offered to refund points back into my account... and comped us a cabana at the pool.
- The grounds, staff, and dining options on-property were all remarkable. This really is a striking resort -- the attention to detail was noticed right away, from check-in, to the hallway, to the room numbers. I wonder what this place was like when it was a Renaissance?
We only dined at Ka'naa Kitchen once, but loved our breakfast, Morimoto, and the options at the Bumbye Beach Bar. The evening lounge staff went out of their way on our last night to bring us a dessert from the daytime menu, and found my wife several non-alcoholic options from the bar. Again -- incredibly impressive.
- Snorkeling on the south end of the beach... ^^^^^^^
A few opportunities for the hotel to improve:
- $32 for sunscreen at the Mokapu Market is insane. Spend it if you have no other choice, because the free stuff at the pool is only SPF 30, and the sun over Maui at this time of year is briiiiiiiiiiiiight.
- I understand the strategy to drive guests to the on-property dining options, but there aren't many options on the room service menu at all -- from memory, I think there's a risotto, a burger, a steak, and the build-your-own-salad option for dinner... that's it. Breakfast options are similar. I expected a few more choices from the Andaz.
- We woke up around 8am one morning to grab a prime spot at the pool -- and all were "reserved" by cheesy guests who presumably woke up at 6:30, threw a Dodgers hat, magazine, or WSJ on a chair under an umbrella, and went back to bed, or over to Ka'ana for a leisurely breakfast. We found one of the last umbrella chairs and laid out until 11am... when we left most of the chairs were still reserved but unclaimed.
for allowing, and even encouraging, this nonsense.
Helpful hints beyond the Kihei option:
- The Safeway in Kihei is ten minutes up the road -- great place to stock up on Gatorade, fresh fruit, sunscreen, and other stuff at 1/3 the price of Mokapu. Is it gauche to bring a Safeway bag into a $500/night resort? I suppose I don't really care.
- We loved our meals both on and off-property. Star Noodle in Lahaina, Da Kitchen in Kahului, Coconut's Fish Cafe in Kihei, and Ululani's Shave Ice on Kihei's north side are all highly recommended.
Final observation: unsure if the Andaz reeled in their target market of "young, hip Californians" while we were there, although we would have fit that definition to a T a few years ago!
Quite a few families -- those with young kids at the lower pool; those with older children in cabanas and villas -- and a ton of international guests at the hotel -- Aussies, Dutch, Germans, Japanese, etc. Surprisingly global for a Hawaiian resort... but still very cool.
We'll definitely be back.