My wife and I have been to Maui several times. We most recently stayed at the Grand Waileau last year on a club trip. Prior to that, we stayed at the Marriott in Kaanapali. I know the GW gets lot of rave reviews, but we only found it so-so.

In any event, we're taking our 9/10 (they'll be 10/11 by the time we get there in March '12 for spring break) year old boys this time and so the pool, beach, etc. is paramount.

It looks to me that the Westin and Hyatt may have the best pool/water slide combos on the island these days.

Believe it or not, our guys are typically more pool than beach guys, so we'll probably end up 50-50 between the two and an interesting pool with cool water slides is paramount.

I'd appreciate feedback on other aspects of these two hotels (or anything else I've missed and should be considering). If we stay at a Westin, Hyatt, or Marriott, I can use points--anything else I'll have to pay for or trade.

Thanks.

We've travelled many years to Maui ourselves.. and we always choose Fairmont Kea Lani..

With kids though, Fairmont has become more important to us as its an all-suite hotel at pretty good prices.. so room enough for everyone to enjoy their vacation..

My friends go heavily to Grand Wailea all the time.. of course.. they have Las Vegas meets Maui type pools and fun for kids galore there..

But for the room aspect.. Fairmont Kea Lani and their pool beach is very good combo for us..

We have a 5 year old and a 1 year old.. We were just there this past spring break..

We've stayed at the Hyatt twice and just booked out third time for June in 2012.

The first two times, I took the kid with us (next year it's just Mom and I). He was 12 the first time and 13 the second time, both times he loved it.

The pool at the Hyatt is, in my opinion, one of the best along Ka'anapali beach area. The Westin's pool is good sized as well, but never staying there, can't specifically remark on it. There is one lava tube slide at the Hyatt, I think it is 130 feet, dark inside but is fun. Kid and I spent and hour doing the slide. He also loves the wildlife that they have on the grounds of the Hyatt and stays very busy and occupied.

If you go with the Hyatt, make sure to get the breakfast buffet included every morning. Our kid went nuts with the food, he sure can put it away. But we would eat a later breakfast, share a lunch by the pool, and a normal dinner. Helped keep the costs down.

We like the Hyatt's location, pool, restaurants, so that keeps us coming back to it.

Our young child still talks about Hyatt pool from several years ago particularly the kiddie slide. To me it didn't seem like a big deal but something there really strikes a chord with children.
At the time Hyatt kept the pool slide closed till later so that guests could sleep. This was a big problem for many children who wanted to use the slide before they checked-out. I saw the kids manually pouring water on the slide and climbing over the chains in order to use it in the morning. Must be hard to strike a balance between the needs of childless adults and families.

Marriott Wailea has a nice water slide into a deep plunge pool. So if you like the Wailea area in general (we do), it is a reasonable option. We have stayed both in Wailea (Marriott) and Ka'anapali and liked the Wailea area better (less noisey and crowded). However, with pre-teen kids, the beach walk along Ka'anapali and Whaler's village is probably a significant plus. There are more interesting things to do in walking distance.

I haven't stayed at the Westin nor the Hyatt in Ka'anapali though I did walk by the Hyatt. The pool looked fairly elaborate though I didn't specifically look for slides. I haven't seen the pool at the Westin so can't comment on it.

--Jon

My son is normally a beach person, however we did split 50/50 time pool/beach when we went last summer -- go figure.

Until he did a surfing lesson with Goofy Foot. After that he wanted to be in the ocean constantly, specifically surfing.

In other words, proximity to a place that rents surfboards/ has lessons with good waves for beginners would be useful.

We've stayed in a condo in '04.. Valley Isle has a nice small pool and backs ocean front.. so just a walk up to the sand from the building.. really very nice at $1,700 per week..

Beachs are public.. so I've walked through the Mariott in Wailea and all seems very nice, with a short walk to the nearest beach..

imo.. stay in Wailea where you can.. Haleakala shadows the incoming stores a bit.. and you end up getting the best weather in Wailea..

i prefer sheraton ka'anapali. not really a fan of the wailea beach. especially for the kids, snorkeling around black rock is awesome. the hotel is nice, and they have the free shuttle from the resorts to lahaina.

Years ago we stayed at the Embassy Suites in Ka'anapali.. a nice area.. lots of people.. but a nice place to vacation I agree..

and before that probably in 2004, we stayed at Valley Isle in Kahana.. same sort of beach, but nobody around hardly.. great views..

The Ka'anapali area is buzzing with lots of activity.. so definitely an option.. Wailea is southwards, and upscale if you're looking for that..

Thanks everyone for the input so far--I really appreciate it (and please keep it coming!).

Not sure if y'all read my original post--wifey and I stayed at the Grand Wailea a few years back and it was fine, but too quiet for us and def too quiet for our boys.

As a result, we're only considering resorts in the Lahaina/Kaanapali/Kapalua area this time around.

Really looking for recommendations from folks that have stayed at resorts in this area of Maui with nice pools, ideally with cool slides or other interesting water features, and great beach access. Good snorkeling (like black rock) within an easy walk would also be preferred.

I think we're looking for a full-service resort, and not a condo this time around.

Thanks much!!

LOL!

Are we talking about the same hotel, the one that has a thousand rooms?

Grand Wailea too quiet? That hotel is huge and is one of the largest on the island.. with basically Disneyland for a water park..

My friends who stayed at Grand Wailea says its' Vegas meets Maui there.. If you're looking for more action on Maui, you would be hard pressed to find it imo..

Sorry, maybe I should've been more specific. I meant that we found the area around the hotel (Wailea) to be too quiet, not the hotel specifically.

Even though we'll have a car, when we vaca with our two young sons for spring break, we're looking for lots and lots of nearby activities, which is why I think Lahaina/Kaanapali will be a better fit for the fam.

Westin or Hyatt?

Been through both properties.. Maybe you should look into the Westin Villas..

There are owners of time shares, I think you can buy a week from cheaply, by just paying their annual due this year.. suites are nice and spacious..

Kaanapali has a nice golf course.. I noticed when golfing there they have a GPS system on the cart.. Rounds of golf go for $250+, but went down when they renovated, and the economy started hurting.. but if you golf say after 2 pm you should be able to get a pretty good deal..