Thanks for the fine comments above.
We have booked our arrivial night (LAX-OGG), arriving 8pm at airport, at the Maui Seaview hotel, about 4 miles away. Comments say it is well-worn, but friendly and helpful staff. It is cancellable up to 48 hrs before check-in, in case I get too many negative reviews here.

The next day we would buy our supplies (water/snacks) at the stores "across the street," then head off to Hana where we do have several nights booked. We've seen the different parts of Maui before; other times have stayed in one loction a week at a time; but we do mainly ENJOY seeing the different parts of the island. Such a beautiful island (our 2nd favorite, but there are no "unfavorable" island), we do want to see it all once again.

I don't see any questions above so I guess you're ready to go. Have fun and enjoy. We'll be there in Jan. for 3 weeks. BTW, which is your favorite island and why?

Are you certain your hotel not the Maui Seaside? The hotel you mentioned is upcountry near Haiku.

MisterNice

Mr. MN, you had me scrambling to check my reservation. Yes, it is the Maui Seaside. Phew. And we did see your "old, scruffy and noisy" comments, but we just want a place for one night (not planning on any sights), and then getting away when we can the following morning. But I am still looking at alternatives, at least until the cancellation deadline.

philemer, Kaua'i is favorite. The scenery, less touristey, great hiking. We try for a nice hilltop condo on the west side; incredable green grass against the blue sea. But as I said, I am never disappointed on any of the islands. Over 3 weeks, you can visit several of them; have you made your plans yet?

I've always wanted to do that, or stay at the Huelo Flower Farm. I'd have no issues staying in a Days Inn quality place for one night.

BTW, if you like to boogie board, I'd recommend buying some boogie boards in town before heading to Hana. Hamoa Beach, right past Hana (and used by the Hotel Hana) has some of the best surfing on the island. Not sure I'd take young kids, though, because the waves were powerful enough to knock my 5'10" 175 pound husband down.

Report back about Hana if you can. I'd love to know what you thought of it.

Hotel
 

Maui Seaside by the airport is dingy. Not exactly Hawaii "paradise."

Some of the dingy hotels are such that one needs a vacation or time off after them to recuperate. Not to mention the negative memories, instead of what's supposed to be positive memories. I recently stayed at some dingy one, not this one but some other. When I got there in the evening I thought, "I'll get up as early as possible and get out of here," with plans to get out of there by 6 or 7 am. Instead I woke up so tired in that dingy place that I barely had any energy and finally got out of there by 10:30. What's the point of such suffering.

A drive to Kihei (plenty of hotel options there) is not bad at all, very easy and won't take long. (I'd stay away from Lahaina for this because it is way further and more involved in terms of driving, especially at night. But Kihei is easy and not that far.) If it were me, I'd try priceline and spend a bit more than suffer in some dingy outlet.

I agree -- a dingy hotel near the airport is not the right way to spend time in Maui, regardless of your budget. On Priceline, you could get a decent place in Kihei for a little over $100 on Priceline. See http://biddingfortravel.yuku.com/for...waii-Maui.html

The OGG area is good for pretty much just one thing: getting into and out of Maui.

Maui Seaside and Hotel Hana-Maui
 

Well, we did stay at the Maui Seaside, 4 miles from the airport, the night of our arrival. And it was good! The grounds are well maintained, pleasant and secure. The room itself is better than a Motel 6 stay (OK, that doesn’t say much for the room, but again, we just wanted a place to stay then leave, and the Seaside fit the bill). We had the lowest-cost room, and since it had AirC, it was more than satisfactory. Did not have a view of the ocean from our room, but we could hear it. Good night sleep. So I really don’t know where all the negative feelings come from (unless we were exceptionally lucky). They did have a choice of “better” rooms that mainly older couples were taking. At our level rooms, there were quite a few young couples and groups who were using this motel as their base for taking day excursions (with their snorkel and scuba gear). Breakfast at the adjoining restaurant was our best Hawaiian breakfast of the trip. The desk agents were incredibly friendly and helpful, almost beyond belief.

Now Hana. We took 5 hrs to do the normal 50-mile 2-hour trip. Poor parking near the better waterfalls, but we found that driving a bit further, we could usually find a spot to pull off, and walk back to the sights. On our return a couple days later, we had a late lunch at Mama’s. Thanks, MauiFan, for this great suggestion, terrific views and location. If you go over the normal dining hours, best to have a reservation. But well worth a wait. We made our reservation from Hana.

We stayed at the Hotel Hana-Maui. We like Hana because it is so peaceful, low-keyed, and more Hawaiian and less touristy than the rest of the island. No air in the delightful rooms, but always a nice ocean breeze. No complaints at all. Lots of visitors to the sights outside (and in) Hana, mostly day-trippers and campers. They did not distract from the Hawaiian mood. Liked the black beach and the red beach (though to get to the red, you either have to be young or part mountain goat).

Ended our stay at the Grand Wailea. In a couple days, I’ll report on that stay on the Hilton site.

I haven't seen any comments on the "Expeditions" ferry boat from Lahaina to Lanai. Anyone tried this as a day trip to Lanai? It looks relatively hassle free compared to flying.

I'm just back from a long weekend on Lana'i. I believe Expeditions sells Lana'i tour packages as part of a day-trip. My weekend was spent relaxing by the pool, a spa treatment, snorkeling, some hiking, attending the Pineapple Festival and an afternoon and dinner at Ko'ele.

Honestly, Lana'i is not a place for touring around - there are limited sights to see there, most are accessible only by 4WD which you can rent as part of an expensive day package. Snorkeling is nice, but I've seem the same fish and coral off Black Rock at Ka'anapali.

Lana'i is a place to go to relax - no chain stores, no chain restaurants, no traffic, no hustle/bustle, no stress. I'm not sure I would recommend the day trip..a couple of nights there is a much better idea, but the hotels are very expensive.

Also, if you are prone to sea-sickness, the water can be very rough and the ferry gets tossed about quite a bit - I'd recommend getting a prescription for Scopace (scopolamine tablet, not patch) and dosing up at least one hour before departure...and sitting downstairs at the rear of the center seating section.

Also, I strongly, strongly second the advise re: Pricelining a better hotel near Kihei or even Ka'anapali. Use biddingfortravel to understand the bidding process and get an idea of current bid rates.

bocastephen,

Thanks so much for the comments. I was concerned that Lanai might be too much for one night, we will make it longer on the next trip. I also appreciate the comments about seasickness, as one member of our party gets sick thinking about it! Those pills put a real damper on the day, so it's likely not worth it.

We are staying at the Wailea Beach Marriott on points, so the price is right, and I'm really looking forward to visiting Maui after a ten year absence!

Just to clarify, these are not the over-the-counter pills that make you drowsy - Scopace is prescription-only, and will have almost no drowsiness symptoms provided you don't take alcohol.

Did not know that! I will check that drug out for sure. Now, about that no alcohol requirement...