curleydbr

While I have seen this info on the web, what I was not aware of nor prepared for was the disaster of the Rental car shuttles and rental car check-in . I'm Avis Preferred and there was a line of about 60 people waiting for the shuttles, which each could only carry 12-15 passengers. We made it on the 5th bus. Then once you got there, 80% of the Preferred members were not listed on the Board and had to wait in line. All in, it took about 1.5 hours from grabbing our bags until we were pulling out of the rental car lot (and the drive is maybe a mile and a half from terminal to rental Car facilities). While Hertz did appear to be the only rental car agency using a full size bus, there still looked to be quite a line and less than efficient process over there. If you are in a rush to get to the resort for whatever reason, you may want to look at local rental car pick-ups in the Grand Wailea (think it is Enterprise) or a neighboring resort.

fwdlink

@curleydbr
Your assumption is correct in respect of Hertz, I'm 5 Star and my name, along with other preferred's were not on the board and we had to wait probably about 20 min or so followed by the gate exit. The buses are full sized and frequent so that wasn't the problem, only the counter and exit gate were bottlenecks.
Also for what it is worth, the construction by the terminals is for the new rental car center that you will walk to. According to the Hertz agent their inventory will increase with the move to the new center when it is open.

One option for others that don't want to rent at the airport and are perhaps hesitant to pay for the car and the parking at the resort, you can always catch the Turtle Tracks open air shuttle (search for Turtle Tracks Maui) down to Kihei for $3pp, then your not captive to the resort. They'll pick you up at the entrance and ferry you down to the restaurants etc. This is of course assuming you just want to wander around Kihei or go to the shops or dinner etc. rather than exploring the wider aspects of the island.

Also we found a local car service cheaper than the shuttle for 3 of us, giving us door-to-door without the stops and hustle bustle that the shuttle buses bring. Just a thought for those on the fence.

ezak

Just came back from this property and can answer your questions, well mostly.

First, not sure if they heat the water or not, but the pool was ridiculously warm - yes, like jumping in doesn't require any courage kind of warm. That was the first week of September.

Second, the parking fee IS charged to the room, though my resort credit hasn't posted yet. (BTW, does anyone know how long it takes? I know the airline credit usually posts within a few days, but this one has been over a week.) Don't think there's any other place you can safely park overnight. Wailea is a masterplan designed resort town, so I think they eliminated that possibility from the very beginning.

Third, the room service credit CAN be used anytime of the day. Breakfast price is actually better than I thought. One acai bowl and one french toast comes out to just over $30. Plus the $7 service charge and 20% gratuity (which is mandatory) I think we paid around $16 extra. IMHO with breakfast you get more value out of it. For dinner, I think an entree is around $30-40. If you have a car, there are many dinner options around Kihei that are much cheaper. Not sure if you can stack against multiple days though - only stayed one night on my FN certificate.

iahphx

Thanks, Ezak, for that useful information. Please keep us updated on the posting of your AMEX credit. I guess I'll look to see if there's a general thread detailing any problems using the Aspire credit.

Unless the breakfast credit changes again, I do think I'll use it for a light room service breakfast, especially since I should be able to use my Aspire credit to cover the difference. Has anyone observed any other comparatively good value food and beverage options at the hotel? I figure between parking and room service breakfast, I'd get to about $150 in miscellaneous expense at the W-A in 3 nights. I might then want to "blow" the remaining $100 in credit on food and beverage at the hotel, unless the prices are just stupid.

ezak

Personally I wouldn't worry about the AMEX credit since you can probably get them posted easily by calling them. Anyway, about blowing the rest of the $250 credit, one thing crossed my mind once while I was there - they have a dive shop located within the GW, and the shop offers a complimentary Try Scuba session, which is available to all hotel guests. We did that and were allowed to bill the gratuity to our room. This led me to think maybe you can book a diving tour there and charge to the Aspire. With the currently promotion, Aspire holders earn 54 points per dollar, which could be a pretty significant discount. Just a thought in case you're interested in diving.

sangfroyd

@ezak, did you have to book through the Aspire link in order to get the $100 resort credit? Technically this is a Waldorf so the $100 applies vs. the $250 at Hilton's, correct?

I'm looking at staying here in October and trying to figure out how to ensure I can actually use the resort credit.

sangfroyd

Yikes, the food credit sucks. Does upgrading to Napua Tower give you a more full breakfast included? I saw @frank808 mentioned bottled waters, breakfast & heavy apps, with a happy hour, etc.

sangfroyd

Has anyone stayed at the GW and Hyatt Andaz? I'm debating whether or not that would be a better choice after reading how GW seems out-dated.

ezak

I think the $100 resort credit only applies on stays of 2 nights or more. It's essentially a special rate plan, and I heard some people say it's higher than the normal rate, which greatly discounts the "credit". I stayed at the GW using my free night certificate, so it had nothing to do with the $100.

Seems like you're confusing the two benefits. The $100 on-property credit (Conrad and WA only) comes from the hotel and should be taken off the bill when you check out. I don't think you even have to pay with Aspire to get that, though there's no reason not to use the card. The $250 resort credit is for any hotel labeled as a "resort" within the Hilton brand, the GW is one of them. (There's a official list online.) That credit will come from AMEX after the bill is charged to your Aspire.

ezak

Getting in to the Napua Tower gives you access to the lounge area, where you can get food all day long, I believe. Your Diamond breakfast benefit still remains unchanged, though, and you'll receive the same $30/day room service credit. I don't know about the specifics of breakfast offered in Napua Tower, but you certainly wouldn't be getting a full breakfast in the main dining area.

BlueZebra

No, Napua Tower doesn't give you food "all day". Breakfast is 2 or 3 hot items, fair selection of breads pastries, cheese, fruit etc. Evening food is fairly heavy apps, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, then a dessert selection at 8 or 8:30. Booze is from, IIRC, 3:30-6:30, then select dessert alcohol selections. They have cookies in the mid afternoon.

There are many comments about food offerings on this thread.

davidsc111

we've stayed at both and like both. When the kids are with us they prefer the GW...when it's just the wife and I we prefer the andaz. But we always enjoy the GW as well....the andaz is less crowded and more quiet, seems better for a kidless adventure. Plus the breakfast at the andaz is spectacular and I love Morimoto's as well.

ezak

iahphx

Forgive me if this has already been discussed, but if you're a Diamond on an award stay, I presume there's no easy/cheap way to get into the Napua Tower with these lounge benefits? I certainly get the impression that nothing is cheap on Maui.

LovePrunes

You have the correct impression.
For those seeking a cheap beach vacation google "Redneck Riviera" 😀