BlueZebra

Sold out? Probably at reduced capacity...50% is the state restrictions. They are using 6 feet between pairs of chairs. They had added some in the second luau area north of the pool. Can't see any other way to add chairs without changing the distance guidelines.

Was there until April 8...the forecast was for less occupancy in the near term, after a pretty busy Easter.

matthewcr

Yeah I think it is the 50%

UsernameChuck

Hey, I'm trying to plan a bit for a trip (though it's not till August). We'll be there 5 nights (first time on Maui), coming on the heels of 7 nights in Kauai and 4 nights on the Big Island. I think I need a pep talk for getting away from the hotel. On the one hand, staying in a place like GW, it seems a "waste" not to enjoy the pools, beach, etc. On the other hand, it's feeling like golden handcuffs. I planned on just getting a car service to get from OGG to the hotel. We'll have already done a fair amount of hiking in Kauai, we'll have gone up a mountain on the Big Island; and the Road to Hana sounds cool, but maybe not for 7 and 11 year old kids. Which is to say, I wasn't seeing the value in having a car for the whole trip (was thinking of renting for one day), and it would be nice not to have a car to worry about most of the time. But would we feel trapped in that insanity? (I think they charge $40/night for valet in order to deter people like me from having a car - so we'll spend more on-site.)
I know everyone is different, etc., but if anyone has thoughts on how to allocate between GW and Maui, I would love to hear them. Thanks!

BlueZebra

There is an Enterprise car rental at GW for a daily rental, if you chose to go that route. GW also has a car service provided if you are staying in the Napua Tower, and you can use them, for a fee, if not in the Napua Tower. I think it's called SpeediShuttle, or something similar.

I could see you staying there if it's your first visit, for 5 days. After having been to Maui over 20 times, I know a car is required. But I am sure your kids would be happy to play non-stop in the water stuff.

Generally, I think one day over to Lahaina, or some other touring would be a good break.

rabilancia

There's also the ocean front "Wailea Beach Path." We've been traveling annually to Maui since 1985 and take the full walk every morning when there (with lots of whale sightings when in-season) .
1. From the the Grand Wailea to the south it goes just past the Fairmont Kea Lani to the Polo Club condos (about .8 miles) and is paved all the way. There are fabulous elevated views half way when you get to Wailea Point.
2. From the Grand Wailea to the north it (and the pavement) ends near the Andaz but connects with the Keawakapu beach which you can enjoy all the way to the Mana Kai Maui (about 1.5 miles). It's easy to miss the Keawakapu beach if you don't know it's there.

Take the walk at least once. I think you'll enjoy it.

Cledaybuck

I can't imagine staying on Maui without a car.

UsernameChuck

When we went to Waikiki, we didn't have a car (except for a day or two), that worked out. One time, our flight to RSW was late and the car company stiffed us - we ubered to our hotel and it was fine. In "real life," we went about 3 years without a car (in an urban area). My default in a non-urban area is to want a car, but it just seems like a big hassle at GW. Either you pay $40/day and feel like you need to "get your money's worth" by using it - or we find the free parking past the Fairmont, and hope no one breaks into the car - and it's 20 minutes away so you don't use it... neither of those options seem very appealing.

sam_goh

You really can't compare Waikiki to Wailea.

UsernameChuck

I know what you mean, but if you think about it, the comparison is not so crazy. In both cases, not having a car leaves you unable to get out of a particular area. What could you do traveling out from Waikiki without a car, that you couldn't do in Maui without a car? I found Oahu pretty inaccessible without wheels. True, Waikiki had more food options, but there seem to be at least a decent number of restaurants near GW - I imagine it would take at least a few days to get bored.

Eujeanie

I think the biggest fact is that you will have been traveling around like crazy on your other two islands. Why NOT have a rest before you all return home? We always have a car, but that was back in the day when a car was reasonably priced. They are through the roof these days. There are plenty of hikes on Maui, plus another mountain to drive up, (we really loved going to Haleakala in the middle of the day...we were headed someplace else when we said "look! we can see the top! let's go!" and just loved seeing the eerie moonscape. I haven't climbed any mountains on the Big Island so can't compare.

Let your kids run the show. If they love the pools/beach every day, let it be. If they get bored and antsy, rent a car for a day.

Also, not sure if they would find this dorky, but the GW has a lot of programs for kids regarding flora, history, etc. Maybe they can participate in those.

Cledaybuck

Pay the $40/day. You are going all the way to Maui. It's expensive. Don't let $40/day bother you. If you just take the car to dinner somewhere in Kihei, you will save that $40 easy rather than being at the resorts.

UsernameChuck

The main principle is true - but the application doesn't necessarily follow, not for us. Beyond the per day cash cost of renting a car ($48 parking + $65 rental cost + gas), there are other costs. If we just hang out at the hotel one day, that's $115 "wasted" per day - having the car would push us to get out and do stuff, but would cause us stress if we just hung out. It's not that we couldn't afford it, but it's above some imaginary threshold and would seem wasteful. The parking almost doubles the cost of a car rental.

Probably most of the people at GW would just shake their heads and pay the money. But we'll be there on FNCs and points (since we were already going to Hawaii, the marginal cost of including Maui was 15K Southwest points + some FNCs and 95K for one night). In our situation, including a rental car almost double the base cost / pre-food+fun cost of the trip to Maui (out-of-pocket $20 + acquisition costs for points $510) (car cost: $570 + gas - cost of car to and from OGG would be ~$100). I don't want to be a cheapskate when we're there, but I also don't want to spend unwisely - that would impact our enjoyment of the trip, and might cause us to not spend on some other item (snorkeling trip? deep sea fishing? kayaking? helicopter?) that we'd enjoy and remember for a long time.

As I see it, I agree that a person shouldn't nickel and dime on that kind of vacation, but you still want to spend wisely. An unwise expense can make couples start to bicker, and then to be cheap in other areas. By contrast, if you get the main stuff right, you'll feel like you have more discretionary cash to spend on things worth the expense.

[Edit: sorry, $65 / day valet, $45 self-parking. So having a car would cost $600 for 5 days]

Cledaybuck

I understand not wanting to spend unwisely (I would never pay the cash rates that they want at this hotel), but what I am saying is that renting a car is not spending unwisely. If you truly just want to veg out at the resort the whole time, that's fine and you don't need a car for that. What I am saying is there are a ton of things to do and see on Maui, especially for someone who has never been, and almost all of them require a car. And being on the resort all the time with resort prices, you aren't going to save as much as you think.

UsernameChuck

Thanks, Eujeanie - that actually sounds really interesting. My kids do like that sort of thing - at least, if the older does. Fingers crossed it'll be up and running by August. The scuba and snorkeling lessons also look cool.

LovePrunes

if your kids will like a couple of short-ish hikes to some waterfalls along the way, then you should do a day trip to Hana with them. It's a no-brainer if it was just a couple's trip.
A quick jaunt to a cruise out to Molokini (using your car to go to and from the docks), maybe a SINGLE night out to eat driving elsewhere, and your round trip to and from OGG, it seems by my math you'd EASILY break even, at worst, having a car or not having one. In that case, or if it was even close, I'd get the car, but that's just me.