iahphx

Aspire is not hard to figure out You'll get the $250 at Hilton resorts (including the Grand Wailea) immediately after approval, and you'll have 12 months to use it. When they bill you the annual fee the next year, I would think you should cancel the card.

How many days are you staying at the G-W? Having a $250 AMEX credit will certainly enhance your stay. There is some food available (happy hour, deli) that isn't crazy expensive and is family friendly. And maybe you can use the credit to pick up the overage at breakfast..

Parking is problematic. If you're only going to be at the G-W for a few days, I would probably NOT get a car. The high gotcha parking fee tips the scale against it. Between the Shops at Wailea (especially the Island Gourmet Market) and cherry-picking the limited affordable food a the W-A, you'll save money NOT having a car. But if you're staying awhile, and want to use the hotel as a base to explore the island, you'll want a car and you can enjoy the additional affordable food options in nearby Kihei and elsewhere.

In the Andaz Maui thread, I did post how it's possible to get free parking in Wailea. But it's not that easy, and the rules are murky. Perhaps the biggest problem is that the free parking in Wailea is at either end of the Wailea hotel "strip." The W-A is in the middle of the strip, so the furthest from the potential free parking. This makes it almost a 20 minute walk. Not good.

UsernameChuck

Thanks - the difficulty for us with the Aspire is that we upgraded from Surpass, apparently the year runs from your anniversary date, not the upgrade date. I think it actually hits a few days before we'll be there, so we may be able to use the new credits before we downgrade. If it weren't GW, I might even have hopes that Diamond might get us an upgrade. Oh well, at least it should get us some croissants.

I understand there is parking south of the Fairmont... I don't mind that it's a little inconvenient, but I'm not sure if I would trust leaving the car there. We're just at GW for 3 days, and we're coming from Kauai, so we should alraedy have our hiking fix. The only thing I'd particularly like to do is to drive up the volcano. That sounds cool and perhaps even educational. Otherwise, I expect we'll hang out at the hotel. But it also might be cost-effective. With family of 4 we're looking at $70ish each way, plus an uber or two during the stay. I dunno, I'm torn.

iahphx

So unless it's recently changed, I believe there is free untimed street parking on Kaukahi St. past the Fairmont. Unless things have changed, this would not be "sketchy" parking. It would also not be convenient parking for the W-A. - almost a mile away.. That said, if you could get a cheap car rental at the airport (prices vary dramatically based on demand), it could be your best transport choice. Obviously, you wouldn't use the car during your stay at Wailea unless you really needed it.

cali-gal

We are staying in May, which I'm looking forward to. We planned to stay in a Deluxe Ocean View, although the travel agent mistakenly reserved a different room-- hopefully that will get cleared up. At any rate, after reading some of the posts, I wonder if we would prefer one of the Napua Tower rooms. It is my understanding that none of the Napua rooms don't have a straight-on view of the ocean, is that correct?

Just to add on to the discussion about getting a Costco membership for the trip, if you know someone with a Costco card, they can purchase a gift card for you, and you can go and make your purchase with that, even if your purchase exceeds the gift card amount. Every year I get several $10 gift cards for my son, who is single so having a membership isn't cost-effective.

BlueZebra

The standard Napua Tower rooms have a limited water view. You will notice there is a Napua Tower type called "Napua Club Ocean View". Those are lowest category that have a straight on ocean view.

Cledaybuck

I wouldn’t go to Maui without a car.

iahphx

I honestly don't understand the fascination with Costco on Maui. You won't have a kitchen to cook in at the W-A, so what are you going to buy there to eat that's so wonderful? The plate lunch prices on Maui are not expensive and will provide a far better dining experience. If you need groceries, you can go to Safeway in Kihei or the CVS/Longs. Both have prices similar to Costco (especially if you're willing to take the 2 minutes necessary to review their weekly sale circular or load their online coupons to your phone) in sizes that make far more sense for a vacation.

iahphx

I tend to agree, but the Wailea hotels have jacked up their gotcha parking fees so high that it might not make sense to rent a car there unless you're planning on sightseeing those days.

cali-gal

I was only responding to the poster who said they were considering joining Costco while there in Maui. We don't cook when we are on the islands. The closest we come is reheating leftovers and making coffee.

That said, mac nut gifts and goodies are the most reasonable I've found on Maui. Also, last time they had large Schilling spice containers of curry for under $20. It's a fun place to go to see the items that are unique to that store.

BrlDsguise

I'll take your word for it. It's bad enough to insulate yourself from Maui in a resort.

iahphx

On one of my visits to Maui last year, after leaving my "free weekend" at the W-A, I was heading to a house rental in east Maui. Since I had a Costco gift card, had to transit Kahului anyway, and needed some food to cook, I stopped at the Costco. It was a truly poor experience. Too crowded, bad parking lot, nothing particularly interesting to buy at good prices, etc.

Bottomline, if you're a Costco fan, you'll probably enjoy shopping at the Maui Costco. If you're not a Costco fan, you should probably stay as far away as possible from the store. It's pretty easy and painless to shop in Kihei. In general, you should probably arrange your schedule to spend at little time as possible in Kahului. I like a couple of the plate lunch places there, but it's probably not worth it to eat there unless you have to be in town anyway (like for a flight).

Eujeanie

We get gas at Costco before returning the car.

iahphx

I know it's a little cheaper, but I can't honestly recommend doing that, either. The line almost always sucks -- in no universe would it be worth the effort unless you're the kind of person who routinely waits in gas lines. The smart locals pay slightly more and go to Maui Oil. Tourists can buy gas there, too, but only during normal business hours, and even that's a bit of a hassle because you're supposed to have an account with them. Safeway isn't that much more expensive.

Eujeanie

We were there early in the morning and there were no lines - the only challenge was finding the gas area - it was way over on the other side of hell's half acre!

I'll check Google maps before we go and compare the prices (a great feature).

For some reason the Safeway prices are not showing, but today Costco is $3.02 and Ohana and Aloha Mart are both in the $3.80's.

iahphx

Gasbuddy right now is showing Costco at $3.01, Safeway at $3.11 and Maui Oil at $3.13, That's pretty typical from my experience. Everyone else is at nosebleed levels, which is also typical. I can't remember the last time I bought gas early morning in Kahului, but that would obviously be the best time to hit the Costco. Otherwise, don't say I didn't warn you about the lines there. From my own hometown experience, it seems like everyone who has a Costco card feels compelled to buy their gas at Costco even if the savings are extremely modest. I've seen huge lines at Costco (and BJs) even when a station across the street has no lines and is a penny more. I think it's the same mentality in Kahului, especially since "random" stations there are so expensive.