777 global mile hound

Hmm hadn't thought of that.Perhaps but I reckon I can slum it at Park Hyatt New Zealand on a points booking a whole heck of lot easier than booking the Andaz Maui
which likely will be much higher than what it is now with the seasonal awards kicking in
Can't imagine Queenstown being that expensive though and other tourist spots but anything is possible
I am a big fan of Andaz Maui even if it no longer may make sense to pay to book it.The property changed my negative perceptions of most resorts
Where before I might book revenue rooms now its points or its a no go!

josephstern

But when demand shifts back to several places like NZ, Tahiti, Mexico, Maldives, etc. then the prices in Hawaii should decrease.

I'm here now. Never seen the beach this packed. And the buffet seems to have devolved even a bit further. Less variety, fewer changes day to day. I really hope they plan to reverse course on that decline when the world opens back up.

But this is still a fantastic place. The snorkeling is amazing and just relaxing here is, well, relaxing.

canyonleo

The snorkeling is crazy amazing. I spend my days there driving from reef to reef snorkeling all day (weather permitting), sometimes snorkeling for miles. I still find things on that reef (between Mokapu and Ulua) that I haven't yet seen at any other Maui reefs. I find that amazing given the high usage and easy access of Ulua.

scillyisles

I guess the point I was making about the price increases at the Andaz is that they are way beyond anything else I have seen in the hotels that we stay in when we go to any of the Hawaiian islands. I agree that Hawaii hotels have put their rates up as they re-open - for example we stayed at the Grand Hyatt on Kauai in November 2019 and looking at the prices now it looks like their rooms rates are around 10% more expensive than we paid. Looking at the hotels on Oahu where we normally stay then the rates do not seem to have changed much at all, on Big Island the rates seem to have gone up similar to Kauai. Whereas the Andaz seems to have increased their room rates by anything from just over 100% for their basic rooms to well over 300% for their Deluxe Ocean View Suites. Looking at other Wailea beach hotels, it looks like they have increased their rates well above the Hawaii average but none of them have increased their rates anywhere near as much as the Andaz. Occupancy seems high at all Wailea beach hotels so people are paying these rates.

graj08

bumping this � has anyone found standard award availability recently?

RedSun

Yes, I saw point redemption opened up. But I decided to pass Andaz and stayed at HR Maui instead.

Not a single regret. At HR, I received suite upgrade, full regency lounge and much nicer beach. Andaz only gives breakfast for two. Not very nice beach. The Kaanapali Beach is much nicer than Wailea area beaches.

Some say Andaz is less crowded. When I walked past Andaz, I saw it as crowded as other hotels. Still don�t know why folks rate Andaz this high.

With the way Andaz does the booking and suite upgrade, I have no desire to stay there. Just me.

canyonleo

> Still don�t know why folks rate Andaz this high.

Might be "just you". Andaz is having no problems getting people to stay there. I've documented above one's opinion on how HR (or most any other Maui property) doesn't compare to to Andaz, especially the beach/reef. Some like a DigMe scene, some like the Mokapu "scene".

RedSun

I will be happy to learn what makes such strong statements that none of the Wailea or none of the Maui resorts can compare with Andaz. Andaz Maui must be a magical place for some people.

During my stay at Maui, Andaz point redemption opened up for some days during my stay. But I had no desire to move my business to Andaz. I stayed at Wailea area. I didn�t see Andaz so magical.

Kacee

It's not just Andaz, it's everything in Wailea. Check prices at Wailea Resort (Marriott), Four Seasons, Fairmont, even the RI and AC.

We burned points at RI last visit and enjoyed that much more than Andaz. It was nice to have comfortable seating and a real desk and table.

canyonleo

Comfortable seating and a real desk? I'm sorry, but other than a couple Andaz haters, many of us (and others that will come to read) love the Andaz for so many reasons (and each has his/her own preferences for what one likes in a property):

Mokapu and Ulua are GREAT beaches
The reef is one of Maui's VERY BEST
The slope pool for kids is GREAT (greatly aided in my daughter's confidence in learning to swim)
The lawn adjacent to the beach is one of Maui's VERY BEST property offering for having a picnic, watching a sunset and sky star watching
For a "big hotel", it's among the best of a non-Vegas type feel
For a non-town property it's an easier walk into town than any Kaanapali, Kappalua or Wailea resort

And then there's items like spa/gym, hip pool scene, breakfast, staff friendliness, Morimotos, adult tranquility that some comment about.

I find the desk in my Andaz room to be perfectly sufficient for what I want in a Maui property desk (and I do work a fair amount on Maui trips, best way to get away with doing a 3-5 week trip not a one week trip).

Kacee

The room is not worth >$800 period.

I agree Morimoto is very nice. We ate there twice in two nights (one lunch, one dinner) while staying at the RI.

We all know you love this property. Many feel differently. Deal with it.

777 global mile hound

Out of curiosity Are the beds firm medium or soft @ RI ?
Andaz Maui has new beds in the past few years and are super firm.I prefer the older first generation beds
Thankfully the incredible team @ Andaz Maui brought up a great foam topper turning it into sleepers dream (or at least this one)
and brought up a case of my favorite water pre pandemic
Love the property but stayed at HR Maui last time as they are more pro-active with upgrade requests in advance
Big fan of both and look forward to the renovations at the HR!

Kacee

IIRC they were pretty soft. Lots of towels, an ocean view, and real glassware in the kitchen. A great deal for 50 or 60k Marriott. Cash price for base room (we were upgraded to 2BR Suite) was over $800 when we booked, which is completely insane.

777 global mile hound

Appreciate the helpful info.
Points opportunity indeed and easy to book to Marriott's credit
I'm wondering who has the better breakfast AC or RI?
That said who knows if Maui will be accepting visitors next year Finger crossed things improve

nsx

I had a renovated room at HR last December and it was spectacular. The only thing it lacked was an outlet near the desk. BYO extension cord.