calitripgal

couldn't agree more MikefromTokyo. i'm certainly not paying a wad to waste time getting up at the crack of dawn simply to scout out and claim my seats. i try as best as i can to do my homework beforehand, avoiding high occupancy times. i can't begin to tell you how wonderful our recent fs maui trip turned out...was so quiet on the property with ample seating everywhere. i would say the serenity pool was about a quarter occupied. BUT the caveat albeit risky, if your intent on a certain place, is that i procrastinate with my bookings.

bhrubin

Couldn't agree more! Now that I've got Hyatt Diamond matched and received those 8 DSUs, I will use Citi Prestige to book Andaz AAA garden view room rate (cheapest refundable rate available)...and then use the DSU to get the same suite I'd originally booked. And save one night with the Citi Prestige 4th night off.

I want a nice hotel, with some luxury, that allows me to see my UNC basketball games. Andaz will do just fine!

bhrubin

Agreed. I'm stuck visiting over Thanksgiving week since that's when the Maui Invitational basketball tourney is, and that's a not too bad a place to see Carolina play ball.

And the Molokini crater back wall dive is really close to the Andaz, too--so a major plus.

bocastephen

This is the essence of the assessment I posted about Hualalai today - while luxury hotel service delivery should be consistent, there is a huge difference between low, medium and high occupancy experiences and few, if any hotels are immune.

FWIW, FS Maui is beautiful property with predictable Four Seasons service, however management and staff have a rather bad habit of throwing guests under the bus to favor celebrities or events who may be onsite at the same time, and that is a rather unfortunate hallmark of this resort vs Hualalai where everyone (except Nancy Pelosi or "Ahnold", but that's old news) is treated the same....including, unfortunately, fighting for lounge chairs. If the "Biebs" wants a lounge chair at Hualalai, he can get in line behind everyone else, but at FS Maui? You'll have the chair yanked out from under you.

I think the bigger question for the OP is - where on Maui do you want to be? Up near Kapalua and Ka'anapali with unpredictable weather, a long drive to other parts of the island and a huge tourist crowd, or always-mostly-sunny Kihei with better weather and a more "luxury" feel?

bhrubin

The OP (me) for this particular trip simply wants to be at a nice, luxury-ish hotel to please my husband while being of good cost/benefit value and letting me see the UNC basketball games in Lahaina!

The Montage is the closest luxury option to Lahaina. The weather matters little to me--I loved Princeville in Kauai, so weather in Kapalua pales in comparison. But air con and room rates don't compute for me at Montage.

The FS is the nicest luxury hotel by many accounts, but it's not as close to Lahaina. It isn't the nicest luxury option at high occupancy times like Thanksgiving when we'll be there. And it's ridiculously expensive then, too. So that doesn't compute for me at the FS. This is actually my worst option--since I am not sold on the FS Maui, and haven't been in eons. There must be a cogent reason!

The Andaz is the least luxurious of the 3...but I can stay there for free or pay for a regular entry level room and use a Hyatt Diamond DSU to get a suite--which is less than half the cost of the smallest room at either the Montage or FS. The Andaz is very close to the FS, so benefits from all the same geography. And it costs so much less that I don't worry about crowding over the holidays. It's no farther than the FS to Lahaina (about 45-60 min drive each way without traffic)...but it would be 20-30 in each way without traffic from Montage. For this price, and the suite upgrade, the 30 min extra drive is worth it for me. Plus, the air con is supposed to be exceptional and I will have fewer celebrities to worry about!

MikeFromTokyo

And by choosing Andaz as a better value proposition, you can set your expectations accordingly and probably enjoy the stay more than you would if you knew you were paying an exorbitant premium for FS.

Again, I just cannot bear the thought of paying a rate equivalant to what it costs to stay at many Aman resorts, for a garden view accommodation at FS Maui when occupancy is at its higheset, with all of the unpleasantries that entails. It's laughable when you think about it.

bhrubin

Agreed. Of course, we are a gay couple with no kids and school holidays to consider. I can imagine that families might be willing to pay the price for a nice holiday over the school holiday or winter holidays when rates are higher--since they won't get that chance very often.

MikeFromTokyo

Yes it's perfect for families, and there's nothing at all worong with going over Thanksgiving. Kids probably love it as they can make friends and play with other kids on family vacations. I recall NYBanker's very positive review of FS Hualalai over the holidays, for example.

For those of us with more flexible schedules and no children, it is not the best time to stay if one is looking for R&R, and the best value in terms of rates and likelihood of upgrades.

Cardboard55

Kapalua feels about as far from "huge tourist crowd" as you can get in my experience. Ka'anapali, yes. But not Kapalua. We've stayed in Wailea, Kapalua and Ka'anapali, and Kapalua is BY FAR the quietest and least crowded, at least at the Montage.

The unpredictable weather and long drive I will definitely grant you (but for us it's an acceptable tradeoff for how quiet and relaxing it is, and how nice the property and service are).

Cardboard55

BTW, we haven't stayed at the Andaz, but we've been to the property and it seems very nice. I'm sure bhrubin will be happy there, and next time we decide to stay in Wailea, we'll at least consider it.

Kagehitokiri

seems montage hotel inventory can be as few as 47 1BR + 6 3/4BR
condos include 11 Exclusive Resorts + 5 Inspirato (high occupancy?)

seems currently only 6 condo "Residences" in hotel inventory
https://www.montagehotels.com/kapaluabay/overview/
https://www.montagehotels.com/kapalu...ccommodations/

montage spa launched memberships, access only to spa pool, not hotel pools

montage has a total of 428 BRs including all residences, but 40 still unsold
380 room FS maui (next to grand wailea 780 rooms + 120 condos / 360 BRs)
463 room RC kapalua, with that including the residences / residential suites

aa213bb

FWIW, bhrubin, we swung by the Andaz (from FSM) one night for dinner earlier this year, and I think you will be perfectly happy with it ... especially with the appropriate upgrade instruments.

FS Maui, over Thanksgiving, simply is not worth the price commanded (to me, obviously). Like you, we have no children, and have flexibility in traveling.

Truthfully, the FS Maui over Thanksgiving elicits Dante-esque visions on my part.

MikeFromTokyo

^

bhrubin

^