For that price I would guess you're going to get a VERY hard sell on the timeshare when you attend the presentation. I'd suggest you take your best thick skin.

Deleted

[This message has been edited by socrates (edited Mar 23, 2004).]

IMHO - after attending 2 Marriott timeshare presentations, a Hilton one, and a couple of independent timeshare presentations over the years - I would rate the Marriott experience as a "medium pressure" sales pitch. Hilton was low pressure; the independent guys were a total hard-sell.

I did not buy a timeshare at any presentation, and was always there for the obvious reason of earning some perk, whether it be MR points, discounted hotel stays, or whatever.

I felt that Marriott was aggressive but tasteful. They seem to have *some* guidelines at the corporate level for how their salespeople can behave. Bring your "thick skin", be prepared to say NO rather forcefully a few times, but don't let this 90 minutes deter you from the $190/nt. at Kapalua.

(I'm guessing that this is far and away the best deal going, but as always, check the sources that don't require a timeshare presentation to see what you are really getting "paid" for that 90 minutes.)

Tips at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua
 

We are going to stay at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua in Maui at the end of August. I have intentionally booked what they call a "Deluxe Ocean View" room since my wife and I plan to be spending a lot of time in the hotel room. Does anyone have any tips for me at this property ? I want to make sure that I get the best room possible. Also, do they upgrade at this property ? I am unsure exactly what I could get upgraded to since I already have a high room category.

Any advice/tips to maximize our stay would be appreciated. Thanks.

Sure - why not ask for an upgrade but what you have sounds great, be sure to visit the Japanese sushi restaurant in the mall near the hotel - great sushi, very fresh

Do you mean SanSei, my favorite restaurant on Maui? It's in the Kapalua shops. Actually, I'm not a big fan of their sushi & never sit @ their sushi bar anymore, but their cooked dishes are wonderful! There's a seared ahi wrap with black sesame seeds & a wasabi beurre blanc that is incredible! Ask for a spoon to lap up the sauce since it's a little tacky to pick the plate up & lick it, as you are tempted to do! We love to sit at the 'liquor' bar & ask the bartender what's good that night, share several dishes, hang out & leave very happy. Excellent recomendation!

P.S. The SanSei's in Kihei & Honolulu are poor imitations of the original - don't bother.

I know this might seem like a stupid question, but are there any grocery stores in Kapalua or nearby? We are travelling with our infant son so we need to get diapers and baby supplies. Is this hotel as great as everyone says it is ? I have read some mixed reviews.

There's a Long's Drugs in Lahaina you could stop at en route to Kapalua. Also, closer to OGG there's a Long's (Maui Mall) and Wal-Mart (near Dairy Rd). You could stop here after arriving from the airport.

BTW, Long's and Wal-Mart are also probably the better places to buy your souvenirs; much better prices, and that's where many locals stock up on gifts to bring to friends/family on the mainland.

[QUOTE=ntamayo]Also, closer to OGG there's a Long's (Maui Mall) and Wal-Mart (near Dairy Rd). You could stop here after arriving from the airport.
QUOTE]

Thank you very much!!!! I am glad to hear that there is actually a Wal-Mart on the Island of Maui; I was dreading lugging along baby forumula and diapers in my limited checked baggage all the way from DFW.

In addition to Long's and Wal-Mart, The Costco by the OGG airport has an excellent selection of Hawaiian food gifts and aloha shirts to take back. And the prices are typical Costco LOW. You might also want to check out one of the ubiquitous ABC stores that dot the island. They occasionally have very good prices on Kona coffee, macadamia nuts, etc.
On your grocery store question, you'll pass a couple stores on your way north to Kapalua. There's a Safeway a little north of Lahaina and a Star Market a few miles north of the Safeway. There's also a Foodland a little hidden in downtown Lahaina which is my favorite place to shop.
Enjoy your trip!

Deleted - Duplicate Post.

Napili Plaza Supermarket near Kapula
 

Much closer to Kapula their is a full serrvice supermarket in the Napili Plaza shopping center. The entrance is a little hard to spot, just look for the recessed entrance in the center of the shopping center (1st flooor). Pretty sure it was a Foodland. Anyway, can't speak to Cotsco or Walmart, but the prices at Napili Plaza were about the same as the Safeway near the airport. Maui is expensive in general, so be prepared. Hope this helps...

--Jon

P.S. Napili is the town right before you reach Kapula.

Ritz Kapalua, Maui. Comments?
 

Has anyone stayed at the RC in Kapalua over the last 6 months or so? I'm redeeming points (on another program) to stay at the club level in September and am kind of concerned reading comments from some years back on this board. Any one feeling to lift my spirits is more than welcome. Thanks.

My wife and I stayed there last December for her 50th birthday. Overall, it was a great experience! The staff was friendly (particularly Edith - the Front of the Hotel manager), the food at the restaurants always very good, and the room amenities typically very good Ritz.

Now for the caveats: I had booked a "full ocean view" room for the "big event". However, when we arrived around 7:30 p.m., we were taken to a room apparently facing the pool/gardens. Because it was dark, we could not tell exactly what the view was. However, the next morning, we found that ALL the regular rooms face this way. The hotel is set up with wings running perpendicular to the ocean. So, the only rooms with an actual straight-on ocean view are the suites at the end of the halls.

After much discussion the next day, the front desk offered me an upgrade to one of the ocean view suites for an extra $150 a day - which I grabbed. From then on, we were truly in paradise!

Also, since is was my wife's big birthday, a number of friends/family called the hotel and ordered gifts over the phone, using their credit cards, to be sent to our room, such as a gift cert for the spa (which is very nice) and a bottle of top shelf booze. However, apparently due to front office/admin mistakes, I had to push for two days to get them acknowledged/delivered to our room. But once they realized their mistake, they upgraded the spa cert and threw in a free hand-made sugarless ice cream cake for our trouble.

So, all in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would not hesitate to go again.