Land-of-Miles

The Sheraton Maui is far nicer than the Sheraton Waikiki. The Sheraton Waikiki whilst it does have some positives has a lot in common with the Westin Maui, as a big impersonal room factory. The Sheraton Maui has a totally different vibe.

thaliajen

Posted by Land-of-Miles: "The Sheraton Maui is far nicer than the Sheraton Waikiki. The Sheraton Waikiki whilst it does have some positives has a lot in common with the Westin Maui, as a big impersonal room factory. The Sheraton Maui has a totally different vibe."

Thanks for the info! So if I loved Sheraton Waikiki I should more than love Sheraton Maui! I was just at the Sheraton Waikiki a few months back and I had an amazing stay. I had 1st gone to the Westin Moana and was shocked at the awful room and treatment I'd received. I spent my last day and night and day (late flight) at the Sheraton Waikiki and was treated like a visiting princess.

I had early check-in, late check-out, numerous gifts, a fantastic upgrade and one of kindest front desk employees I've ever met. The spa was tops and the lounge had the most amazing view. It's still my favorite Honolulu Property. Maybe I just lucked out?

That said, I'm now expecting Nirvana! If it's nicer than the Sheraton Waikiki it will definitely be a great trip.

Land-of-Miles

Whilst the low end rooms at the Sheraton Waikiki appear to be not quite as bad as those at the Westin Moana, if you don't get a suite they are extremely small for 2 people to share. There is just no space at all. I have had a couple of types of ocean view room at the Sheraton Waikiki (these were not at all base rooms more the upper end of non suite rooms) and I hated the room. So the room makes a huge difference at the Sheraton Waikiki. To be fair and in contrast the worst rooms at the Westin and Sheraton Maui are both cheaper and better proportioned than some of the pricier rooms in Waikiki.

NYC girl

Hi! We have gone back and forth between the Ritz Carlton and the Marriott Wailea. I thought I had finally decided on the Wailea (using points), but when I double checked my reservation there was a 'renovation notice' that

"The Makani pool will be under renovation October 1 2015-February 1 2016. The serenity pool, dive pool, childrens pool and waterslides will be open and staffed for your enjoyment."

I tried searching for the 'Makani' pool everywhere, and couldn't figure out if that's the main pool, or some random small pool. If the main pool is unavailable, I think that makes it a no brainer to stay at the Ritz Carlton!

I would appreciate any input on comparisons between the 2 properties as well as any insight into what the Makani pool is. Thank you in advance!!!

(PS First time to Hawaii, so any recommendations for dining, activities, etc. We are doing Maui, Honolulu (conference) and Kaui)

DJ_Iceman

That's not the main pool, it's a secondary pool in the vicinity of the adults-only serenity pool. If you're staying in the tower, it means that you'll have to walk quite a bit further to get to a pool other than the serenity pool. But for almost any guest, this won't really be much of an impact.

I'll let others chime in with advice on most of your questions. And I will say that the R-C is a perfectly acceptable property and if you stay there you'll undoubtedly have a wonderful time. But I like the Wailea part of the island much better than Kapalua, and think the Wailea Marriott is an incredibly resort. I've always been treated very well there, like the layout and overall feel of the place, enjoy being close to the island's best upscale shopping area, like the oceanside walking path that extends 1.5 miles along the water, and appreciate being able to go to any of the nearby resorts for drinks or meals.

holocker

I am finishing up a trip to Maui where I stayed at both properties and preferred the Ritz. The pools you mention are the 2 nearest the restaurant, not the large infinity adult pool or kids pools.

I am a Platinum and had booked the lowest level rooms at both properties. At the Ritz I was upgraded to a 1 Bedroom Residential Garden Suite and at the Wailea property I had a choice of a garden view suit or oceanfront room and took the oceanfront room. Both properties i arrived around 1 pm. My room was ready at the Ritz and had to wait till almost 4 at Wailea. If it is hot avoid building 7 at Wailea as the air conditioning does not work well. First room it turned off and second room can't get room below 74, even when set to 65. Spoke to someone else in same building with same problem.

I think the rate at the Ritz was only $20-30 more. Don't know how many nights you are staying but the Ritz is running a special till the end of the year where you pay for 4 nights and get 5th free plus breakfast included. If you use the AA rate at Ritz make sure you have a card as they will ask for it. Pool at the Ritz was large and open 24 hours and the water was cool. At Wailea pools are nice but close at 10 and like a bathtub.The fitness center at Wailea was nicer.

Beach closer at Wailea and if you have an ocean or view room at Wailea much closer to the ocean.

Wailea has the nice path along the beach to walk and more shops, restaurants, and other hotels to walk to. The shuttle at the Ritz was convenient to take to nearby beaches. Food and drinks at the Ritz was more expensive. Service at the Ritz was much more personalized. For instance I asked about having housekeeping service at a specific time at Wailea and was told they will come any time between 8 am and 12 noon vs at the Ritz I called and they were there within 15 minutes. Don't know what time of year you are going but the area around the Ritz tends to be windier, cooler, with more rain.

If you have any other questions let me know.

jtwiz

The previous poster obviously gives you a great comparison. I did not stay at the Ritz, although we did tour the property. It's beautiful, but we felt it was somewhat remote. It would be ideal for a short stay, but we stayed in Maui for 7 nights. So we really liked Wailea for its close proximity to restaurants, shopping, beaches.

On our pool days, we always sat at the Serenity pool. It was peaceful, with great views of the ocean. And we enjoyed happy hour there with discounted drinks from 3 to 5 PM each day. Service at the pool was excellent.

As others mentioned, we loved walking in the mornings, some days along the beach to Kihei and other days along the beach path in front of the other hotels. We even did some inland walking through neighborhoods, etc. popping out along some neat waterfront areas toward Makena.

windhund

I haven't stayed at the Ritz, but I like the Wailea location for several reasons. To start, there's a path along the ocean, allowing easy access to several beaches on foot. You can also walk to restaurants and shopping in Wailea easily, and Kihei is a short drive if you want a change of scenery. If you get an oceanfront room at Wailea, you can be much closer to the ocean than at most other properties. I also like the Serenity pool in Wailea -- one of the best pool waitresses in the world (Terry) works there. Good spot for whale-watching too.

As far as activities and restaurants -- what are you most interested in/what types of food do you like?

RoadWarrior200

I've stayed at both, although a while ago. As others have noted, the RC is fairly remote whereas there's lots to do at Wailea and the nearby area. Unless they've fixed it, it's quite a hike to the beach at RC because of the heritage burial grounds that had to be avoided.

NYC girl

Thank you so much! This community is so fantastic! It sounds like we really can't go wrong, but I think I am leaning back towards the Wailea again. We have never been to Hawaii, so I am sure we will want to walk around and explore. There was a long thread on whether or not the club floor was worth it at the RC, any tips for the Wailea?

My husband has a conference there, so we are doing 5 days in Maui, then 4 days in Honolulu for his conference, then Kauai for a few days. Definitely open to restaurants, activities, and tours in any of those areas.

Thank you all again!!!

flyerfmaz

My wife and I are Maui fanatics (going again next year). I'd like to offer you some potentially cost and headache-saving advice: unless you're using points or are only on Maui for a long weekend, your best bet is almost always to rent a condo instead of fiddling with hotel resorts. When we go to Maui, we use a travel agent who lives on Maui who sets us up in a condo with full amenities (kitchen, washer/dryer, wifi, ocean front, etc) and none of the nonsense found at the hotels, such as "resort fees", "parking fees", etc. When you arrive at Maui make your first stop the Costco (conveniently near the airport) and load up on food, adult beverages if you wish, and other goodies.

As far as places to visit, I highly recommend you visit TripAdvisor and look through the listings of highly rated, and diverse activities. My wife and I are in our 50s and not really into things like scuba diving or ziplines, so we go for other things like sunset catamaran cruises, a trip to Haleakala crater, etc. There's also the ever-famous "road to Hana", which is a twisty-turny heck of a drive but extremely beautiful. Our travel agent (who lives on Maui) advised us that it's best to just drive to the halfway point and turn around (there's a banana bread stand there), because the rest of the drive is about the same and the return is very exhausting. For dinners out, there are three places you must do: Haile Maile General Store, Mama's Fish House, and Nick's Fish Market. If you'd like the contact information for our travel agent, contact me privately as I don't want to be accused of spamming the forum. :-)

windhund

If you decide to stay at Wailea, I'd recommend one of the ocean-front rooms. (Note that they have a few categories - "ocean view", "premium ocean view", "ocean-front".) The ones I'd recommend are ones that are the closest to the ocean and have a balcony or lanai. It's amazing to go out on the balcony and watch the sunset. I think you can upgrade to these rooms if you're using points.

Honolulu -- Leonard's is pretty famous for their malasadas (a Portuguese donut-like pastry). Marukame Udon has some some great udon if you like Japanese food.

Kauai -- if you like it, I highly recommend exploring the hiking options. Some of the most beautiful views and trails I've ever seen. (Some are very difficult though.) Hanalei Bay I'd recommend as well -- small but gorgeous.

querion

My wife and I are going for a short trip to the island of Maui from Nov 26 - Nov 30 this year. We currently have reservations at both above mentioned properties with very similar pricing, but will obviously need to cancel one of the two before long.

The reason for picking these 2 properties is simply because I am an SPG platinum member, so am hoping for a nice upgrade for our 4 days / nights of romance. We plan on this vacation being one for relaxation, so beach / pool and balcony with ocean view are the most important items after the quality of the room. Our other consideration would be the breakfast (buffet or other - should be included as a platinum benefit at either location).

Any advice to help in making this decision would be appreciated.

RFLP

We are regulars at the Westin-this is a better hotel all around-just renovated, the Sheraton really needs an renovation, the Westin has 5 pools including a kiddie pool, hot tub. Since you are a platinum, get a room/suite on the Beach Tower, larger rooms better views. If you can snag a corner room-they call them suites now, that has large windows over looking the beach/ocean, as well as a lanai over looking the pools, ground. The main complaints about the Westin is the ground is really small!

spellbound2

We had a really nice room on the top floor of the ocean tower for 10 nights over Christmas and New Year's. The buffet was jam-packed each morning with a long omelette/egg line so I was impressed how many orders the chef handled so quickly! It was a bit of a zoo and one time a waiter almost wiped out on the stone pavers since someone spilled milk, but we were amazed at how well it was moving with such crowds. They had a NYE party that was complimentary for all hotel guests so that was a nice thing to offer since it's not really heard of anymore to offer for free events on NYE.

We went to Oahu afterwards for a week and believe it or not, we were disappointed with the new Four Seasons in West Maui. Not really the same experience, but a lot warmer employees at Westin Maui than Four Seasons.