Dec 28, 2021, 7:38 am
Westin Maui, Ka'anapali, Hawaii [Master Thread]
Apr 9, 2012, 11:37 am
#406
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PHX
Posts: 4,787
I'm looking at booking four to five nights over the December holidays, but so far they only will permit stays of 7-days or longer.
Does anyone have advice about when they might open shorter stays or whether there's a preferred means of attempting to get the hotel to open up availability?
Does anyone have advice about when they might open shorter stays or whether there's a preferred means of attempting to get the hotel to open up availability?
Apr 9, 2012, 2:52 pm
#407
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 148
sorry for the duplicate... going to add question to Sheraton vs. Westin thread.
Last edited by bartman9; Apr 9, 2012 at 3:58 pm Reason: comments removed regarding Sheraton comparison
Apr 9, 2012, 6:17 pm
#408
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Houston (IAH,HOU) / Kāʻanapali (JHM,OGG)
Programs: UA GS 2MM, AA P 2MM, DL PM, US P, VS G, SPG LT P, HH D, HYATT P, PC P, AVIS PC, HERTZ PLAT
Posts: 970
Thats probably one of the really 9 nice long rooms in the beach tower at that size.
Apr 12, 2012, 4:57 pm
#409
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 769
Just got back from a 5 night stay at the Westin Maui. Terriffic property, good and friendly staff. Only issues were we were not upgraded as gold members, so that sucked, but with spring break, the hotel was evidently full much of the stay.
Seems to be very family friendly since half the resort/swim complex were 16-20 year kids.
We stayed on points, so 48k for five nights, plus we got 7500 back for doing the time share presentation, so basically 40.5k for $375/night room rate. The time share people were chumps and basically lied and manipulated the data. This guy Mark was the worst. They have a lot of flyers, pictures etc and every time I'd look at one while he was talking, he'd be like, excuse me LP, can you pay attention to me? Geez, really want me to buy this?
The closer was this lady in her late 30s? She was def more social, but very insulting. They tried to do a switchero by selling us a timeshare at some cancun property that was at the same level as the Maui ones, but lower upfront cost and lower HOV (for now). My wife didnt get they were doing the switchero and the lady said, lets count on your husbands cognitive skills! ouch
then when they said we could get 80k points (which to mark was a week at a central london or paris vendome westin--which it is not), i said I get 100-150k points from hotel stays, credit cards, etc...and she was like, you cant count on that if youre ever in management, ouch since I am in management!
Seems to be very family friendly since half the resort/swim complex were 16-20 year kids.
We stayed on points, so 48k for five nights, plus we got 7500 back for doing the time share presentation, so basically 40.5k for $375/night room rate. The time share people were chumps and basically lied and manipulated the data. This guy Mark was the worst. They have a lot of flyers, pictures etc and every time I'd look at one while he was talking, he'd be like, excuse me LP, can you pay attention to me? Geez, really want me to buy this?
The closer was this lady in her late 30s? She was def more social, but very insulting. They tried to do a switchero by selling us a timeshare at some cancun property that was at the same level as the Maui ones, but lower upfront cost and lower HOV (for now). My wife didnt get they were doing the switchero and the lady said, lets count on your husbands cognitive skills! ouch
then when they said we could get 80k points (which to mark was a week at a central london or paris vendome westin--which it is not), i said I get 100-150k points from hotel stays, credit cards, etc...and she was like, you cant count on that if youre ever in management, ouch since I am in management!
Last edited by leftpinky; Apr 12, 2012 at 5:24 pm
Apr 12, 2012, 5:28 pm
#411
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 769
The chairs with the views or right in front of the pools filled up pretty early, but there were chairs closer to the ocean (bushes partly block the view of the ocean if right behind them) that were usaully open. Not a lot, but a few here and there. As long as you were there by 10 am, you could find something. Once Monday/Tuesday hit, we had no problems finding seats. About half of the adult pool chairs were open and maybe 25% of the rest.
This was also during Spring break/Easter, one of the busiest times of the years, so I'd imagine it's better most weekends. One of the ladies who worked there said summer is generally very busy, but I doubt it is better at the Sheraton at those times. There is also a big slide (as well as a small one) that the kids loved. Took about 10 seconds to get down and was rather fun. I'd say more so than the black rock, but only because it hurts like hell walking up the rocks without shoes on!
How old are your kids? Saw lots of 16-20 as well as younger kids.
This was also during Spring break/Easter, one of the busiest times of the years, so I'd imagine it's better most weekends. One of the ladies who worked there said summer is generally very busy, but I doubt it is better at the Sheraton at those times. There is also a big slide (as well as a small one) that the kids loved. Took about 10 seconds to get down and was rather fun. I'd say more so than the black rock, but only because it hurts like hell walking up the rocks without shoes on!
How old are your kids? Saw lots of 16-20 as well as younger kids.
Apr 12, 2012, 8:35 pm
#412
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Missouri, USA
Programs: Marriott Platinum Elite, AA Platinum, Delta Gold
Posts: 100
Check out post #240. Those are pictures from my beach tower balcony from July 2010. The view was FANTASTIC!!!!! We were in room 1086, not a Jr Suite but with that view, who cares!!!!.
Apr 12, 2012, 9:31 pm
#413
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 148
Apr 13, 2012, 12:47 pm
#414
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PHX
Posts: 4,787
http://www.westinmaui.com/roomsandsuites/roomtypes
I believe that what you have is what's identified here as "premier suite." I'm basing this on the square footage. If you look at pictures of beach tower, you'll see that these suites are basically on the north corner of the tower. The best views (and indeed some of the best views on all of Ka'anapali) are on the side of the building facing the ocean. The premier suites have an opening door/window on that side, but not a balcony. The three balconies are on the north side. These are still great, but you also are looking at the alley behind the building and near whaler's village.
I believe there are also some suites in the ocean tower, which are not as desirable, but still apparently pretty nice. (I haven't stayed in either.) I am guessing, though, that 844 square feet means you have one of the north corner beach tower rooms.
Apr 26, 2012, 12:04 am
#415
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: YVR
Programs: AC*100K MM, lifetime Titanium Elite
Posts: 48
We've just back from a 6 day stay here (followed by 1 night in molokai). This was our 3rd stay at the Westin Maui. We were in room 1091 (used our suite upgrades). This is the 844 sq. ft. long suite that is on the North West corner of the 11 floor ocean tower. Superb view from the living room balcony door which opened, but there isn't a balcny to actually go out on. The room was really great. We've previously stayed in a suite here in the beach tower on the 11th floor and I would rate that as slightly better although its a toss up. Depends whether you like to look over the pool and then ocean, vs. just stright beaxh and ocean from the beach tower. Get as high as you can to minimize the impact of the whaler's village next door when in a bech tower room.
The property was excellent as we have found before. We ate breakfast most days in the hotel as well as 1 dinner and some snacks. I think the hotel was maybe 75% full, never an issue to get a chair around the pool, we don't have kids and typically target the deck of the upper level adult only pool. This was our first time there in April and we found that the ocean seemed to be a bit cooler than when we had been there before in Nov. and Dec. Snorkelling direcly in front of the hotel is quite good.
Enjoy!
The property was excellent as we have found before. We ate breakfast most days in the hotel as well as 1 dinner and some snacks. I think the hotel was maybe 75% full, never an issue to get a chair around the pool, we don't have kids and typically target the deck of the upper level adult only pool. This was our first time there in April and we found that the ocean seemed to be a bit cooler than when we had been there before in Nov. and Dec. Snorkelling direcly in front of the hotel is quite good.
Enjoy!
May 1, 2012, 9:40 am
#416
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: Bonvoy Amb; AA EXP
Posts: 1,136
I wonder if we overlapped as we were in 1089, the double room two over from you until the 21st. I had a balcony straight over the ocean, which for the most part was really nice (It was very hot in the late afternoon). I didn't really have any platinum issues since this was the room that I paid for (as far as I was concerned, this was the best non-suite in the hotel) and there were no suites available in the Beach tower.
There have been mixed reviews of this hotel, so here is a synopsis of my experience with the caveat that as the previous poster noted, the hotel was not full, which certainly has led to some of the reputational issues.
Room: Again, I paid for a Luxury OceanFront room, so the only real issue was the height of the floor rather than any other variability. This was a two double bed room (as requested). It attaches to the large suite in XX88. I didn't hear a peep from my room neighbors the entire time, which either indicates a solid build or quiet neighbors. The room and the bathroom were pretty standard Westin stuff. Only real issue was that there wasn't quite enough drawer space for my team.
Food: We ate breakfast at the hotel every morning we were here. It's a buffet. As a platinum, we were to receive free continental breakfast, which is delivered to your table rather than being a subset of the buffet. You have the choice of either sitting landside near the buffet next to the pool or sitting oceanside. As a Platinum, you can opt in for the full buffet, which was $10 per person. We thought that for Hawaii prices, it was an OK deal and the buffet was quite good. We did eat at their bar one evening. The portions were a little small, but service was ultra-quick.
Three of the nights we were there we ate at the restaurants next door to the Westin in Whalers village. Both were solid for us and our kids.
Bar: I went to the bar a few times during the days at the pool as poolside service was somewhat slow. Only thing I would say (and my sample size is low) is that the adult pool bar drinks had a little more kick to them than the standard bar.
Pool: My kids 8/10 loved the pool slide. We did get there pretty early in order to score seats that had shade as well as a view of the bottom of the slide. On a few of the afternoons, there would be quite a few chairs reserved and those people often wouldn't show up. Only one time did I see the staff tagging the chairs to eliminate squatters. Again, I can see how this would be a more fierce issue with higher occupancy. On the second to last day, the pool seemed to receive a heathy chlorine infusion, which bothered my kids' skin a bit, but we have seen this elsewhere (Westin Kierland).
Beach: The beach is really nice in front of the hotel, but the potential undertow and shore breaking waves made it less relaxing for parents with kids. I can see how I would have a nicer beach experience if I nabbed one of the cabanas or umbrellas as a couple rather than a couple with kids. It was very windy for a few of the afternoons and being pelted with sand might mitigate some of the pleasantness. Only real issue I had was with the umbrella rentals. They are $37/day, regardless of when you begin to use them. It would seem more sensible that if one was open and it was the afternoon, that there would be an adjustment to the cost (as there was for the cabanas, which also had a Plat discount).
Luau: We didn't do the Westin Luau as we tried to book too late. It gets good reviews. We did the Old Lahaina Luau, which was similarly priced and just down the road (10 min car ride max). I would suspect that the Westin Luau food was better since it couldn't have been worse than at the Old Lahaina. The only potentially redeeming part of the meal was the pork...the rest was bad. The show was great and our server was fantastic. We couldn't really see well from our seats, so he set up a separate location for us to view the stage and put our kids up front.
Activities: We did a Molokai snorkeling trip and the Atlantis submarine. We booked through the hotel, which was massive rookie mistake on my part (even though I knew better). It cost me likely 25 to 30 percent more for the convenience of not having to click on some things on a website. Both trips suggested by concierge were great, though the Molokai snorkeling experience did not involve as much sealife as I would have liked. The boatride and the staff really made the trip worthwhile.
Don't know what else to add from here...
There have been mixed reviews of this hotel, so here is a synopsis of my experience with the caveat that as the previous poster noted, the hotel was not full, which certainly has led to some of the reputational issues.
Room: Again, I paid for a Luxury OceanFront room, so the only real issue was the height of the floor rather than any other variability. This was a two double bed room (as requested). It attaches to the large suite in XX88. I didn't hear a peep from my room neighbors the entire time, which either indicates a solid build or quiet neighbors. The room and the bathroom were pretty standard Westin stuff. Only real issue was that there wasn't quite enough drawer space for my team.
Food: We ate breakfast at the hotel every morning we were here. It's a buffet. As a platinum, we were to receive free continental breakfast, which is delivered to your table rather than being a subset of the buffet. You have the choice of either sitting landside near the buffet next to the pool or sitting oceanside. As a Platinum, you can opt in for the full buffet, which was $10 per person. We thought that for Hawaii prices, it was an OK deal and the buffet was quite good. We did eat at their bar one evening. The portions were a little small, but service was ultra-quick.
Three of the nights we were there we ate at the restaurants next door to the Westin in Whalers village. Both were solid for us and our kids.
Bar: I went to the bar a few times during the days at the pool as poolside service was somewhat slow. Only thing I would say (and my sample size is low) is that the adult pool bar drinks had a little more kick to them than the standard bar.
Pool: My kids 8/10 loved the pool slide. We did get there pretty early in order to score seats that had shade as well as a view of the bottom of the slide. On a few of the afternoons, there would be quite a few chairs reserved and those people often wouldn't show up. Only one time did I see the staff tagging the chairs to eliminate squatters. Again, I can see how this would be a more fierce issue with higher occupancy. On the second to last day, the pool seemed to receive a heathy chlorine infusion, which bothered my kids' skin a bit, but we have seen this elsewhere (Westin Kierland).
Beach: The beach is really nice in front of the hotel, but the potential undertow and shore breaking waves made it less relaxing for parents with kids. I can see how I would have a nicer beach experience if I nabbed one of the cabanas or umbrellas as a couple rather than a couple with kids. It was very windy for a few of the afternoons and being pelted with sand might mitigate some of the pleasantness. Only real issue I had was with the umbrella rentals. They are $37/day, regardless of when you begin to use them. It would seem more sensible that if one was open and it was the afternoon, that there would be an adjustment to the cost (as there was for the cabanas, which also had a Plat discount).
Luau: We didn't do the Westin Luau as we tried to book too late. It gets good reviews. We did the Old Lahaina Luau, which was similarly priced and just down the road (10 min car ride max). I would suspect that the Westin Luau food was better since it couldn't have been worse than at the Old Lahaina. The only potentially redeeming part of the meal was the pork...the rest was bad. The show was great and our server was fantastic. We couldn't really see well from our seats, so he set up a separate location for us to view the stage and put our kids up front.
Activities: We did a Molokai snorkeling trip and the Atlantis submarine. We booked through the hotel, which was massive rookie mistake on my part (even though I knew better). It cost me likely 25 to 30 percent more for the convenience of not having to click on some things on a website. Both trips suggested by concierge were great, though the Molokai snorkeling experience did not involve as much sealife as I would have liked. The boatride and the staff really made the trip worthwhile.
Don't know what else to add from here...
May 8, 2012, 11:11 am
#417
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA PLT, HH Gold, SPG/Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,091
A quick question...
I received an email about "A Westin Exclusive" that would give me 6 days, 5 nights at this property, 5k starpoints or $75 gift card, and a $185 Avis certificate. All of this for $798. Is this a good deal or a general offer? I was hoping to get the opinions of some frequent starwood customers as I rarely stay with them. Thanks! 
May 8, 2012, 12:30 pm
#418
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: YVR
Programs: AP, AS, BAEC, HH, SPG, FPC, PC
Posts: 282
Are you sure your offer is for The Westin Maui Resort & Spa and not The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas?
Although they are not far from each other, they are two separate resorts.
I received the exact same offer which I accepted for The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas. Will be going there this coming June. Can't wait.
Although they are not far from each other, they are two separate resorts.
I received the exact same offer which I accepted for The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas. Will be going there this coming June. Can't wait.
May 8, 2012, 1:51 pm
#419
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA PLT, HH Gold, SPG/Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,091
Are you sure your offer is for The Westin Maui Resort & Spa and not The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas?
Although they are not far from each other, they are two separate resorts.
I received the exact same offer which I accepted for The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas. Will be going there this coming June. Can't wait.
Although they are not far from each other, they are two separate resorts.
I received the exact same offer which I accepted for The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas. Will be going there this coming June. Can't wait.
May 8, 2012, 1:54 pm
#420
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: YVR
Programs: AP, AS, BAEC, HH, SPG, FPC, PC
Posts: 282
I don't know if July/August is still available. Just give them a call and find out.
