Westin Maui Resort & Spa
Aloha! On our 5th trip to Hawaii, we stayed at the Westin in Maui. We were traveling with our three kids, ages 5, 3, and 11 months. If you are thinking of making a reservation at the Westin, it is a good choice. It is one of several great choices in Kaanapali. If you are going to vacation in Maui, especially if it is your first time to Hawaii, I would definitely recommend staying somewhere in the strip of hotels in Kaanapali. These are some the biggest resorts in Maui that are situated in a long row up against the beach with a wonderful ocean view. There is a paved sidewalk between the beach and the strip of hotels that runs the entire length from the Hyatt hotel on one end to the Sheraton Hotel and Black Rock on the other end. In the center of the Kaanapali strip of resorts is Whalers Village, an open air shopping mall with many upscale shops, and a nice variety of restaurants. It is so wonderful to stay in this area of Maui, because you can walk to so many different places. Many people run along the sidewalk here too. What a beautiful place to exercise. Staying in Kaanapali is also convenient, because it is close to Lahaina where most of the action and nightlife is at. The Westin's location is super. It is in the middle of the strip and right next door to Whaler's village. When arriving at the Westin there are bellman to help you unload your luggage. You can valet or self park your car. The parking lot is right outside the entrance, so it is not a far walk at all if you self park. The lot is somewhat small, so it will fill up quickly, especially at night. If you can't find a spot in the lot, you can tell them and they will let you leave your car by the valets and they will park it for you for free. You will have to tip them though. The inside of the Westin is nice. The woodwork is a little dark, but your eye will be drawn to the lagoon area in the center of the lobby. There is a waterfall flowing into the lagoon that has swans, flamingos, and koi fish. The grounds of the hotel are lush and maintained very well. You can walk behind the waterfall and meander up and around the pool areas among the Hawaiian landscaping. Also thoughout the lobby, around the outside of the lagoon are exotic birds that you can watch and try to get them to talk. Usually on the hotel's schedule at 9am, kids can gather to feed the koi fish. On this trip to the Westin, we had a standard room with two queen beds. We made our reservation for 4 people. Like a lot of hotels, the Westin only allows 4 per room, even if the 5th person is an infant. We didn't want to pay more for another room or a huge suite just for having an infant that slept in a pack-n-play. This worked fine. No one questioned us and our baby didn't need a wristband for the pool, so that wasn't an issue. The standard rooms at the Westin are a little smaller than a lot of regular hotel rooms. There was not much extra space to move around at all. We were a little cramped, but we were only in the room to sleep. The room was a little gloomy, because of the dark wood work and furniture. The sink and vanity area was outside the bathroom and there was a bar counter area with a mini fridge and safe under it. We had a balcony with a mountain view and a small view of the ocean. The pool areas at the Westin are very nice. The Westin does have one of the best swimming areas on the Kaanapali strip. There is a large, free form pool with a large water slide that my 5 year old daughter was on the whole time. There is also a smaller, slower tube slide and little kids can ride on a lap with an adult. The smaller slide connects the two larger pools together. There are several waterfalls flowing into the pools. There is also an adult only pool and a couple hot tubs. My only complaint about the pools at the Westin, is there is no zero depth entry area or a baby pool/play area for little kids. If you have small kids, be prepared to be in the water with them at all times. The water is above their heads about everywhere. I ended up having to hold my 3 year old son the whole time, because he hasn't mastered his swimming yet and refuses to wear floaties. Therefore, he did not enjoy the pool as well, because he couldn't play as freely. There is a ledge in the water all the way around for people to sit on. When we were at the Westin during the first week of May in 2007, there was plenty of people there, but it was not overcrowded. We always seemed to get chairs by the water slide. We did go to the pool early then later in the day, it seemed. There are a few places to eat in the Westin. Our family LOVES the spectacular breakfast buffets that the hotels have in Hawaii. We ate twice at the breakfast buffet at the Westin's OnO Bar & Grill by the pool. It was great and we enjoyed it. One thing nice about the Westin is kids eat free for each paying adult at the Ono. That is something you don't see much of when you are at a really nice resort. The breakfast buffets are always expensive (and worth it,) but at least we saved money on the kids. Also in the lobby, there is the Colonnade Cafe that has grab and go continental breakfast items and Starbucks Coffee items. There are outside tables by the lagoon you can eat at, or you can take your purchases with you. On one morning we bought continental breakfast items at the Colonnade Cafe and we ended up spending more than what we paid for the breakfast buffet at OnO with the kids eat free deal. During the afternoon, there is also a Sea Dogs walk up concession stand that serves hot dogs, sandwiches, drinks, popcorn, light snacks, and ice cream. You can also order lunch from Ono's and they will deliver it as you lay by the pool. There are also many dining choices next door at Whaler's Village. There are three very good sit down restaurants. I recommend Leilani's. The upstairs is more formal and the downstairs, which is mostly on the patio by the beach is more casual. We like to sit downstairs. Go at sunset so that you can enjoy the view. I like the loaded nachos for an appetizer and you can't miss the hula pie for dessert. The Hula Grill is good for lunch or dinner. They have live music in the evening. The Rusty Harpoon is good for lunch and dinner too and has many TV's for catching the sports games. There is also a food court at Whaler's Village that offers Chinese, Nikki's Pizza, McDonald's, and a Mr. Sub/Mr. Taco. The McDonald's is handy if you have kids with you. Don't miss shopping at the ABC store. This is the chain of convenience stores that you will see on all the Hawaiian islands. You can get all your souvenirs from here and just about anything else that you need or forgot at home. I also like the Honolua Surf Co. and the Gecko Store. If by chance you need to drive to Whaler's Village or know of someone that will be driving there, there's a small parking deck. After several trips to Hawaii, we finally realized that if you have your parking ticket validated in a store in Whaler's Village that you made a purchase at, you can park for free. If you didn't buy anything, at least go in the ABC store and buy some Hawaiian Host chocolate macadamia nut candy (which I totally recommend) for a couple dollars. It will be cheaper than the fee for parking. One last note about Whaler's village, visit the Whaling Museum in the center of the mall. It is very interesting. One last highlight about staying on the strip in Kaanapali is Black Rock. When you walk from the Westin, go to the right all the way down to the end of the beach. The big black rock formation is Black Rock, one of the well known snorkeling places in Maui. Black Rock is in front of the Sheraton Hotel, the last resort on that end. The Sheraton is actually kind of built into Black Rock. If you haven't tried snorkeling, go for it. Hawaii is one of the best places, because the reefs are right there. You don't have to swim out far at all. We have been to Black Rock 5 to 6 times. We have been there when it's nice and clear and also when the waves were rough and the water was stirred up so much you couldn't see anything. The beach does seem like it has been worn away a little bit. You can get some waves that wash up high once in a while, so sit your stuff back far enough. You will have to take care getting in and out, because the wave pattern is a little stronger, but I highly recommend checking this well known snorkeling spot. Also note, that if you visit Black Rock you can use your charging privledges from the Westin at the Sheraton, since it is owned by the same Starwood chain. We charged chairs & an umbrella to our room and used the Sheraton's towels. You can charge to your Westin room account at the Sheraton, but you can't use their cool pool. Darn! Overall, I recommend the Westin for families and couples. It is a nice resort. The Westin does have a spa, but I cannot comment on it. I did not go there. For more reviews on the Westin, check out the Westin Maui website and the reviews on Tripadvisor. Mahalo!
www.westinmaui.com
No comments:
Post a Comment