Need help--not sure where to stay in Maui

Booked the Kahana Beach Resort on Expedia--some of the reviews not so good. Looking for an affordable place to stay, beach front, with kitchen. Any advice would be very helpful. Traveling end of June for our 27th wedding anniversary. This is our first time to Hawaii and I%26#39;d like it to be special.

We are low maintenance and like peace and quiet but still want to be able to go out for a nice dinner or two.

Need help--not sure where to stay in Maui

Aloha Rebaphoenix,

I think the Kahana area is a very peaceful and good area to stay in and has some very affordable a nice resorts. I think you would like being close to Kahana Gateway with several nice restaurants within walking distance...Roy%26#39;s for fine dining, Maui Brewery for good food and good beer, a steak house and even a McDonald%26#39;s. Also in Kahana is a great Chinese restaurant, The China Boat and a little mall with Dolly%26#39;s Pub for pretty good food and a relaxed atmosphere. There is also a mini mart in the Gateway, so overall it is a pretty convenient place to stay. As far as Kahana Beach, I think there are nicer resorts in the same area that you might enjoy more. I will name just a few that I think are in the same price range and you may want to take a look at them on wizardpub web site for an aerial view and pretty accurate review. Many of these have very nice ocean/beach front condos probably for about what you are paying, Valley Isle, Royal Kahana, Kahana Reef and Kahana Village, there are others but I am trying to stay within a similar price range. Some are larger high rises and some are smaller 4 story like Kahana Reef. Kahana Reef condos are all ocean front and you would have to request ocean view on the others and if you desire an upgraded unit, request that also. There are some great deals on VRBO now in the Kahana area. You chose a nice area to stay in!

Need help--not sure where to stay in Maui

Aloha Rebaphoenix,

I think the Kahana area is a very peaceful and good area to stay in and has some very affordable a nice resorts. I think you would like being close to Kahana Gateway with several nice restaurants within walking distance...Roy%26#39;s for fine dining, Maui Brewery for good food and good beer, a steak house and even a McDonald%26#39;s. Also in Kahana is a great Chinese restaurant, The China Boat and a little mall with Dolly%26#39;s Pub for pretty good food and a relaxed atmosphere. There is also a mini mart in the Gateway, so overall it is a pretty convenient place to stay. As far as Kahana Beach, I think there are nicer resorts in the same area that you might enjoy more. I will name just a few that I think are in the same price range and you may want to take a look at them on wizardpub web site for an aerial view and pretty accurate review. Many of these have very nice ocean/beach front condos probably for about what you are paying, Valley Isle, Royal Kahana, Kahana Reef and Kahana Village, there are others but I am trying to stay within a similar price range. Some are larger high rises and some are smaller 4 story like Kahana Reef. Kahana Reef condos are all ocean front and you would have to request ocean view on the others and if you desire an upgraded unit, request that also. There are some great deals on VRBO now in the Kahana area. You chose a nice area to stay in!

Oh, oh pushed the button twice....sorry!

The Kahana area is lovely.

The reviews are often mixed - even the absolute best of the best places get %26#39;dinged%26#39; - so for that I advise reading the reviews to determine what was the problem.

Have a wonderful anniversary, Congratulations!

Thank you for your suggestions. When you refer to the royal Kahana is that the same as the Outrigger Royal Kahana? I did find that resort on the internet and it looked beautiful.

I really do appreciate all of your help! Thank you!

Aloha Reba,

Yes, that is the Outrigger Royal Kahana I was referring to and as you can see the building is a U shape, so the condos in the front have the most spectacular views. It is a very nice resort.

Do you have knowledge of any other smaller hotels/condos that might be a better fit? We plan to spend most of the time on the beach and want the property to be located on the beach. I really liked the Mauian but it%26#39;s not available.

Reba - Napili is quite a special place, Napili Surf has been offering some excellent specials I would try anywhere in Napili if you are drawn to the area, we enjoyed the Mauian, but they are popular! I think most places are running some great specials.

I hate to see you lose wht you have already paid to Expedia for your current reservations, but I do understand sometimes that is what we have to do. Have you spoken to Expedia about the possibility of switching?

Did you look at the properties via wizardpub.com? I don%26#39;t mean to be redundant, if you have.

The Kahana are is very nice - there is a new trip report posted yesterday, they stayed in kahana (might be of interest to you).

We%26#39;re staying at the Aston Mahana (rented through VRBO) and really enjoying it. They have studio, one and two bedroom units and all have direct ocean front views (about 200 ft. from the ocean) ... amazing views! All units have kitchens and most have washers/dryers in them. We like everything about this complex and will definitely come back.

The boardwalk from Kaanapali Beach (Whaler%26#39;s Village/Black Rock area) ends here ... it%26#39;s a great morning or sunset walk (you can go for a few miles on it if you want).

The only negative is that you need to walk a couple of hundred feet to get to a good swimming area, but it hasn%26#39;t been a problem for us as we%26#39;ve been enjoying driving to explore Maui%26#39;s many great beaches.

We%26#39;ve agreed that the Aston Mahana is a %26#39;return to%26#39; place for us.