Here is another view. I would not necessarily agree with the chart above that the middle is the "best floors / clear views". Also, I noticed all the "best" 2 bedrooms as marked on that table are what the resort refers to as the "knuckle" rooms (3207 up / the center of the building). While some like the knuckle rooms, others do not, as the room layout is different (including the lanai which is deeper). Also, the lanai is less private due to being in the center of the building (all the other lanais are slightly titled towards the knuckle room lanais as the building has a bit of a v-shape).
In the end, everyone's tastes and preferences are different. As the Palm trees continue to grow, the middle floors may find the views more obstructed by the palms. Meanwhile, floors 3 and 4 are high enough to get a good ocean view, while less obstructed by trees in many cases. I personally found the high floors to have the best views, but I feel they are too high up / a bit less relaxing for my tastes/preferences. In terms of the 1st floor, people that love to hang out at the resort/pool actually love floor 1, as you can get to the pool straight from your lanai. Super convenient to get to Lahaina Provisions to refill your unlimited soda/coffee/smoothie cup. Thus, they would probably rate floor 1 as the best. The challenge with floor 1 is the limited inventory. For example, in the 2-bedroom lower band (floors 1-4), only 3 out of 30 villas (10% of the rooms) are on floor 1. Thus, if you want floor 1, depending on the week, you have to make the the request almost a year out, as room requests are filled based on the order of the reservation. Otherwise, you are much more likely to get floors 2-4.
