Starwood Maui resorts

[mac81]

Hi, The wife and I would like to go to Maui for the first time. We would like any input as to which resorts are the nicest out of the 3 Starwood resorts on Maui. Any suggestions would be welcome. We are looking on going in November.

 

[DeniseM]

Two of the resorts are on the same property and share all amenities - they are just different phases of the same resort, and are similar:

Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas
Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas North

The 3rd resort is still under construction and won't be open in Nov. (Nanea)

Which one you choose depends on how you make the reservation. If you are using Staroptions, I'd choose WKORV-North, because it has no parking lot views, which you might get with a Staroption reservation in the South phase (behind bldg. 4.)

Bldg. 2, 3, 4 - South
Bldg. 5, 6, 7, 8 - North

 

[Sea Six]

Starwood also has the Westin Maui Hotel and the Sheraton Maui Hotel. Are you only asking about the time-shares, or all the resorts? As for the time shares, I prefer the South resort because of the way the north towers overlook each other. Too many narrow views of the ocean from many of the North rooms. Look at building 6 for example. Many rooms have no view at all.

 

[DavidnRobin]

What I liked about the WKORV south resort is that the buildings are further apart (look at B2-B3 distance compared to others). It is a noticeable difference to me. WKORVN seems cramped - IMO

 

[Sea Six]

What I liked about the WKORV south resort is that the buildings are further apart (look at B2-B3 distance compared to others). It is a noticeable difference to me. WKORVN seems cramped - IMO

I agree 100%. The first time I stayed at North, it reminded me of what the low income projects looked like in Philly.

 

[Negma]

FWIW, Not all studio's in the south have lanai's

 

[DavidnRobin]

FWIW, Not all studio's in the south have lanai's

The only WKORV studios with lanais (balconies) are the OFD (24) and OFC (12) villas in B2 and B3, and the Dlx (24) villas in B4.
All the other Prem villa (many 100?) studios are Juliet balconies about 6" deep, but do have a sliding glass door so has a feel of mini balcony with door open.

WKORV is brighter and more open, but WKORVN certainly has advantages.
Together they make a great combined resort, and certainly prefer WKORV/N over any over the SPG hotels on Maui. Looking forward to our 10th year.

...these acronyms brought to you by the Starwood TUG Forum

 

[capjak]

I would go with the North if staroption reservation, no parking lot views, less crowded at pool easier to get a chair, more adults, studios have balconies

 

[ragdoll]

Is there any construction noise from the new WKORVNN (Nanea) if someone is staying at WKORVN?

 

[DeniseM]

Is there any construction noise from the new WKORVNN (Nanea) if someone is staying at WKORVN?

There may be distant noise, but there is an entire lot between the two properties - they aren't directly next to each other. See the pictures at the top of the forum.

 

[Negma]

We did hear the backing up noise of equipment, the beep beep beep when we were there. Some mornings at 7:30am. But never after 5pm.

 

[mac81]

Thanks for the info everyone. We wanted to rent a car to check out the island. We were thinking a convertible. Do you need to rent a jeep or would a convertible mustang work ? Any input on the would also be appreciated.

 

[okwiater]

We wanted to rent a car to check out the island. We were thinking a convertible. Do you need to rent a jeep or would a convertible mustang work ? Any input on the would also be appreciated.

We rented a convertible on Maui and really enjoyed it. No reason to rent a jeep. We even did the Road to Hana and came back on the beautiful but marginally paved Piilani Hwy along the southern coast.

 

[DeniseM]

Thanks for the info everyone. We wanted to rent a car to check out the island. We were thinking a convertible. Do you need to rent a jeep or would a convertible mustang work ? Any input on the would also be appreciated.

A few things about convertibles and Hawaii:

-The trunks of the convertibles are tiny because the top fills up most of the space. If you have more than a small amount of luggage, it won't fit in the trunk.

-Hawaii is sunny, windy, and rains often. Although a convertible is fun, it is kind of impractical because you will find yourself putting the top up and down a lot, and may get caught in some flash showers before you can get it down.

-You may find that after going to the beach, and other activities in the sun, driving around with the top down is too much sun. Remember, it is easier to get a sun burn in Hawaii because you are closer to the equator and the rays are more direct. If you have the top down, you have to do a full lather with high SPF sunscreen, hats, etc., or you will get sun burned.

-If it's hot, you will want to use the AC - not have the top down.

-Convertibles are not secure places to leave your belongings.

 

[SMHarman]

A few things about convertibles and Hawaii:

-The trunks of the convertibles are tiny because the top fills up most of the space. If you have more than a small amount of luggage, it won't fit in the trunk.

-Hawaii is sunny, windy, and rains often. Although a convertible is fun, it is kind of impractical because you will find yourself putting the top up and down a lot, and may get caught in some flash showers before you can get it down.

-You may find that after going to the beach, and other activities in the sun, driving around with the top down is too much sun. Remember, it is easier to get a sun burn in Hawaii because you are closer to the equator and the rays are more direct. If you have the top down, you have to do a full lather with high SPF sunscreen, hats, etc., or you will get sun burned.

-If it's hot, you will want to use the AC - not have the top down.

-Convertibles are not secure places to leave your belongings.

If those are your feelings on convertibles then where in the world would you use one?

 

[DeniseM]

If those are your feelings on convertibles then where in the world would you use one?

Some place cooler, where the sun is not so intense, where it rains less, and where I didn't have a lot of luggage.

This is what I mean about trunk space:

 

[SMHarman]

Some place cooler, where the sun is not so intense, where it rains less, and where I didn't have a lot of luggage.

This is what I mean about trunk space:

Seattle? Maine?!

 

[DeniseM]

My preference would be the Pacific Coast Highway, in California:

 

[DeniseM]

In Hawaii, it is easy to get more sun than you want to, so we find that having the lid off the car, except in shady areas, can really compound this.

In Hawaii, we like to rent a Jeep with a lift off hard top panel, but we are selective about when we take it off. The high clearance of the Jeep, and 4WD, come in handy for dirt roads, and muddy or rocky parking, when we are out exploring.

This is us on a Kauai trip:

 

[Chrispee]

I agree with DeniseM on many of her points, although I still try to get a convertible on Maui and Kauai (BI and Oahu are little too hot and exposed even for me.) The removable panels on the Jeep are a great alternative, but there's absolutely nothing like driving the road to Hana being fully exposed to the sights, sounds, and smells in a convertible. Also, the 2016 mustang is pretty great to drive.

 

[DavidnRobin]

Convertible - Maui
Convertible or 4WD w/ removable top (if off-road) - Kauai

[4WD - St John...]

4WD do not drive as smoothly - but great for rougher roads (and sitting up higher)

Hat with brim - sun shirt - AC on...
~15 secs up/down

IMO
Lexus IC350 owner - same one that Angel Pagan road in during WS parade...

 

[LisaRex]

Thanks for the info everyone. We wanted to rent a car to check out the island. We were thinking a convertible. Do you need to rent a jeep or would a convertible mustang work ? Any input on the would also be appreciated.

If it's just the two of you, why not? Most of the roads are nicely paved. Every time I return to Maui, I see that more of the road that winds around the "skull" of Maui is paved, plus much needed guard rails! As long as you stick to the main roads, you should be fine.

My only caveat is that I'd still rent a 4WD for the day if I wanted to do the road past Hana. It has a lot of potholes and pavement never sticks for long because that side of the island gets a lot of flash flooding, so you never know what the road is going to be like. Our friends rented a convertible, and got a flat tire on that desolate stretch. The necessary tool to remove the lugnuts was missing, so they had to call a tow truck from Paia, several hours away. It cost several hundred bucks, and he didn't arrive til after 1am, IIRC.

Anyone who's traveled that road can imagine how creepy that would be!

 

[mnmrsjjp]

You should know most rental card contracts prohibit taking the car on the type of roads that are not fully paved such as the road past Hana and roads like that.

 

[DeniseM]

You should know most rental card contracts prohibit taking the car on the type of roads that are not fully paved such as the road past Hana and roads like that.

What that really means is that you are on your own if you have a problem, and you pay for the tow truck. That being said - you need to use common sense, but we are comfortable taking 4WD vehicles on dirt roads.

 

[kalima]

Convertible Mustang

has my vote! We did this 2 years ago and the road to hana was no problem at all (other than being scared to death). Kept the roof up for short trips but when we hit that highway we had the roof down and the reggae blasting it was awesome!