We arrived at the Westin Maui ready to kick-off our relaxation! The drive from the airport was longer than I expected (about 30 minutes), which was probably worsened by the fact that we had been sitting on airplanes for the better half of the day.
The welcome by the reception was warm, although there were a number of others checking in at the same time. It was late afternoon. Although I was a Gold member, I don't think my spouse and I received an upgrade. I asked at check-in and she said they were very full but would see what she could do to accomodate us later in the week (we were staying for 6 days).
We got to our room and I was surprised how tiny it was. They really cram you in here! It also overlooked the parking lot, which was not such a welcome sight. I called down to the front desk to express my displeasure. She reiterated that they were full and then told me to hold on. Long story short, we were moved to an ocean tower room, still small but it had an ocean view, which was acceptable. The rooms are comfortably appointed and include Heavenly Beds. There wasn't really a closet in the room, just a small space and some drawers for clothes. The bathroom was also very small.
After the move, my wife and I sauntered out to the pool areas and found them to be quieter than we thought. There's a waterfall and waterslides and not surprisingly lots of kids splashing around. The pools started to empty out around dinner time. Service at the pool was good and availability of towels abound. The next day we started off with a massage. We had made reservations at the spa before we arrived and were able to benefit from a 20% discount for SPG Gold members. It wasn't a "steal" by any stretch, but the massage was just the right thing to get us into the mood for relaxation.
We only ate at the hotel restaurants once since the food was so overpriced. Most of the other evenings we were either out or drove over to Lahaina or Kihei or walked over to the Whaler's Village area (which was also overpriced). Keep in mind that if you do drive away from the hotel, there's a risk that you won't find any more room in the self-park areas. At least 2 evenings out of our stay, we had to have our car valet parked.
One complaint I have about the hotel is the pushy timeshare pitch. I've stayed at other Starwood hotels where they also make a big to-do about their Vacation Ownership programs. we've already decided it's not for us after attending one of the sessions at the Puerto Vallarta property last year. I wish they would put that in their system and stop bothering us!
The Westin is right next to the Sheraton, so we went over to see what's going on over there as well. I think there's already a review of the property on StarwoodLobby. Anyway, the Sherato seemed to have a little bit better beach than the Westin.
Review by Chris.
Posted at August 28, 2006 9:03 PM
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4 experiences with westin maui resort & spa
August 28, 2006 10:08 PM. SCox said:
i agree with the reviewer. the hotel is great and the location is great. however, the beach is small, thank goodness the shreaton is there. i found the breakfast buffet in the morning to be great, with lots of selection.
August 29, 2006 8:25 AM. pr9000 said:
the sheraton beach was so much better because of the snorkeling, i think ... as for the westin, i was shocked at how average the rooms were, and how average the hotel service was. their best asset: location, location, location.
September 7, 2006 10:25 PM. Brenda A said:
Overall, our stay was pleasant. However, if you are not a timeshare holder at this hotel, you may not receive the room you reserve. We reserved a partial ocean view with a balcony and received no ocean view with no balcony. Although the hotel reduced our rate, it was still very disappointing. They tried to find the type of room we reserved but there was no availability. One room was offerd with ocean view but it also was looking at the consruction site next door so we declined. The pool water was too cold. Because of this, kids were always in the jacuzzi (because it was warm) splashing around which defeats the purpose for adult use. The rooms and heavenly bed were very nice and comfortable. The grounds and hotel are maintained and kept very clean. There is one restaurant at the hotel that is opened all day and night. The food was good and reasonably priced. The location was nice as it is at the end of the Ka\'anapali strip of hotels, however, it seemed to be more windy with scattered showers than in other areas. There is beach access. It was a very family oriented hotel which we liked.
September 10, 2006 12:14 AM. Matt King said:
I have to disagree about the beach. While the snorkeling is better at the Sheraton (it happens to be one of the top snorkeling spots in Maui), I'm sure the Sheraton people would complain that there the beach is too crowded in that area due to the good snorkeling. The actual beach and water is no different at the Westin; both are part of Ka'anapali Beach, which is consistently ranked one of the top beaches in US. I thought the hotel, beach, and entire experience was amazing. I'd return in a heartbeat!