Best Beach, Great Place
Written: Jul 05 '05 (Updated Jul 06 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Absolutely huge rooms. Awesome location. $350 room credit to spend.
Cons: Slow elevators. Pool envy from the nicer pools at other resorts.
The Bottom Line: Huge rooms, great location, great deal. Go and swim with the turtles.
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| titaniumtommy's Full Review: Kaanapali Alii |
We just got back from an 8 night stay at the Kaanapali Alii condo at Kaanapali Beach on Maui. Talk about a nice place! We stayed in a one bedroom, two bath condo with 5 people. The living room actually had a large "nook" with a king sized bed and a second bathroom tucked into it. The place is big enough for 6 people (or more!), but the Alii staff wants to make sure you say you only have four in your party when you check in for some reason.
The kitchen was fully stocked with microwave, stove, oven, dishwasher, blender, toaster, full utensils, cookware, and dinnerware. Our room was not facing the beach, but we didn't care since we saved a bundle and did not spend much time at home during the day. There was also a washer and dryer with detergent ready to go. neat!
There is a paved beach front walkway that stretches all the way to the Sheraton & Black Rock (about 10-15 minutes from the Alii). It passes by other hotels and the Whaler Village shopping center (a semi-overpriced place for food and shopping). The Whaler Village is convenient, but sometimes pricey (better than shopping at the Sheraton though). Whaler Village is also great for evenings since a lot of the hotel residents in the area congregate for dinner and drinks.
Another nice part of our trip was that we got a $350 room credit since we stayed for more than 7 nights. We used this credit to charge a great meal at the Sheraton (you can also use it at the Westin and Marriott at Kaanapli) and another great meal at David Paul's Lahaina Grill (a super swanky place with great food and service...not to mention sky high prices, but who cares since the Alii took care of the bill!).
I only have two complaints about the Alii:
1. The elevators are slow sometimes (a couple minutes to finally catch one at peak times).
2. The pool pales in comparison to the Westin and the Sheraton's (but who cares since one of the best beaches in the world is right in front of your door step).
My tips to those who venture to Kaanapali Beach:
1. Snorkel at Black Rock at the Sheraton. We spent a day on the Maui Magic Dolphin & snorkel cruise, but only saw one dolphin and no sea turtles (snorkelling was pretty good). We spent another day on the ReefDancer semi-sub and caught a breif glimpse at some sea turtles. At Black Rock, we snorkelled for two days and spent most of both days frolicking with sea turtles right next to us! Early mornings and later afternoons are the best times as it's less hot and less crowded.
2. Rent snorkel gear in Lahaina. Do NOT rent stuff at Kaanapali beach. It's about 6 to 7 times more expensive than renting from Boss Frog's in Lahaina. We got a snorkel set and boogie board for $6.50 for 24 hours at Boss Frog's on Lahainaluna st. in Lahaina. It would have cost us about $50 for the same set on Kaanapali beach. Boss Frog's is better that Snorkel Bob's or other shops since it stays open till 8:30pm. You can get a set the night before, snorkel all day until it gets dark, go back to your condo to shower, and head to Lahaina for some food and drop off your snorkel set.
3. Free wireless internet access is available at SirWilfred's coffee and cigar shops. I got free wifi at SirWilfred's in the Lahaina Cannery Mall. While there is a SirlWilfred's in the Whaler Village, I'm not sure if it had wifi since I didn't try. Do NOT pay for the wifi at the Kaanapali Alii...it's just not worth it for $12.99 per day.
4. Get 100% Aloe Gel (we got Ocean Potion brand). Use it after time in the sun (like when snorkelling) even if you use sunscreen. It cools you down and prevents peeling on sunburned skin.
You can see the photos of Kaanapali beach and the Alii at http://www.dodoskido.com/images/gallery/2005Maui
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
titaniumtommy
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Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 1 member
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