Another Hawaii queston...what to do

[Thirsty Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Thirsty]

I have looked at the many threads here and on TUGs and just don't know what I want to do. So I am going to ask the question that has been asked many time before. Which a resort would you choose The Sands of Kahana Vacation Club, Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club, or Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort for a weeks stay on Maui? What we would like at the resort is: a 2 bedroom unit with a full kitchen, a beach, a pool, and a restaurant. Here are a few things we would like to do while we are there: go to a luau, go snorkeling, go hiking, and see some waterfalls. TUGS has these resorts rated in the top 4 resorts on Maui. I plan on exchanging through SFX for a June 2008 trip.

Thanks,
Mike

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

Have you looked on the SFX web site what resorts they have? After that, I would check out the reviews on TUG and in Trip Advisor too. Most people seem to be happy if they get an exchange to Maui. It seems to be hard to get an exchange to this island from what I have read. However, there are lots of sightings lately but that is not with SFX but with the two major exchange companies mainly.

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

We stayed at SOK in Feb, 2005. If you get ocean front you get a really nice view. I think owners get preference on the view, we were renting from an owner so we got it. We had a 3 bdr unit that was huge. There is a beach, it's not wide but it's fairly long. They have a decent restaurant/bar and there are other places to eat close by. The pool is only medium sized and there is a hot tub attached. There are grills all over the place.

The best luau we ever went to was Old Lahaina but you can get to that easily from any of the resorts you listed.

I've got pictures around somewhere, I'll try to dig them up.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

SOK is a bit further down the road from the other 2. It is across from Kahhana Falls which is where we stayed at. This area has a lot less congestion. SOk is beach front.

MM and the W are huge great resorts. I do not think you can make a mistake with either. but I would add the Embassy to the list. If you are looking for a 2 bedroom at one of these resorts you may need some luck as well. It will not be easy unless of coarse you are renting.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

Marriott has no kitchens, just small fridge and microwave. Construction could be a problem there. There is also construction at the Westin, though not sure how many units are affected.

There seem to be more large units at SOK than the other two, though I can't speak for SFX re inventory. If partial kitchen is ok and you would take a large, beautiful 1 bedroom, I would also add the Ka'anapali Beach Resort (formerly Embassy), it has 'big hotel' feel, big pool, nice pool bar/restaurant. Excellent concierge services, though they will try to get you to a timeshare tour. They do have some annoying extra charges for parking ($12/day) and internet ($10/day).

At any rate, Maui doesn't seem to offer as many large units and is considered a 'tough trade' generally, so I would give SFX as many options as you would possibly consider.

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

Mike, it's not much but there are some SOK pics here.

Our SOK 3 bdr had a huge kitchen, I didn't see any smaller units.

[Thirsty Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Thirsty]

Philsfan, nice pictures and thank you for sharing. I have looked and read so much about Maui that I was getting unsure of what I wanted to do. This thread has helped me a lot. I will call SFX with in the next few days and put in an exchange for a resort in this order:
Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort
The Whaler
The Sands of Kahana Vacation Club
Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club

Just to double check do The Sands of Kahana Vacation Club and Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort have full kitchens and a beach? The II book shows they do. Also it shows no AC for The Sands of Kahana Vacation Club. Is that correct?

Thank you all,
Mike