Maui: where to stay with a 7-month old?

[fanghsing]

My husband and I will be traveling to Maui from Nov. 23 through Nov. 30. We won't have any child care set up, so we will need to find something there for a few hours here and there (I don't want to snorkel alone!). We have thought about everything from a private home with a pool to an upscale resort, but haven't been able to make up our minds. What do you guys think? Where could we stay that would be easy for an infant -- no fighting for cabana shade, no huge amounts of walking or crazy traffic, infant-friendly but not super crowded like a kid-friendly Disney thing (like the Grand Wailea)? I'm hoping fot something nice, but since it's just the three of us, we can't afford a luxury house or anything like the $500/night resorts. Help! As you can tell, I'm a first time mom without a lot of experience -- what should I look for when traveling with a baby?

[new_mom_mry]

I would recommend to stay at the Hyatt Regency on Kaanapali Beach. Granted, we stayed there during our honeymoon, BUT I think it would offer a wonderful experience to parents with an infant just the same. Their location, amenities, and guest services are simply outstanding. Marriott's Maui Ocean Club next door also has an excellent location, and the rooms are very similar--the only difference is that you will get a small kitchenette at the Marriott because it's timeshare villas. Also, since you are going during Thanksgiving it may be hard to find an available villa directly through the Marriott (would have to go through Craigslist and see if any of the owners are selling their weeks at that time).

In any case, back to the Hyatt, the pool facilitites and restaurants are awesome and baby-friendly. There are lots of exotic animals/birds on the premises that will offer oodles of entertainment to the baby. I know that they offer babysitting services, and in general, the concierge and all staff are incredibly helpful with just about anything. They even have a small Macy's on the premises for forgotten items like sun dresses :) No need to walk over to Whaler's Village!

Best part? Costco actually sells those nifty $100 Hyatt gift checks for $80. In other words, you will always be saving 20% off your Hyatt hotel stay and ANYTHING you charge to your room (excursions, food, etc.) This is especially awesome for excursions, we did so many, and this way saved 20% on all of them. When you check-in, they will ask for a credit card, but they won't actually charge it until you check-out, which is when you can pay with Hyatt gift checks. Call your local Costco to see when they will be selling them (I don't believe they sell them year round). We bought them in advance and then had to make a quick trip to Costco on the island to buy additional ones since we spent more than we thought.

Oh finally, I recommend booking the cheapest room (island view) online through hyatt.com, and then paying a little more for an upgraded ocean view during check-in. This trick worked for us and we ended up with a full ocean view. The upgrade price was minimal ($25 a night?) compared to what it would have been if we booked an ocean view room through the website.

Good luck and enjoy!!!! We are planning to take our then 13 month old son in December 2011 for our one year wedding anniversary trip :)

[Tondi G]

well you could try a condo type resort

This resort was mentioned recently and looks pretty nice, Honua Kai Resort http://honuakaimaui.com/

The Whaler is another condo option... right next to Whalers Village

I've heard good things about the Marriott Hotel in Wailea ... but not sure about the price and it would be a standard room... not something with a kitchen(ette) to help keep eating costs down.

A friend of mine used this website when she booked a vacation to Hawaii. She was pleased with the agency. They have lots of info on areas and the hotels.

http://Family-Vacations-Hawaii.com/hawaii_hotels.html

Trip Advisor is a good place to check too!

If you want to rent a house or condo independently then VRBO is the place to look. I have a friend who stayed in a place in Kihei and loved it. it's situated between Kaanapali and Wailea.

[kwc]

We've always stayed in condos as I really prefer having more space, a kitchen, separate room for DC when sleeping, etc. Maui has a ton of condos but DH was adamant that he wanted to have an ocean view (and a good one) as the kids would be sleeping/ napping a lot and we'd be stuck there. The unit interiors depend a lot on the individual unit... we've rented from the agencies and from vrbo.com (if we wanted a particular unit).

We stay a bit north of Ka'anapali to avoid the crowds.

We've stayed at the Maui Kai (smaller 1 BR, not very fancy but also great pricing)
and the Mahana which is next door (units are bigger and sometimes fancier but more pricey).
Every unit has an amazing ocean view. However, they may not have some of the hotel amenities and now that DD is older, she prefers places with more exciting pools (the Mahana pool has a lovely ocean view but is windy).

Here are some aerial pics from Maui Revealed:
http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/mrmauikai.html
http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/mrmahana.html
http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/mauwestmap.html

You can check out Trip Advisor for interior pics.

There is a grocery store across the street and a mini farmers market within walking distance. The shopping center/ tourist stuff is about a 5-10 min drive away which may be a plus or a minus. No babysitting but there are a number of agencies on the island that cater to tourists.

If you want to be closer to the action, I've heard great things about The Whaler that was mentioned above.

Have fun!
BTW I would not recommend the drive to Hana with an infant. It was pure hell for us because you are supposed to stop ever 0.5-1 mile or so to get out and look at something... not ideal for us.

[zag95]

I would recommend the Sugar Beach Resort, in Kihai. We stayed here on our honeymoon for a week in 2000. It is a central location- and they are condo type units- ours had a bedroom, laundry, full kitchen, gorgeous lanai etc. It was peaceful because it wasn't super busy! It is right on the beach- perfect.

If I was looking at options, I may look at places in Wailea, which is south of Kihai. Lahaina is one of the busiest places- me personally, I would rather go to busy places and retreat back to peace and quiet!

You may want to go and post your question on tripadvisor.com to see what folks recommend, esp if you are wanting babysitting services, etc.

Enjoy your trip!