requesting expert advice about 1st Hawaii visit

[Judith Frye]

Hello Tuggers. I know there are other "1st timers" asking for input but I hope it's OK to start this new thread to take advantage of your goodwill and knowledge. My husband and I go to the Caribbean at least twice/year but want to try Hawaii. We like good beaches at which to sit under an umbrella and in which to swim (not surfing so not huge waves). Hubby likes to go jogging, so that's a consideration too. We would not want a studio or hotel size unit, only a 1 (or 2) bedroom. We definitely want air conditioning and it seems so many places have it only in the living room or only in the bedroom - in July it seems important to have both, no? We live in Chicago.
Specific questions about planning a trip this July:
- We have on hold a 1 BR at Kings Land Hilton Club July 14-21 (SFX getaway week). We would want to have a 2nd week on another island, ideally Maui or Kauai. The SFX travel club has places such as "Maui Sunset Condos" in Kihei (July 16-23 so we'd have to spend July 14 & 15 somewhere else or buy extra nights at one of the resorts) and "Plantation Hale Suites" (July 7-14 or 14-21) - the reviews seem to indicate that they're OK in terms of location but not very fancy. Would we be better off renting a week somewhere else (under $2500) or using one of those? For example, I see Maui Schooner July 7, Point at Poipu July 21, Hanalei Bay Princeville July 21 but I need to read reviews to know more about them. Or we could rent from VRBO but I've never done that before.
- We've read a lot about strategies for flying in and out - avoiding terminal transfer in Honolulu with baggage, trying to fly directly to and from the closest airports to the resorts. We know that from O'Hare the only nonstops are to HLL so we'd prefer to use a different departure point in the US. I have lots of Avios and would ideally like to fly business class at least to & from the gateway city (eg Phoenix, SFO, LAX). Hubby won't like flying redeye/overnight en route home - is there any alternative daytime flight from either Big Island or another island? That might influence which island we visit second.

Let me stop here - I love this community and have benefited so much from it (and, I hope, contributed as well) so I greatly appreciate any advice about resorts and flights! Judy

 

[SmithOp]

I’m flying from LAX next week on HA, direct to Kona KOA at 11am. It connects on to Maui OGG then returns to LAX at 9:30pm. Its the same plane I’ll return on through Maui. I’m not aware of any early flights to get you back to Chicago on HA that avoid overnight/redeye. There are plenty of hops from BI to Maui or Kaui without going through HNL.

Vegas is another option for a departure point HA flies out of there. Hotels are cheap there, I can get free comped rooms at several due to my gambling addiction


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[DeniseM]

I think $2,500 is a lot to pay for Maui Sunset Condos which is older motel style property. Suggestion: Why don't you rent a week from another timeshare owner so you can get exactly what you want. Maui has 2 main areas with beach resorts: Kihei is more residential, and Ka'anapali Beach is more resorty. Most of the upscale resorts are on Ka'anapali Beach.

Maui Sunset Condos:

 

[Judith Frye]

Denise, thank you - but just to be clear - Maui Sunset Condos is only $1151 for the week through the SFX Travel Store. I was offering $2500/week as the maximum I'd want to pay to rent from a timeshare owner. In the TUG Marketplace I've just seen Maui Schooner for $1120, Point at Poipu for $1650 and Hanalei Bay/Princeville for $2000. Those seem like good options, according to the reviews; any advice on choosing among them? In terms of getting a decent location within the resort or other criteria?

I guess we could fly Chicago-West Coast (like LAX as Dave is doing) to KOA Kona for Kings Land to OGG for Maui Schooner to West Coast to home, but with an overnight flight at the end, right? And ideally I'd like to use my Avios for business class at least from the West coast to Hawaii; any advice on the best way to do that? It's not possible to see space online. I guess I have to see what American Airlines has available and then call BA, right? (Last night I saw advice about calling their Hong Kong call center during our evening for lower wait times!) Thanks, Judy

 

[DeniseM]

Maui Schooner for $1120, Point at Poipu for $1650 and Hanalei Bay/Princeville for $2000.

None of these resorts are ocean front, and being on a nice beach seemed to be a priority for you. When you are searching, be aware that all of the Princeville resorts are up on a cliff. Have you tried www.redweek.com?

 

[jacknsara]

Aloha Judith,
Given that you seem to have already picked your B.I. spot, this may not be very helpful, but we really like https://www.hawaiirevealed.com/resort-reviews/mauna-lani-terrace/
https://www.vrbo.com/results?q=Mauna+Lani+Terrace,+Puako,+HI,+USA&to-date=&from-date=&uuid=
Its a 5 - 10 minute walk to the beach that meets your wants: https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...!1s2018-04-22!8m2!3d19.9435249!4d-155.8669567
Jack

 

[cowboy]

Look at Marriotts Waiohai, a 2 bedroom resort on Poipu beach.

 

[taffy19]

Aloha Judith,

Do you know if the SFX Travel Store or Club is renting a timeshare condo to you or a condo from a private condo owner? This may make a big difference as some of the private owners may not have updated their condos in years. Be careful.

Maui Sunset is a condo project but has timeshares too that are kept up to date and are all the same but it is an older property built in the late 70’s . There is A/C in the living room and bedroom in our 1 BR unit. We have never been there in July but assume that it is adequate.

If you rent from a timeshare owner at the Maui Schooner, you are guaranteed that it will be a timeshare condo that was completely refurbished and remodeled a few years ago. Ask them if it is the oceanfront building on the 2nd floor or higher and you’ll have a nice Lanai with a good ocean view.

The San Francisco Exchange Company (SFX) rents the Maui Schooner condos out too but is it the same company?

The beach right in front of here (Waipuilani Beach Park) is a good beach for walking both ways and to the left of the Maui Schooner and the Maui Sunset is a real nice sandy beach with tiny waves because of the reef.

I walk the beach every day and it is a total different experience from Ka’anapali beach. I like them both and also the beaches and coves at Wailea. Maui is known for beautiful beaches but also the rain forest and up-country plus the drive up to the Haleakala Crater.

I can tell you that both, Maui Schooner and Maui Sunset owners love their timeshare condos and return year after year. I met a lady this morning on the beach who owns four weeks at the Maui Schooner and returns every year from Alberta, Canada and I met a couple on the beach yesterday who also return every year and bought at the Maui Sunset before we did in the early 80’s. We also return every year.

I can’t tell you which island we like best because we like them all for different reasons and I have visited all six. We visited three islands the first time we went and stayed two weeks but don’t make that mistake because it was way too huried.

Here is a guide to all Maui beaches with photos.

http://www.mauiinformationguide.com/best-beaches.php

Another nice timeshare is the Maui Lea at Maui Hill. They are near Wailea that is a resort area too like Ka’anapali and we used to snorkel at Ulua Beach. Some beautiful beaches here too and then Makena and Peruse Bay. We love Maui!

You can Google each resort by name and here is the Maui Sunset with some pictures too.

Http://www.mauisunset.com/

 

[slip]

Taffy19 has a great post above. That is a beautiful beach in front on Maui Sunset and Maui Schooner. I have owned an every other year, one bedroom at the Schooner. We love it. I just picked up an annual two bedroom. We’re going back in January 2019.

 

[easyrider]

I haven't stayed here yet but have walked by on the beach. The Maui Sunset is in a very nice location. Most of the rooms have a glancing view of the Ocean. The lawn at the resort goes all the way down to the beach. In Maui, I think Kihei Beaches are some of the best. The sunsets from here are fantastic.

Bill