No hot tub adjacent to the pool
Overall, after reading some of the more negative reviews of this hotel at tripadvisor.com, we were prepared for pretty much anything and possibly a somewhat bad experience. Those reviews were either written by perfectionists or by people used to staying in the higher priced resorts up in Waikaloa. We have no reservations recommending this place to anyone, with one caveat; don't skimp on the room type. Make sure you get at least a Deluxe Oceanview room. Rating: 9
Off To Maui!
After returning our rental car we got our flight tickets at the Aloha counter. Security turned out to be somewhat interesting for Patty! She didn't take her 3-1-1 bag out of her carry-on and declare it, so after lecturing her, the TSA staff gave her the choice of either tossing the items out (nothing major which couldn't have been repurchased in Maui for $30-40), or going back to the check-in desk to have them retrieve our checked luggage and putting the liquids inside. She chose the latter, which then meant she had to wait in line a second time and deal with security. What fun. Meanwhile, she was flustered and left her big red carry-on luggage (which just happens to be only one or two linear inches short of the maximum allowed for a carry-on bag) unattended at the end of the security area. 15 minutes after she'd left, one of the TSA dudes rolled her suitcase outside and left it with another TSA dude. As the bag rolled by, I'm thinking "huh..looks just like Patty's bag" but thought nothing further of it other than to see what happened next. What happened next was the guy rolled the bag over to us ten or so minutes later and asked if anyone left a bag. I identified it by the name tag and we were good to go. Eventually, we were "reunited" after she spent a half-hour going through the line a second time. So after a quick lunch, we found our way to Gate 4A for an hour-long wait to board the jet.
Leaving the Big Island behind, we flew off to Maui! Man, I love watching Maui approaching. We flew over the island from the west and you could look down and see Lahaina in the distance, along with the Honoapiilani Highway and the West Maui Mountains. We landed in Kahului, stepped off the plane and I said to Patty "we're home again". That's how it felt to me--not that I didn't like the other two islands, but I love Maui--the scenery, the slower pace than Oahu, the memories, the beaches, all of that.
Our Aloha Airlines plane
Takeoff from Kona
First glimpse of the Maui coast
Kahului
We got the car (a red Chevy Cobalt) and we were off to Lahaina. It's a 23-mile drive along one of my favorite stretches of road anywhere. There are sections where you're only a few feet above sea level and in the sunlight, the water is sometimes a turquoise color. With the palm trees swaying in the breeze (this section can get breezy, especially in the afternoon), it's a fabulous drive.
This was very familiar territory to us, as we hit the first stop along the highway in Lahaina (Shaw Street); a left-turn here takes you right to the Lahaina Shores Beach Resort. After parking the car in the unloading area, we walked into the lobby where the breeze from the ocean flows directly through...a great feeling. We recognized the check-in lady from our previous visit here three years ago, as she does us. After a warm "welcome back" and checking in, we received our room keys, parking permit and garage entry/exit card. We noticed M.K. is still at the concierge desk, having kept her job when Expedia bought out Hawaii Activity World. After dropping our bags off in the room, we stopped back downstairs and booked the Manute`a Cocktail Cruise with her.
Our room is great, probably the best we've had in our four stays here. The carpeting appears to be nearly new, there's a queen size (not a king) bed and not a Murphy Bed (thank God!). It's very clean, bright and on the sixth floor, so the view is as good as it gets in this resort unless you pay the extra bucks for a penthouse suite. Parking was $7/day, an increase of $4 over what they were charging in 2004. We're not thrilled about this, but it's nothing close to a deal-breaker. Just an annoyance. There still are no in-room safes, but they say this will change soon (and it needs to!). There's no ice bucket in the room because.....there are no ice machines on the property! But there are two ice cube trays filled and ready to be used. Besides, with a full-size fridge/freezer, all I had to do was walk next door to the Whalers General Store to buy a seven-pound bag of ice for two bucks and we were set for our six-night stay.
There's also a very nice shower/tub combination with a sliding glass door. It's not as big as what we had at the Outrigger Keauhou, but it's in far better shape. A door between our room and the room next door is initially cause for concern; not from a safety standpoint but from a noise-level standpoint after the experience we had with the "next door neighbors" at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel on Waikiki. I'm not sure what the smoking policy is but we smelled second-hand smoke during our first evening (and, as it turned out, it was a constant irritation throughout our stay, to our disappointment).
Living area/lanai in our room
Kitchen/hallway
Kitchen appliances
Patty relaxing on the lanai
BJ's Chicago Pizzeria
After settling in, we walked to B.J. Chicago's Pizzeria. Walking down Front Street once again, I feel at peace. It's a very nice walk past galleries, stores and restaurants. Lahaina has a certain feel to it, a character which we haven't found elsewhere. It's busy but doesn't feel rushed. It's great!
At B.J.'s, we got pupus and then a 14" pizza. We told our very nice waitress to hold the stewed tomatoes in favor of extra tomato sauce. She laughed and knew we'd read Maui Revealed. How funny is that? Apparently, many others have followed the same good advice. The pizza was awesome, better than anything we have in Duluth.
Nice views of the ocean are another advantage of dining in this second story joint; sitting near the window late in the afternoon can be problematic, however, as it can be hot. Someday we’ll have to dine there after sundown.
Back at the hotel, Patty was tired so I hit the hot tub (man, I had missed the nightly hottub ritual while we were on the first two islands), conversing with a couple other folks about where they're from, what it's like where we live, etc.etc. Just talking story! After nearly an hour of this, it was time to head back to the room and watch Lost. I need that fix much as Patty needs her Dancing With The Stars. Asleep by 11:00.
Hale Piula
West Maui Mountains from Front Street
Lahaina Harbor
Lahaina Princess, nostalgic for us
Sunset from the lanai
Previous: 5/8/2007--Our Trip to Hawai'i (2007)--Day 16
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last updated november 12, 2021