Background:
To explore the Island of Maui, I booked the Westin Maui Resort for a three night stay. I was attracted to choose the Westin as the Hyatt was the same price, but the Westin included self-parking in its resort fee, whereas the Hyatt did not. And the resort fee is already $30, and the Hyatt wanted an extra $18 for self parking and $28 for valet. No thanks!
Short Review With Scores (Out of 5, 5 being the best):
My Overall Score: 3.5
5: Excellent, Highly Recommend
4: Very Good, Solid Choice to Consider
3: OK, Check other options before booking
2: Below Par, Try to Avoid
1: Terrible, Run far away
Rooms: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Location: 4.5/5
Amenities: 4/5
Cleanliness: 3/5
Sleep Quality: 4/5
Arrival:
Upon arrival at the resort, the self-parking lot was full at 3 PM. Bright side at the Westin– there’s free valet parking if the self-parking is full! 🙂 Love it! Out of my 3 night stay, I only self-parked once as the lot was normally full, and valeted 6+ times.
Check-in was surprisingly quick at 3 PM, and Valerie checked us in. She was so kind and very welcoming. One of the nicest front desk individuals I have ever checked in with. On top of her kindness, she was very informative in describing the features of the hotel!
About the Hotel:
There are 2 towers, the Beach Tower and the Ocean Tower. Our room was in the Ocean Tower, which is the larger, longer tower. I know that the Beach Tower rooms are bigger.
The resort is actually smaller than I thought it would be, but the fountains are nice and I love the flamingos they have here!
The Room:
Walking towards the room, the first impression was that the hallways were really dirty! Leftover trash and stains made me feel like I was not at a 4 star hotel And it was quite dark and old looking which felt rundown. For average rates of $250 + Resort fees a night, I expect more.
The room was adequately sized, but just looked a bit bare. At the night stand, all the wiring was exposed and it did not look aesthetically pleasing. There was a coffee maker, and a fridge for use which was nice! The beds were Westin Heavenly, but double sized. Doubles are so small for 2 people, I really prefer queens.
The room was newly refreshed in the bathroom area with a single sink separated from the stand up shower and toilet. It was a good design for a small space.
The View:
Our fifth floor ocean view was pretty nice! It was at the corner -side of the Ocean Tower, so not directly facing the pool. You could also see parts of the Luau (like the performers climbing the tress) on luau nights!
Service:
Valerie from the front desk was the highlight for the service at the hotel. Additionally, the valet porters were very friendly considering how busy they were! Housekeeping was a miss, not replacing the ice plastic bags and not being really friendly in the hallways. Plus, the hallway literally had room service trash overnight and it wasn’t be picked up. Kind of a mess.
Amenities:
The resort fee ($30+tax) includes wifi, self-parking (valet if lot is full :D), two water bottles a day, and a shuttle to sister resorts and even downtown Lahaina (main city where there is a lot of food). And of course, there is a nice pool! The fitness center looked pretty decent (but not super big).
Location:
The location was amazing, right on the world famous Ka’anapali beach. The sand here is pristine and the beach was not overly crowded. Additionally, the hotel is right next door to Whaler’s Village, an upscale shopping mall with many restaurants.
The Verdict:
Overall, I don’t regret staying at the Westin. But, for how much the hotel costs, I do expect them to upkeep the hotel at a higher standard. I would consider staying here again if the price was right, but for my next trip to Maui, I will be considering other options first.
Cheers,
theresorttraveler
