Inthecountry101 (Payson, Arizona) 01/14/2020

My third trip to Maui. We stayed at Aston Kanapali Shores. I had seen some negative reviews about the property rooms so I called ahead two times and spoke to Bryan, front desk manager in charge of room assignments prior to arrival. I asked him to please give us a room with no problems. I was paying for an ocean view unit. I was taking my elderly mother to Hawaii for the first time. The first issue was trying to get the tv's to work. I had to call maintenience to take care of that. The bedroom had no air conditioning flowing in so the room was warm.  The Arcadia door to the lanai had a broken lock so you could not secure the door. There was a palm tree outside with a palm frawn blocking the view. The couch was old. The paint was old and tired. That night at midnight I was awakened out of a sound sleep by a screeching alarm going off. It took a few minutes to figure out it was an alarm on the night stand. The next morning I tried to take a shower and could not turn on the water. The shower fixtures were old and tired. I called maintenance in. The worker says you have to apply pressure, pull up and out!  I asked why dont you upgrade the fixtures. I'm told the apts are privately owned and it's up to the owner to do that. (Upgrading plumbing fixtures is a minimal expense so why dont they do it?) They finally did send someone to replace a part in the turn on valve. I could not shower prior to an 8:30am orientation meeting by the time I got the water on. None of the plumbing fixtures match in the bath and kitchen. I tried to make coffee. The pot is an old Mr. Coffee with no light working. I had to put my head near the pot and wait to hear if it started perking. I tried using the microwave over the stove and found it unplugged. I plugged it in and tried using it. It did not heat. I see a small counter microwave and realize why that's sitting there. It was old and difficult to adjust the time. I was reheating my coffee and it boiled over. Now the tv would not turn on again. It kept saying no signal. I had to call maintenance again to fix that. The tvs were set on timers and would turn themselves off randomly while you were watching. I had to call maintenance out again. This time maintenance had difficulty getting the tvs working. This took at least an hour to get them working again. I decided to leave my mom in the apt while I went out for a couple hours. When I returned the tv was off again and my mom was sitting in a hot apt because the air conditioning had gone out! It was around 90 degrees in there. I called maintenance again. They advised me to call the front desk. I called the front desk. By this time I'm fed up. I ask for another room that has no issues. Why was this room rented with all these problems? They had to know. He says he has one room available. He says he cant send anyone right away to help us move because people checking in need him. By now its 5pm. We had all our things spread out and unpacked. I throw everything together to move. We get to the other room and it's now almost 6pm. We have to unpack and organize again. The new room has no light on the coffee pot, no safety bars at all in the shower. I had to stand by while my mom showered. The couch was old. The air conditioning is freezing and running non stop all night. I find out later that I must set it up over 70 degrees to get the thermostat to shut it down. I had difficulty getting it comfortably adjusted. The room needed some renovating. The bathroom ceiling had a 1970s era lowered ceiling lighting.  When you arrive tired from long travel times you want to relax and not deal with problems. These problems ruined our weeks vacation. Who needs that stress. Why dont they keep up the maintenance on these units? These are some of the negatives.  Some positives: The resort has a great restaurant and the grounds are pretty and seem well maintained. There is daily maid service and coffee replaced. I found most of the employees friendly and helpful. The property sits right on the ocean. It has two pools and a hot tub. Prior to check out I went to the front desk and encountered Bryan. I asked if he remembered speaking to me about room assignments. I asked why I was assigned such a terrible room. He said he would speak to the people who were in charge of that which did not solve my problems. I requested two nights credit for all the problems and stress. Bryan said he would credit one night reminding me check in time was 4pm. This disregards that check out was 11am and all the hassle and stress this caused us.  I requested review from his manager. I got voice mail hours later from James Farquhar at 5pm requesting I call him the next morning at 7am when he came back in. I was checking out at 6:30am to fly home. I found when I checked out that the resort fees were removed from my bill by James. I did appreciate some credits being applied but by the same token would have much preferred a relaxing stay with no problems. When you travel to Hawaii you dont want to deal with room problems. I would expect routine maintenance done and things in order. These are all privately owned units. The standards of the units need improvement. The prices for Maui on these units were probably somewhat standard but things should be working properly and in good repair. I can not overall recommend this property to anyone.  There are other reviews which outline problems. It's unfortunate because this property has great potential. I would never stay here again.

TonyE4334 (Kelowna, Canada) 01/13/2020

This is our 10th year at Aston Kaanapali Shores. This is Hawaiian Ohana at its best. Thank you to the team here. This was our first trip with our grandson. Memories we have forever. ************ ten stars if I could give it.

MomWow72 (United States) 01/12/2020

Maui is expensive and Maui over holidays even more so. When we booked several months ago, we debated between our favorite complex which is modern but extremely expensive this time of year vs the Aston Kaanapali Shores, which was much more affordable but looked dated. We opted for a full oceanfront view room at the latter. It also sounds like this property might be a mix of privately owned condos and a hotel. We booked through the hotel side so when you read reviews, keep that in mind. Pros: The grounds were very well maintained. Every employee I spoke with was friendly and helpful. The ground floor shops had a surprising amount of merchandise and some of the supplies were actually cheaper than the grocery store across the street. Having a grocery across the street was also quite handy. The view was absolutely spectacular - we whale watched every day from the living room. The room was huge - we booked a 2 bedroom unit and it was probably larger than our first house. The in room safe was the biggest I've ever seen - it easily fit 3 laptops. The closets had more than enough hangers, which is something I've never encountered before. And the very dated washer/dryer actually got our clothes cleaner than my new HE front loader back home. I don't know about the privately owned condos, but the hotel supplied us with shampoo/conditioner/soap in the bathrooms. We also had plenty of dish soap, dish washer detergent, toilet paper and there was some laundry detergent. (I bought more but I'm a freak who does lots of laundry on a trip.) I don't want to make a list of cons because so much of that is subjective and all of it is definitely first world problems. However, there are some things to keep in mind. One is that Kaanapali beach is farther south. There is a small strip of sand by this property but the beach area here is largely rocky. This isn't a hotel issue but it is something to note in case you've never been to the area. If you're very into aesthetics, our room was quite dated. Carpet, countertops and bathroom vanities had clearly been replaced somewhat recently but a lot of the room was probably circa 1990. However, we A) knew this going in as we did our research and B) the room was incredibly clean. I do love modern but I can handle dated, as long as it's clean. And again, we also saved quite a bit. There wasn't any lighting on the lanai or by the washer/dryer. I can understand not having any on the lanai so it doesn't bother others or attract bugs - this isn't a con and I'm mentioning it so it's not a surprise. However, I had to use my phone flashlight to actually see the laundry dials. Actual con? Not at all. Just a minor inconvenience. Overall takeaway: Great view, great price, very clean, very friendly staff. Probably a bit too dated for our family but that's totally subjective and not a dealbreaker for many!

817ctb (Seattle, Washington) 01/11/2020

We booked our stay here almost 10 months in advance for 10 nights over Christmas vacation. The group consisted of my wife and I and our three teenage boys. The room we booked was a oceanfront room and the average cost was about $850 per night before taxes. We consider this to be more on the moderate end of the spectrum, given the holiday period. We read a number of online reviews which almost made us cancel our reservation. After talking to the hotel, we ended up continuing our planned visit. Ultimately, we decided that this was a “bang for the buck“ room and weren’t expecting the finishes to be luxurious. The room that we received on arrival was on the second floor with a northerly view. We do not know how often this room gets rented out, but the condition was by our standards pretty poor. The decor was probably at least 30 years out of date. By this I refer to the very faded carpeting, which you could tell changed about 10 shades due to some pretty obvious places where the furniture has been moved around. The cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom and almost all of the doors were very banged up. I could imagine 10 or 20 nicks in a single bathroom drawer, where the paint was missing. The truth of the matter is, none of these aesthetic issues really bothered us, as they were pretty much what we expected. The problems that we had were more about the functionality of the unit. Each of the two toilets barely flushed, and you need it to hold down the handle and flush it four or five times to make it work. Yes, we asked for this to be looked at, and the maintenance technician came up, but they didn’t improve anything. Every single faucet was unable to be 100% shut off, so there was always water dripping from the kitchen faucet or the bathroom faucets. The handles themselves were loose and felt like they were going to come off in your hand. Because of this, for example, it was very hard to set the temperature properly in the shower. The dishwasher barely worked and we probably ran each load of dishes three or four times to get them clean. Yes, we always pre-rinse our dishes, so trust me when I say that this thing simply didn’t work. It also smelled awful when we first arrived. The stove top worked OK, but the oven barely worked at all. My wife tried to toast a tray of bagels one morning toward the end of our trip. It took about an hour to get them barely toasted at all. If this had happened earlier in our stay, we would have complained. As it was this was the second to last day, so we just dealt with it. One of the most annoying things, was that all of the sliding glass doors out to the deck were in very bad shape. I actually strained my back because in order to open the doors you had to use both hands and “really put your back into it“ to get them to open or shut. This was even true of the screen doors. As a property manager myself, I know what it takes to fix these, you take the doors off the tracks and replace the little wheels that they ride on. Forget about the idea of walking out onto the deck with a drink in your hand or carrying a plate of food. It literally couldn’t be done unless you used both hands and strained yourself. For a pretty high-end unit, it had very out of date and small TV sets. Most of the closet doors continually came off the track and were very difficult to close. There were bifold doors where are the end that moves never stayed in the track. And just like the sliders out to the deck, the closets with sliding doors were very difficult to open and close also. We know that this is a condominium and that the units are individually owned and further that upgrades to the furnishings and amenities are the individual owners responsibility. I can only assume, that this facility never inspects the units or enforces any standards whatsoever. We tried the so-called “beach club“ restaurant, and had a fairly negative experience. Feel free to read my separate review of that. There are some things on the property that are just plain stupid. One of the things we enjoy doing when in Maui is to barbecue our dinner. Unfortunately, the barbecues are about as far away from the hotel rooms as they could possibly be, actually up by the road past the tennis courts. That’s a pretty damn far distance to travel carrying all your barbecue food and equipment. We’ve stayed at many condominiums in Maui where the barbecues are near the water, so you can have a pleasant view and socialize while you are cooking. Definitely not the case here. Overall, we would consider our experience here to have been substandard. The public areas are very tired and dated, the staff goes through the motions of being hospitable, but clearly don’t care very much. Since this was an oceanfront room, the view was nice. Unfortunately, it was difficult to impossible to use the deck in the evening as there are no lights out there at all. This one is on whoever designed the hotel.

Robertoholidays 01/11/2020

This year we decided to celebrat Christamas in Maui at the Aston Kaanapali shore. We had wonderful time, the hotel was very nice and clean The atmosphere was great. Service superb!!! Thank you for the wonderful memory.

784hollyd (Owen Sound, Canada) 01/11/2020

Our family of 4 (my husband and my in laws) just completed a wonderful 6 night stay at the Whaler. We stayed in 2 premium studio units with ocean view on 4th and 6th floors booked via Aston. I was a little hesitant booking a condo over a resort property as I was unsure of the level of service and ambiance. However, my expectations were far exceeded starting at moment of arrival. We had a lovely greeting with a shell necklace - something that not all properties (even resorts) do. Both units were incredibly clean and I was surprised with the check in call from Aston the morning of our first whole day to make sure we didn’t have any issues. Even though our room was near the elevators on the 6th floor I found it incredibly quiet both day and night. The overall ambiance of the property was great, including the meticulously cared for grounds were impressive. Aston staff was consistently caring for the property and were always friendly and helpful. Given that we were there during Christmas season we didn’t use the pool as it was a little busy, but there was no need with the ocean directly in front. My in laws were in love with the location - they walked to Whaler’s Village daily (maybe 2x daily) and nothing beats a 2 minute walk to great restaurants such as Hula’s and Monkey Pod. Thank you to the Aston staff for making this a wonderful vacation right from the ease of booking and then throughout our stay. I know we will return again. Mahalo.

1Aliza727 01/07/2020

Prior to staying here we stayed at a Marriott vacation village on Kona. And we got spoiled there. We both miss hotel amenities, pool people who will put up umbrellas, etc. Our condo here is very dated. We don’t open doors due to allergies but we met person who was here right before us and he told us he changed condos since noise from bar next door went on all night long. Great location..... but....

loveagoodfind (Salt Lake City, Utah) 12/27/2019

We stayed at the Whaler for 11 days in December 2019. The property is wonderful. It has a beautiful beach in front of the two tower condo buildings that is big, much bigger than some of the hotels further south. The pool and hot tub are fabulous. Check in and check out were a breeze. We stayed in a unit on the 9th floor in tower 2 directly under the Hula Grill on the south facing side. It was very nice, but the smoke from the Hula Grill can be a throat irritant at times. Personally I think I would look to book the south side of Tower 1 if I stay here again. The south side of both buildings gets the sun with nice sunrises and sunsets. The north sides of tower 1 & 2 don’t get the sun. I think it’s important to understand that when booking. I did see some people walking the beach at times, but in my opinion the 1 mile stretch of beach is not really a walking beach because it’s not flat. Others might disagree. There is a wonderful sidewalk that fronts the beach all along that 1 mile which is great for walking however. Booking a unit with a washer and dryer was very helpful.

miiller5728 12/14/2019

This was the 1st year my husband and I traveled away from home/family for a holiday and it was well worth it! The staff at The Whaler treat you like family and are very accommodating to your requests. I would recommend paying a little extra for an ocean front room. We had a corner unit in Tower 1 which meant we had two really long patios. One that faced the ocean and the other had ocean and mountain views. Walking distance to Whaler Village is really nice because it was a quick trip to the ABC store to buy all of the little things you forgot or just have to have. Also, there are some pretty amazing restaurants in there. Beach access was spectacular and our condo had beach chairs and an umbrella for us to use. The pool area is smaller than I expected so it was a little difficult to find a chair in there on some days. The kitchen was top of the line and had everything we needed. We also made use of the grills down by the beach and learned they are cleaned every day. They were always spotless! Did I mention the 70" flatscreen we had?! We are already discussing making plans to go back again next Thanksgiving!

Jumccaff (Victoria, Canada) 12/08/2019

Serendipitously, our friends have direct-owner-rentals in bldg 1 overlooking the court yard in between the two towers. We were too frazzled trying to figure it all out (lack of mental capacity due to crazy months of work) and went to a travel agent, which got us a slightly better price b/c of their purchasing discount, but we didn't have control over the room location. Our friends suggested calling the Whaler's 1-800 number and requesting Bld 1 (b/c updated furnishings compared to 2) and overlooking courtyard, but we procrastinated and called too late. We landed in Bldg 2, not overlooking the courtyard (which would have been prettier), but west facing over the whaler village which was still incredibly nice. We were on the 8th floor and I'd recommend fl 8 or higher for ocean views! Bring a bit of tinfoil, saran wrap, maybe a lockable tupperware container for food, as these aren't provided, but virtually everything else is. Also bring good thermal water bottles that you can pack with ice from your room and add ice tea or water from the lobby to keep hydrated - it'll save you buying bottles of it over and over. OUR ROOM: 865 BEST ADVICE - don't do bldg 1 east view, your ocean sights are impeded. IN SEQUENCE, TRY - bldg 1 west side overlooking courtyard, then Bldg 2 east overlooking courtyard, then Bldg 2 west side overlooking whaler's village. In all, 8th floor or higher. The studio apt. was well appointed, the bed awesome, they had dishwasher/sink/laundry soap provided. Balcony was lovely. Shower walk-in. Safe in large walk-in closet. The room was ideal for 2 adults, and I could see it being fine for an additional child too b/c seating is for 4 and room is large to accommodate. Safeway is 10 minutes down the road - buy food and bring it back by catching the public transit next door at Whaler Village for $2 to Lahaina, which you must plan to visit. They have neat touristy shops (prices differ per - so compare), an outlet mall, and a really neat boardwalk area with great architecture, scenery, eateries overlooking the water, and the banyan tree is actually worth the visit. We are planning to do a full day-trip to Hana (everyone advises start early - 7 ish - and plan a full day for a sunset there). Also, the Old Lahaina was the luau we wanted to go see, but plan ahead and book early. Instead, we could get into Drums of the Pacific which is bigger, less authentic, but fine for first-timers like us I'm sure. We did a lot of research on luau's and snorkeling excursions. To save money we considered just renting on the beach by Black Rock, but to ensure we make the most of our time, booked a morning trip with Magic Merman. It was cheaper to book Magic Merman for the snorkel through Expedia than their own website, btw, b/c no booking fees. Look for ABC in Whaler's Village for snacks or convenience food stuff, even liquor. The first time we needed to forage for food, I could only find a seafood burger and fries for $25 and it was meh. The next day I found ABC and could have gotten snacks, fresh fruit, sandwiches and the sort there for pennies, comparatively. I have issue with paying $25 for a boogie board that I can't fit in my luggage and would have to leave behind after a day or two of use, but what I found is that there's many who do, then just discard perfectly good ones on the beach come sun down, so we snagged two and enjoyed the day on them and will gift them to others when we leave. We also brought a decent beach mat with us and that worked great on the beach without needing to rent chairs. We also brought a small collapsible 6 can cooler that with ice, allows you to bring snacks or lunch with you to the beach or on the road to Hana, or to keep groceries cool when travelling to/from Ka'anapali. For a first time visit, I would repeat every single minute. I've traveled over 20 countries and quite extensively through Canada and U.S. (by motorcycle predominately) and I hope to make this a routine visit for us every 2-3 years.

Nauticow (Wilmington, North Carolina) 01/04/2020

Based on the reviews I was expecting a bit more. We had a 2 bedroom suite over Christmas. Each bedrooms had 1 queen bed. When I booked I was assured we would have 2 twins in one room which works for my 2 adult children who cannot share a bed. The sofa bed in the living room was inadequate so we had to rent a cot for an additional $30/night for my daughter to sleep in the kitchen. We had a "garden view" which wasn't much - do not expect any glimpse of ocean from the room. The laundry facilities were nice and gas grills were available. The kitchen in the suite was more than adequate for the bit of cooking we did. It was about a 2 minute walk to the beach from our unit and the hotel is convenient to stores and town and the hotel is on the beach walk. The beach is typical for west Maui and provided good swimming - not on a reef so not the best for snorkeling. All chairs etc... are an additional rental fee. It was less than I expected based on the website and other reviews, and therefore a little disappointing but was definitely adequate for our stay.

547dipenp 12/29/2020

I have to be honest, I was apprehensive about staying at the MKV. First time staying at a VRBO Condo. But I would recommend the MKV anytime. It was wonderful. It's not the Westin or the Grand Hyatt, but we were not looking for that. It's a little dated..but that's charm!. The staff are wonderful, the place is kept clear, Casteway Cafe was wonderful. The pools were right next to Kaanapali Beach. Stay here and enjoy yourself!

TarlynK (Langley, Canada) 12/24/2019

We stayed at the Aston Maui Kannapali Villas from Dec 1 to 8th 2019! Overall I would recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Maui! It was clean, the staff are extremely friendly and the grounds are beautiful! It's great that Castaway's is on the property too, that allows you to go down and eat if you do not feel like cooking! My only two not awesome points would be the following; 1) They charge you for ice! Come on, it's ice! Get an ice machine and stop making people paying $400 a night pay for ice too! 2) No food options after 9:30PM. Once Castaways is closed, there are no food options - landing at 9PM by the time we got to the hotel there was no options for food we had to wait until the next morning. Poor planning on our part, but not an awesome experience the first evening!

maudes (Brentwood, California) 12/10/2019

We had an ocean view room in updated tower. Our room was next to the elevator which I thought would be a problem, ended up I preferred the location and would ask for it in the future. The grounds were nice and will be incredible after the renovation. We had no problem with service while we were there. Location is directly next door to Whalers Village with many restaurants and entertainment.

Jennifer L 11/22/2019

I was very hesitant after booking this place. I had no idea if the affordability of this place was going to translate to a dump. After driving by the Marriotts and Westin’s I was nervous, the outside seemed less than glamorous. The front desk service was inviting and pleasant. She informed me I was upgraded to a premium hotel room for free. This is key for those of you booking here. I saw inside some rooms and they seemed dreary, run down and out dated. Being that the outside wasn’t spectacular I was so happy when I opened the door to a modern, clean room. The next morning I realized I had hit a jackpot. The people were so kind, I was steps from one of the most gorgeous beach with a beautiful view of the other islands. The people staying here were all wonderful and shared stories of loving this place and come back time and time again. You might not have all the upscale amenities of other places but this is affordable and still very nice, besides who spends all there time at the hotel when you are in Maui!! If you are looking for affordable and comfortable with beautiful surroundings, I highly suggest this place. P.s. if you book through a third party timeshare you have less control of what you get and how it’s kept up. And there isn’t much the hotel can do for you

Traveller_World (california) 01/09/2020

Stayed here for 3 nights in december. Property is well located. Staff is friendly. However problem is units do not get hot water (very lukewarm). I filed multiple complaints. I was told issues are 2 fold - they use solar for hot water and aston maintenance cannot fix/adjust water temperature as unit on roof belongs to another entity. Bottom line at $500/day I expect hot water in the room.

cpfry (Sacramento, California) 01/03/2020

I booked my honeymoon stay at the Aston Mahana through Costco Travel and it is my BIGGEST regret. Apparently, the Aston Mahana takes no ownership or pride in ensuring the rooms they are providing to patrons are up to standard in terms of cleanliness and quality. My husband and I arrived to the Aston after a week stay in Kauai (also booked via Costco). We had a reservation at the Old Lahaina Luau (which is VERY hard to get into) that evening. We checked in, saw our room and I was DISGUSTED at what I saw. We immediately contacted the front desk and asked to be moved but due to it being the week after Xmas/NYE week they had no availability unless we paid an extra $500+/night for a two bedroom. We already were paying $450+/night for a crummy studio, seriously asking us for $950+ for a decent room is ridiculous. We called Costco Travel to ask for their assistance as we went to our luau. Our ask was to leave the hotel with a full refund and we would find somewhere else to stay on our own. While in the luau, Costco called me back to inform me that the manager on duty, Suzanne, said we had to leave the luau and leave the hotel that instant to not be charged a two night stay. What great empathy and customer service from the staff at the Aston Mahana! All problems or concerns you bring to management will be met with excuses that it's the private owners fault and they aren't responsible for the unit's cleanliness or quality. They moved us into another studio after the first night but it was just as disgusting as the first. NOT how I wanted to spend our honeymoon. When I went to the front desk again the next morning, the manager on duty, Brian, was dismissive and defensive when I kept appealing for him to find a responsible solution for us. I'll let the photos of studio units 403 and 402 speak for themselves but heed my warning: stay AWAY from the Aston. These particular units had dirty & stained carpets, dead bugs, water damage and mold, and stained bedding.

Wpgtravellers12 12/29/2020

We stayed for 8 days at the Mahana. It has absolutely spectacular views, a nice pool area with BBQ’s that you are free to use and a lovely beach area. We saw dolphins at around 9:30am every day and whales at around 7:30am right from our lanai. Beautiful sunsets. The staff at the front desk were very friendly and always said hello. I appreciated the “borrow a book” area. The beach area is smaller- you need to go down a little further if you want to set up on the beach for the day- but it is awesome for just taking daily walks. We would highly recommend this condo and will be returning soon!

geoffolicious (Denver, Colorado) 12/21/2019

We stayed a week in December here and loved the property. Right on the water with the sound of crashing waves all the time. The view is amazing. You can spend hours just sitting on the Lanai. The beach isn't swimmable but you can walk to one that is. We went with the "premium" unit and would recommend doing the same. I wouldn't call the premium luxury, just remodeled recently.

taylorbrown011 (Seattle, Washington) 12/14/2019

bhv3559 We made a reservation at Aston Mahana at Ka’anapali for a short trip for my 30th birthday. We had plans that mostly involved exploring and being out for most of the day so we were intentional in booking a condo versus a resort or hotel. We just wanted somewhere relaxing, on the beachfront, where we could warm up leftovers, grab a beer out of the fridge, and relax in between adventures. However, I was super disappointed. Let’s start with the pros: All units are truly oceanfront. If you do your research, you’ll know that there isn’t a swimmable beach directly out front. The pool and the hot tub are decent. Parking is also free. The cons: Our unit (302) was absolutely filthy. There were layers of dust bunnies in the pocket door to the bathroom. The closets were full of sand and dirt and old appliances. The wicker entertainment center had an interesting faux floral arrangement, all of which was covered in a thick layer of dust and grime. The deck had cheap pool chairs and table that were worn and dirty. The paper towel holder had mold all over the handle. The bed was thin and uncomfortable. The detergent drawer on the washer was covered in black scum. All in all just gross. We washed all of our dishes prior to using, and did our best to wash things that we could, and avoid things that we could not. Because it was such a short trip, I didn’t have time to make a fuss to switch rooms. What really sucks is I’m sure the property has some lovely units. We initially planned to book directly through an owner on AirBnB, but our nights were quickly booked. We booked directly through the property and ended up with the dirtiest room I have ever stayed in. Also, the neighborhood is not ideal if you plan on exploring the whole island. Ka’anapali and Lahaina are decent, but there is only one main road to the central or eastside - everything outside of west maui will take you at least an hour to get to. I would not recommend this property. Especially not through the property reservation service itself. It was a very disappointing stay for my 30th birthday.

marilynsB4418XV 01/14/2020

We stayed here for 9 nights in a somewhat over-furnished studio condo. It had a hideabed but if you folded it out the two beds would be toe to toe. The location was excellent-- 10 or 15 minutes from Lahaina or Napili or Kapalua. Walking distance to several nice restaurants and good local food including a great food truck park and a major grocery store. A moderately sized complex tucked in amongst the huge hotels. Very quiet. Very clean. Nice grounds, view and ammenities, Great for families if you rented a bigger unit.

pjgrad (Kent, Washington) 01/03/2020

The location is great. You can easily walk to restaurants and stores. The grounds are very nice and well maintained. Two pools and hot tubs, shuffleboard and koi ponds. Many units (including ours) had wonderful views of the ocean. You could hear the waves from the balcony. It was great. You cannot swim or beach walk as the water is too high here but a short walk provides some nice beach areas. Our unit came with beach chairs, fishing rods, boogie board, beach towels and some snorkel gear. I think our unit was B407. Netflix was included which was nice. There is a washer dryer for convenience. Again, the view was great. The kitchen was adequately stocked with plates, etc. We slept 5 adults but you have to be comfortable with open sleeping on a couch fold out. But it was very shabby and kind of dirty. Wires come out of walls and drape around the room. The shower and shower curtain were dirty. Not enough TP. The deck chair pad was dirty and ripped up. The bedroom curtains were dirty and ripped up. They looked like the very hungry caterpillar chewed through them. The window frame was rusted and the pain is all peeling. Hall light fixture had no cover, just a bare bulb. The upper bathroom has a window into the bedroom below so you hear everyone going to the bathroom while in the bedroom. It would take very little money to actually make this unit fresh. For $6k a week I think you could fix this. I would be ashamed of renting this unit until I had fixed the wires, light, paint, curtains, and chair pads. I would stay at this resort again but I would choose a different unit perhaps run by a different rental group?

Valerie S (New Jersey) 01/03/2020

My husband and I spent 1 week of our honeymoon at the Papakea resort booked through Costco Travel. After reading the reviews, I made sure to book an Oceanfront, not Oceanview, which is significantly different as you really look out over the ocean instead of the pool with the ocean in the background. We enjoyed breakfasts and dinners on our lanai watching the sunrise/sunsets and scanning for whales as the whale season had just begun during our week there. We saw a few, but we heard it’s nothing like if you were to go in Jan or Feb. Apparently they are all over during those months! Must be amazing and we’d love to go back to see this. Our 1 bedroom corner condo L208 was clean and nice, nothing brand new but everything in good working order with plenty of dishes/cups/utensils, a full fridge, stove, microwave, crock pots and a blender, to name a few things in the kitchen and brooms and a vacuum to clean up the sand and dirt that sticks to your bare feet after coming inside. The porch wrapped around the side so was quite large compared to the middle units. The only problem here was the winter wind whipping around the building could be intense, so the middle units may be quieter and more protected. The owner also provided 2 beach chairs, beach mats and a boogie board for our use as well as 5 beach towels. The only thing missing was a cooler which would have been primo, but we managed without it. The bathroom was very nice with plenty of clean towels and a double vanity and tiled shower stall with toiletries provided from Hawaiian Tropic that smelled great. The Aston provides several grills contained in the pool area which are well maintained and easy to cook on. They got hot and have a light attached if you are cooking in the dark which is super helpful! The 2 pool areas are nice and usually packed with kids and very large hot tubs which get crowded on the weekends. Quiet hours begin at 10pm, so get your fun in by then because they are strict with these rules. Be sure to attend your welcome breakfast to learn about the island and possibly win something. The single air conditioning unit was situated in the living room which is great if you planned to spend most of your time there, but when we were in these rooms, we preferred to have the slider open to hear the ocean. Unfortunately, the cool air pumping out did not make it into the bedroom to make it comfortable for sleeping (slider was closed at this point – but the AC doesn’t work with the door open anyway). We had to put a fan in the hallway to try to push cool air into the bedroom. The only TV is in the living and was the smallest flat screen we’ve seen in a while, but we didn’t spend much time watching TV, so wasn’t a big issue. As far as activities, I booked them myself because the concierge never returned my phone call even though I provided my cell # and was with guests when I stopped by the lobby. Ironically, our room phone stopped working at this point and I informed the hotel, but did not request it be fixed during our stay so do not know how quickly the maintenance team works. As many have written, there is no beach outside this resort, so if you don’t mind walking 15-20 minutes (not on a beach walk either – you must eventually make your way to the road/sidewalk to the main parking lots) and you can reach Honoapi’ilani Park for decent sand and beaches (about 8 resorts to the south). If you walk to the north on the sidewalk, you will reach a smaller beach good for little kids with a protected ocean pool called Honokowai Beach Park. The good thing about the Aston is parking is free so you can drive with all of your gear if you’d prefer. Unfortunately, most of Maui’s beaches are being eroded away and so beaches are limited, especially at high tide. The only thing I might prefer on a second trip to the island would be a beachfront hotel because getting the beach from the Papakea takes some effort. Overall, our stay at the Aston Papakea was still very nice and without major issue and we could consider coming back for the price, location and accommodations.

Eva M (vacaville, ca) 12/28/2019

Stayed 12/14-12/21/2019 Beautiful grounds here! However, the 1-bedroom unit we were given on the 2nd floor (C-201) was was older and in need of updating. When I saw the unit we were assigned to I asked if we could be moved to a higher floor unit, but Aston management explained that since I booked through Interval International and not through Aston, Interval International customers were assigned to a block of units similar to the lower level unit we were given (higher floors have much better views of the ocean). Well we spent a week here and I was on the phone with maintenance; first because the old tv in the bedroom wasn’t working (management said too bad, only the living room tv had to be in working order). Then the old tv in the living room stopped working and I was on the phone for a long time being guided step by step on how to fix the problem. Then the bathroom sink plug broke into the sink and the plug had to be replaced. Next the washing machine stopped with my clothes in it and the locked lid kept me from removing my items. Dealing with these issues took time away from our vacation and relaxation.In addition to that, when we arrived at Aston Papakea they surprised us with a $366 maintenance fee that had to be paid up front. Now I know why! My fee was probably used to update the old fixtures and appliances in that unit. Don’t know if I will be returning here since I usually book through Interval and don’t like staying on the lower floors in older units.

TravelGrandpa67 12/09/2019

The resort personnel are a LOT more interested in what you are not allowed to do than they are seeing that you have a great time there. We called to ask that the table top be attached to the base, (2 screws that had come loose) but they couldn't do anything about that. They said "call the owner" but didn't have contact info for the owner. Likewise the undersink cabinet door that had come off (another screw loose). But they were johnny on the spot if we put a pool floatie on the balcony to dry, if we were playing cards IN THE UNIT with the balcony door open after lockdown hours, or if we were even playing in the pool with our granddaughters. If you're old, go to bed a 8:00, and don't mind unit maintenance not done, then this is the place for you. If you're interested in a whole family vacation from grandkids to grandparents, then I suggest looking elsewhere. Friendliness factor pretty much nonexistent.

chrisQ7733NO (Modesto, California) 01/15/2020

Paki Maui is nicely located. We stayed in #102. Owner offered on VRBO. Great view! Easy access from parking lot. Easy walk to pool and ocean. Well stocked, close to everything. I would stay again! Had a great time!

corvettekaren (Golden, Colorado) 12/31/2020

we had 3 nites total at paki maui. 1st nite arrive at 9pm, no one to check us in. have to use the phone around the back of the office- guess what, the phone didn't work! luckily one of their staff came by and asked us what we needed, told him, he said use the phone-told him it didn't work, he tried and it didn't work. so he took the phone into the office and got us our keys. had to check in the next morning. the last nite there- the worst ever at any hotel!! a car hit a power pole about noon. after waiting many hours, we still couldn't get back to the hotel after going out and getting something for breakfast. we asked the fire dept and police dept- they told us to go walk in the ocean to get back because it wasn't opening up until morning- we had a flight at 11am. we had to walk back in the ocean- approx. 3-4 blocks in high tide! luckily a nicer younger couple helped us. got back to the room, very little daylite left. found a flashlite- no batteries in it! went to the office, which had a generator- for the office only. asked if they had any batteries for the flashlite- she actually had the nerve to tell me "you need to contact the unit owner if you want batteries" !! I had no idea who the unit owner was!! asked if I could charge my phone in the office for a few minutes, as it only had 5% left. she told me "this is for me, not you to use!" we went back to the unit, no a/c, no power, pitch black except for the flood lites of the power company trying to take out old poles and put in new ones. we had food in the refr for lunch and dinner that day- all of it went bad. when we got home, tried to get a refund for the last nite- they refused! per management, the power never went out!! I sent them the pics showing all of the poles down on the ground in front of it, they told me "that was after you left". I had the names of the office people I talked to, everything, sent them copies of the pane tickets and car rental showing we were there. their reply was "if we gave everyone their money back for that nite, we would be in the hole- so no refund for you". I contacted the company we made the resverations thru, sent them everything I sent the paki maui- we got a refund immediately. don't recommend them in the least bit- they didn't care about anyone.

juliebP4259LS (Sydney, Australia) 12/29/2020

We stayed in 304. Ocean front but very expensive $3240AUS for 4 nights. 2 bedroom unit has what you need but no extras. Shower in main bedroom didn’t drain properly ( reported day one no one looked at it). Lift in main bedroom not working (also reported no action). One power outlet in main bedroom faulty (also reported no action). No plug for kitchen sink ( also reported no action). Main beef sliding door has major issues licking and unlocking (also reported also no response). Over all service very poor actually non existent. Staff not attentive I stood waiting at the front seat while the man behind the rest continued to text on his phone. It took him a few minutes to complete his text then asked what I wanted. Beds are very soft and the head board is very loose ( barley attracted and kept dislodging power cord). Don’t look behind bed dust dust and more dust. Mould in the bathroom.

P1935AEsusans (adkins, United States) 12/20/2019

Wonderful accommodations, lots withing walking distance, well stocked condo, secure, and restful. Public beach one block away. The Farmers market donw the street had wonderful selection. ABC store ready made meals were yummy. Reserved the condo on VRBO no problems, highly recomend.

ATravellingJimmy 11/05/2019

Our stay at Paki Maui was well worth the price. This condo style accommodation provided great views, an uncrowded beach area, with an easy to find location. We found Paki Maui to be a great place to rest up after our daily adventures.

leogem (Regina) 01/16/2020

unit is large (2 bedroom) but kitchen small and furniture dated. Cleanliness leaves much to be desired- build up of dust on ceiling fans disgusting(afraid to turn on as didn't want that debris on our bed, table, etc). Speaking of the fans...you are told you must turn off A/C when not in unit but they still charge extra $45/week for power usage so don't sweat and keep your unit cool if you want- you pay for it. Extra charge for safe, rent key from front desk. Mai Tai Monday is nice social time. Storage space is large and contained beach stuff such as chairs and umbrellas and boogie boards which was nice. Short walk to beach, but stairs going down or must walk down driveway so only if able. Foodland expensive, but similar price to Safeway. Lots of eating out options nearby.

howardsiddall 01/14/2020

a perfect 10/10! It was our second visit in two years and the staff, facilities, amenities are very wonderful. It is hard to believe the age of the property based on the upgrades and care the staff take to maintain it. thanks

Joanne S (Columbia, Missouri) 01/08/2020

My family rented two second floor 2-bdr units, with galley kitchen and living room. Kids slept comfortably on the pull-out couch in the living room. Parking is right in front of the building. A/C unit in the living room ran constantly and could not remove enough humidity to get the main living space to a comfortable temp for Mid-Westerners during the day, but my bdr was comfortable at night. I turned nosy A/C unit off at night. Pool is not heated. The resort (even pool area) was decorated very festively for Christmas, and Santa arrived by helicopter on Christmas eve on the lawn to see the kids! Impressive! Daily maid visit to empty trash and supply fresh towels was much appreciated. Units could use some updating, but were clean; kitchen was well-stocked. Closet held all kinds of useful beach equipment that we could not have brought ourselves. Clean grills available outside the building for grilling. Beach towels (one per person) available in the main office. I would stay here again. One family from Canada said they had been coming for 10 years.

LindaAZ2 (Arizona) 01/06/2020

This timeshare was clean and handy, though the decor is still 80s. Maybe that's why it's affordable. The property has a nice pool and BBQs throughout the property. It's an easy drive to Makena, Lahaina or up to Haleakala. Next time I'll stay on the top floor as we could hear noise from above. Enjoyed Keawakapu beach across the street and a block south.

JimUtd (Sheffield, United Kingdom) 12/28/2019

We received a ground floor 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment with full kitchen, living room, dining table, two balconies with sun loungers on both. This was a perfect way to spend some non hotel time in Maui. Apartment was great with all the utensils and machines you need in the kitchen, comfy bed, safe, plenty of storage space and air con in every room. For our trip to the beach there was a utility closet full of umbrellas, coolers, beach chairs, snorkels, face masks, float coats etc. Saved hiring them. In the complex itself was a pool, hot tub, tennis court, putting green, all of which we used. Most of the apartments seem to be owned and/or are used as timeshares but there was a good mix of adults and children in the complex. Access to the beach, Kihei and Wailea were all within walking distance. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here, had a couple of meals in and enjoyed the sunshine. Servicing was daily although it was a bit of a light clean most days. All the equipment was in spotless condition. Price wise it was reasonable for Maui, no meals included but plenty of value for your money.

Travelmaster23764788 01/03/2020

This hotels location is great. Also most of the staff was friendly. Our favorite where our room attendants. We also have many issues. The room was not ready on ready on time and it was dirty. Also we bought luau tickets from the hotel and were an hour late. We did not have hot water for 3 days and we still don't. The manager called and took 20 dollars off for the inconvenience. I paid over 1600 for this room and expected to get hot water etc. I am here now we will see if they do anything about my stay if not you will see comments of the other 9 peoples experiences as well.

katloveshorses (California) 12/13/2019

My only complaint was that the mattress needed to be replaced big time. The kitchen had everything you could need - plates, silverware, blender, full size fridge, etc. It was great having the washer and dryer, especially with our sandy towels. Location was perfect. But that mattress. I didn't get a good night's sleep once.

BdBrianS (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) 12/11/2019

I would recommend staying here, but maybe it's for the best to rent from the owner rather than booking a vacation package. Each unit is owned so no matter which review you read, if you don't book a specific unit you won't know what you'll get. Our Unit, a 1 bedroom condo, was in the F building (A, B and F are closest) and was a minute from the beach. It was spacious and had all the amenities you need: fully stocked kitchen with decent appliances, washer/dryer, pull out couch and love seat, big screen TV and PS3, shower (not bath), king size bed... The furniture was old and mattresses on the couch and bed were years since needing to be replaced. My back will need a few days to recover. There was a $20 resort fee added on at check-in, but at least that came with unlimited DVD rentals (lots of brand new movies available in the lobby Kiosk). Parking can be very difficult at night. I had to go to the Office and they had to get a staff member to move their car so I could park. The staff were pleasant and we really enjoyed our stay. The Pools are simple but nice and there are plenty of BBQ's available around the grounds. The location is great with lots of shops and restaurants within a 5min walk. Kamaole 2 is an outstanding beach!

teresa190 (Alexandria, United Kingdom) 11/05/2019

Spent our wedding anniversary in Maui, stayed for 3 nights there was a problem in the bathroom with the first apartment,so we were upgraded to a beautiful apartment in the main building. Staff were lovely the manager sent us wine/ chocolates to our apartment. We hired beach chairs so didn't use the pool but it did look nice surrounded by beautiful gardens . We enjoyed our trip to Kihei ,Maui and will never forget it thankyou for making it memorable.

Grant K (Honolulu, Hawaii) 11/04/2019

This hotel is comprised of individually owned condo units centrally managed by Aston. There is a separate hotel, the Maui Banyan, in the front, closest to the street/beach, then a separately managed condo structure, followed by the four Aston managed condo structures at the rear, furthest from the street/beach. The furthest condo, latest in the alpha, would be 400 meters from the street. Massive parking structure, lower levels are reserved for permanent residents, thus usually need to go to the rooftop. Each condo unit comes equipped with a full kitchen. The unit, sofa, carpet, and blankets had a stale smell. Being aligned vertically toward the ocean, ocean views were partial. Otherwise, it was functional and close enough to a nice wide white sand beach. Service was nonchalant. Front desk was rigid with a 4PM check-in and 11AM check-out. Rules stated to empty trash upon check-out, a bit away being next to the parking structure. We were miffed when searching for the trash bin, asked a custodian in a cart, who verbalized the directions, then ended up seeing him there ... why didn't he offer to take our one bag of rubbish in his nearly empty cart??? Many similar choices along the Kihei/Wailea coastline. Would only stay here again if the price is right.