First timer help - small w/ better beach vs. nicer unit?

I know this has probably been asked numerous times...but how worth it is a nice beach/ocean view condo unit? My husband and I are trying to decide between:

Napili Bay studio for $180 (VERY small, but renovated %26amp; on the beach)

vs.

Maui Vista garden view unit ($135)

Maui Kamaole garden view ($145)

Both of which are true 1-bedrooms w/ living area, etc.

Or I found a few that fall in between...oceanfront units, on less-nice beaches in so/so looking complexes like Koa Lagoon, Hale Kai, Lokelani, Kulakone, Hale Ono Loa, etc. Those range from $112-$160. I%26#39;m just SO confused with the wealth of options.

Just so you all know...we%26#39;ll be coming from 3-nights at an Oahu hotel and then leaving to spend 5 nights at a cottage on the north side of Kauai (near, but not on the beach). We%26#39;ll be spending 6 nights in Maui.

Thanks in advance!

First timer help - small w/ better beach vs. nicer unit?

Just in case you don%26#39;t know, Napili Bay does not have a pool, if that matters to you.

If you still want to stay in Napili right on the beach, try the Napili Surf, which is right next door to the Napili Bay. They have studios and 1 bedrooms, and two pools. We stayed there in August of 2005, and LOVED it.

IMO, I%26#39;d choose staying on Napili Bay before I%26#39;d stay in Kihei. I don%26#39;t care for the Kihei vibe, but that%26#39;s just me.

First timer help - small w/ better beach vs. nicer unit?

Depends on how much time you are spending in your condo and how much sightseeing and activities. Have you checked out how close to the ocean the others are by using the code in Maui Revealed? Also, if you are going to be doing a lot of sightseeing, you may want to consider where, and how far Napali is from these places versus Kihei area being closer.

First, and foremost...wherever you stay, I would definitely research thoroughly before booking it. In regards to location, I guess it somewhat depends. If you%26#39;re looking to be beach bums your whole vacation (which certainly isn%26#39;t a bad idea), by all means stay on a beachfront property. If not, and you%26#39;re going to be sightseeing and doing activities, then save some money and use it towards that. My wife and I stayed in a beautiful Kapalua Golf Villa about 1/4-1/2 mile up from the beach. We loved it. It still overlooked the ocean and other islands...along with killer sunset views. With as many beaches as we visited on the island, it didn%26#39;t matter where we stayed. HOWEVER, we also decided to stay on the other side of the island in Hana (Hotel Hana~Maui) and we splurged for the last three nights. We had a cottage that was no more than 20 yards from waves crashing onto the black lava. It was AWESOME! The ocean was so loud we had to close the huge doors just to sleep some nights.

All-in-all, in the busier areas of the island I don%26#39;t think it matters where you stay as long as it%26#39;s up to your standards of living.

Have fun!

Hi marsten,

I can tell you it is definitely worth it for a nice beach/ocean view condo unit. I also think it%26#39;s worth some extra money for and ocean front unit overlooking the beach.

I was there with a friend this past October. We spent 10 days at Sugar Beach Resort and loved it. We had an ocean front condo on the 4th floor over looking the beach and it was definitely worth the extra $$$. I have a review posted and some pictures of our condo if you want to check it out. Sugar Beach is awesome because it%26#39;s on a great beach, and it is fairly quiet.

I have also stayed at Maui Vista. It was alright, but it wasn%26#39;t the nicest place I have ever stayed. I found the condo unit not to be very clean. I also thought it was too noisy there and to crowded in that area of Maui.

Good Luck!

I%26#39;m even more confused now!!! just kidding...well, not really. But thanks for all your responses.

I just feel like I%26#39;m getting such a variety of opinions (here, in my travel books, other websites, etc.) so it%26#39;s SO hard to decide where to stay without ever having gone to Hawaii.

Basically, my husband and I will be there for 6 nights...I%26#39;d say half that time we%26#39;ll be ';active'; and half that time we%26#39;ll be relaxing on the beach. We%26#39;ll probably do half our meals at the condo, and half while out. We%26#39;re looking to spend AROUND $150/night (more or less).

Maybe I should just flip a coin...west vs. south, oceanfront vs. near ocean, studio vs. 1-bed....too many decisions! I%26#39;m also having a hard time finding some of the ';favorites'; that you guys post about on vrbo or cyberrentals. We definitely only want to rent a unit that we can see photos of first. Regarding a pool, it would be nice, but not mandatory. We WOULD like a more updated/renovated unit though.

Oh, and we%26#39;re going in May...so price-wise, we at least have that going for us!

Well..you%26#39;re having a similar problem that I was having. I think you have to really decide what%26#39;s most important to you. I know for my husband and I, we wanted a great oceanview, affordable, nice interior/remodeled, a pool on the beach. We stayed at the Marriott in Waikiki 2 years ago and we had an ocean view room and loved it..the Pacific ocean is so gorgeous and it really made us enjoy our stay more to be able to eat breakfast on our patio and look out at the ocean. We%26#39;re going in May as well and we decided on the Mahana(in the Kaanapali area). We don%26#39;t care about swimming in the ocean..we just like to look at it. So ponder what you really want and then go for it. I think it%26#39;s worth it to pay an extra couple hundred $$ for an oceanview/oceanfront condo.

Be aware that if you choose Napili you will be about as far away from the rest of the sights of Maui as is possible -- up in the NW corner of the island. If you are not interested in the rest of Maui, that%26#39;s a nice place to stay, although the condos are about 40 years old. (Be sure to find a refurbished unit!)

Maui Vista and Maui Kamaole aren%26#39;t in the same ballpark! The first is small units crammed onto a small lot with a tiny pool. The second is newer, with spacious units on a large property with two nice pools, tennis courts, the works. MV is smack dab on Kihei Road across from a small, rocky cove. MK is built up the side of a hill, back from the road and across from Kam III beach park.

Someone is charging you too much for a garden view in each location, in my book. Rack rate from an agency is $167 a night for stays of less than a week at a MK garden view and you should save more than 20% off that by renting direct. Heck, you could have ocean view at MK for $150 a night in May.

You really don%26#39;t want the bargains in North Kihei, IMO.

As for being ON a beach, it%26#39;s just not that big a deal to me. You will have a car and most people want to try different beaches all down the coast of South Maui. Also, it is much easier to see the rest of the island via the 4-lane Piilani Hwy. above Wailea and Kihei than by traveling the 2-laner to get out of West Maui. You will have just come from time on Kauai in a beach-y setting.

If you do decide to beach hop and want a newer, larger condo, look also at The Palms and Grand Champions in Wailea. They and MK are the newer units in the not-too-price-y range in South Maui.