We are planning a trip for early September 2007. We are currently debating between Kaanapali Shores and The Whaler. We will be a family with 2 adults and 2 18 year old girls. We%26#39;d like a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom condo. The Whaler is near a lot of shopping and on a great beach, but the condos that we%26#39;ve looked at on VRBO seem expensive for what you get. They look a little outdated. VRBO has several really nice looking condos at Kaanapali Shores, and they are cheaper than condos at the Whaler. However, we don%26#39;t know much about the area around Kaanapali Shores. Is the beach nice? How far of a drive is it to The Whaler and its surrounding areas? Is it or any other shopping centers/activities within walking distance? We%26#39;re really looking for a condo where we can just lay around on the beach some days without doing much (preferably no) driving. It is hard to justify spending up to $400 per night at The Whaler if its really not any better than Kaanapali Shores.
Kaanapali Shores vs. The WhalerAloha!
I like the Kaanapali Shores a LOT, but it is NOT as convenient as the Whaler. The Whaler will offer you and the teens the maximum in convenience. It would indeed be my first choice considering your situation!
Bryan Brown
BBrown9825@aol.com
Kaanapali Shores vs. The WhalerCan anyone tell me what is within walking distance of Kaanapali Shores?
i stayed at the Kaanapali Shores last year and it was great! we were on a budget and we didn%26#39;t know anything about the kaanapali area but we were more than pleased with it. i never stayed at the whaler so i can%26#39;t really compare, but the Shores has a great beach (quieter than the whaler area), our room was clean and the staff is very nice. i will definitely try to stay there again next time.
There%26#39;s a little plaza right in front of the Shores. It has an eatery and a grocery store and some other stores that i don%26#39;t remember. we got food at the store for those lazy beach days and then at night we would drive to lahaina or kapalua for dinner. The shores also has a restaurant on site.
Whaler%26#39;s village is not that far from the Shores but it does require about a 2-3 minute drive (i think). Lahaina is about a 10 min drive from the Shores.
i don%26#39;t know how important it is for you to have a shopping village like Whaler%26#39;s village within walking distance. do you plan to do a lot sight seeing? how many beach days are you planning? for us, we only went to whaler%26#39;s village once. lahaina is where we spent most of our time shopping, eating and perusing when we were not sight seeing. so it was worth it for us to stay at the Shores even if it wasn%26#39;t within walking distance to a shopping village since we weren%26#39;t really in kaanapali all the time.
i hope this helped. if you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
Thanks for the great information! Kaanapali Shores is looking really nice to us right now, as we%26#39;d rather spend more money on activities as opposed to a place to sleep. Did you book your unit through ResortQuest or some other agency? We%26#39;ve heard mixed reviews on the beach in front of the hotel, but are glad to hear that you liked it. Is it safe for swimming?
We stayed at Kaanapali Shores a couple of months ago. I thought it was an incredible bargain for how nice it was. We booked through Costco, though when you look at Costco%26#39;s website it looks like they only offer hotels for certain times - like May 1-30 and Sept through Nov. type of thing. You could still call them to see if they offer great prices during other times of the year. We paid $1027 for 5 nights, including a car and $100 food %26amp; drink voucher for on-site restaurant (which wasn%26#39;t bad by the way). This was for a 1 bedroom/1 bath condo.
To me the beach was just fine in front of the Shores, and they have tons of lounge chairs for you to use. It%26#39;s just that the water has some rocks/coral reefs that makes it a little trecherous. We hopped in the car and went to other beaches during the day and then came back to the pool and the lounge chairs on the beach later in the day.
I don%26#39;t think you%26#39;ll be disappointed at Kaanapali Shores, especially if you are out exploring other beaches.
It%26#39;s a nice area, quieter than where the Whaler is. The Whaler is right next to Whalers Village and it%26#39;s pool is right along the beach so there%26#39;s a ton of foot traffic around you. While the beach is a better swimming beach I would opt for Kaanapali Villas for the atmosphere. You are only a quick drive away from the Kaanapali Resort area and Lahaina. There is a grocery store and some restuarants within walking distance.
You know, we currently have reservations for a 2BR/2B condo at the Whaler for Sept, and I am seriously thinking about changing to the Shores. The Shores looks to have beautiful grounds, nice beach, kids don%26#39;t swim in ocean anyway, just boogie board. Stores and restuarants around and the bus to Whalers village. I%26#39;ll have to check into this more, I%26#39;m sure it%26#39;s much less expensive. Thinking it would be nice to have a quieter place to go back to at night. One review states it has a bar with tv tuned to sports near the pool, that%26#39;s enough to win over hubby and son! LOL Thanks for asking this Pink. I just have two questions: Any good snorkeling around Kaanapali Shores, and any beach boys teaching to surf?
Kaanapali Shores does not have a nice beach. There is a lot of coral in the water making it difficult to swim. The beach ends at Kaanapali Shores so just to the right (north) there is no beach at all. If a good beach is important to you then the Whaler wins hands down over Kaanapali Shores. For being within walking distance of shopping, restaurants, bars, etc. the Whaler wins again.
The only advantage of Kaanapali Shores over the Whaler is that it is in a quiter area. It is quieter becasue there is very little nearby to attract people. Your choice is ';quiet with poor beach and not much nearby'; vs '; busier with great beach with lots within walking distance';.
we booked through expedia. a lot of people really like VRBO but we won%26#39;t use VRBO unless we can find a flight on sale because booking packages (flight, hotel and car together) seem to be cheaper for us here in southern california.
The beach: yes there%26#39;s coral close to the shore but it wasn%26#39;t that much. i think it%26#39;s long but it%26#39;s not that wide. it didn%26#39;t bother us at all. we just swam over it. in fact, the coral allowed us to snorkel and see some fish close to the shore. mind you, it%26#39;s nowhere near as good as snorkeling at some other beaches but it%26#39;s just something to do.
i can%26#39;t really say anything about swimming in the water at the whaler because the one day we were there, the surf was too strong so we didn%26#39;t stay in the water too long. but the beach looked nice.
also, if you end up not liking the beach, there are plenty of other beaches in maui to fit your taste.
i agree with trixxee, the Shores is a really good bargain.
ticam,
the snorkeling in front of the Shores is not good. i only saw a handful of fish. that area is not known for snorkeling. there%26#39;s a thin coral formation close to the shore but there are many, many other better places in maui to see tons of fish.
and as for surfing, from what i hear, the beaches on the west side of maui don%26#39;t have good surf so i didnt%26#39; really see any surfers in kaanapali. but my friend took lessons in lahaina on our trip.
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