HotelChatter

Celebrity Scoop / Maui Hotel Reviews / → All Tags

Scary Spice and Eddie Murphy Hit Up Four Seasons Maui

Where: 3900 Wailea Alanui [map], Kihei, Maui, HI, United States, 96753

The Four Seasons Maui is hosting yet another celebrity couple, and thankfully, its not Britney Spears and K-Fed.

Eddie Murphy has been quietly dating Scary Spice of the Spice Girls for a few months and they are reportedly going to marry. According to the Sunday Mirror, the wedding's set to happen at the Hollywood Roosevelt. Although we know the track record for weddings at HR aren't so great. Eerily, Mischa Barton and boyfriend Cisco Adler were holed up at the Four Seasons when their "engagement" was reported.

As for their trip to the Four Seasons, other guests seem to think the love is real.

"The body language between them was electric - they seem pretty infatuated with each other.

Or possibly Scary Spice, also known as Mel B. who hasn't had a hit since 1997, is infatuated with Eddie's private plane which they took (with kids in tow) to Maui.

Related Stories:
· It must B Love [Sunday Mirror]
· Mel B and Eddie Murphy [GossipRocks]
· Four Seasons Maui reviews [TripAdvisor]

Hotel Hell / Maui Hotel Reviews / → All Tags

Aston Maui Lu Resort is Scary

While there are plenty of great hotels to find on Maui, there's always some bad with the good.

A recent guest at the Aston Maui Lu Resort in Kihei tells us what other cost-conscious travelers won't:

I don't know what these other people think is decent but this place is not what I call decent. I read the reviews and thought it wouldn't be so bad. I wish someone would have told the truth so I would not have wasted my money.

There are two things I can say that was decent at this place, the grounds were tropical and large and the air conditioner worked great.

I don't want to be unfair but I am going to state the truth. The room was filthy, they did make the bed everyday but they did not clean the room. They did not bother to clean the sink and counter in the bathroom everyday. The ceiling was cracked and falling, rusty pipes on the ceiling, moldy shower curtain, it was terrible. The "small beach" across the street was "No Beach" at high tide.

There is a part of this hotel that is falling down and boarded up. You would be advised to spend a few extra dollars and go someplace else, I would have but I prepaid and didn't have that choice. I don't know if we just got "lucky" and had a bad room but I would not recommend taking the chance.

The others show views which I will admit was nice but regardless this is an old hotel that needs to be taken down, it has outlived it's life, which is obvious because half of it is boarded up and falling down. No one else has mentioned this!

In order to demonstrate the boarded-up section, the guest did a drive-by shooting with her digital camera, shown above.

Our advice? Never trust a hotel that doesn't have a website easily found in Google.

Related Stories:
· Aston Maui Lu Resort reviews [TripAdvisor]

Maui Hotel Reviews / Hotel Deals / → All Tags

Saving Your Moolah in Maui

Where: 2259 South Kihei Road [map], Kihei, Maui, HI, United States, 96753

Hawaii is not a cheap place to visit. Not even in the summer and the big resorts in Wailea on Maui don't really offer a price break during these months. We're talking $350+ for a room with a mountain view.

But there is a budget option out there at the Maui Coast Hotel in Kihei. The full-service hotel has a bunch of package options to consider. One going on right now is the fifth night free with an alcove suite costing $245 a night. This also applies to the one bedroom suite at $275 a night. Standard room rates are $240 and the hotel accepts AAA and AARP discounts.

So now you know you can save a few bucks here, what's the hotel like? For starters, the whole place is nonsmoking which is good because we like to breathe fresh air when we're on vacation. Each suite comes with its own lanai and when you want to check out the island sights, there's a complimentary shuttle service. The hotel also offers up two tennis courts that light up at night because we always enjoy an evening match.

There's no charge for parking which is practically unheard of these days, free laundry, free internet access in the lobby (but WiFi will cost you $15 a day), free use of the fitness center and happy hour at the place from 4-7pm offers up mai tais for $3 and beers for $2.50.

Of course, there's some bad about the hotel. The rooms only have garden views, the beach is still a walk away, the pool is smallish and the hotel restaurant is not that great.

The hotel did undergo some recent renovations but one guests says book the higher floors if you can:

The hotel rooms on the upper floors are much nicer than the ones on the ground level floors (1 and 2). There can be slight problems with the toilets and ants on the first two floors, so request a room on the upper level. I would give this hotel a harsher review, however, ants seem to be the order of the day at most of the lodgings in Kihei on the ground levels.

If you have stayed at the Maui Coast or plan on going, let us know how it went.

Related Stories:
· Maui Coast Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]

Maui Hotel Reviews / Places to Stay in Maui / → All Tags

Maui's Anti-Resort Getaway Spot

Where: 15 Wailana Place [map], Kihei, Maui, HI, United States, 96753

If you're thinking of heading to Maui for a Hawaiian getaway, then you've probably been checking out some of the island's more famous hotels like the Grand Wailea and the Four Seasons.

But if a big resort experience turns you off, then consider the Aloha Pualani, a boutique hotel (i.e. small) that opened in 2003 in Kihei. The hotel only has five suites (orchid, bamboo, lotus, gardenia, and pikake), each with one bedroom, living room, kitchen and an upper level with views of either the pool, the ocean or both. Each suite is also decorated in different decor but stays true to the Pacific island theme.

Guests rave about the hotel which means "beloved flower of heaven":

If you want to want to visit Maui and avoid the typical tourist trap hotel, this is the place. My wife and I loved this place. It is more like a high end condo than a hotel (which is a very good thing). We stayed in the Bamboo suite, which is very large and on two floors. Comfy beds and comfy furniture. The bathroom had all the amenities the big resorts have. Another nice thing was to have a fully equiped kitchen. When on vacation, it is nice to be able to get up in the morning and grab a glass of juice, coffee, toast or whatever, without having to call room service, or having to get dressed to go to the dinning room for something quick.

Naturally rates are higher in the winter than summer with the smallest suite, Pikake, starting at $265. Orchid Suite is the honeymoon suite and it goes for $325 a night. The hotel also requires a two-night minimum and cannot take hotel guests under 16. Which is actually good because it means you can have a quiet vacation without a hundred kids running around the pool.

The only downside? The beach is a two-minute walk away.

Related Stories:
· Aloha Pualani reviews [TripAdvisor]

Hotel Hell / → All Tags

Maui Prince: Pool (and Staff) Out of Order

Where: 5400 Makena Alanui, [map], Kihei, Maui, HI, United States, 96753

[Ed. Note: Hotel Maven switchcoast continues his/her Chronicles of Recent Stays with a particularly nasty tale of pool construction at The Maui Prince Hotel. Enjoy.]

Our initial introduction to the Maui Prince was through correspondence with their concierge, who was courteous, swift, and extremely responsive to our questions prior to arriving. Had she been in charge of the rest of our stay, perhaps we would have better things to say about this supposed paradise.

more ›