My goodness! As I write this review, I'm noticing that the three most frequent admissions to this review site where staying at the Mahana the same time we were. And I agree with everyone that the Mahana IS the place to stay. Quit looking around and wasting anymore of your time - trust me, you have found "the place". Just know which unit you are reserving because they are not all the same. As best I can piece together, each unit is individually owned and not all the units are "rental managed" by the ResortQuest people. We reserved throught the ResortQuest website directly secondary to several reviews stating difficulty dealing with the front desk in regards to "non-pool" units. But to that I can only say this: (and it is the moral to my story).

We booked months in advance (as you'd better do for your luau at the Old Lahaina or the Feast at Lele). We requested a renovated unit on a high floor away from the elevators. Upon arrival, we were given #703 which, while nice and clean enough, was not one of the spectacularly renovated units seen on TripAdvisor. And it is right next to the elevator. When we discussed this with the desk clerk Alana (my savior and a true angel!), she arranged for a transfer to #1016 the next day. And what a new day it was in this incredible, unbelievably beautiful unit that is actually a one bedroom converted to a studio with a drop-down Murphy bed (which was truly a comfortable bed, surprisingly). Now, I've stayed in some of the nicest hotels all around the world and I will tell you that this unit #1016 was possibly the most impressive of all. Tile floors and shower (with bench), new everything, a most impressive kitchen with the newest of everything, etc, etc, I can't impress it up enough - it really was the very finest of accomodations available on the island. Everthing nice you have read in the latest reviews are true. I personally wouldn't even think of staying anywhere else. The location is great, the people are super, the clientele is adult with well behaved children (read: upper class; well-educated; disciplined and mannered children - No thugs).

The moral is: go through the reviews and choose which rooms are the sweet ones and which are not. #1016 is sweet! #703 is clean but not a recent/big-time redo. You still are getting your $250.00 worth in #703, but you get a $700.00 a night pad in #1016 (and similar) for the same $250.00. I mean, it's really that good. The Mahana is my highest recommendation.

O.K., now that we have that taken care of let me recommend some of what was fantastic on our trip. Breakfast was awesome at The Gazebo restaurant at the shore line of some hotel up the road (ask the front desk at the Mahana). They open at 7:30 A.M. and the line started at about 7:00. We did a Blue Hawaiian helicopter ride and can recommend a 45 minute ride. We booked this and they upgraded us to the hour long ride. At about the 45 minute mark we both got the queezy's. The next day we did the Haleakala sunrise which, unfortuantely, was too cloudy to see - BUT, after most people left because they didn't see the sunrise we stayed and watched the sun start breaking through and burning off the clouds which afforded us some of the most heavenly pictures you can imagine, so hang out and chill. On the way down we ate at the Kula Lodge where they had the best fruit plate I've ever eaten. Their garden is spectacular! I think we took 70+ pictures of flowers there alone!

Mama's Fish House is the best. It's very close to the most famous "kite-surfing/wind-surfing" venue in the world. Those dudes are awesome. Watch for free. Mama's is really fantastic but expensive (naturally). Everything is super tasty, so a reservation is a must for dinner. (Eating at the bar would allow instant seating as it is not sat by the hostess - It's personally my favorate place to eat because of the instant service available at all time by the bartenders). If you only do one restaurant, this is it.

The next day we did a Trilogy snorkle trip to Molokini crater/turtle town. I recommend Trilogy highly, but not the Molokini trip. It was too crowded with boats and snorklers. The Trilogy people are the best, though. Read my review of them separately.

Snorkle Honolua bay, then Kapalua bay, then Kaanapali by the Sheraton/black rock. Do not park in the Sheraton's garage -- three hours was $20!. Use the Whaler's Village parking.

Yes there is currently construction going on right next to the Mahana property. Yes we could here the "beep-beep-beep" backup alarms on some of the trucks, but it wasnt' too bad. Obviously not enough for me to tell you anything other than, "stay at the Mahana - you'll be glad you did". I tell you of the construction so that you are best informed.

Nothing is better than the Mahana. Know your room reserved.

Have fun in Maui!

The Mahana is awesome. I am in a condo on the 12th (and top) floor and all I see is sea, no beach, just sea. Is there anything better? It's a one bedroom condo, with one bath and a full kitchen. I was told by the front desk that all the units are privately owned and this owner has upgraded to the hilt. Stainless appliances, big screen TV, wireless internet, and floor to ceiling windows that are 14 foot long. Our room was completely stocked full of everything we needed and there is even a washer/dryer, which I thought we would not use, but salsa goes everywhere, so we will be taking home clean laundry - that's a first.

I was due to stay at the Westin, which looks like a prison, and I am so glad that our Travel Agent changed us to the Mahana. The Westin is so far from the beach and the Mahana is on the beach, almost in the sea.

My friends stayed at the Kaanapali Shores (also managed by ResortQuest) and they had a grubby room and had to pay for parking. At the Mahana the parking is free and housekeeping are keeping this place spotless.

The pool and spa look new so I guess they were upgraded recently and I see a lot of people using the grills - I don't cook - so it's good if you like BBQ'ing.

I have nothing but praise for the Mahana. It's a small piece of paradise that I got to share for a couple of weeks. I'll be back, next year, as long as there are enough airline seats to go around.

I picked this hotel for my Maui honeymoon based on the reviews from this website. My husband and I wanted something beachfront, but we weren't prepared to pay for a luxury hotel. The Mahana was fantastic. We were in unit 314 and we really felt at home during our 5 day stay.
The view from our one bedroom condo was really amazing, and as soon as we walked into the room and walked out on the balcony, we knew we had made the right decision. You really can't beat the ocean view and being able to watch the beautiful Maui sunsets from the comfort of your own balcony.
The room itself was tastefully decorated. The shower was big enough for the two of us, and the kitchen was beautifully appointed with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. It was stocked with dishes and anything we could possibly need. The washer/dryer was also a huge convienience.
The beach right in front of the hotel isn't great for swimming, but a nice stroll a couple of hundred yards in either direction leads to beaches more suitable for swimming.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Mahana, and I recommend it to everyone. We will definitely be back.

I would definitely recommend the Mahana to family and friends! This was an amazing trip! We were on our 2nd honeymoon and we couldn't have asked for a better one. We stayed on Oahu for the first 5 days and then came to Maui. We wished we would have booked the whole 10 days on Maui at the Mahana! It seemed very private. The pool was never very busy and the beach in front of the hotel never seemed to have very many people on it. The view from the balcony was incredible. The sunsets were beautiful and we even saw a rainbow once.
We slept with the patio door opened every night listening to the ocean. We will be back for sure!! Thanks Mahana for a much better 2nd honeymoon!