How To Reserve Your Maui Accommodations
1. Do it yourself
Using the links on the Maui hotels and condos pages of this website, you can get more information, compare prices and reserve any of the Maui hotels and condos that I have described. You can call the hotels directly at the phone numbers listed for each hotel on those web pages. For the big hotel chains (Hyatt, Marriott, Westin, Sheraton, Four Seasons, Fairmont, Ritz Carlton) compare prices by also calling each hotel chain’s national toll-free number. You can search Expedia, Orbitz, or Travelocity to see what deals they offer.
Don’t pay the rack rate. “Rack rate” is the official list price for a hotel or condo on Maui or anyplace else, but you don’t have to pay that much. Always ask the hotel or condo for discounts, seasonal specials, weekend rates, holiday rates, AAA discount, AARP discount, and any other lower rates. For the major hotels, join the hotel chain’s Frequent Guest program (usually free, like airlines’ Frequent Flyer programs), and ask about discounts for members of that program. Ask about package plans that include hotel and rental car and airfare.
If you’re booking the hotel or condo on your own, you will also want to see the following two pages about finding the best deals on
2. Use a travel agent who is knowledgeable about Maui
If you have a travel agent in your home area who has been to Maui at least a few times and is knowledgeable about the choices of available hotels and condos on Maui, then that would be a good person to book your trip. But if you don’t know of such an agent in your area, then I recommend that you use one of the following agents who specialize in Maui. They can help get you the best Maui Hotel or Maui condo for your own particular needs at the best price available. Each of the following agents either lives on Maui or has been to Maui many times and has personally seen many of the hotels and condos that you are choosing between.
Kay Ryan kay@mauikay.com www.mauikay.com
Kay lived on Maui for many years and specializes in personal service. Kay will email back and forth with you before you arrive, send you a packet of info brochures about Maui, book activities in advance before you arrive if desired, answer all your questions and orient you to Maui, and allow you to call her any time during your stay on Maui with more questions. Most condos will not let you reserve a specific room to be sure you are getting one of the nicer units. But if you book your condo through Kay then she can often recommend and reserve a specific unit that she knows is one of the best in whatever building you and she select. Kay can also get you a vacation package that includes air, room, and car. All of this service costs you nothing since Kay gets paid by commission from the hotel or condo or activities that you book with her. Here’s a link to my 2011 interview with Kay Ryan
Dave Williams davewil@mc.net www.royalhawaii.com
Dave lives part-time on Maui and specializes in finding the best deals on Maui condos.
Bryan Brown Hawbreezes@aol.com www.hawaiianbreezes.com
Bryan has been to Maui many times. He specializes in Maui vacation packages that include airfare as well as hotel or condo.
When you email any of the above Maui specialists, you will get the best service if you tell them you were sent by Jon’s Maui Info website. They know they have to please you if they want me to keep recommending them.
Should you rent from an individual Maui condo owner, such as through VRBO?
Sometimes you can get a lower price by renting a Maui condo from the individual person who owns that condo unit. But I don’t like using this method, because it is less reliable than renting from the condo building or the agency that manages that building’s rentals. If you rent from an individual owner, and you don’t like the unit when you arrive, he can’t offer you any other unit instead. If you rent from the condo building or the agency that manages it, and you aren’t satisfied when you see your unit on arrival, they can usually show you other condos in the same building or other buildings that they manage, and switch you that same day to something you may like better. In addition, most individual owners require you to pay in full in advance, with no refunds if you have to cancel, whereas most agencies let you pay after you get to Maui, and you can cancel with little or no penalty if you want to change your plans for any reason.
If you would prefer just an alphabetical list of links to the pages about each specific Maui hotel and condo, use this link:
Maui Hotels and Maui Condos alphabetical list
Or you can go back to the page listing the four steps to help you select Maui Hotels and Maui Condos that fit your needs and budget.
