Our family of four (boys aged 12 & 14) stayed in Unit #B403 from March 13-26, 2008. The Hale Mahina is comprised of 2 seperate 4 storey buildings with a mix of 1 and 2 bedroom units. All units face the ocean and the 4th floor units have the 2nd bedroom and bath in a loft area. Views are wonderful from either building but you will get more sun and better sunset views (at least at this time of year) from the units in building "A". This may also translate into warmer units though as there is no A/C available. Each building has an elevator and there is ample parking, at least we never had a problem finding a stall.

Our lanai was quite generous and it was wonderful eating meals while enjoying the sound and view of the ocean. I'm so glad we paid the extra money and booked in a complex so close to the ocean. I knew we had made the right choice when my "discerning" 14 year old gave me the thumbs up after checking out the view. Falling asleep to the sound of the ocean waves is just priceless and something my wife and I hadn't experienced since our honeymoon at the Sheraton on Kauai 20 years ago. Seeing a rainbow, the whales and a cruise ship from our lanai was just the icing on the cake.

The decor/updating in each unit will vary depending on the owner of the unit. Our unit was showing it's age and could certainly benefit from an upgrade to the cabinets and countertops. When you are paying $200+ a night it's nice to have quality finishing and materials throughout. None of this really dampened our experience though. On the plus side, our unit was well stocked with kitchen utensils, cutlery and pots and pans. The rice maker was especially useful. There were also beach chairs, boogie boards and some snorkel gear which saved us the trouble and expense of having to purchase them. We had maid service come half way through our stay. Our unit had a stacking washer and dryer.

The small sandy beach in front of the complex makes for easy entry into the water for a swim or snorkel. The grounds and pool area are very well maintained. I saw Manager Larry out each morning cleaning the pool area. We experienced none of the issues described by a previous poster in regards to "pool security". There were kids of all ages staying in the complex on spring break and using the pool, with water toys, and I never noticed anyone giving them a hard time. My boys "quietly" tossed around a small foam football on a few different occasions without incident. The swirlpool is fine for around 6 adults at a time and the temperature was perfect IMO.

There are 4 BBQ's on site, but they use charcoal and are starting to show their age too. A couple no longer had lids. While everyone (including me) seemed to make out okay using them it would be really nice if the ownership group could somehow find a way to replace these with a nice gas setup (3 grills and counter area) like you see at some of the hotel resorts. There is also a somewhat annoying security gate that everyone (except ground floor units) must pass through to reach the pool/beach/bbq area. The same key that opens your unit door also works to open the gate. Not sure how that is possible, but it does. I know why the gate is there but it should be replaced with an easier opening one. I was not the only person who mentioned this.

Overall I would say this is a great place to stay for your Maui getaway, whether you're a couple or a family. It's centrally located between Kannapali and Kapalua. Lahaina is about a 15 minute drive away. You've got the Star Market, ABC store (with gas station), Honokowai Okazuya & Deli, Soup Nutz & Java Jazz plus lot's of little shops (video, snorkel rental, etc.) a 3 minute drive down the road. Lower Honoapiilani Road is a slightly busy road as it services all the oceanfront properties from Honokawai to Kapalua, but we did not find it that noisy. We did hear the garbage trucks in the a.m. but I'm not sure what could be done about that. It's just the way the trucks run their route I guess.

I'm not sure when we'll get a chance to come back and visit but we'd certainly consider staying here again, although I would make more of an effort to find one of the updated top floor units. Thanks to the folks at Chase 'N Rainbows Property Mgmt. who helped us with the booking. I hope this helps anyone considering staying here.

Aloha!

Wonderful week stay at Hale Mahina with spouse and 3 kids- 11,14,17. Great pool and hot tub area, facing the ocean. Often we were the only ones in the pool or hot tub. Grassy area for lawn chairs (sun and shade). Beachfront- not the best for swimming, but good for boogie boarding, snorkeling, and shell seeking. # bedroom unit was updated- views from every room. Sunset views unbelievable. Very quiet and low key condo resort- we loved it!

We, family with kids, stayed at the Hale Mahina in June 2007. Our first family trip to Maui and after reading the last post, I feel a bit guilty for not posting after our trip. Here are the pros and cons during our stay-

Pros of the Unit A205- Ocean front, water was 40-50 feet away, gorgeous unit, completely remodeled, granite slab kitchen counter, new SS appliances, new bathroom, new W/D, nice new hawaiian ratten furniture, big lanai with gorgeous ocean views, beautiful sunsets. We rented thru chasenrainbows and they were great to work with! You can see pictures on their site.

Cons of A-205- everything was nicely remodeled but the comforter on the bed was so old and grungy. I threw it off immediately and wondered why? Everything was newly remodeled and a comforter is such an easy, inexpensive thing to change. Bathroom was really small- 3'x4' in front of 2 sinks and 2'x2' by the tub and toilet area, and not much ventilation so the mirrors really fogged up when taking a shower or drying laundry. The lanai only had a small table and 2 chairs, it would have been nice to have a bigger table with more chairs to eat out there and a chaise as well to lounge on listening to the waves. Biggest Con is NO AC which I thought I would be ok with but I was wrong! There were a couple nights were the trade winds were low and it was muggy hot and hard to sleep. It would cool down if you left your front door open and lanai screen open but we only did it for awhile as this isn't safe with a 2 year old.

Pros of Hale Mahina Resort- Gorgeous private beach/ small cove, maybe 25' deep and 80-90' wide, you must stay at Hale Mahina or Lokelani next door to have access. There is a gate and it is locked so you need a key. The beach had grainy sand, it steeped quite a bit and the waves were rough when we went. At night the beach is entirely covered at high tide. Grounds are well kept and beautiful. Great location in Honokowai- 5 min. to Kaanapali, 10 min. to Lahaina, 10 min. to Napili and Kapalua.

Cons of Hale Mahina Resort- No shade on the beach in the afternoon, only in the morning is there shade from the palm trees. The ocean does steep quite a bit after only a couple feet in so I did not feel safe with the kids boogie boarding there. We only played on the beach twice in our week stay and went to other beaches. The pool is pretty small and the manager did not want my kids playing with their beach ball in the pool and they were the only ones in the pool! He was pretty strict and we were stunned since my kids were behaving well and just wanted to throw a beach ball around. We also stayed at the Grand Wailea for 4 days after, so we thought, "whatever, we'll just get our fun pool time there." This happened on the 2nd day so after that ,we realized that this was not a young family friendly resort and we just explored Maui all day and came back at night to sleep. There is a quiet time after 10pm and there were a couple nights were there were some people bbqing and having a good time outside but I knew, once 10pm came, the manager came out to tell them all to be quiet and go take it to their rooms.

For us, there wasn't enough amenities at this resort for us to want to stay here again. There is an abc store and farmers market to walk to but other than that, not much. You do have to drive to go anywhere which it was a great location, pretty close to everything. We could tell that there were many older owners who lived there and they must want the resort very quiet and have the manager making sure of just that. It would have been a better time if he wasn't so strict and I do remember seing another review complaining about the manager but it was taken off. I hope my review stays as I am being honest about the pros and cons ...you spend a lot of money and time researching for a trip to Maui and you want to make sure where you stay is the right place for you. The resort and the unit we stayed in would be perfect for a couple. The views were great but we were excited to move onto to GW with AC and awesome pools!

Places not to miss-
Snorkeling at Kapalua Beach, Napili Beach, ocean view lunch Aloha Mix Plate, Brunch at the Hyatt Kaanapali, Torchlighting at Black Rock, Free hula shows at KBH and at Whalers Village, Iao Valley, Maui Ocean Center, Wailea Beach, Keawakapu Beach, Alexanders Fish, Chicken and Ribs, Local Boyz Shave Ice and the Barefoot Bar at the Hula Grill for Lava Flows! Aloha!!!

This was our first trip to Maui, and after this experience, it will be our last. This complex should be advertised as an over 55 complex, or couples only.
We traveled with several families, and were stalked by the resident managers the entire week. No playing in the pool, no games on the grass, basically No Fun, and this is our family vacation! They informed us that they didn't like group reservations, and it would be a problem, so maybe we should 'relocate'. We weren't the only family this happened to, after speaking to other families at the pool, they also had problems.
The complex is beautiful, and very well kept. But if you are traveling with children, or in a group, look for a different complex! The trash truck does go through almost every morning, early. The back bedroom gets alot of noise from the street, all night long!