We ended up at the whaler by accident. We were supposed to be at the Mahana up the road but they completely stuffed up out booking for 7 people and only booked one apartment. The Whaler is by far better. The beach is great whereas the other hotel's beach area was full of coral and you couldn't really swim there. Also much better placed, right next to Whaler Village and restaurants. Our condo's were okay nothing really flash but we had stayed at the Embassy Suites in Waikiki and they are very nice so you have to put it in perspective. Staff were all fantastic and they ladies on the sightseeing desk were well informed and great with recommendations. Had a great stay in Maui and would return to the Whaler again. Go and see Lynn down by the pool area and he will set you up with a great pair of Maui Jims. Tell him the Kiwis who play real football sent you!!.We also flew in on Island Air to the small airstrip up the road (about 10mins) and flew out at the bigger airport to Honolulu at night which is about 45mins away. We did not end up hiring a car since we were not confident driving on the other side of the road but probably will next time. there is an ABC in the Whaler Village next door for a few basics.

This was our second trip to Maui and the second stay at The Whaler and we love both.It's nice to have a kitchen in Maui ,you'll save money to spend on other things.There is a Safeway grocery about 3 miles down the road.The Whaler has very nice condos for a very good price compared to other properties.There is some minor constuction jobs going on, in the center court of the property, but it shouldn't bother anyone.The construction is shut down on weekends.All the fish you want to see right down the beach at Black Rock.We will return.......

We just spent 6 nights in Maui for our honeymoon. The top things we'd recommend are: snorkeling with Pride of Maui, Mama's Fish House, an Oceanside massage at the Four Seasons and a catamaran Sunset Sail. The shopping in Lahaina was very touristy but fun. We ended up buying a painting at gallery night as a remembrance. The store Maui Hands in Paia and Lahaina has some great pieces at affordable prices. Also, the Maui's own art and craft fair has some wonderful deals at low prices. The price tags at this craft fair were usually reduced by 40-50% when asked what the price was and dealers were willing to negotiate. We stayed on West Maui at The Whaler and it was a great location. Right on the beach. The pool always had chairs available as well. The location with the shopping center right next door and restaurants was awesome at Whaler's Village. We drove the road to Hana. Even though it was beautiful, I would take 2 days instead of one to do this. We started at 6 AM and made it to the seven sacred pools by 2:30 PM. The Twin Falls waterfalls was amazing. I would skip driving up to the Haleakala crater. Maybe we were just tired of driving, but we did this one morning, and definitely saw better sites on the road to Hana. Do the Road to Hana or the crater, not both. We will definitely return to Maui for another vacation...probably would stay in West Maui for a few nights and then in South Maui a few nights. The island is spectacular! My husband did a helicopter ride and it was his most amazing event. I shopped in Paia while he did that, which I enjoyed as well.

We stayed at the Whaler in March, but I have only now found the time to write a review. We have been to Maui seven times, and this was our first and last stay at the Whaler. Yes, the location is fabulous, but the hotel itself is in dire need of repair. The hallways need new carpet and paint. The grounds are just okay, with very stiff grass. The pool is old old old. AND you park your car on the tennis court.