Wonderful Stay in Maui (Maui Sands , Unit 5C)

Guest: Joseph (Sacramento Area, CA)
Date of Stay: 05/15/11 Review Submitted: 05/24/11

My wife, my 2 year old and I stayed at this condo for 5 days. We had a wonderful time. The unit is perfectly placed with a great view of the ocean and the neighboring island. The parking is a breeze as it is right in front of the unit. This was helpful when carrying groceries, SCUBA gear or a sleeping 2-year old. The unit was clean and open. The unit only has A/C in the main room, along with a ceiling fan in the main room, both bedrooms and the bath. Being that the wind blew most of the days, this was not a big deal. When the wind stopped blowing, it did get hot. While they did supply a few portable fans, A/C in the bedrooms would be a nice feature, but not a show stopper. The Lanai was nice and rather large. There was more than enough space for 6 people to eat breakfast while looking at the ocean and islands. The pool was nice and quiet and the few local owners that did use it when we were there were all nice. The ocean "beach" is a short walk away, but the "tide pools" and VERY shallow water were right off the property during low tide. My 2-year old had an absolute blast in the shallow area (about knee to waist high on him). Many small fish too!! The condo was close to area shopping and other attractions. Within walking distance of other eateries and shopping. All in all, this place ROCKS! We would stay there again.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, people with disabilities, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Our Stay

Guest: Dune (Brooklyn Park, MN)
Date of Stay: 03/10/11 Review Submitted: 03/22/11

Our family really enjoyed the unit. It is an older complex, but the unit itself is updated. It is not super fancy or anything, but very nice and homey. It was a good location, with a nice view. We really liked the lanai and used it often. The pool is nice and the grounds are beautifully well kept. If you are looking to swim right from the unit, the shoreline in front of the unit is not really swimmable as it is too rocky. As a result, we ended up driving to beaches to swim. There are a lot of beaches nearby, so this was not a problem. We did see whales swimming out in the ocean from our Lanai! There are a couple of negatives to renting this unit. One is the residents who live here year round do not like any kind of noise (i.e. children playing at the pool). Also, no floats, beach toys, etc., allowed in the pool area. If you have preteens or older kids (6-12) I would think twice about renting this unit. The other problem we had was dealing with the rental agent company. I sent an e-mail to them 5 days before we left to find out what exactly was available in the unit and we never received a reply. When we got to the island, we called them a couple of times because of some issues, and it took a while before someone got back to us and then it was usually a text instead of a call. There was some after affects of the Tsunami on the Lanai and it was not taken care of, so we had to do it ourselves. The rental agent was aware of it. We would probably rent this unit again, but just with adults and no kids.

Owner response:These guest arrived at 6:30am in the morning of the actual tsunami. The all clear wasn't given till 11am. My family and I were spending the night in our car up in a pineapple field with 100's of people when they texted me asking for the code to get into the unit. They illegally went around the police evacuation road blocks and drove to the unit. Waves hit at 3am. 7am and 11am. Cell phones were not working and you could send and receive text only! When i got the text at 6:30am saying please come clean up the unit because there was patio furniture in the living room and mud on their lanai I thought to myself, this is the last thing i'm worried about. I texted back.... get out of there! You shouldn't be at the unit which is only 10 feet from the water. They ignored my warnings and were mad that i refused to come clean up their lanai and move furniture back out on to the lanai that morning. I was busy keeping my family safe in a field and wondering if I still had a condo to come back to. I told them I didn't sleep all night and couldn't come clean their lanai until later that afternoon. I was busy moving my own personal and important "stuff" back into my condo. Once I realized the type of people they were i only responded to texts when they left voice mails. I didn't want to get frustrated with them and say something i'd regret later. That's why i only texted them back when they called me. Regarding the property not being kids friendly, this family had two boys ages 12 and 14. From what the manager said was that the two boys were very loud and doing cannonballs, splashing guest who were in the lounge chairs and that the guest actually in the pool couldn't relax. A resident came up to them to ask them to not be so loud when playing marco polo and the parents basically told them they could be as loud as they wanted because they were on vacation. The day after the tsunami was an unusual stressful day for residences and to hear screaming and yelling after not sleeping all night in your car. I can see why the other guests and owners wanted a little peace and quiet. Nap time! Regarding the ocean not swim-able. Since they only saw the ocean AFTER the tsunami, they have no idea what it looked like BEFORE our entire beach area got turned upside down from the 3 big tsunami waves. The ocean in front of this property has two reefs which are amazing to snorkel around and it's great for surfing, kayaking, swimming and snorkeling.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+.

Wonderful Maui Vacation

Guest: P,T,K, &S (Peapack, NJ)
Date of Stay: 05/15/10 Review Submitted: 06/08/10

We had a wonderful time at Maui Sands unit 5C! We enjoyed snorkling right in front of the condo! The views were spectacular and the rainbows wonderful. The condo was a good base for touring around Maui; close to Lahaina and Honolua Bay The condo was clean and well maintained. We would recomend this unit right on the water to friends and family!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, people with disabilities, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

As good as it looks.

Guest: MauiVacations (Seattle)
Date of Stay: 03/23/10 Review Submitted: 03/27/10

We just returned from Maui and loved staying at this condo. We did a lot of whale watching right from our lanai and it was very well located to get to other activities. The sunsets are gorgeous right from the unit. The unit is updated and I would definitely recommend it and would love to stay there again. The condo is very well stocked with everything you need to enjoy your beach vacation. We did a barbeque one night and used the grill by the pool. We didn't get a chance to use the kayak but that is available too. The parking was nice as it was very close to the unit. The only criticism was that the pull-out bed that was in the couch in the living room was not as comfortable as just sleeping on the couch itself. Other than that, it accommodated the 6 of us very nicely. I would like to thank the owners for thinking of the things that people need when they are on vacation and accommodating those needs. It definitely made our stay more enjoyable. Thank you for sharing your home with us. We will be back! Michell, Vince, Kristen, Kyle, Jerri and Stuart

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, people with disabilities, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 03/12/10 Review Submitted: 03/12/10

My parents, sister and I stayed at this condo. The ocean was right at our feet. We sat on the patio and watched the whales. It was fantastic!!! The condo was very nicely decorated and well equipped. We would certainly stay there again. Thanks for sharing this beautiful condo with us. Jim, Pat, Anne & Joan

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Guest: Tim Davis1 (Dallas, TX)
Date of Stay: 06/16/09 Review Submitted: 06/16/09

This is an incredible unit. Slept 6 very comfortably - oceanfront view is amazing as well. Excellent snorkeling/canoeing right outside the unit... as well as sandy beaches minutes away by foot. The entire condo is very comfortable and newly renovated. There are several grills on the premises along with a nice pool and washers/ dryers. I definitely thought we got a steal for such a great unit. Excellent price, quality, and location.

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Guest: Mike116 (Parker, CO)
Date of Stay: 06/15/09 Review Submitted: 06/15/09

Had an amazing time! Unit was exactly as described and our family of 6 fit comfortably. Gorgeous sunsets enjoyed from the kitchen table! Very quiet complex in a quiet neighborhood. Can't wait to return!

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Guest: Susie11 (Palatine, Illinois)
Date of Stay: 06/07/09 Review Submitted: 06/07/09

This unit lived up to it's description! Oceanfront-swim, watch beautiful sunrise & sunsets right in front of your private unit with easy access to everything close by, yet in a quiet neighborhood with parking 15 ft from the door. Unit was large, modern & comfortable. It met all of our needs. Agent was close by to answer our ?s and he even showed us around. Beautiful courtyard with pool, sitting area, bbq & washer/dryer. Bus system just a short walk away to famous Kaapaneli beach & Lahania village for shopping & restaurants.Short drive to Honolua Bay for the best snorkeling in the world.We hope to return to this wonderful site in paradise!

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Guest: Cheryl Austin (Anchorage, Alaska)
Date of Stay: 04/14/09 Review Submitted: 04/14/09

My family had a great time in this unit. We just got back and are ready to go again. It's a beautiful unit, very nicely decorated and comfortable. The view is wonderful and you can't get any closer to the ocean without getting wet!

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 04/14/09 Review Submitted: 04/14/09

Fabulous location! My friend and I saw whales breaching every morning from the lanai - which was only steps from the water! The condo was beautifully updated and had a clean modern feel to it! The value was exceptional for the area, would highly recommend!

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