I would look for other units

Guest: Lee (Salt Lake City)
Date of Stay: 09/15/11 Review Submitted: 09/29/11

We stayed at the Kaanapali Alii (Sept. 15th through Sept. 26th) with great expectations of a wonderful family vacation. When you pay the dollars for the unit and have the conditions we experienced I must say it was a bit frustrating and concerning. The unit is need of improvements: 1. Master restroom - tub and shower was not user friendly and had terrible mold on the tub jets. 2. Restroom #2 - Old and flat out stunk!!!! It smelled like sewer. When the door was closed for any extended time it was not tolerable to enter so we left the door open and it ended up stinking up the entire unit. We called Maui Beachfront Rentals that came and looked and gave us a can of Glade to help with the smell. 3. Kitchen - For the most part it was fine but it had an old trash compactor that did not work and a leaking faucet which we did not notice until we were leaving. In addition to the above for the money spent I would expect that the following would be readily available in the unit: 1. Wine Glasses 2. Knives that you can cut with. 3. Spices and other condiments - There was not anything! (Cleaners might be taking based on nothing available. 4. Beach Toys and Chairs - NOTHING other then a broken umbrella that we used for 5 minutes and brought it back to the room. 5. A comfortable 3rd bed - The bed in the raised room is rock hard. Worst nights of sleep ever in Maui if this bedroom was yours which I did for half the trip. Other beds were comfortable. 6. Doors and Screens that would not roll!!! I am typically not a person that will complain but for the expense that we had for such a poorly stocked smelly room in the Alii on the most beautiful beach I felt compelled to alert you that we will never reserve this unit again based on its condition. I have to believe that this is not the first nor the last time you will have a complaint on your unit. I would also expect that the VRBO listing would be more up front. We managed to have a great vacation by limiting the time in the unit.

Owner response:This unit just had a remodel in both bathrooms and the kitchen. Both bathrooms now have new walk in showers with travertine tiles, bidets have been removed, and both have brand new toilets and there is a new granite top vanity in the guest bathroom with new sink and faucet. The smell you referred to was an issue with the building in the common plumbing that we had no control over. It since has been resolved. The kitchen has a new granite countertop, sink, faucet, new tiles throughout and the trash compactor (which was thirty-five years old) was removed and a new trash cabinet (pullout/2 pails) has been installed in it's place. As the manager pointed out to you upon your departure there were 8 wine glasses in the cupboard which she showed you however apparently the stem on the wine glasses were not as long or tall as the ones you have at home. The "LIBBY" brand of glassware is a standard brand used throughout all the Alii units and we have maintained the same standard. Our utility knives you indicated were not sharp. I wouldn't disagree with that. I replaced with a new block set of utility knives.Condiments, sorry S&P is all we gtd to provide and whatever is left behind and I assure our cleaners are not interested in taking spices from the units. Beach toys ~ our guest that were just there in July and August said they found beach toys and beach chairs for the kids and there was plenty, so I'm not sure about your comment there unless these guests took all the beach toys and beach chairs home with them. Our master bedroom has a brand new king bed and the guest bedroom has two brand new double beds that our previous guests have said were wonderful! The den, bed too hard? Well I'm happy to look at it and perhaps we can put a bed top on it. Our manager was in the unit during your check out and the screens were rolling just fine but the sliding glass doors do roll hard - they're old, and do require regular lubricating your're right. You told our manager that the kitchen was poorly supplied, yet the only thing referenced was bad knives and short stemmed wine glasses and no spices. Previous guests comment on how well stocked our kitchen is. We have more than what is considered the standard.

Recommended for:

Look elsewhere for nicer units

Guest: DTS (Tacoma, WA)
Date of Stay: 08/15/11 Review Submitted: 08/28/11

Have stayed at the Alii for the past 20 years. Would not stay in this unit again. Unit was not clean when we arrived (dust was awful in the air vents, stuff under the beds, in the couch). The doors to the jacuzzi tub, which were glass, were not connected on the bottom inside the tub - dangerous for little ones. The bidet did not work. The kitchen trash can had no liner - no way to attach the trash bags. We reserved for 8 people, but only got 6 beach towels. Had to argue with the rental company to get two more towels. Since the owners don't participate in the Alii resort fee, we could not access complimentary beach towels at the pool, charge anything to the room, no bell service, WHAT A PAIN!!! Unit was adequate and view was amazing, but after paying thousands of dollars, the unit should have been clean on arrival with everything in working order and it was not.

Owner response:We take issues regarding cleanliness very seriously.Had you contacted us an let us know that there was a cleanliness issue we would have remedied immediately. The bidets have been disconnected due to issues with the plumbing in the common areas of the building that we have no control over. We don't advertise the bidet for that reason and also because our plans for remodeling the bathrooms (scheduled for October 2011) would include the removal of the bidets. There was an entire roll of trash liners under the kitchen sink and still there upon your departure. You were told at the time of booking that this unit did not participate in the Classic program and that bell service and pool towel distribution at the pool were not included in the rate (which is why the rate is about 35% less than what you pay at the front desk!)We explained to you at the time of booking that we provided beach towels and a bell cart in the unit in lieu of this and you accepted that. We include 6 beach towels as the standard par on any two bedroom unit with den. There was no arguing about the beach towels when you requested more. We got them for you. Never heard from you throughout your stay to say something didn't work. Still don't know what didn't work?

Recommended for:

Guest: Jim, Sandra, Lee, Emma and Jess (valaraiso IN)
Date of Stay: 06/06/11 Review Submitted: 07/14/11

Love the Alii and this unit, although the bathrooms could use an upgrade the unit fit our needs perfectly. All the beds are brand new (they delivered during our stay and they are awesome!) The views are spectacular and love the big lanai - too bad they won't let you have a bbq on the lanai though. We would stay in this unit again ~ the price is unbelievable for what you get. Kitchen is loaded with more than you need and we liked the beach chairs and toys for the kids. Love the floor plan - huge unit. We've always stayed at the Hyatt so these units are a fabulous value! Thank you we'll be back!S

Recommended for:

Guest: Natalie (valaraiso IN)
Date of Stay: 03/21/11 Review Submitted: 05/10/11

We loved it! The beds were a little hard for my personal preference.

Recommended for:

Guest: Travis (valaraiso IN)
Date of Stay: 02/07/10 Review Submitted: 04/20/11

Had a great time, unit was clean and the view was the best, it was awesome to see all the whales that were not to far out in the ocean.

Recommended for:

Very Nice Unit

Guest: Midwest Family - Parents with Older Kids (Champaign, IL)
Date of Stay: 05/18/10 Review Submitted: 05/29/10

Unit is on the 8th floor - elevators for the building are very fast and rarely had to wait for one. Unit had everything we needed. Nice pool area......close to the beach......close to Whaler's Village..... Guests can use the gas grills down by the pool area to cook out. Staff very friendly. Unit came with pool towels....has a washer and dryer.......place was a bargain!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children.