The Gardens at West Maui — Hotel in Maui

Pros: 1) unit is very much updated, spacious, includes washer-dryer, with well-supplied kitchen, WITH AN ICEMAKER (!!! Big deal since our previous stay RCI unit did not have one), including a crockpot to prepare family meals, 2) right across street from Sea House Restaurant that overlooks Napili Beach, so beach is easily walking distance from this resort, 3) about one mile away from one of our favorite markets with nice selection, Napili Market, prices typical around Maui - that strip mall includes some nice restaurants, coffee shop, etc., 4) 15 min drive from world-reknowned Kaanapali Beach, 5) only 10 min from Kahekili Beach Park which had some of the best snorkeling that we found for FREE (no excursion required) - hubby saw 3 turtles, including a 5-foot long turtle while snorkeling within 50 feet of shore, 6) our 1 bedroom unit had TWO full baths which was nice with hubby in his own bathroom, mine in my own, 6) 6) central AC without a daily fee for AC as we experienced at another RCI resort down the road

Con: 1) be prepared that you MAY be awoken by a rooster choir ok, esp your 1st night or 2 here, but by 3rd night, I never heard them again! 2) This is unique post-Covid shutdown situation with resorts closed during the pandemic - so with ALL THOSE PROS ABOVE - please keep in mind this con - common to tropical islands are critters, such as geckos and ants. For those who did not travel during the pandemic, I have to preface this specific con for this resort to our travels earlier in the pandemic. When we vacationed in Florida in May 2020 after travel was allowed again, we had to change rental car companies after we experienced cockroaches inside our RENTAL car since rental cars sat in storage. We also had to change hotels because we found cockroaches in our once HIGHLY rated hotel that also closed during the shutdown. We had to move to a hotel that never shut down during the pandemic. We ABSOLUTELY NEVER saw a cockroach inside our unit - emphasize that. My husband saw one large one on our steps outside to greet us when we arrived, but that was it. NEVER INSIDE OUR UNIT. Other than that he used an empty pop box from our previous condo to capture & release three tiny geckos in our unit that never returned. I also tried to put up with teeny tiny ants, but had to eventually notify management. They quickly sent an exterminator out to spray the entire unit on the day we scheduled a Road to Hana self-guided tour through a phone app which was outstanding, so the extermination timing worked out well. There was definitely some retrieve to the numbers of ants, but still a few lingering. Although we did not have any problems with critters up the road at our previous week’s resort stay, it was an issue here. Overall would still stay here for all the many pros...

We loved our stay at the Gardens. It was really great for us because I was traveling with my friend, and we had a rental car (a necessity in my opinion as there doesn't seem to be any public transportation). The Gardens are quiet and away from the really built up areas on Maui, and the feel is very laid back. It's a short walk to the beach and to the amazing coastal hiking trail. If you are fit and mobile and don't mind getting in the car to get to Lahaina markets & shopping area (just a few minutes away), it's really perfect. There were times when we had the pool and hottub area all to ourselves. It's definitely not a big resort, and if you want to be able to walk back and forth to the beach from your room (which I totally understand for example if you have kids), this really isn't the place for you. The amenities were well stocked - our room even had laundry detergent supplied for the washer/dryer. The unit was very spacious with a living room and a bed room. With just two of us we each got our own bathroom, which wasn't necessary at all but was really nice! We found the instructions on the concierge very confusing, and I sent in feedback to the management company in their survey regarding this. We arrived on Sunday and saw the sign saying the front desk is closed on Monday and Tuesday. We thought that meant we had to wait until Wednesday to see the concierge, which was a little annoying but we just used Google and went exploring and had a great time. When we went to the front desk on Wednesday, we found out the concierge is actually a shared concierge at a big resort a couple miles away (again you need a car, but it's really close), and that concierge is actually open 7 days a week. We went there and the lady there was super friendly and informative. So, if you really like having that kind of guidance from the beginning, just be aware the service is available, but that wasn't clear to us. The number for the concierge is actually in the welcome materials, but kind of stuck at the bottom of what appears (just from the layout) to be a bunch of tours from a tour company.... but it's actually suggestions on what to do, with the concierge number at the bottom. I think for any group that is comfortable with traveling and getting up and going exploring, this place is great for the quiet, spacious accommodations, and just being away from the crowds. I noticed there were comments about the roosters. Our experience was that you could hear the roosters but it really wasn't a problem at all - they were pretty quiet actually. We would definitely go back...

We stayed here for our last 5 nights of our two week stay at Maui. I booked this hotel through Hotwire and got a great rate.

Check-in process- we showed up on a day where the office is closed but it was so easy to reach someone on the phone on the wall next to the office and able to get access to our welcome package and keys. we were even able to check in earlier since our room was ready which was nice. It seems this hotel has a sister site in Kahana where they share staff.

Location- this is located in Napili/ Kapalua. The place is not directly on the beach but walking distance to two amazing beaches- Napili Bay and Kapalua Bay. Great trails close by and you can literally walk to the walk (less than 5 minutes). 15 min drive to Lahaina.

Downside to location- it is right beside a chicken/ rooster farm- literally next door. They crow non-stop from sunrise to sunset, I even heard them in the middle of the night. It seemed on bright/ sunny days they were worse. We stayed in room 102 which is the first buillding next to the check/ in but I'm not sure if we heard them more than others. At the pool you still heard them. it only bothered us one morning. with the AC it drowns out the noise. It honestly isn't too bad but i did expect it with reviews i read.

The room- we had a one bedroom. This place is made up of 1-bedrooms and studios. The 1-bedroom was very spacious with laundry, full kitchen and two bathrooms, it it also full stocked kitchen which was great. We loved the extra space. The king bed was okay comfortable wise. the linens were nice and clean and pillows very comfy. The decor was modern/ Hawaiin vibe.

The Hotel- has BBQs at the pool area, ample parking, lanaiis/ balconys for every room. separate...