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Aston at Papakea Resort – reviews, photos

3.0 of 5
3543 Lower Honoapiilani Hwy, Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761 (Formerly ResortQuest at Papakea Resort)
Hotel amenities
Special offer
$182 per night
Aston at Papakea Resort
Ranked #22 of 30 hotels in Lahaina
4.0 of 5 stars 460 Reviews
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460 reviews from our community

What travellers say about this hotel
  • Ocean views(19)
  • Grocery store(19)
  • Hot tub(18)
  • Living room(16)
  • Very nice(12)
  • Ocean front(12)
  • Ground floor(11)
  • Grounds were beautiful(9)
  • Dreams Come True(9)
  • Farmer market(6)
Traveller rating
    179
    160
    55
    43
    23
Only show reviews for Family (161) | Couples (139) | Business (8)
Date Rating
Ontario, Canada
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
44 helpful votes 44 helpful votes
“Great affordable resort!”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 January 2012
5
people found this review helpful

This was our third time in Hawaii, first time in Maui, first time at a Papakea. We had a 3rd floor condo with an 'oceanview'. We paid $2900 for the flight, condo, and rental car departing from Toronto.

CONDO- Was beautiful, spacious, clean and well equipped. It included laundry, dishwasher (unlimited detergent), standard size fridge and any other utensils or pots/pans you would ever need. It included a large lanai with a breakfast table and a sun chair. The main room was nicely furnished. The bedroom was great, comfortable mattress, sufficient sheets which they changed every other day. They also changed our bathroom towels daily, as well as swept the floors. The washroom included a single shower with a fantastic shower head. You will never complain about the pressure or water temperature. The soaps/shampoos were quickly replaced when low. Please note they do not include toothpaste and they only include a 1 load package of laundry detergent. After that you have to pay $1 for every additional one (which they will bring to your room) or you can purchase for 75 cents at the nearby ABC stores (walking distance). They provide each room with 4 pool towels which they launder upon request. They also replenish your Kona coffee everyday!
The condo was quiet and we were never disturbed by surrounding noise. I should note they do have elevators for those who want a higher level, however, are physically unable to climb stairs.

RESORT- Was almost at full capacity when we were there. Space was never an issue and the parking was convenient. The staff were pleasant and we never had any issue. The first day we had a nice orientation compliments of Expedia. I encourage you not to skip it. Free breakfast pickings and they raffle a free trip. It is not a timeshare and there is no pressure for anything.
We never used the pool or hot tub but they appeared nice and many guests seemed more than satisfied as they would swim until very late at night. The resort is ocean front, however, swimming is not recommended directly out front. There is plenty of grass and sun chairs to use along the rock wall. If you want a sandy beach, walk to the resort next door and you will find a sandy beach that stretches for miles. You will also find other resort restaurants along the way. There is an easily accessible boardwalk that will take you the entire way along. The beach was great for swimming and snorkeling! Some days the waves would be plenty, other days not at all. Despite being close, this area was one of our favourites on the island.
The resort was landscaped beautifully, there were never any issues of theft (in room or vehicles) and there were no bugs that we seen. We loved the location of the resort after visiting the busy and crowded South end of the island. It was convenient to travel and close to everything you wanted. Lahaina town was a favourite for dinner time, a 10 minute drive South from the resort or a cheap cab ride.
Also there is no restaurant or fitness facility directly on the resort. There are fitness classes available. The restaurant meant nothing as there were plenty all around us.

ISLAND- Maui wowee! We loved Maui (although the rugged Kauai still remains a favourite). There are so many things to do and travel is convenient. We traveled the entire island during our 10 days including a ferry trip to Lanai for a day. Its hard to list only a few things we loved... We watched the sunrise from the volcano summit one morning, woke up at 3am and drove up to the summit (there is a guy that sells coffee in a booth half way, it gets a bit chilly!) We were cognizant of the weather, ensuring it was going to be a clear night/morning for best view (although many of the clouds are below 10,000 ft and dont matter). We were shocked at how busy it was, park rangers assist in getting everyone parked at the top. You do pay a small park entrance fee per vehicle on your way in (cash appreciated). Bring a blanket. We also hiked after the sunrise, it was magnificent, almost like you're on another planet. Bring lots of water, food, and a comfortable jacket.
Hana highway - AWESOME! We had a jeep and did the entire thing (it gets rough to the South). If you are not a skilled or patient driver, go very early in the morning or do a bus tour. We stopped many times along the way, swam in waterfalls, bought banana bread, pictures galore. It was incredible (especially if you pursue the South roads where many do not travel). The South roads loop you around the the main highways eventually. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH GAS IN YOUR VEHICLE. I'd also warn people not to get a late start or you will be stuck on the roads at night, which could be a disaster.
The North part of the island was also beautiful. We would often see dolphins swimming and the beaches were nice. If we seen clouds coming in on the North we would just head South to extend our beach day.

FERRY TO LANAI - The ferry trip we purchased online before we left. It was a package that included an off road jeep for the day. Budget rentals will give you a map for you to navigate the rough roads and hang out on untouched beaches. There is hardly anything on this island so do your research and be prepared for food and come with any other necessities you may want. It was a great time discovering the sights and shore line.

LAHAINA TOWN - We went here every night for dinner trying a new restaurant each time. Famous Daves was our favourite! Lots of shops to walk through while you are walking off your dinner.

Lastly the weather was great on Maui! and the people were nice.

If you have any questions feel free to send me a message. Happy travelling!

  • Stayed November 2011, travelled as a couple
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask Sunchaser1104 about Aston at Papakea Resort
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Sydney, Australia
1 review
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“We will come back!”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 January 2012
3
people found this review helpful

I fell in love with Trip advisor when planning a large group holiday and it was how we stumbled upon this little gem. When they said ocean front it really meant ocean front. We have a small toddler and the room was spacious and allowed him freedom to play. The kitchen let us prepared breakfast and lunch everyday. The pools were nice and well kept and the staff were friendly and helpful. We really enjoyed our stay here and will return in a few years and hope to stay here again. This was our first visit to Maui and this resort made it live up to expectations. What made this even better was there is an ABC store just outside the complex and a supermarket across the road. I can sell any better as a great place for families. Thank you Papakea for an awesome holiday!

Room Tip: ASk for ocean front and also request rooms together when travelling in a large group.
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  • Stayed December 2011, travelled with family
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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Ask maryanne l about Aston at Papakea Resort
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Vancouver, BC
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
“Luck of the draw”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 January 2012
4
people found this review helpful

Aston Papakea [aka Vacation International - Papakea] will not book a specific unit for you so it is the luck of the draw as to what you get. If you request a ground floor because of a wheelchair accessibility issue, or because you have a "chase-me" child, they will not even discuss the situation with you. If you go through the Aston booking systems - good luck. In this economy it sure seems like a dumb practice.

Room Tip: Great place but don't book through Aston.
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  • Stayed March 2011, travelled with family
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 1 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Ask Rickity1-x about Aston at Papakea Resort
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Daveatpapakea, Manager at Aston at Papakea Resort, responded to this review
9 January 2012
Aloha,

I am not sure why the guest stated they were Vacation International who does have a number of Time Share units on property but feels Aston is responsible for them to get a ground floor unit. Aston is the on site management company and I am the General Manager but we have no control over units that are not in our rental program. We do get requests for ground floor as well as fourth floor and we try our best to honor those requests.
Please always feel free to ask for me if you are not satisfied and even if you did not rent through Aston I will contact the company you did book through and do everything I can to assist you.

Mahalo,

Dave Schneider
General Manager
Aston at the Papakea Resort
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Mill Valley, CA
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
“Eh ... OK but not great”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 January 2012
2
people found this review helpful

We reserved a one-bedroom ocean front condo at the Papakea based on the rave reviews I saw here on TripAdvisor. Overall it was OK, but ultimately I felt like I did not get what was advertised on their website. Be warned that many of the condos look NOTHING like the photos on the Aston website. Those are all deluxe corner units. The one we got didn't have as many windows and the kitchen was totally USED UP -- looked like it was last updated in the 1970s. At the advice of many other TripAdvisor reviewers, I'd asked for a "renovated" unit. When we checked in at the front desk, the woman said we had indeed been placed in a renovated unit. But that was clearly not the case once we finally got to our room.

The next morning, I went down to the front desk and asked if we could switch to an actual renovated unit. There was a VERY rude and defensive blonde woman there who said they were sold out and there was nothing she could do -- and when I asked to speak to a manager, she said the managers were all "in meetings" for the next two days and that I could try checking with them on Wednesday -- already almost halfway through my vacation. This was the week before Christmas -- supposedly one of the busiest times for Hawaii -- and the managers are all "in meetings" and unavailable, even by phone, for two full business days???? That seems pretty ridiculous.

On Christmas Eve, there was a power outage (I think much of the area was affected, not just the Papakea). However, they have NO BACKUP LIGHTS ANYWHERE. It was literally pitch black throughout the entire facility, including all the stairwells. My husband happened to be over at the main building and actually fell into some of the landscaping trying to make his way back to the condo. I can't imagine the fire marshall would be OK with the fact that there is no emergency backup lighting at all. This is a huge condo development, with several buildings, all of which are four stories.

OK -- I do have some positive things to say. They have two pools, which are kind of small but totally fine. We always were able to find a chaise lounge to sit on. There are lots of families and "regulars" there and it had a nice community vibe about it. The condo itself was pretty clean (although the floors were all really sticky when we arrived ... we cleaned them ourselves and then it was ok).

If you go to this complex, I highly recommend using vrbo instead of booking directly with Aston. If we'd done that, we could have saved a bundle of money. Also then you would be able to see photos of the exact unit you'll be in, and know whether you'd be in a totally outdated, used-up unit or not. I see the benefit of booking directly with the resort to be that if you have an issue with your room, you can switch, but since that wasn't gonna happen, I wish I would have booked directly from an owner. I could have stayed in a comparable unit if I'd booked through vrbo for about half the price I paid booking directly through Aston.

Room Tip: Book directly from an owner on vrbo.
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  • Stayed December 2011, travelled with family
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Ask dol1234 about Aston at Papakea Resort
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Daveatpapakea, Manager at Aston at Papakea Resort, responded to this review
19 January 2012
Aloha,

I am sorry this guest was unhappy as we strive to take care of every issue for our guests. I can answer a couple of items the guest brought up. The BBQ tools are at each BBQ not in the units. I have reviewed each ocean front unit Aston has and all are in good shape and meet our standards. I am perplexed as we never have all managers gone there are three of us and we always have one on property each day of the week. I will follow up with this guest individually on that issue.

I encourage all guests that are not happy to ask for Dave and if I am out they have my cell phone. The only time I do not answer my cell phone is when I am scuba diving, I even take it with me when I golf.

Mahalo,

Dave Schneider
General Manager
Aston at Papakea Resort
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Vancouver
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“Another great stay at Papakea”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 January 2012
4
people found this review helpful

This is my first review of Papakea, however my wife and I have stayed there 10 times over the past 3 years. We always get ocean front; I think it is worth the extra money to wake up looking at the ocean, and listening to the waves at night. Not to mention seeing the whales play during the season.

The Good.
The staff are wonderful and helpful.
The resort is convenient to everything you need from Pizza Hut, Farmers Market, and a full size grocery store called Times. Actually I found their prizes very reasonable and will not stop at the Costco Circus again.

My only suggestions to Papakea: Internet is slow. Some of the rooms are much more modern than others (privately owned so it is up to the owner to keep them up) No beach - we don't care as we drive to the beaches, or there is one right next door. BBQ's don't get super hot. Disappointed that you have recently added a $10 resort fee.

Papakea is the best bang for your dollar, we have walked from there to Whaler's Village and have toured most of the properties north into Napili, and Papakea has them all beat.

I just thought I should write a review because we have stayed their so many times. Perhaps I didn't want to share as I don't want them to get to popular.

  • Stayed December 2011, travelled with friends
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Additional Information about Aston at Papakea Resort

  • Papakea Resort
  • Aston At Papakea Hotel
  • Resortquest Papakea Resort
  • Papakea Resort Maui
  • Papakea Maui
  • Papakea
  • Resortquest Papakea
Address: 3543 Lower Honoapiilani Hwy, Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761 (Formerly ResortQuest at Papakea Resort)
Price range (per night):* INR9,227 - 15,769

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