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Maui Vacation Rentals

The largest concentrations of Maui’s vacation rentals are on the narrow strip of South and West coasts – from Makena to Ma’alaea and Lahaina to Kapalua. Thousands of condominium rentals in all price ranges, from $50 per night to $500 per night and more, front on some of the best beaches in Hawaii. But a comparable number of vacation rentals -- mostly houses, cottages, suites and apartments -- dot the slopes of Haleakala and the North Shore’s coastline, in Kula facing the South shore, Makawao, Pukalani and Ha’iku down to the coastline and Spreckelsville, Pa’ia, Ku’au, Pauwela and Huelo.

Perfect Days rejects the notion of renting a vacation rental unit in which you don’t pay much but don’t get much. If you’re looking for just an inexpensive place to lay your head, plenty of condo units qualify in South and West Maui:

• West Coast condo vacation rentals -- the Hale Napili, Napili Kai Beach Club, Hoyochi Nikko, Hololani Resort, Ka’anapali Alii, Kahana Village, Lahaina Shores, Lokelani Condominiums, Puamana and The Whaler;

• South Maui condo vacation rentals -- Ma’alaea Surf, Kulana Kai, Koa Lagoon, Kama’ole Beach Royale, Kihei Kai Nani, Kihei Surfside and Hale Hui Kai.

Most vacation rentals on Maui, Lana’i and Moloka’i have their own Web sites or are described and advertised in other Web sites accompanied by photos, maps, information on nearby attractions and activities and sometimes links to other useful Web sites. Finding these vacation rentals on the Web, however, is extremely difficult and time-consuming. Most vacation rentals on Maui are “hidden” on the Web even if you use Google, Alta Vista, Lycos, Teoma, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines.

As you already may have discovered in your travels, vacation rentals can be terrific deals but, compared to booking hotels, it takes some additional work to figure out details and close a deal. Owners and managers of vacation rentals are not trying to deceive or trick you but rather, based on their experience, they want to flexibly cover lots of different rental situations and contingencies, and avoid unnecessary hassles and problems for themselves as well as people renting their lodgings.

Here are some of the most important reasons why it’s important for you to research each vacation rental of interest on the Web, by telephone (usually a toll-free number) and email:

• Rental rates and “minimum stays” will vary considerably by season (“low,” “value,” “high,” and “holidays”) so that, in many instances, vacation rental rates are a moving target, but also negotiable depending on seasonal and near-term vacancy rates
• Bookings usually have to be fully prepaid before arrival. Sometimes past guests are exempted from prepayment
• Bookings are subject to different cancellation penalties depending on the owner/manager, length of time between cancellation and expected day of arrival, booked length of stay (and, therefore, the length of vacancy created by your cancellation), sometimes the reason for cancellation, and season or time of year
• Cancellation policies should be clearly stipulated in the rental agreement which you should read carefully and ask questions about prior to paying a deposit
• Cancellation may result in forfeiture of the entire deposit
• Deposits and pre-payments may vary depending on the number of nights booked.
• Christmas bookings usually require a longer minimum stay and have different deposit, pre-payment and cancellation policies.
• If there is a refundable damage deposit, ask for an inspection of the unit with the owner or manager before occupying the unit and identify and list in writing any preexisting damage before occupancy of the unit.
• At condos, ask if there is a “property management registration fee” payable at check-in, in addition to (not included in) your daily or weekly rent.
• Most vacation rentals base their rent on “standard occupancy” – two persons – and each additional person (up to “maximum occupancy”) is added to the rent per day. If more than two people will occupy the unit you’re renting, find out the additional rent in advance, whether you will be charged for children and how much, and whether children also count for “maximum occupancy,” which sometimes is not the case. 
• Many vacation rentals do not include “maximum occupancy” in their Web sites. Clarify “maximum occupancy;” for example, sometimes “maximum occupancy” will vary depending on the number of adults and the number of children, and sometimes children are counted as adults or children over a certain age are counted as an adult.
• Sometimes “minimum stay” at a vacation rental means the number of days you have to stay in order to avoid a cleaning fee of $50 or more. (In other words stay for, say, a minimum of 5 days and avoid a cleaning fee which otherwise is part of your daily rate.) In other instances, the owner/manager will not rent the unit for less than a certain number of days or other period of time. Sometimes “minimum stay” is negotiable, especially when your booking is close to the occupancy date and it’s a “last minute” booking.
• Sometimes, as an incentive, a vacation rental will provide a day free if you rent for 5 or 7 days. This free day may already be reflected in the weekly rate or it may not. Be sure to ask about discounts and free days for longer stays. Frequently discounts of 10% or free days are offered for bookings of more than a week and steep discounts are offered for booking several weeks or a month.
• Sometimes a vacation rental can offer a rental car deal in a package with the vacation rental unit that will save you as much as $10 a day on the car rented compared to even discounted Internet rates from Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and others (which usually offer better car rental rates that car rental companies themselves).
• Especially in condominium buildings, the real value of vacation rentals often depends on where the unit is located in the building -- upper floors, oceanfront, no view, overlooks street with traffic, etc. and, therefore, if possible, it’s important to determine where the rental unit is located (which is much easier when renting directly from an owner).
• Renting directly from owners of condo units usually results in better rates than rack or even discounted rates offered by property management agents.
• Many condo vacation rental units packaged with air travel by property management or online companies at rates that are lower than published rates still may not be lower than renting units in the same property directly from owners and booking airfare yourself through the Internet.
• Some of the least impressive looking condominium buildings offer some of the best condo deals (for example, the Maui Kai on Ka’anapali Beach).
• Some condos offer clean, no frills budget accommodations (for example, the Hale Maui in Honokowai), but by paying just a few dollars more you can get much better views in properties that are much closer to the ocean (for example, the nearby Nohonani).

Cleaning Fee and “Minimum Stay”
When you think about what it costs to clean your own home or apartment, and then add the high labor costs in Hawaii, cleaning fees charged by vacation rentals will be understandable and seem reasonable. For short stays, less than a week, usually you will be charged the full cleaning fee. For stays of seven nights or longer, that cleaning fee is spread over your stay and folded into the weekly rate.

As we have already said, in many instances a “minimum stay” requirement really means that the cleaning fee will be charged for stays of less days than the “minimum stay.” In other words, “minimum stay” actually means the rental period required to waive a cleaning fee.

Many vacation rental owners, rental agencies or property managers do not include a minimum stay in their Web site, which does not mean that one doesn’t exist. Always ask. Always try to negotiate the most favorable deal. Never assume that “minimum stay” in a vacation rental Web site means that you can’t discuss and negotiate a shorter “minimum stay” or a waiver of a cleaning fee as a form of rental discount. Depending on the season, recent occupancy levels, future vacancy rates and other considerations, vacation rental owners may be persuaded to negotiate or waive a cleaning fee or “minimum stay” requirement.

“Maximum Occupancy” In some instances “maximum occupancy” includes 1 or 2 children under a specified age. If you plan to travel with children, don’t assume that your children have to fit into the “maximum occupancy” figure stated in the vacation rental’s Web site. Discuss the matter with the owner or manager. In some instance, “maximum occupancy” means only adults and children are not included or even accepted. In some instances children over 7 may be treated as “adults” for the purpose of establishing “maximum occupancy.” In other words, especially if you’re traveling with children, you need to discuss and define the meaning of “maximum occupancy” with the owner/manager.

Rates Quoted. Rates quoted on Web sites may not be the current rates. Vacation rental owners/managers simply may not have updated their Web site. Rates can change without notice. Rates are not guaranteed until you negotiate a rate, receive a confirmation and pay the stipulated deposit. As indicated above, the rate quoted on Web sites for vacation rentals usually refers to double (“standard”) occupancy. Vacation rentals typically charge and extra fee of $10 to as much as $75 per day for each extra person up to “maximum occupancy.” The amount depends on the base rent – the higher the base rent, the more the extra charge for additional people in the rental beyond standard occupancy. Sometimes, of course, standard and maximum occupancy are the same, especially in smaller units.

Best Vacation Rental Deals
Everyone has different standards, tastes, sensitivities, hot-buttons, etc. that will influence their decisions about vacation rentals, especially condo units, for example: ambiance, institutional appearance, proximity to a busy road, lack of a beach or nearby beach, air conditioning, amount of ventilation, amount of sound insulation between units, privacy of units, proximity to noise from a pool, courtyard or lu’au and other factors. But the most common complaint about many vacation rentals (and especially condos) on Maui is that units are too expensive for what you get. In other words, the vacation rental unit might be a good value if the price can be discounted.

For all of these reasons we strongly recommend careful Web, telephone and email research to ask and answer questions about:

1. best location to take full advantage of Maui’s attractions
2. best value for your money
3. right house, cottage, and rooms to meet your vacation, honeymoon, family or other lodging needs.

What should I pay for a good vacation rental deal? “Do not even think about paying rack rates!” That said, look for last-minute or special discount offers including Internet-only discounts and offers of a night free in return for booking a week or more or sometimes even just 5 days. Ask for a waiver of extra registration fees at condos. Stay long enough to get a waiver on hefty cleaning fees. Traveling with children? Within reason (meaning, depending on the number of children), ask for a waiver on paying extra for children. (Don’t forget to add local taxes of 11.42% to vacation rentals when you estimate daily rates.)

Otherwise, after looking at more than a thousand vacation rental units on Maui, what in a nutshell do we consider really good vacation rental deals?

• Cottages, suites, apartments and houses surrounding by acres of greenery or gorgeous gardens for only $400 - $1000 per week
• houses with 2 or more bedrooms directly on a beautiful beach or luxury dreamhouses in a rainforest for $1700 per week or less
• studios for under $50 per night rented on a weekly basis
• 2-bedroom condominiums and villas on some of the best snorkeling beaches on Maui or overlooking championship golf courses for under $2000 a week

These kinds of vacation rental deals are not rare exceptionsnor are they the rule. But you’ll find dozens of similar examples if you’re willing to spend the time looking at vacation rental Web sites, emailing and talking via toll-free calls to property owners or managers to find homes, cottages, and rooms for rent that are clean and attractively decorated, fronting on or located near an excellent beach, managed by pleasant, helpful, knowledgeable people and offering excellent values.

Where are these good vacation rental deals located? In the best parts of Maui for Perfect Days of sightseeing, activities and dining:

• Napili and Honokowai-Kahana, north of Ka’anapali -- explore West Maui from Lahaina and Ka’anapali to Kapalua and further along the rugged and scenic Northwest coast

• South Kihei-Keawakapu and Wailea-Makena – with easy access to the fabulous beaches of South Maui and the spectacular shoreline south of Makena

• Ma’alaea & North Kihei -- a very central place from which to explore Lahaina to the west, Kihei, Wailea and Makena to the South, Wailuku and the North Shore to the north, take a shortcut up to Kula and the south slope of Haleakala and easy access to Ma’alaea’s marine excursions.

• Lahaina/Ka’anapali – easy access to activities within Lahaina and its marine activities and a very central place from which to explore all of West Maui

• North Shore from Spreckelsville to Huelo -- explore Iao Valley and the Wailuku-Waihe’e area, windsurf, surf, kitesurf, walk and jog on North Shore beaches, visit and shop in Pa’ia, Makawao, Haiku and other North shore and Upcountry areas, easy access to the slopes and summit of Haleakala, and a base for seeing natural wonders and hamlets along Hana Highway

• Hana & Kipahula – beautiful beaches and ranchlands, ‘Ohe’o Gulch (7 Pools) and Haleakala National Park, and the gorgeous Kipahulu to Kaupo coastline

• Lana’i City – great lodging values with easy access to all of Lana’i’s attractions including Manele Bay Resort and The Lodge at Koele

• Moloka’i – some of the best lodging values in Hawaii as a base for exploring East, Central and West Moloka’i attractions