AEI at The Whaler Kaanapali Beach Resort

Great rooms and a perfect location, with plenty of restaurants and shops close by. The beach is the one drawback for kids: the water gets deep right away, with strong waves and currents. We’ll still be back.

We liked having a sitting area, lanai, and full kitchen, handy for cooking or saving leftovers. The location is convenient, and free self-parking was a nice bonus when nearby hotels often charge $40-50 a day. We’d consider returning, but would ask for a different, hopefully renovated unit. The condo we received wasn’t the updated one shown in the pictures. It felt dated and wasn’t very clean. The carpet was worn and stained, and cracks in the bathroom ceiling exposed pipes and dust. We also found what looked like mold in the AC. Aston sent maintenance promptly, and the worker was very nice, though he said it was vent wear rather than mold. Make your own judgment. The stay was also affected by a rude front desk interaction. Someone told us they didn’t manage our unit and couldn’t answer questions or help. When we asked where to get water, he pointed us to the store and mentioned the water fountain in a condescending way.

The room was nice and seemed well cared for by its owner, and the beach is very close. But the service was a letdown. At check-in, we were told it would take about five minutes for our room to be ready. We waited an hour and forty minutes, losing a lot of time for a room that clearly wasn’t close to ready. Service also stops at 5 p.m. Need a towel at 5:01? You won’t get it until the next day. It feels like the worst of both an Airbnb and a hotel: hotel prices with Airbnb-level service.

The view, location, and price were all fantastic, but on entering the room we found a huge roach running around. I told the front desk right away, but they could only arrange for someone to contact me the next day. When they finally did, the only option was to have exterminators come into our room while we were staying there. No room change and no compensation were offered. I know this climate can mean more bugs, but this one was enormous, about the size of a mouse. We were on the ninth floor in one of the nicer rooms, and their only proposed solution was another inconvenience for us.