I was booked into this hotel by the organization that invited me to Maui. After seeing the reviews on Trip Advisor I was more than a little concerned about this place. Now that I have been here for several days I feel it is only fair to offer some feedback.

After a very long day of travel, arranging for a rental car at Kahalui, and driving at night to the Maui Lu, I was first surprised by the beautiful grounds - large property with hundreds of palm trees, flowering bouganvillia and plumeria everywhere, and a friendly staff. I was exhausted so the porter who drove his cart to my car, loaded and delivered me and my bags to my 3rd floor room was much appreciated.

The room was larger than I expected, but not a luxurious accomodation. I slept well, as it is very quiet here. In the morning I found that the view from my room looked out over a gorgeous setting of palms and lawn to the waves crashing against the shore, with a volcano in the background. A stunningly beautiful pool was surrounded by more palms and manicured lawn.

Is this place dated? OH YEAH. Is it shabby? A bit. But I can't say it is dirty, just old. The towels are dormitory quality thin THIN white towels, there is a gap between the window air conditioner unit and the wall that I can almost place my hand through, it looks as though it was last decorated in 1980, and the hot water takes a while (*think summer camp in Tahiti), BUT GOOD GRIEF....YOU ARE IN MAUI! So get over it and realize this is a BEACH resort and EVERYTHING is casual. You are right across the street from the beach, and if you don't like the beach, then the pool is really nice - spectacular actually. This is NOT the Four Seasons or the Ritz Carlton, but I have been very comfortable here. Today for lunch I stopped at the Farmer's Market down the street and have been enjoying fresh pineapple, bananas and macadamia nuts all afternoon while watching paradise outside my window.

The location is great if you have a car - 5 minutes to the center of Kihei, 10 minutes to Ma'alea, 15 minutes to Kahalui, and 20 minutes to the airport. They advertise wi-fi in the lobby, but I am able to get it in my room (maybe since I am close to the lobby). There is also a refrigerator and coffee maker in the room, so you can pick up some provisions if need be.

POSITIVE POINTS:
Location
Pool
Easy parking and elevator
Probably the cost (I am not paying so I don't really know)
Proximity to beach
Beautiful grounds
Quiet
The view (at least from my room - 301)
Friendly staff

NEGATIVE POINTS:
Dated
A bit shabby
You MUST have a car
No room service or restaurant on premises
Not luxurious
The adjacent building is abandonded and falling apart - a bit unpleasant to walk or drive past....maybe they will renovate it soon?

Would I stay here again? Absolutely! Would I recommend this to friends? Yes - with the comments I have made above. If you must have luxury and all the ammenities, this is not the place for you. If you want a relaxing (and probably relatively inexpensive) place to stay, this may be an excellent choice.

My husband and I stayed here for a week in April during Spring Break. You would have never known it was a busy time on the island by the quiet, peacefulness of the maui lu. It was definately a budget hotel- but budget prices were also what we were paying. It beat our expectations by far.
The room was very big, bed very comfortable (a hard thing to find at budget hotels/resorts these days), and housekeeping cleaned and vacuumed daily. The furnishings were older and the walls showed some age- but who cares- you are in Hawaii.
We stayed in a garden room and had big windows with tons of natural light. The pool was big and pretty much empty most days-- perfect! The open-air lobby felt like a step back in time to a Hawaii that is hard pressed to be found now.
While we didn't swim at the hotel's beach-- it was perfect for a sunset stroll or just relaxing by the water.
The staff were very helpful. The day we checked out; our flight did not leave til 10pm- they let us keep our bags there and gave us a complimentary room to shower in at days end.
If you are looking for a posh, resort style location- this is not it! This is a relaxing hotel on beautiful grounds where you will have to walk or drive to get a meal and possibly (depending on the room you book) cross the street to get to the beach.
We loved it- but i think it all depends on what you are looking and willing to pay for.

If you want to experience Hawaii in it's natural beauty this is the place to be. The grounds are absolutely beautiful and tropical, the location is quiet and there are no extra fees-like parking costs. I am an airline employee and I refer ALL my airline friends to the Maui Lu. We stay at higher end hotels on our overnights and travel more than most people, so we appreciate a Clean, Quiet, and relaxing spot to vacation in. If you enjoy paying for parking, outrageous prices for meals, and being around crowds, then being at a resort is for you.
To the manager of the Maui Lu, don't change a thing. Your place is beautiful, clean, affordable and exactly what a relaxing vacation should be. We would hang out at the private cove every night to enjoy the sunset while our boys hunted for crabs. Most of the pictures we took, for us to share with our friends, were right on the property. I believe the negative remarks are from people who want more than their willing to pay for.
I hope this review is helpful for the budgeted family because it is a great property, older but clean, with a tropical feel from the grounds.Keep up the good work, keep it affordable and we look forward to staying here again this summer.

My husband, 2 small children and I stayed at Maui Lu for Thanksgiving. We weren't expecting much based on the price. The hotel staff were always very friendly and helpful and the location is decent. We drove up and down the road for meals and appreciated the refrigerator in the room and use of the microwave in the lobby. Our room was the garden view. The worst part of the room was the carpet. It was old, dingy and dirty. I did not want my family to walk in the room without shoes on. The room had air conditioning, a nice sliding door in the back to open to a lanai and quiet, peaceful view. The pool was okay (too cold for us to enjoy at the time). Parking was good. If staying on Maui again I would choose a nicer hotel, but the accommodations are decent for the price. I did leave behind my prescription eyeglasses after we checked out and after calling housekeeping, they were mailed to my home in good condition.