We really were impressed with The Whaler on Kaanapali Beach. Our room was very clean along with the grounds which were well maintained. The parking garage was no big deal. If no spaces, the walk from the outdoor parking was very close to the condo. Again, no big deal. We stayed in a studio, 1216, top floor, Tower 1, with a fantastic view of the ocean, Black Rock and the hills (only thing wrong was the very hard bed!). We had all of the amenities of home, i.e. ample towels, appliances, dishes, etc. I agree with a previous review about next time we rent, it would be a one bedroom. One couldn't ask for a nicer beach. Loved the location as we walked to restaurants and an ABC store (similar to a White Hen but more) was next door offering beverages, food and a variety of other items. The studio had beach chairs available, however, if you wanted to rent lounge chairs for the beach it'll cost ya. $10 per chair, and $40 for two chairs together with a canapy for the day. $17/day for snorkle equipment.
Maui is such a wonderful place to visit.

Ugh. This property’s condos are all individually owned, so the room you get is a crap shoot, unless you know exactly which unit you’re renting. We booked through a travel agent and lost the crap shoot. We checked in and got a dingy, musty, outdated room that had funny-looking carpeting. It was not really clean and just felt ewwww. It reminded me of a crappy motel 6. I wish I could remember which unit # it was, but I must have tried to block it from my memory. We promptly asked the front desk to switch us to a different room. They said none were available until the next day…I really didn’t sleep so well that night. The room we got the next day was unit # 664, much nicer, and we stayed 2 nights. It was a studio, VERY small, barely big enough for the two of us when the Murphy bed was down. In fact it was smaller than the previous room, but ya know what—it wasn’t scuzzy, and that’s what really mattered! The full kitchen was handy for saving a few $$ on meals. We stocked up at the Safeway grocery store (they also take Dominick’s cards). The "ocean view" meant a view of the other tower, and you could see the ocean if you’re on the lanai and look to the left. It was ok, but not as nice as an ocean front unit would have been.
The rest of the property is unimpressive. They have some nice landscaping and a koi pond between their two towers, but that’s about it. There’s construction noise from some work that they’re doing to their parking garage—which you can’t park in due to falling concrete. All the parking is down the hill in converted tennis courts. The spots are narrow and tight and it’s a pretty far walk when you’re lugging suitcases. Laundry is available in a little room near the elevators, one washer and one dryer per floor. The machines take only quarters, there’s no change machine, you have to go to the front desk. And you must provide your own soap/fabric softener as there is none available for purchase there. Their fitness room is woefully inadequate for a property this size. It’s tiny, it has very few cardio machines, even fewer free weights, and there is no free space to do mat work. If this is important to you, stay somewhere else.
All in all I’d say this property has seen better days. It’s in a good location by Whaler’s Village and the price is right for those on budget. Just don’t expect too much, and try to book directly with the owner of a nice unit so you don’t get blindsided like we did.

We arrived at The Whaler's on February 6th, 2008 and stayed until February 28th, 2008. After staying at the Sheraton Maui several times, we decided to book a condo for its' kitchen and extra space. We booked through a Maui Vacation Specialist, so we had seen many pictures of each of the units we were considering, and chose this one for it's sofa sleeper in the living room as we had our teenaged son with us. We didn't feel we needed a whole extra bedroom for him, and he loved having the big screen TV all to himself after we went to bed.

The unit was large and airy, with high ceilings and lots of room. We had one bedroom that was very large, one bathroom with the toilet and shower closed off for privacy, a full, extremely well equipped kitchen, and a wonderful LR and DR. We faced south and had 180 degree views of the ocean, sunset over the island of Lanai, and beautiful mountain views. The furnishings were perfect; rattan with pineapple motifs on the upholstery. There was a 52" TV, DVD, CD and wireless (free) internet in the LR. The bedroom had a king sized bed, large TV, DVD and CD player. The closets are HUGE, and with all the furniture having cabinets or drawers, storage was definitely not a problem. The kitchen had all the large appliances as well as an iced tea maker, coffee maker, hand mixer, salad spinner, Cuisinart, coffee grinder, frozen yogurt maker, rice cooker/vegetable steamer, can opener, toaster oven, blender and toaster (that was totally destroyed). The furniture was very comfortable and the king sized bed had a pillow top on the mattress. There were an abundance of games and books in the LR cabinets, mirrored walls throughout the unit, and lots of beach accessories--chairs, boogie board, umbrellas, coolers, etc. There was even a huge supply of plasticware for taking food or drink to the pool. The entry and kitchen floors are tiled, the bathroom is faux marble.

Now, for the cons: Hot water took a long time, and at peak times, we didn't have any at all. Our ice maker flooded the kitchen until we called maintenance (who responded immediately), and the tile floor on the lanai got very hot from the sun. Our carpets were so filthy, our bare feet turned black. There was vomit on our bed blanket, but fortunately, there were several extra blankets in the hall storage closet. There is no washer or dryer in the unit, but there is a pay laundry ($1.25 washer/$1.00 dryer) on each floor. Even though the owners say this unit was completely remodelled in 2002, tennants have been very hard on it. The white kitchen Formica has knife cuts all over it, wallpaper is peeling, there are a couple of large holes in the drywall, the trim on the kitchen cabinets is gone, and the unit needs painting. The aluminum screen doors to the lanai kept coming off the track, and never really closed properly.

But the biggest drawback was the NOISE. Our unit overlooked Whaler's Village, and the noise from the refrigeration trucks early in the morning supplying the Hula Grill and the Rusty Harpoon was horrible; the backing up beeping from delivery trucks, clanging of sliverware, smoke and fumes from the Hula Grill and constant construction noise from the Whaler's was deafening. Many days our unit filled with wafting smoke from the oven ducts on the roof of the Hula Grill, and the stench of fetid cooking grease was unbearable at times. When you can hear the beautiful sounds of waves breaking on the surf, you don't want it drowned out by loud city-like noises or closed lanai doors.

The pool was small and rectangular, not particularly kid friendly like the mega pools at the Sheraton or the Marriott, but more than adequate for adults. Seating around it was very good, and the pool attendants were extremely helpful (as was all the hotel staff), and the beach was wonderful.

One of the nicer things were the outdoor grills. There are three granite picnic tables and three gas grills for each tower. They were very busy, and it was a nice touch to be able to grill.

All in all, even though the Whaler's is older, it is more than adequate, and depending on each owner's decor and remodelling, you can either get a hit or a miss. Do your homework. If you can, write the owner and ask for more pictures than you see online. Ask when the unit was last updated. And, look for reviews here. Everyone sees things differently, so one person's dirty carpet, is of no issue to another. Just do your homework and rent from either an owner or a reputable vacation rental site that can be a liason between the owner and you. DO NOT rent from ResortQuest, as you will not know what unit you'll be getting until you check in. ResortQuest is like the front desk of a hotel complex. You get what they have, sight unseen.

Upon arriving at The Whaler we were a little nervous because there was construction going on and a lot of barricades. When I got to the lobby I was greeted by a very personable attendant. Originally we booked a one bedroom but had two kids so I asked for a roll away or if they might have a two bedroom. The gentleman went to ask and said they would put us in a two bedroom, no upgrade charge. When we got to the room it looked a little outdated but as we entered the room it was very clean and HUGE. We had a 180 view with 5 sliding glass doors and a lanai that gave us a view of everything. We stayed in room 1173 and the only thing that could have made it better was a lower level and the room needs to be upgraded. The kids got their own bedroom with their own queen size bed and their own bathroom. My husband and I got our own Master Suite which was fabulous and very large. It was paradise and the staff were always super friendly. The view of the mountains, the ocean and even Whaler's Village was wonderful and entertaining. We will definitely come back to The Whaler.