The people working at this property were very helpful, thoughtful and professional. The pools and hot tub are nice, with comfortable, private areas to sit. But the condo itself was not clean. I was expecting more of a hotel environment, but this seemed more like a timeshare, where the cleaning is left up to the previous vacationers. I had to individually clean each remote - they were filthy, bacteria-ridden little horrors. Additionally, it was clear that the condo had not been given a proper cleaning in some time: Marks on the counters, dirt on the floor in the corners, handprints everywhere, dust on top of the ceiling fans, and most surprisingly, a layer of dust on the dresser in the bedroom. Everything was suspect: I was drinking a cup of coffee, and after taking a few sips, I noticed lipstick on the mug... and I wasn't wearing any. Oh, and there is no maid service; wish I had known that before arriving. The air-conditioning would be my number two reason for not returning. The in-wall air units were made in the Paleolithic Era, I think. They were dusty and and very loud. They emitted something faintly like cool air if run constantly, but that made it difficult to hear the television. Little details make a big difference; I hope management implements changes at some point. It won't make a difference to me, however, as I won't stay there again, even though I really enjoyed that people who work there.

This was our first time at Aina Nalu. We found the one bedroom suite to be very spacious and clean. As others have noted, the walls are thin and you could hear other people’s muted conversations as well as foot traffic outside the buildings. There is no daily maid service but we were told that service would be available if we needed it. (We didn’t need it.) We had a kitchen with all of the necessary cooking equipment and there was a washer/dryer in the room for the laundry which made our stay more convenient. The grounds, the pools, and the hot tub were all beautiful and clean. I wish the hotel’s pool police would let us stay in the water past 10:00PM though. Overall, we liked it and we would stay there again.

If your looking to stay away from the hustle bustle of Kaanapali, look no further. The Aina Nalu is nestled just a few blocks from Lahaina's Front Street--a mecca of shops and restaurants. Seriously the location doesn't get an better. Parking around Front Street is sometimes a nightmare, but you can literally walk there from this hotel. The best part is its a perfect little complex of condo style rooms with all the comforts of home. There are two pools, nothing fancy but definitely relaxing and adequate for swimming. The cabanas are offered at no charge (good luck with that in Kaanapali!) and there are grills by the pool area that you can use. It is also just a short drive to beaches and the high end shops at Whalers Village. I just wish their front desk agents were a little friendlier. Otherwise, the staff we ran into on property was always pleasant. Overall, the rooms are spacious and beautiful. Its a great place to vacation.

Since TripAdvisor does stuff on a 1-to-5 scale, it's hard to rate this accommodation the way I'd like to. I would give it a 7 out of 10 instead of 3 out 5 because it's not a bad place at all and it certainly has a lot of pluses, but there are a couple of drawbacks too. So, here it goes...

The good stuff:
The ladies manning the front desk reception area are very nice and helpful, and it's kind of cool that they give you a complimentary cloth bag with the Outrigger logo on it because it comes in very handy when you shop anywhere in Lahaina, since Maui is very eco-conscious and they've done away with plastic bags and those little paper bags without handles just don't cut it.

The setting for the property is not only super convenient (walking distance to Front Street in Lahaina), the grounds around the hotel/condo are gorgeous and tropical and extremely well maintained. They have both a saltwater pool and a regular pool for swimming, since the closest beach to this particular establishment isn't one of the sandier types you'll see if you travel up the coast a bit.

The rooms/condos are nicely furnished with a distinct Hawaiian look and they're certainly spacious enough and the beds were clean and comfortable as well. The bathrooms are huge and have a really cool looking prehistoric/ art-deco vibe going on in them with the flagstone style shower stalls. We loved those! Bonus: a cute little washer/dryer combo that saves you the trip to the laundromat.

The not-so-good stuff:
The noise, and I don't mean from traffic because this place is set off from the main road. Quite a few of the units at this property are privately owned and the majority (as far as we were told) of the said privately owned units were the upstairs dwellings. Since the walls and other parts of this place are on the thin side, we heard every single noise from above us and on the adjoining walkway above as well. The people upstairs may have been practicing for the latest Broadway style Tap Review or maybe they were just getting their jollies by practicing their bowling skills indoors but it was kind of rough after several hours of this. This is not the fault of Outrigger, obviously, but it kind of made the whole stay less than fun.

One other thing that bugged us was when we contacted housekeeping (whom we were told would be available until at least 8 or later in the evening), no one ever answered the phone. The housekeeping staff themselves (when we saw them the following day) were pleasant and they certainly do a nice job keeping the place tidy.

So, I'll give this place a 70% score because having some peace and quiet at night when you want to sleep, like at around 11:00 p.m., when we were calling it a night, or at least having someone answer the phone when you have a query, are one of the more important things to me than having several different types of swimming pools. I liked more about the Aina Nalu than I didn't like so I would consider trying it once more when I return to Maui because it's not a bad place at all...I'd just make sure to contact Outrigger and ask ahead of time for one of the quieter rooms they must have, away from the permanent housing.
It's definitely worth a second look if you can overlook the two sticklers about the noise and no response from H-Keeping that I had. The location can't be beat!