We stayed the week of Nov 11-17 2012 in unit 355 which was rented through the hotel using Expedia. We chose this location as we needed a 2 Bedroom condo with a great ocean view since we’d be spending the majority of our time in the condo. My husband and I traveled with our 17 month and 27 month old toddlers.

The Pro – The grounds were beautiful and we enjoyed many hours of walking the gardens and letting the kids play on the grass. The staff gave our kids each a blow up beach ball when we arrived and they LOVED them. I thought that was a really nice touch. The view from our room was beautiful. The location of being across from the Times was really handy and we made several trips over there throughout the week. We also liked the DVD “rental” and were surprised at how current some of the rentals were. I wish we had checked it out earlier in the week.

The Cons – All our complaints are related to our specific room. The kitchen and bathrooms had been updated but that’s all. The carpet was horribly stained and the couch fabric was so soiled it felt damp and slick. We had to cover it with blankets to feel ok about sitting on it. On our 4th night there we heard gnawing which was obviously coming from a rodent in the wall or floor. There was no sign of breach of the walls or the mouse in the unit, otherwise we would have moved right away. We decided to stay put because our kids had a really hard time with the change of scenery and we had finally gotten them into a routine for sleeping. I reported the issue and maintenance was sent up that afternoon. He heard the gnawing when he was there and left paper “traps” coated inside with glue. We promptly set those up because our kids found them in no time flat and the thought of a live mouse or rat with its paws stuck in glue was MUCH more horrifying than the sound it was currently making.

We would stay here again but only if we rented directly from an owner so we could know the condition of the unit was up to our standards. The hula show was a nice touch and free! The grounds were beautiful and if we vacationed like we did pre-kid I doubt the issues with the room would have been a big deal. As it was we spent about 5 hours in the room everyday between meals and naps and then our kids were ready for bed at 7:00 – 7:30. It gave us plenty of time to notice how dirty and run down the room was but the view was a welcome distraction.

I do want to give a word of caution – the three buoys on the left hand side of the beach mark a channel of VERY strong currents. The signs with warnings about this and a flag informing you of the swimming conditions are found all the way to the left on the beach walk, in front of the parking lot. On our last two days was high surf and the flag was raised for no swimming because of the hazardous conditions. I was horrified at how many people were out next to the buoys, swimming and trying to snorkel. This is not something to mess around with. Near that sign and flag is a memorial for a 19 year old boy that was killed in that current. Remember to respect the ocean and you’ll have a great time.

I have been traveling to Maui for over 25 years. Over the years I have stayed at many different properties, but the one I have returned most often has been Aston's Ka'anapali Shores. I stayed there when it was Aston, ResortQuest, and back to Aston, and have always enjoyed my stay. On my last visit I would have to say that the resort has never looked better. The attention to detail around the property is evident. I believe you get your "best bang for your buconck" at the Shores. I always choose a condo unit since I enjoy preparing meals in the room while I enjoy the ocean. You can not go wrong choosing this resort! On my last stay I traveled with my parents, my father is disabled and the staff did everything to accomodate us including giving us rooms near each other, even though we booked at different times and in different categories.

We were pleasantly surprised because our experience with Aston facilities is that they are pretty mediocre. This condo resort is really nice even though we got off to a bad start. We booked a 2 bedroom Garden Room and the first night they put us in a room next to the electrical room whose transformers buzzed 24/7 and drove you mad. We asked for another room and they put us in a really nice Garden Room the next day. (see picture) The rooms are well appointed although it would have been nice to open the bathroom windows to get the nice Trade Winds cross breeze through the condo. It probably would have saved on the AC. The courtyard is one of the nicest of the resorts along the Kaanapali beach. The gardens and waterfalls are beautiful. The pools are nice, but very busy with families. The beach is very narrow, so you might end up on the lawns to sunbath. There are plenty of quiet places to sunbathe if you do not want to deal with crowds around the pool. The Aston staff is very friendly and accommodating. They have a nice open air restaurant with good food. There are very few restaurants right along Kaanapali beach. Most of the hotels are condo resorts which do not have restaurants. We found Dukes and Hulas to be the best. (we like to have dinner out) The resort is in a good location because you can walk to the farmers market as well as a general supermarket and some low budget restaurants across from the hotel. The only disappointing thing about this resort is that the boardwalk does not reach up to this resort. So you have to walk the narrow beach (do it low tide) to get to it. Also there was no music in the evening in the restaurant, which would have been nice. But we found that with most of the restaurants, including Dukes. Hulas does have music since it is in the Whalers Mall.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Kaanapali Shores. The ground floor opens up into beautiful gardens, an awesome pool area, and the turquoise ocean. We had panoramic views of the ocean from the kitchen, living room, and bedrooms. With sliding glass doors going onto lanai's from both the living room and master bedroom the tropical breeze and sound of the ocean waves were a constant. My wife and I enjoyed walking the easily accessible path that parallels the ocean in front of the property. There is a luxurious feel to the accommodations, grounds, and restaurant. We would highly recommend the Aston Kaanapali Shores!