SAM-Wedding Review

[SAM]

Sorry this took so long to post and out together. I’ve been working on this review since the wedding and have finally finished it.

 

 

Air- American Airlines A

 

I booked our flight through American Airlines directly and it was fine. We flew San Francisco to Los Angeles then onto Maui. As soon as we boarded the plane the very nice airline hostess told me I could store my dress in the first class closet. Both flights went well with no complaints.

 

Car Rental- Budget A-

 

Upon our arrival in Maui it took 45 minutes to get our car and that was the only issue we encountered. I was really tired and just wanted to get to the place. The lady at the counter was very nice and gave us a few tips about driving around Maui and about some local stores…45mph is the normal speed limit.

 

The last time I was in Hawaii we rented a small car and it sucked. This time we upgraded to an Impala…very nice and comfortable. A large trunk for all of the stuff we brought with us which fit 2 large suitcases, 2 small suitcases and 1 small bag. When we returned the car it was such a breeze took about 90 seconds if that.

 

Accommodations- Valley Isle Resort in Lahiana D

 

This is my MIL timeshare, it’s through her Worldmark timeshare, I guess they own a handful of them within this so called resort. It was free place to stay, other than that I have nothing really positive to say about the place.

 

Structure and site

•Upon our arrival on Sunday April 12th, 2009 at 12:10pm we found out the front desk was closed. It is closed daily from 12:00-1:00 for lunch and is only open from 8am-5pm daily. We attempted to call the after hours phone number that was provided to use by Worldmark but no one answered the phone. So we had to wait in the parking lot for 50 minutes. While we were waiting we ran into another guest and he mentioned that he has arrived at night and no one would answer the after hours number.

•The building is designed to look like a prison or local housing project; cement building with black iron gates. It is very unattractive but what plant life they had was well groomed.

•Inside the Valley Isle resort is a local gym where anyone can work out. It also has an old sign posted on the glass windows which states “Kahana Grillâ€. I asked the front desk what type of food the “Kahana grill†served. I was informed that the grill is no longer there and that the new owner had not taken down the sign. Very tacky!

•On Saturday April 18th 2009 we attempted to empty the garbage cans before we left but the garbage shoot was locked. I guess the garbage is closed on the weekend?

•The lounge chairs that are available for guests to use are in very poor condition and some are broken!

 

Our room 503

 

Bathrooms

•There is absolutely no ventilation whatsoever in either of the bathrooms. They become very steamy and you must open a door while taking a shower to even breathe.

•The towels are very small and rough, the type you would find at a cheap motel.

•The water in both showers takes 5 minutes to warm up.

•The closet in the main bathroom became jammed several times and needs to be replaced.

•The toilet paper that is provided is a 1 ply.

Bedrooms

•Both bedrooms including the Murphy bed are very uncomfortable. The bed in the master bedroom sinks into the middle.

•The smaller bedroom is a wind tunnel. The windows rattled every single night and when you opened the window everything blew.

 

Kitchen and dining area

•All of the knives were dull and we had a very difficult time cutting anything

•The front room television has a limited amount of channels yet the bedroom has a lot more.

•The décor is very outdated and some of the chairs were broken.

•The sliding glass door in the front room was very heavy and needed to be greased. It took two adults to open and close this door.

 

 

 

 

More to come

[SAM]

and more

 

Pre-Wedding Dinner- Old Lahaina Luau A

 

Old Lahaina Luau

Maui Luaus, Old Lahaina Maui Luau | Official Website

 

This is hard to review as I wasn’t feeling good before we left and left during the show as I felt even worse (I have stomach issues). With that said, all of the guests LOVED it. The customer service was great, five star all the way. I was told the food was great, I felt horrible and didn’t eat. Overall, all of the guests had an amazing time and loved the experience.

 

 

 

 

Wedding Coordinator- Maui’d forever A

 

Maui’d forever

Maui Beach | Weddings | Honeymoon | Packages :: Maui'd Forever Wedding Vendors

 

Maui’d forever was the first wedding coordinators that I contacted when we decided to get married in Maui. Bill emailed me back very quickly and sent me the information I requested. After looking around, I just felt very comfortable with him. Over the months of planning he was great to work with.

 

The day of the wedding went so smooth. I told him to call me if he had any questions but luckily he didn’t. I met him when I arrived at Kapalua Bay and he had everything set up. Nice and smooth…no worries at all.

 

 

Photographer- A

 

Hanne Ruhnau

Hanne Ruhnau

 

I booked Hanne through my wedding coordinator. I was very happy with her and the pictures. She came to the dumpy timeshare when I was getting ready and took photos for about 1 hour then went to the ceremony site. Since we only went to dinner we didn’t bok her for that.

 

 

Officiant- Kimo Kirkham A

 

What a cool guy! Every review I read about Kimo was great. During our ceremony he chants in Hawaiian and you could tell he truly feels his passion. He also has a great sense of humor!

 

Flowers- Napili Florist A+

 

Napili Florist

Napili Florist Home

 

One of the main reasons I picked them was there prices. I got a few quotes from other places and they were just insane. I worked with Megumi, very sweet and alittle bit of a thick accent but I was able to understand her. I gave her my Credit Card info and she didn’t charge it until the day of the wedding per my request. Another thing I really liked was her honesty, when I requested a specific flower, if it wasn’t in season she told me, the higher cost and ideas for substitutions.

 

When they delivered my flowers everything was perfect. My bouquet was BEAUTIFUL and it smelled so good, the smell lasted for days. My FI loved his Kukuhi Nut lei and the guests also loved their leis.

 

I put it in the ice bucket at the hotel

 

 

Close up

 

[SAM]

more

 

Hair- Karine Cummings A

 

Bridal Hair on Maui

Contact: Karine Cummings

Bridal Photo Page

 

I searched high and low for someone to do on my hair. This was something that I knew I was going to picky with. I looked everywhere, some vendors were nice but way to expensive while others…seemed…well lets just say, I felt pressured by them. I somehow stumbled across her website and was pleasantly surprised. Great photos, Great reviews and a background at the Ritz. She was so sweet and gave me suggestions to restaurants, etc. Also since she lives in Lahaina and I was staying in Lahaina, no travel fee. NICE!!

 

When I first met Karine for the Hair trial she greeted me with a big hug. I had my trial at her home in Lahaina which was very close to where we were staying. She LOVES to talk, great sense of humor, and gave me several tips of restaurants and places to go in Maui.

 

The day of the wedding Karine arrived to our place early (about 10 minutes). My mom liked her so much during the hair trial she decided to have Karine do her make-up. She noticed my hair was little greasy from the spa morning I had, and asked me to wash my hair. No problem as I had the time and she didn’t charge me for her time while I was washing and blow drying my hair. Another thing I really liked about her is I never felt rushed and she made sure that I was happy with my hair. It was pretty windy the day of the wedding and my hair held up pretty darn well. My hair doesn’t hold a curl great, waves yes but not curls.

 

Hair Trial

 

Hair Trial with Mom

 

Make-up- Jessica Waite A++++++++

 

Jessica Waite

808.283.7837

[email protected]

 

After seeing Sherry’s photos on BDW, I was SOLD! Jessica was very professional to work with and truly makes you feel like it’s your special day. When she arrived she brought all of her make-up along with her director style chair. First she did my mother-in-laws make-up, she loved it and looked great!

 

I told her I wanted the old Hollywood look and she did it. I almost started to cry because I was in such shock of my make-up…PERFECT! She is a true artist! Everyone commented on how wonderful my make-up looked and it lasted the entire time.

 

 

Wedding Day Spa- Hina Mana Salon B

 

Hina Mana Salon

Hina Mana – an AVEDA Concept Salon in Maui, Hawaii

 

So the day of the wedding I knew I wanted a spa day full of pampering and wanted to include my 12 year old son. I have been a single mom and we are very close. I wanted to do something special with him that day. I contacted a few spas in the Lahaina area and this spa got back to me right away and had no problem with me bringing my son. We both loved our massages and manicures…ask for Gretchen.

 

Everything was great but finding the place was a challenge. It is located inside the Whaler condo which is next to Whaler’s Village. I walked around in a circle until a guest pointed me in the right direction.

 

Wedding Dinner- I’O in Lahaina A++++++

 

I’O

I'O Restaurant Lahaina Maui Hawaii

 

We had a very small group of people and wanted a nice dinner. Many of the restaurants I spoke with wanted me to rent out the entire place or charge me some crazy fee. We had a tight budget and didn’t want to go over $100pp for food, wine and gratuity.

 

I worked with Marilyn and she was very easy to work with. I loved the fact that this restaurant is eco friendly and uses locally grown and freshly caught items in their menus. They have their own vegetable garden in upcountry Maui which serves their restaurants. The owner also owns Pacific’o and The feast at Lele. Also when I requested to sit outside, it wasn’t a problem at all.

 

The day before the wedding I dropped off everything (menus and favors) with Marilyn at I’O. Right before our guests arrived I had my friend go to the restaurant and check on our table to make sure it looked great. She was greeted by a very nice man who had already set up our tables outside under the stars, with little lights and the ocean about 40 feet away. She didn’t have to do anything, as everything was perfectly set up; the table was decorated with palm leaves, fresh orchids and tea lights which I didn’t order, just a nice complimentary touch. Luckily the luau next door wasn’t going on that night so it was very quiet and romantic. Just the way I wanted it.

 

I was very impressed with the service, FIVE STAR! The waiter Garrett and sommelier came over greeted everyone and congratulated us. When we ordered the wine from the sommelier, he came over and gave us (FI and I) a pre taste to make sure we agreed again great service. They brought out a wine chiller for the white wine (I loved this as I hate it when white wine gets at all warm). We had preordered the appetizers and salads, which where all brought out in a very timely manner. All of the food was fantastic and served correctly; serve from the left, remove dished from the right and women first! Our guests were able to order their main dish and dessert that evening and it went very smoothly.

 

The food was outstanding and was never at all rushed! I truly felt like a guest at I’O and it was such a wonderful dinner, at times I forgot I was at a restaurant but instead at a private estate having a fantastic meal with my loved ones. This was probably one of the best dining experiences I have had in along time and would recommend it to anyone.

 

Honeymoon Hotel- Royal Lahaina A

 

Royal Lahaina Resort

Royal Lahaina Resort | Oceanfront on Kaanapali Beach Maui Hawaii

 

My mom gave this to us as a wedding gift, and we enjoyed it so much we stayed a few extra nights as we wanted to get out of the dumpy timeshare. The room was fantastic and you could tell it had been recently updated. It is designed in dark tiki wood and white with a semi beach feel but not to Hawaiian. We had a garden view room but had a perfect full view of the ocean. Inside the room we found his and hers robes, nice touch. The bed was very comfortable, we both slept like the dead. Also the staff was very friendly!

[da.shmoopies]

Yay!! A Hawaii review!! Thank you for the great information. Besides the dumpy timeshare, everything sounded wonderful.

[Soon To Be Mrs. Gomez]

very nice review. nice wedding too.

[Brenna]

Congratulations! It looks like everything went REALLY well. Thank you so much for this review! I have been going crazy trying to find anyone who has stayed at the Royal Lahaina and for a decently priced restaurant for our reception. This helps a ton!

Thanks again!

[Erika J]

Great Review!!

 

Thanks!!