Wedding venue: Sheraton Maui or Marriott Wailea?

hchaiy

Hi everyone, a new bride-to-be here

My fiance and I just began planning for our October 2015 wedding with approx. 60-70ish guests in Maui... and the venue options are dizzying! (we've never been to Maui) Ideally we want an outdoor ceremony and outdoor reception (or indoor reception that opens up to outdoor).

We've narrowed down our choices to 1. Sheraton Maui (Kaanapali) ; 2. Marriott Wailea; 3. Westin Kaanapali Ocean Villas.

It seems that the three are comparable in prices and level of service after initial contact with their respective wedding departments.

Our least favorite thus far is the Westin because their outdoor venue for wedding our size is only the Boardwalk Lawn, which is not at all private. (We heard the hotel itself is quite nice so we haven't completely crossed it out yet)

Right now, we are somewhat indifferent between the Sheraton and the Marriott and would appreciate all you knotties' input in comparing the two!

1. Location: Kaanapali or Wailea? I've heard Wailea is the "nicer" area while Kaanapali is the more "touristy" area. Any pros and cons to the two areas? Weather differences?

2. Wedding venues: I really like Sheraton's venues (Black Rock Lawn for ceremony, Coral Reef Room for reception) but Marriott (Ocean Front Lawn/Pacific Terrace) seems quite nice too.. Any experiences with these particular venues?

3. Coordinating services: any experiences from both hotels? I am not planning to use additional wedding planner.

4. Overall Property: we want it to be an enjoyable experience for our guests and I read some review that said Sheraton is somewhat dated... is this true? How does Marriott compare?

Please let me know if you have had any experience with wedding ceremonies and receptions at the Sheraton or the Marriott. Every feedback helps! Also since I won't have a chance to do a scouting trip, if anyone has pics from a recent scouting trip I would *really* appreciate it if you could share.

Thank you so much & happy planning

scubachick125

I can't speak to most of your questions. I got married in Maui earlier this year in Wailea on Ulua beach (right outside of the Marriott.) I reached out to a planner on the Marriott site, Tracy with a A Dream Wedding Maui Style, however I do not think she is actually associated with Marriott. She secured our beach permit and our officiant. We had a small party so we had our reception dinner at their restaurant Mala in their Buddha room. 

We stayed at the Marriott the year prior and knew we wanted to go back for our wedding. I absolutely love the property. The infinity pool is beautiful and the beach is a very short walk down the beach path. We and all of our guests would go snorkeling in the mornings at Ulua. I also liked that the shops at Wailea were a short walk. We had our welcome dinner at the Cheesburger restaurant for our guests and they loved it. The staff at the hotel was wonderful, friendly, and worked so hard to ensure that both us and our guests had a great experience at the property. They were truly amazing.