Hyatt Maui, Merriman's or Plantation House??

christinah10

Hi everyone! We are have our wedding ceremony at a church followed by cocktails and a dinner reception at a venue TBD.  We are currently considering the Hyatt Maui, Merriman's and The Plantation House. 

We are expecting 25-30 guests, so it will be a relatively intimate dinner.  I want our guests to feel like they're in Hawaii at my wedding, so II want the reception to be at least somewhat outdoors and not in a hotel ballroom indoors.

The Hyatt has a few outdoor locations on their property but since my guests are staying at the Hyatt, I wonder if I should introduce my guests to a different Maui location for the wedding? (Sounds a little silly, I know, but just for variety.) 

Merriman's is on the water but The Plantation House has ocean views but is set back a bit more since it's on the golf course.

Any favorites, feedback or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

kaesha

The views from the Plantation House are gorgeous, but when I had lunch there last summer, I was really underwhelmed by their food and service. The food was cold, they brought us the wrong stuff... I don't know... I feel like it was *okay*, but just that. And certainly, for the price you'd pay, I wouldn't host a wedding there.

There are a few girls planning Merriman's receptions on the board right now. Hopefully they'll chime in about the Maui location!

AKWinterBride

Oooh, tough choice!!  I just Googled Merriman's Maui and looked at the image and it's beautiful, but so is the Hyatt!  I feel like the Hyatt really sells the 'Hawaiian' aspect in their properites, so you should be safe having it there.  Plus, it would be nice to not have to worry about people driving after the reception.
But, Merriman's looks great too!  The Plantation House is beautiful, but if Kaesha had underwhelming food, I would be scared to book there without having been able to try it myself. 
Good luck - and I'll try to get you the STD's and Intention card tonight - I didn't forget about you!  It's been a crazy busy week at work, and I just realized that I have a scanner at home so I'll try to get them to you tonight!

AKWinterBride

Christina, go to photographer Mike Sidney's blog - there is a picture of a cocktail @ Merriman's from Sept 21st.  It might help you get an idea of your possibilities!

jackcody

I'm big on the being able to go straight to your room after a long day of partying, etc.  I vote for Hyatt just for that convenience.  

morris1h

We were considering the Plantation house too - but it seemed very expensive for "ok" food and service based on the reviews I had read.  I would pick one of the others.

syoun

We're having our wedding/reception at Merriman's and some knotties have mentioned having great meals there.  Tripadvisor has tons of reviews on food (however some of the more recent ones have really mixed reviews..).  I did find someone on Yelp that had their wedding/reception there in May and they had nothing but good things to say about their wedding there.  If you want more pics, google Merriman's Kapalua facebook.  They have several pictures of the restaurant and outdoor deck setup for receptions/special events. HTH!

mauilove2011

Sorry, this is a bit of a delayed reply, but we were considering Merriman's for our wedding and have ended up booking a private balcony area on the side of the restaurant for our rehearsal dinner (15 ppl - wedding party only). We have eaten there twice and love the food, ambiance and location - which is hard to beat. The service was excellent both times we were there (earlier this year) and staff very friendly. Hope that helps! 

christinah10

Thanks for all your responses! Did any knottie have their reception at the Hyatt Maui?