Review: Historic Lahaina’s Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii

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Best Western Pioneer Inn is a historic hotel in Lahaina on Maui island, Hawaii. The upkeep of this historical hotel is better than most, and its location is outstanding while staying in Lahaina. 

I typically stayed at resorts in Hawaii on points. Still, because player 2 and I each earned a Best Western Free Night Award Voucher, we decided to use those vouchers at the Best Western Pioneer Inn to check out Lahaina and the ferry to Lana’i. Like other hotels and resorts in Maui, the room rate at Best Western Pioneer Inn can be $300-$400 easily and requires 70,000 Best Western reward points per night, so using the Best Western free night vouchers provided good redemption values and cost us nothing while staying there. 
Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
Historic Lahaina’s Best Western Pioneer Inn
Table of Contents  [show/hide]

    Location

    Best Western Pioneer Inn is located in the heart of historic Lahaina. The property’s location is very convenient because many restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues are just steps outside of the property. Its harborfront location is also excellent for boat tours or catching a ferry to Lana’i for a day trip out of Maui. Also, take advantage of sunsets in the evening while staying at the Best Western Pioneer Inn
    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    Best Western Pionneer Harborfront Location

    History

    A little history of the Best Western Pioneer Inn:
    • The hotel was founded in 1901, and at the time, only the west wing of the building was the original Pioneer Hotel. 
    • The east wing of the building was the Pioneer Theatre, which opened in 1913 and closed in 1965. 
    • The Pioneer Hotel was the only place to stay on the west side until the early 1960s. 
    • A few writers and movie actors were guests while passing through the islands on steamships. 
    • See the photo below for more details on the historic Lahaina’s Best Western Pioneer Inn
    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    History of Pioneer Inn & Pioneer Theatre

    Room Upgrades

    As a Best Western Diamond Elite member, I received no upgrades, and I expected that from the Best Western rewards program; they are known for something other than elite recognition and upgrades. 
    I booked the standard room Queen Bed with a Balcony, so I got that room type after checking in to the hotel on arrival. 
    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    1 Queen Bed Room at Best Western Pioneer Inn

    Room Review

    The room has a queen size bed, as its name suggests. 
    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    Small Queen Bed Room
    It’s a practical room, nothing fancy about it. The size of the room is small but adequate for just two of us. 
    There’s also a wall AC, which is very loud, making it noisy trying to enjoy the balcony overlooking the courtyard. There’s also a ceiling fan inside the room.
    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    Queen Bed Room
    The toilet/bathroom is also very small.
    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    Small Bathroom

    The balcony has rocking chairs overlooking the courtyard. Some rooms overlook the pool, ocean, and Lahaina’s main Front Street. I’d avoid the street one as it can be noisy.

    Our room overlooks the courtyard. However, the AC is too loud to enjoy the relaxation and the courtyard’s beauty. That’s the drawback, and each balcony is attached to the other, so there’s no privacy at all.


    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    Our Balcony Overlooks Courtyard

    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    Beautiful Hotel’s Courtyard 

    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    Balcony No Privacy

    Elevator

    It is worth mentioning also that Best Western Pioneer Inn is a historical building, it does not have an elevator, and no rooms are on the ground floors. So if mobility is an issue, you may think twice before staying at the Best Western Pioneer Inn. This also means that if you travel with heavy pieces of luggage, you must endure climbing up the stairs to get to your room. 

    Club Lounge

    Best Western does not have a club lounge for elite members.

    Welcome Amenity

    As a Best Western Diamond Elite member, I received 500 bonus Best Western points. 
    The front desk did not acknowledge my elite status, nor she offered anything. The 500 points or welcome gift are the standard benefits for Diamond members in the Best Western Rewards program. I was also supposed to get complimentary bottled water as a Diamond member at check-in, but that was not offered. 

    Food & Beverage Credits

    None

    Breakfast 

    Breakfast is not included in the room rate like in your typical Best Western hotels in the mainland United States. 
    A restaurant called Papa’aina at the Pioneer Inn is attached to the property, but you cannot charge it to the Best Western Pioneer Inn room. The restaurant opens for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on select days.

    Dining

    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    Mapo Moco Dish at Papa’aina at the Pioneer Inn
    While there are quite a few restaurants within walking distance of the Best Western Pioneer Inn, there’s a restaurant attached to the property called Papa’aina at the Pioneer Inn, as mentioned above. The restaurant only opens for dinner on select days. See the photo below.
    You can check out the menu here
    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    Papa’aina at the Pioneer Inn Dinner Hours
    I also recommend the Paia Fish Market in Lahaina. It is only a 3-5 minute walk from the Pioneer Inn. The price is right, and the Mahi-mahi fish is fresh with lovely outdoor seating. In fact, we ate there three (3) times during our stay at the Best Western Pioneer Inn
    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    Mahi-mahi Salad at Paia Fish Market Front Street

    Resort Fee

    Best Western Pioneer Inn is not a resort hotel, so there’s no resort fee. 

    Parking

    The nice thing about the Best Western Pioneer Inn is that parking is complimentary to guests. This is great, given the property’s location is in the middle of the Front Street action of historic Lahaina town. 

    Pet Policy

    Pets are not allowed at the Best Western Pioneer Inn

    Internet/Wi-Fi

    Wi-Fi requires a code that’s provided when you check in.

    Bottled Water

    None. 
    Complimentary bottled water was supposed to be provided at check-in for Best Western Diamond Elite members, but that was not offered, and I did not demand it either. 

    Early Check-in

    Given that it is a Best Western brand, I am confident that early check-in is not offered even for elite members. We did not ask for that because we arrived after the regular check-in time of 4pm. 

    Late Check-out

    We didn’t request a late check-out. The regular check-out time is 12pm noon. 

    Spa

    None

    Fitness Center

    None

    In-Room Safe

    None

    Robes & Slippers

    None

    Swimming Pool

    The swimming pool opens daily from 9am – 9pm. The pool is rather small, but it’s rarely crowded. There are also lounge chairs that you can use to enjoy while lying around the pool. 
    The entry door to the pool has a key code lock. The code is provided when you check-in. I recommend you take a picture of it on your phone as you’ll need it when entering and exiting the pool area.
    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    Pool At Best Western Pioneer Inn
    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    Best Western Pioneer Inn Swimming Pool

    Beach

    Best Western Pioneer Inn does not have a beach, and it is a harborfront hotel with many boat activities, so swimming is prohibited. 
    If you are looking for a beach, sunbathing, and swimming, you’ll have to walk 10-15 minutes to the nearby public beach park, where the Hyatt’s Lahaina Shores Beach Resort is. 

    Contact


    Review: Historic Lahaina's Best Western Pioneer Inn in Maui Hawaii
    Best Western Pioneer Inn at Night


    Booking Best Western Pioneer Inn

    Best Western Pioneer Inn is in a prime location, and therefore, its demand is high among travelers staying in historic Lahaina on Maui island. With that being said, if you want to stay there either with points or cash, you need to book and plan in advance because the rooms could be sold out. 
    Best Western Rewards is dynamically priced when it comes to free night redemptions. During my visit, the standard room required 70,000 Best Western points per night, and the cash rate was almost $400 per night. 
    Your booking options are as follows:
    • Pay with cash
    • Book with a Best Western Free Night Award Voucher – subscribe to our blog posts below to get notified when the promotion returns. 
    • Book with Best Western points. You can earn Best Western points through the following:
    • Whether you book with the voucher or with points, the Best Western mobile app always shows unavailable for reward points redemption. Be sure to check award availability using bestwestern.com instead. 

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