We arrived in Maui after spending five nights in Waikiki, with high expectations that this part of our trip would be our luxury, relaxing escape.
As this was a very special trip to celebrate my 50th birthday, I had spent a huge amount of time researching hotels before choosing this resort. Living in the UK, it’s unlikely we’ll ever make this journey again, so it really felt like a once-in-a-lifetime holiday for us. I loved the idea of staying in one of the Bungalows, especially with the lanai and garden views shown in the photos.
On arrival, we were taken to our bungalow. Our first impression was that it felt a little smaller than expected, although it was beautifully presented. However, when we stepped out onto the lanai, we realised we were positioned directly alongside the golf course, with very little privacy. Once back inside, we also noticed there were no privacy blinds on the windows — only blackout curtains.
This made me feel quite uncomfortable, as anyone walking past on the nearby path or using the golf course could see directly into the room. All I wanted was to be able to lie in bed in the morning and enjoy the view outside without feeling watched, or to move around the room without worrying about being partially dressed. Instead, we constantly had to keep the blackout curtains closed, leaving the room dark.
We went back to reception to ask whether there were any more private rooms available, or whether privacy blinds were provided. The staff kindly showed us two alternative bungalows, but unfortunately they offered no real improvement. The third option, a first-floor bungalow, was slightly better as it wasn’t quite so exposed, so we accepted that one.
I’m honestly surprised the hotel hasn’t received more feedback regarding this issue, as something as simple as installing sheer privacy blinds or lightweight curtains would make a huge difference to guests’ comfort.
We had booked the breakfast package, which included either the buffet or a $60 credit towards the à la carte menu. We were very happy with the breakfast offering — the buffet selection and egg station were excellent. (However they did try and charge us $10 on our final morning as the price of the buffet had increased).
One morning we had an early excursion booked to see the sunrise, meaning we would miss breakfast entirely. The day before, I asked in the restaurant whether there was any possibility of receiving a credit for the unused breakfast. The lady I spoke to said absolutely, and advised us to return later and speak to a manager, who would arrange a credit that could possibly be used in the shop.
We returned later that evening, but the managers were unavailable due to an event taking place nearby. The staff member on the desk again confirmed that something could likely be arranged, but that a manager would need to authorise it. Unfortunately, we couldn’t return again that evening as we had an extremely early pick-up the next morning.
After returning from our excursion the following day, I spoke to a manager in the restaurant, who told me there was no such policy and that he had no idea why we had been told otherwise. He wasn’t willing to offer any solution and seemed completely uninterested in helping, which was very disappointing.
Our final frustration came on the last day of our stay. Our flight home wasn’t until 11pm, so a couple of days beforehand I asked reception whether we could either pay for a late checkout or use a courtesy room to shower and change before travelling home. With a 24-hour journey door-to-door ahead of us, we really didn’t want to begin the trip home covered in sunscreen and sand.
We were told the hotel was fully booked, so late checkout wasn’t possible, and that courtesy rooms were no longer offered because guests had previously abused the service. Instead, we were advised to use the public showers by the pool.
Overall, we left feeling very disappointed by the level of customer service at the resort. This was an extremely expensive luxury holiday for us, yet sadly the experience and service did not reflect that standard.
Thankfully, after doing some research ourselves, we discovered Island Locker Life near the airport, which offered excellent shower and changing facilities. This allowed us to enjoy our final day in Maui properly before freshening up ahead of our evening flight home.
Lastly, we booked directly with the hotel and for this we’re offered a ‘special thank you’ which I chose late checkout. When we checked in the receptionist was pleased to tell me about this, we could check out at noon instead of 11am. This was very underwhelming.
Not wanting it to sound too negative because we did have a lovely time, it just didn’t meet our expectations.
The Branches evening area was lovely, live music every evening, such a beautiful setting.
Also a great beach walk taking you to either end of Kaanapali.
When we checked in they did give me some chocolates and a beautiful lei for my birthday and on the day of my actual birthday the breakfast staff bought me a little cake and sang happy birthday which was lovely.
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