The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua

Ritz is a bit dated but due to Bonvoy service I would advise anyone to avoid Marriott properties.

The best experience, the beach is lovely, spacing is fabulous. Highly recommend for anyone traveling to Maui. The facilities are great and the Landscape is well appointed. Also the have a local restaurant near by that serves sushi an other mini market near by also

Wow. Hope you have time to read! I attended a medical conference at the Ritz Maui from January 31-February 7. Booking a medical conference at the conference rate usually means a reasonably good room, but I have a 5 year old autistic little boy with some specific needs, so I am always wary of what I book and what I need for him to travel. Having said that, we travel a LOT. Montana 6-7 times yearly, Hawaii yearly, family in Philadelphia and Atlanta yearly, at least one hunting trip yearly. So our little guy travels a lot as he is always our third wheel. Wherever we stay we need to buy an air fryer, sometimes a toaster oven, and an ice chest. His diet is very limited and specific. If it isn’t right, he won’t eat. We bring his special brand of peanut butter and honey, his specific drink mix and his specific snacks to ensure he eats during the trip. This has worked around the world as well. Luckily, we have a great friend who works with the Ritz Carlton at a signature property in California who offered to call Maui and have them reach out to us. A few days later we received an email from the Hotel manager Melissa Lee to set up a Zoom call with the head chef, their concierge, and herself with my wife to discuss our specific needs. They assured us things would be taken care of. On arriving at the hotel we were greeted by Julie, their administrative assistant of food and beverage, as well as their traditional greeter with leis for the three of us. Julie assured us that Melissa and the chef had insured we were in a room with a full refrigerator and freezer, a microwave, stovetop, and a newly bought air fryer to accommodate our 5 year old. They upgraded our room in order to do so, and when we arrived to the room the refrigerator and freezer were stocked with the specific foods Jacob would need. A welcome fruit plate only made it that much better. We had heard about the legendary customer service from Ritz Carlton but had never had the opportunity to stay there previously. Simply phenomenal. While I attended the conference, my ire and baby were welcomed throughout the hotel…the pool, beach, stores, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. People remembered our names and specifically, remembered Jacob. Melissa, the hotel manager, whom I am very sure had many more important things to do, met us for coffee one morning to chat. We bonded over Irish heritage and life’s fateful moments, making a wonderful friend in the process. Melissa was even so kind as to outfit Jake with some Ritz “swag” for the pool. Beyond these incredible experiences, the conference was amazing as well The Ritz certainly does know how to make a conference special. Wonderful Kona coffee, breakfast fruits, fresh juices and pastries for breakfast, incredible sushi and one of the best burgers ever for dinners. And on the Mai Tai scale, they are a solid 9 (the best still being Monkeypods in K’Olina with their incredible foam!). So many wonderful staff members to mention from the front desk, to the housekeepers, bartenders and servers, shop personnel, and again, their wonderful Hotel Manager Melissa. An incredible place I hope to visit again and again.

Enjoyed our stay at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua. Our room was very nice and with a view of the ocean and Molokai in the distance. The beds were very comfortable. Great dining options available on the property. The pool was great and we had no issues getting lounging chairs by the pool. Unfortunately a few days into our stay, due to high winds and low humidity, the power company opted for a public safety power shutdown. That meant 25 hours without power. The hotel sprung into action and did look after guests with complimentary meals. The backup power kept the essentials running but were surprised that a large global chain wouldn't have power for the entire property. Not sure what's available for compensation. The property is close to the coastal trail and other hiking/walking options if you want to get your steps in for the day. Staff were, for the most part, very good. Cleaning staff were excellent. This is a top notch property.

We spent three nights at the Ritz-Carlton on our way to Japan. While we enjoyed our time at the property, I am not sure that we will return. We booked an American Express FHR rate that included breakfast for two as well as a $500 resort credit. With those inclusions the price ended up being about the same as the Westin or Sheraton Kaanapali. The Ritz-Carlton is certainly a step up from either of those properties. As a Bonvoy platinum booking on an FHR rate, we did not receive any noticeable upgrade. We were on a third floor room overlooking the massive resort pool. We did have a partial ocean view in the distance. The room is nicely sized and well maintained. The bed was very comfortable and we were given a bottle of prosecco as a welcome amenity. The bathroom is also nicely sized with a separate tub and well sized shower. Slight ding for not having double sinks or a bidet toilet as many luxury hotels in Hawaii do. The food and beverage were pricy and disappointing. We had dinner the first night at the Banyan Tree restaurant. The food was just okay and the fish could have been fresher. For two of us, the meal was $275 and not nearly as good as what we had at Merriman's two nights later. The breakfast buffet was the highlight of the food with a large variety on offer. Not sure of the price, as it was included in our rate. The pools at the resort are expansive. We never had a problem finding a lounger and umbrella. The beach is quite a ways down hill (long hike back up), but they do have buggies that will take you back and forth. When we were there, the beach was a bit too rough for swimming. Also found the $65 valet parking and $55 resort fee a bit steep. I know this is Hawaii, but come on... The Kapalua location is a plus and a minus. The area is a lot less crowded than Kaanapali. We made the mistake of going into Kaanapali for dinner one night and it was much more hectic. The downside of the location is that it is a long drive if you want to go anywhere outside of Kapalua. Next time we might consider Wailea.

Location ,servive people ffz

Facility Dated …

Bad weather was unlucky. The hotel’s lack of preparation in a power outage was a choice to place profits over people. This place elects not to use readily available backup power generators to power guest rooms. No hot water, spoiled food in the fridge, no support for finding alternative accommodations. The leadership at this hotel has left the staff in a tragically impotent position. Photos are of guests trying to charge their phones on a small Costco-purchased generator.

We didn't have a problem with the staff like some reviewers did, I thought the staff was very attentive. Except for the fact that they left all the lounge chair cushions in the rain so that no one could use them the next day. Our problem is with the layout of the hotel, which you can see from any photo of the property. Namely, there are minimal actual ocean views. As others say, the "ocean view room" is only ocean view when you are on your balcony/patio and look left. All of the lounges, bars, etc. are situated to look into the property, not at the beach, no matter where you go. I'm sorry but what is the point of going to Maui if you literally have to walk to the edge of the property to even see the ocean. Also echo what another reviewer noted, there is zero value or perks given for being Titanium Elite - not even club access.

This is the absolute heaven regarding hotels/resorts. The location and the setup sure is hard to beat. The friendliness of the whole staff shall be the rolemodel for all such businesses. The best of the best!!