Review of Kapalua Bay Hotel
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Review of Kapalua Bay Hotel
I just returned from a great trip to Maui and the Kapalua Bay Hotel. Flew on TWA non-stop from St. Louis, which was also very nice.
As for the Kapalua Bay Hotel- classy and relaxing would be two adjectives that come to mind. The hotel is built on a hill, with the rooms and grounds sloping down towards the water. The property and grounds are gorgeous, with a spacious, open lobby that looks out over the ocean. The buildings are designed to blend into the scenery instead of being an overwhelming concrete block, as some of the other hotels are. And the scenery is fantastic, with unbelievable sunset views.
The rooms at the hotel are of decent size, well appointed with an individual lanai. There are large bathrooms, with separate showers and soaking tubs. One word of caution- there is currently construction going on adjacent to the hotel, so there are some rooms that could be noisy, and have their view spoiled by the dirt and construction.
For those looking for huge water parks, slides, etc, look elsewhere. The hotel has a decent sized pool, but nothing fancy. The beach, on the other hand, is quite nice, especially for snorkeling. It is protected by jetties, and calm and safe.
The hotel has several restaurants- an informal terrace restaurant with a very reasonable breakfast bufet, and good dinner buffets as well. There is also a poolside restaurant with lunch and a bar. The Bay Club, the flagship restaurant, is located a short walk away along the beach path. I found it overrated and overpriced. My recommendation for dining in Kapalua is Sansei- a wonderful sushji bar and Japanese restaurant- recently rated by Zagat's as having the #1 food in Hawaii.
The weather there was a bit spotty, often somewhat cloudy and rainy in the morning, with some wind, but it usually cleared up by afternoon. And Kapalua is not all that isolated- a quick 10 minute drive to Ka'anapali, and a bit further to Lahaina.
For those looking for a classy and quiet place to stay, with unbelievable views and great service, the Kapalua Bay is highly recommended.
As for the Kapalua Bay Hotel- classy and relaxing would be two adjectives that come to mind. The hotel is built on a hill, with the rooms and grounds sloping down towards the water. The property and grounds are gorgeous, with a spacious, open lobby that looks out over the ocean. The buildings are designed to blend into the scenery instead of being an overwhelming concrete block, as some of the other hotels are. And the scenery is fantastic, with unbelievable sunset views.
The rooms at the hotel are of decent size, well appointed with an individual lanai. There are large bathrooms, with separate showers and soaking tubs. One word of caution- there is currently construction going on adjacent to the hotel, so there are some rooms that could be noisy, and have their view spoiled by the dirt and construction.
For those looking for huge water parks, slides, etc, look elsewhere. The hotel has a decent sized pool, but nothing fancy. The beach, on the other hand, is quite nice, especially for snorkeling. It is protected by jetties, and calm and safe.
The hotel has several restaurants- an informal terrace restaurant with a very reasonable breakfast bufet, and good dinner buffets as well. There is also a poolside restaurant with lunch and a bar. The Bay Club, the flagship restaurant, is located a short walk away along the beach path. I found it overrated and overpriced. My recommendation for dining in Kapalua is Sansei- a wonderful sushji bar and Japanese restaurant- recently rated by Zagat's as having the #1 food in Hawaii.
The weather there was a bit spotty, often somewhat cloudy and rainy in the morning, with some wind, but it usually cleared up by afternoon. And Kapalua is not all that isolated- a quick 10 minute drive to Ka'anapali, and a bit further to Lahaina.
For those looking for a classy and quiet place to stay, with unbelievable views and great service, the Kapalua Bay is highly recommended.
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Ditto! We were there 4 years ago on our honeymoon. And the funniest thing was that when we arrived mid-day, our room wasn't ready, so they invited us to have a drink in that wonderful open bar area. When we sat down, we were the only patrons there. When the hostess came over, she said "Dr. Aloi!" She had been my student the year prior at the college where I teach. We had a very enjoyable stay there, relaxing breakfasts w/ the birds to pick up the crumbs, and a great seafood buffet one night at the Princeville (right next door, reminds me of our Laguna Niguel Ritz Carleton- and we were smart enough to go VERY early for the buffet to get a nice table outside on the balcony).
Jane
Jane
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Touched a nerve there, Mike?
This point has been discussed several times on this forum. I'd point out two things: first, there are months when the breezes are truly 'tropical', refreshing and, as you say, 'conducive' to the environment; but during the rainier and slightly cooler months, those breezes can consistently raise goosebumps and hardly qualify as tropical. So the time of year makes a significant difference. I've only been there in Jan/Feb/Mar. Notice that I did not state that it is 'cool and rainy' at Kapalua; I specifically stated that RELATIVE to Wailea it is cooler and tends to rain more. That is what most question writers are trying to figure out: which is the better destination for me, Kapalua/Kaanapali/Wailea etc. Secondly, there isn't any question that the weather is more consistently sunny, and is warmer, during the 12 months of the year in Wailea. Is it a dramatic difference? No. Is it reproducible and consistent? Yes. That's all. Please feel free to continue to enjoy Kapalua and its 'tropical breezes'.
This point has been discussed several times on this forum. I'd point out two things: first, there are months when the breezes are truly 'tropical', refreshing and, as you say, 'conducive' to the environment; but during the rainier and slightly cooler months, those breezes can consistently raise goosebumps and hardly qualify as tropical. So the time of year makes a significant difference. I've only been there in Jan/Feb/Mar. Notice that I did not state that it is 'cool and rainy' at Kapalua; I specifically stated that RELATIVE to Wailea it is cooler and tends to rain more. That is what most question writers are trying to figure out: which is the better destination for me, Kapalua/Kaanapali/Wailea etc. Secondly, there isn't any question that the weather is more consistently sunny, and is warmer, during the 12 months of the year in Wailea. Is it a dramatic difference? No. Is it reproducible and consistent? Yes. That's all. Please feel free to continue to enjoy Kapalua and its 'tropical breezes'.