Looking for a Hotel in Maui? (Ritz Carlton, Sheraton Maui, or Kapalua Bay Hotel)
 

I was just wondering from the 3 Hotels named which is best or better yet which is best for a honeymoon? Thanks..

It really depends on your budget and preferences. The Sheraton is on Kaanapali beach. The deluxe oceanview rooms are the best. The Ritz is also very nice and located in the Kapalua area. Good luck!

Sheraton is closer to the "action" of Lahaina and Kaanapali, it has a great snorkel beach, an active pool area and is recently renovated. Kapalua Bay is more quiet and classy, it's about 15 minutes further away, they also have a beautiful snorkel beach. Ritz-C, I don't like at all, no close beach, and I personally don't like the "vibe" of the place. So, if you want more action stay at Sheraton, if you want more of a quiet eloquence, choose Kapalua Bay. I hope this helps.

I stayed at the Ritz in December. While fairly nice, it was the least-nice Ritz I've been to. Service was average and they did nothing to resolve a siginificant problem we had (we needed a room with two beds for our 17yo son and 20yo daughter and they not only did not honor our reservation, but had no rollaway). No offer to do anything. Very much against the Ritz philosophy of taking ownership of a problem and making sure it is resolved.

Kea Lani at Wailea, on the other hand, was spectacular.

We loved the Kapalua Bay Hotel! The setting in Kapalua is absolutely gorgeous, much nicer than Kaanapali, IMO. We loved the old-hawaiian feel and subtle elegance of the hotel, staff was friendly and very accomodating...we received excellent personal attention especially from the executive chef (he set up our dinner resies at nearby hotels, best tables every time, picnic basket for road to hana day, champagne and fruit in our room, the list goes on...) The pool is small but exquisite, never crowded, the beach is lovely...great snorkeling at your fingertips. The breakfast buffet and setting was awesome, as was our dinner at The Bay Club. The views of Molokai across the chanel are the best on the island from what I saw and sunsets are amazing there. I could go on and on...

The only downfall that you may find with KBH is that the rooms may not be what you would expect from a "luxury" hotel. The furnishings were a little dated and the doors a little dingy...but we found them to be clean and spacious and were so happy with the rest of the hotel and the area that it didn't bother us one bit.

Some people prefer to stay near the action (Lahaina, Kaanapali) but we really enjoyed being in a more secluded area and didn't find driving a little bit more a nuissance.

We visited other hotels during our stay on Maui...and none seemed to capture the feeling of Hawaii and aloha better than KBH.

good luck with your decision!

Of the three you mentioned I would choose the Kapalua Bay Hotel. It is has access to a great snorkeling beach and is easy walking distance to better snorkeling at Napili Bay. It is not as snooty as the Ritz, but has a more relaxed feel. It is definitely the most "Hawaiian" of the three you metioned. I agree with Bogart that the rooms are not as nice as they could be and are a bit dated, but the pluses more than make up for its minuses. Just curious...why these three choices?

This question was posed almost 1.5 years ago :)

But I don't think the answers are useful only for the person who originally posted the question. I look at old threads for info a lot and I'm sure I'm not alone.

The replies have been interesting to me as I plan my July/August trip for this year. Sometimes resorts have changed ownership as well and the fresh comments are helpful.

Thanks!!

While that is true Steve, some of the recent respondents were asking questions of the original poster, who is doubtfully still following this post.

Good point. Missed that.