Has anyone stayed at the ritz carlton in Maui? If so, how are the rooms, beach, etc. Would appreciate recommendations for restaurants and sightseeing trips.

thanks.

A close friend of mind stayed at the Ritz two years ago. He had nothing but wonderful things to say about it and plans to go back. Sorry I don't know any specific details about the hotel but he loved it. We have been to Maui three times and I highly recommend eating at Mama's Fishhouse. It's a wonderful, slightly upscale restaurant on it's own private beach with an "old Hawaii" feel; surrounded by palm trees, outrigger canoes on the beach, etc. Very tropical and old Hawaii. They serve lunch and dinner. I would recommend reservations. If you're into atmosphere, you can't get anymore Hawaii than this. Plus, the food was great. Take the drive to Hana; be sure to get the official tape recording that guides you through the drive. The first time we did it, we didn't have the tape and we missed so much. One highlight for us on the drive was the grave of Charles Lindbergh. It's high on the mountain next to a small, old church, overlooking the ocean. A very quiet, beautiful spot. The one thing we did that I would not recommend was a sunset cruise on one of the big flat type sailboats. I forget what it's called. But it was difficult to get onto, we were drenched before we ever got on the boat, and the food and drinks were really chintzy. Hope this helps a little! The sunset was great though. If you haven't already done so, do a search on this website for Maui and you'll find some great restaurants, etc. Have a wonderfultime!

Thanks so much for your input. One can research & research the internet, but a personal recommendation is the best!

Sharon, friends stayed at the Ritz, and said the hotel was just beautiful with great service.... they loved it. They found the beach to be a bit of a hike, and said it got pretty windy.... but would go back.

Hi sharon2

I just came back from the Ritz in Maui and did a posting on www.theknot.com (see below). The hotel is nice and the property is very beautiful indeed. The beach is pretty but windy. The hotel restaurant, Banyan Tree, is excellent.

I have not done a full Maui report yet but will say we enjoyed eating at the following places beside Banyan Tree: Plantation House, David Paul's Lahaina Grill, The Rusty Harpoon. We also ate at Mama's Fish House. It is a very quaint restaurant on a gorgeous beach setting. We went for a 2pm lunch reservation. It was still crowded and service was excruciatingly slow. We probably sat for 20 minutes before getting any drinks. The food also took quite a long time once ordered. We thought the food was just ok (not bad but not great - overpriced). But I recommend going just for the experience.

Look for a future post from me regarding the whole Maui trip and experiences/recommendations soon.

Here is what I put on the knot...

I recently returned from a stay at the Ritz in Maui and felt that I should clear things up for people thinking of staying here. (I will come back with a full trip review later.) I had stayed here a couple of years ago and had a totally different and wonderful experience that time (first time in Hawaii, first trip with FI, free room upgrade, LUCKY with good weather the ENTIRE time).

This time was different. We get to the Ritz and guess what - no upgrade. My only beef with this was that I had sent an email to the Ritz customer service and enquired about rewards/cards for points/miles/etc and was told that "the Ritz does not have any such programs since they believe in rewarding return customers". So much for our reward!

There were quirky things about the room that made things slightly inconvenient - not many drawers, only one power outlet in the bathroom, low lighting in the bathroom, static on the phone lines constantly. Overall the room was nice and the bed was extremely comfy though. The balcony and view was also really nice.

The service was great in all restaurants, with bell hops and from housekeeping. The front desk wasn't always so helpful - a coule of times we called to make a request and we got transferred around a few times before getting help.

Since our last visit they renovated the beach area slightly. They added a patio area right above the beach (but not in the sand) for lounge chairs. There also was an area with covered lounge chairs but not nearly enough of them for a full hotel. They also changed the policy on allowing the hotel lounge chairs to be placed directly on the sand (maybe they were getting left out and taken out by high tide or something).

Now for the weather report - mostly cloudy and about an hour of extremely light rain practically every day (usually in the early morning or late evening). This was a bummer. But the winds did make things feel nice and cool. The last 2 days of our stay there was no rain and the days were completely sunny for a change (not a big help on our checkout day). Of course, the weather would be nicer if you drove to other parts of the island (except maybe mountainous parts).

The other thing that's not so great - parking. If you want to valet it's $15 per night. Of course you can park for free but you have to walk at least 8 rows back to get to the free spots.

There were some cool things though - free chocolates and bottles of water on our first day (only). Housekeeping changed out towels and sheets twice a day and performed turn down service. Golf carts would take you up and down to the beach. Food was great - even the included breakfast buffet.

The big question - will we go back there on a return visit? I do not think so. We already said that we would try the Wailea area (which I didn't get to see on this trip at all) - 4S, Fairmont or Grand Wailea. Another option might be the Kapalua Bay Hotel after it gets renovated - we were told that it was going to undergo a multimillion dollar renovation/expansion soon (to include practically doubling the room sizes).

I feel bad for all my past posts where I stood up for this hotel. I hope my latest review helps anyone considering the hotel for a future stay. Feel free to ask me any questions or point anything out to me!