We are going to Maui the first of May and after reading the forums, we still do not get an idea of which hotel to stay in. We hear that the Ritz is nice but not on the beach. We are also looking at the Westin Maui, Hyatt , Sheraton and the Fairmont. Please help we are in our upper 50' and want a nice experience and right now we feel lost. Thanks.

Of the three Kaanapali hotels you mention, The Sheraton has the best stretch of beach, hands down. It is also home to BLACK ROCK, a famous snorkeling location that is known for its sea turtles and fish. The Sheraton is a very comfortable place to stay with lots of activities and restaurants on site, but you have to be prepared to walk quite a bit since the property is very spread out. When we stayed there two years ago, we requested and got two rooms in Building Six, which is very close to Black Rock. This building is almost on top of the water, and the views out to sea were incredible. HOWEVER.. it took us nearly fifteen minutes to walk from our rooms ( a few staircases, two elevators) to the main lobby of the hotel.

The Sheraton is connected by a long boardwalk to the other hotels ( Westin, Hyatt), a small shopping mall, and a few restaurants. It's about a ten minute drive into Lahaina.

The Westin and Hyatt are gorgeous hotels, although the Westin has a very zooey pool scene, and the Hyatt has a beach that comes and goes according to the tides.

Just a FYI... Kaanapali can be pretty crowded and touristy, but on the other hand, it's got plenty to do and Lahaina has lots of good restaurants, nightlife etc. Just depends what you're looking for.

I'd take the Fairmont over the others. Wailea is drier, sunnier, tonier and has prettier, more intimate beaches than Ka`anapali's strand which is built up with high-rise hotels and condos. And, the snorkeling at several Wailea beaches surpasses that of Blackrock-Blackrock never knocked me over.

The Ritz Carlton does not sit on top of a beach-ancient burial ground. They will ferry you down to the beach at your request. Kapalua, the home of the Ritz, can be pretty windy and rainy too, though it is beautiful.

Enjoy your trip

We are also in our 50's and going in August to Maui. Faced the same problem as you, just couldn't make up our minds. However, we looked at the videos of the bedrooms and other facilities, and decided that pound for pound the Grand Wailea looked so much better.

We absolutely loved the Grand Wailea, and I do tend to be quite picky. I even did the art tour in the hotel. It is wonderful and has a very good spa.

Kaanapali Beach Hotel is hard to beat for Maui Charm. However be aware. Maui News Feb 17 2010. Activity, restaurant prices are hurting visitors

A tourism executive said, "We haven't seen such revenue, reservation and visitor declines in Maui since we've been keeping records."

A fresh sign of the woes are being unleashed by a Maui economy mired in boom-time pricing marketing and the Great Recession.

Those vacationing on Maui are, unfortunately, not finding ways to reduce their restaurant and activities expenses once here. Visitor confidence in finding reasonably priced activities and restaurants in Lahaina/Kaanapali is exceptionally low.

Next year will not be any better than this year if the needs of visitors cannot be met.

We stayed at the Westin Maui and absolutely loved it. We had stayed in Upcountry for the first week, and had 3 days at the Westin. We were so content that our car never left the parking lot. Wonderful pool, great beach, ate at several different restaurants, took surfing lessons, a great shopping area right next door off the beach. We are also in our 50's, and we couldn't have been happier with our decision to stay at the Westin.

Here http://www.mauihawaii.org/MauiPDF.pdf. you will find the best info on Maui created by one of the locals, including a detailed guide to the hotels.

If you cannot open pdf just go to the mail page http://www.mauihawaii.org/mauiinfo.htm

I would do either the Westin in Ka'anapali or the Fairmont in Wailea.
Not really a fan of the Sheraton Black Rock but it does have decent snorkeling.
The Ritz does sit on ancient burial ground and is known for the night marchers that come through the property.
Most of the beaches are ancient burial grounds since that is where the Hawaiian's buried there beloved and lived in the foothills.
Most all developers have Kahana's that bless the property and remove the deceased for a proper burial but the Ritz did not do that at first and that is why there have been many issues..hopefully, things have resolved.
It is very windy up in the Kapalua area.
We are fans of the Napili area.
Some great deals going on right now.
Aloha