Maui-Kaanapali vs. Wailea
 

Hi,

Another Maui question. Kaanapali sounds like the type of area my husband and I would like; lots of activity. But the beaches in Wailea sound better than the beaches in Kaanapali. Is there anyone here who's stayed in both areas and could give me a bit of a comparison? A nice beach is very important to us, but we also like to be able to walk to lots of restaurants, stores, etc., and not have to get in the car every time we want something.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks!

Do a search...there have been hundreds of posts on this topic that would be helpful to you! Just put "Kaanapali" AND "Wailea" in your search and you'll have a ton to choose from!

.. I have seen both (last week) .. the beaches are the SAME!!!! And as you note, Ka'anapali offers 100x more activities - and is only a short distance from Lahiana, with its delightful Front Street. Waleia is rather cut off from other places in West Maui, and in Kihei there is nothing at all to do!!!!

...why there should be a debate between the two areas is beyond me. Were all of life's choices that easy!! Enjoy Maui! Rent a car and drive down to Waleia and check it out for yourself.

Kaanapali has a lovely beach, bit rough at some times of the year. But Kaanapali is a long row of big resort hotels, Westin followed by Marriott followed by something else followed by another I can't remember followed by a Sheraton then the Royal Lahaina. Wailea has the same type of thing but a higher standard of hotels. We hired a car so it didn't matter where we stayed.

Interesting assertion that the beaches of Ka'anapali and Wailea are the same. They're not. Ka'anapali beach is three miles long and a sliver at times. It is dominated by tall condos and hotels. Wailea has a series of small crescent-shaped beaches stringing from Keawakapu (the largest) south. Not until Big Beach (Makena) does one find a longish beach. And, the hotels and condos are low-rise, low density. Lots less commercial development in Wailea. Plenty of first rate restaurants in both areas, but, overall Wailea is more toney. It's also drier. Kaanapali is much closer to Lahaina-good half day excursion: tatoos, kitch, t-shirts, some art.

The south and west beaches are in no way the same. As a resident beach bum, I do not like Ka`anapali for swimming. The sand is too course, the bottom is too soft and I don't like the feel of being surrounded by hotels. It feels like Miami with all the high-rises. Ka`anapali can be rough and at times there can be a sudden drop off. That said, I'm not that fond of the beach at Wailea either, mainly because of the proximity to the hotels. I much prefer the beaches at Makena or south Kiehi. The south beaches are preferable for me for swimming. The bottom is firmer, the sand is not as course, and except for the occasional shore break, they are swimmable most of the time.

And there is planty to do in Kihei if you know where to look! there is much more to maui than life behind resort walls.

Once someone writes that the Kaanapali and Wailea beaches are the same, you should just stop reading and go one to the next post. Someone had his or her eyes closed.

Each area has a paved beach path allowing one to traverse much of the comely beaches accessing other hotels, restaurants, shops. Ka'anapali has more shopping, though I wouldn't describe it as better.

OK, look at it this way ... if you want to be on the nicer beaches it looks like Wailea, but it you want to be closer to a more active area it looks like Kaanapali. So to take in both of them, you'll probably do a bit of driving .... so which one would you rather drive to and which one would you rather stay at. (I'd rather stay in the area with the nicer beaches, but that's just my preference; you may want to be in the middle of the area with the most activities and then drive to beaches in the south.)

Thanks, everyone. We've decided to stay at the Hyatt on Kaanapali. For us, it sounds like the extra activity in that area might be just what we're looking for. Hopefully this will be our first of more trips to Hawaii, so if we decide we would have liked a different area better, we'll just have to come back!:)

if you like activity, you've made the right choice.

my dh and i started in wailea, but hated it and moved to the hyatt in kaanapali. at our resort in wailea, people just sat around the pool all day. there was nothing to do. i agree with the comments on kaanapali beach- it's smaller, rougher, and has a steep drop-off. but the abundance of people, activities, and energy more than made up for the difference. in fact, the jellyfish prevented us from swimming in wailea anyway.

~fiasco

You'll have a great time. The Hyatt is beautiful and you can always take a trip down to Wailea. If you do, head to Ulua Beach next door to the Renaissance. It has some great snorkeling and beach facilities.

I've stayed at the Hyatt twice and it is a wonderful hotel for your honeymoon!

Well, since it's our 15th anniversary, I guess we'll make sure it's a second honeymoon! ;)

Haha. Ya read so many posts about honeymoons I guess I didn't pay close attention. Since you're on your 15th anniversary it will be wayyyy better than a honeymoon! ;)

My husband and I stayed at the Westin Kaanapapli Ocean Villas in October 2003 and had a wonderful time! However, we are planning to return to Kaanapali and our not sure where to stay. Any recommendations? I checked out the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Villas and it is way too pricey this time around for out visit.