Maui: Ritz OR Hyatt?
 

We will be going to Hawaii for the first time in early May and would like to know if the Hyatt or Ritz would be a better choice. Our priorities are a nice beach, couple oriented {i.e.: no kids), nice facilities and great service. Any help appreciated.

You are not going to love me for this, but have you looked into the Four Seasons down in Wailea? This area is a tad further south, drier and warmer. Wailea is a far classier area than Kanapaali, one nice property after another connected by a seaside path, not overcrowded, perfect for a couple. We stayed at the Ritz a couple years ago and it is a beautiful property, but ver windy up in Kapalua and often rainier than Wailea. There is a glass partition up at the pool to protect you from the wind. Far too windy although worth a visit. Also the dining there is quite pricey and other than the Honolua Store out front and the Kapalua Bay Hotel(shuttle) you are restricted as to variety or price of dining. The Hyatt is a nice property no doubt, but I have read lots of ratings that have said that some of the rooms are not to Hyatt standard. The beach at Kanapaali is not always wide or free from coral, can be crowded and touristy. The Four Seasons has some specials, dig for them on the phone, pay 4 nights, get the 5th free. I sent someone there for a honeymoon in October and they loved it. No, I am not a travel agent!! Their rate includes parking, cabana use around the pool(45.00+ elsewhere), tennis, use of fitness centre, snorkelling gear for 2 daily. Dining is terrific and I can recommend some other places to eat(shuttle away) Well, if you are interested, email me for further info, and I would be glad to help. Annemarie

We stayed at the Hyatt last October and would defintiely recommend it. The property was beautiful and we were very pleased with our room. We were on the 8th floor and had a great view of the ocean and pool. The pool is fantastic and we did not see many kinds at all during our stay. The beach in front of the Hyatt was narrow but very beautiful. We loved being 5 minutes from the great restaurants in Lahaina. <BR>I'm sure wherever you stay you'll have a fantastic time. <BR>

Hi Mark! We stayed at the Hyatt in January 1998 and I would highly recommend it, in fact, that is where I would stay if and when we return to Maui. We did visit the Ritz and it was absolutely beautiful, but too remote for me. The pool and grounds of the Hyatt were beautiful, very lush with grottos and rock formations and an underground bar off the pool. Lots of wildlife on the property. Local music each nice at one of the lounges. Great restaurant Cascades on the property. If you like sushi, this is the place. Breakfast was included in our package, and we ate it each day at the Swan Court, a beautiful open air restaurant right out on water with beautiful swans swimming right by. We had a balcony room overlooking the pool and beach. The hotel is in an excellent location, you can walk along the beach or follow the sidewalk along the beach to several other large hotels and a great shopping area Whalers Village. We stayed 2 weeks and really had a wonderful time. Gee, I envy you. Let me know if you have any questions, we saw and did just about all there was to do.

We stayed at the Ritz on our honeymoon last year. It was a beautiful hotel, but I wouldn't particularly recommend it, mostly because it was far away from everything. We were there in November, and it was extremely windy and cloudy - we would drive to Kanaapali for better weather, even though it was just a few miles away. We couldn't even sit outside at the Ritz because of the weather, when it would be sunny in Kanaapali. The Hyatt is much more centrally located and probably similar in quality. <BR> <BR>

Hi Mark- <BR>My husband and I recently honeymooned in Hawaii and we stayed at the Four Seasons. What liked: the service, the rooms (gorgeous), the view, the pool, the gym,locate away from the touristy area - much quieter. What we didn't like: a little snooty, older crowd (some children), not as frienly as a Hyatt. In terms of location, we like being far the crowded areas, so didn't mind driving a little further to see things. Overall, it was nice experience, but there are many nice hotels. We had dinner at the Hyatt, and it is "bustling", very big, lots of honeymooners. To tell you the truth, we really loved Kauai. If we had known, we would have stayed there for the entire trip!! good luck!!