Would appreciate opinions on the Kapalua area (beach, wind, dining, etc.) Also, specifically The Kapalua Villas.

Thanks

My wife and I have stayed at Kapalua Villas a half dozen times, the last being this past June. The condo's have always been in great shape and worth the price. Lately we have stayed at the golf villas bordering the Bay golf course. This is approximately a quarter mile to the beach. You still have wonderful views of the ocean and neighboring islands. If you are golfers Kapalua has a great golf package. Kapalua is on the north end of the islands and is definitly windy. In the summer the wind is no real problem and in fact keeps the air temperature quite comfortable. This end of the island is quiet and seems to have less children, but is only a short (10 -15 minute) drive to Kaanaplai and Lahaina. There are excellent restaurants in the area including the Plantation House and Roy's. The entire rgion from Lahaina to Kapalua has a number of good restaurants. Another benefit of Kapalua Villas is the use of the Ritz Carlton's pool and facilities without the Ritz's prices. Typically when it is just my wife and I we will stay in Kapalua. With our children we tend to migrate to Kaanapali (the Alii or Whaler condos) as there is more to do. One activity I would recomend is a snokel/picnic sail on the Kapalua Kai (they have a web site). This trip is owner operated and the pick-up is on Kaanapali beach. I have not seen comments about the Kapalua Kai before but Peter and Inca do a bang-up job and I would highly recomend this activity.

Don't mean to be a dark cloud, but since you're looking for opinions I'll offer mine. We stayed at Kapalua Bay the second night of our honeymoon 10 years ago (which means things may have changed). We had a villa reserved. Checked out of it almost immediately as it wasn't quite what we were expecting in terms of luxury. Haven't been back to Kapalua in our 6 subsequent trips to Maui. If you're looking for good golf, quiet surroundings, and don't mind that the weather is a little unpredictable up north in the Kapalua area, and if you're not expecting 5 star luxury, Kapalua may be a satisfying destination for you. We're pickier than most about hotels, and I feel shortchanged when I get shut in by rain for long periods while in tropical areas. Wailea is more predictable, but has other disadvantages for some. To the upside, Kapalua's grounds and setting are/is very beautiful. Good restaurants in the neighborhood. You may love it there. Depends on what you're after and what you enjoy. Good luck.

Hi we spent five days in maui at the ritz, which was great, but the weather was very touchy. we had 2 days of rain, 1 day we spent at the pool, one sunny day doing haleakala, and one mixed day doing road to hana. luckily we were coming off of 5 perfectly sunny days at kona village, so we'd had our fill of beachside lounging. had that not been the case we would have been disappointed. that said, i loved the ritz, it is luxurious, and the service/staff were top notch.

Am returning next week to Maui for my fifth visit. I always stay in the Kaanapali area as its location (and that of Kapalua 10 minutes to the north)cannot be beat for accessability to the island's best restaurants in Lahaina/Kaanapali/Kohala and Kapalua. The weather is generally not as unstable as some earlier individuals have reported and, if you use Kapalua as your homebase for daytrips, you will be travelling to several different microclimates on the island. Kapalua is a good choice if you play golf, like a more quiet and "refined" atmosphere (less children), want close proximity to Lahaina/Kapalua and its restaurants/nightlife, like a less crowded beach, etc. Only if you plan on spending all your time on the beach should you abandon Kapalua in favor of sunnier, drier Wailea (but Kapalua DOES get its share of sunny, nice weather!).