My fiance' and I will be vacationing in Maui for our honeymoon in mid-November. We will be staying at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua. Has anyone in this forum ever stayed at this hotel? I heard that it is located in a less- than-ideal place (not on the beach), and I wanted to get any feedback I can regarding this place (and Kapalua, in general). Thanks in advance....

Kole, Good news! You actually will be on a great, small beach - just set back a little! I've only visited Kapalua with golfers, but it is absolutely gorgeous. You will need to drive 25-30 minutes to the action in Kaanapali Resort- Lahaina, but you have great restaurants in the Kapalua resorts, though they're expensive. Are your plans very firm, or might you still be considering other locations? The only thing that might give me pause is that the weather will be cooler and rainier in November in Kapalua, as compared to the Wailea area which is much sunnier and drier that time of year. What do you say, posters?

I have a friend who will be staying at the Ritz in Kapalua next week, and I will have her e-mail you or post on here when she returns!

Have a wonderful honeymoon in Hawaii! It's really hard to go wrong in this magical place!

I agree with Ruth. We stayed at Kapalua Bay in January in a condo with a large expanse of windows and doors facing the ocean. Over a period of a couple of weeks we had many days when the windows would rattle from the wind. On cloudy windy days in Kapalua, Kanapallii more often than not would be mild and sunny. The Kapalua area is much nicer in the summer. My first choice in the winter is Wailea which is much drier than the rest of the island. My second choice is Kanapalli which has the best overall weather throughout the year.
The Grand Wailea is a great hotel, it is certainly one of the best hotels on Maui.

They had to work around a burial ground when they built the Ritz. That's why the beach is a bit of a distance from the rest of the facility.

My husband and I will be staying at the Ritz in mid-October to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. We did quite a bit of research on where to stay. We were torn between Wailea (Four Seasons, Renaissance, Grand Wailea) and Kapalua. Most on this site will steer you toward Wailea because it is sunnier. But I can only stand so much sun - don't mind a few clouds and a nice breeze. Kapalua seems to be more pread out an scenic - although not right on the beach like Wailea resorts. Personally, I don't mind a short walk to a small private beach. So - we chose Kapalua over the highly rated Four Seasons - though most on this site would probably chastize me for that decision. The Ritz is a very elegant chain - we have stayed at several of their locations over the last several years and never been disappointed. I just can't see how the Four Seasons gounds, food, service could be THAT much better than the Ritz Carlton! We prefer a breezy, scenic, spread out, peaceful gof and beach resort - and for us this is the Ritz. Good choice - have a great trip!!!

P.S. Besides, don't you love the sound of crashing waves?? The Wailea beaches are in coves, no waves - to me, that takes the fun out of the ocean. If you want to snorkel, you can drive to Kapalua beach down the street.

Don't misunderstand my prior posting Kapalua is a great place. I've enjoyed staying in the Villa condos a number of times. Most people go to Hawaii to enjoy the sun. The Ritz is nice hotel, but why risk windy cloudy days.
By the way the beach is not private. It is accessible to the public, but its probably true that it will not be crowded in mid-November.

I just got back from the ritz at kapalua, and i thought the location was pretty good, it's about 10 miles straight down the road to Lahaina which has a great assortment of restaurants and shops. we went there for dinner several times, so it was nice to be so close to it. the hotel itself is not on the beach, it's about 100 yards back b/c of the ancient hawaiian burial site. it's a nice walk downhill to the pool and they have golf carts drving you back and forth if you don't want to walk. also, the beach has chair and towel service as well and there is a casual lunch place down there as well. the wailea area is much further from lahaina, about 45 minutes. definitely eat dinner at Roy's Kahana restaurant, it is halfway between the ritz and lahaina. the food is excellent, good enough to make up for it's location in a strip mall. you should have reservations there, the concierge can make them for you that day. all the restaurants in the kapalua area are part of hotels and therefore pricey. we ate at the Terrace restaurant in the hotel for the breakfast buffet, it was included in our package, it was very good and convenient. we had dinner there one night, and the food/service/ atmosphere was excellent.