The Westin Maui Resort & Spa

There are trips and vacations, and then there are travel experiences which shape memories that last a lifetime. The Westin Kaanapali Resort and Spa rockets to the very top of that list. We booked this place through Marriott Bonvoy as gold members, after doing significant online research in search of the perfect experience. The photos looked great, location superb, comments about ongoing construction, but as it turns out, other than one fenced off area of the main courtyard which will house a restaurant, work looks to be nearly done. The "superb experience" actually began about a month before our visit, when a member of their concierge team contacted us to ask the purpose of our visit. I explained it was our honeymoon, to which they replied they would do something nice to commemorate our special occasion. That turned out to be a substantial understatement. We received follow-up emails, they handled bookings for a couple island activities. All good. Upon arrival, the party was on. They greeted us with shell necklaces and a special green sash, signifying we were honeymooners. They switched our mountain view room to an ocean front, directly in the center of the main building and up high. It was like winning one of those seat contests at a basketball game, where they move you from the 300s to courtside. There was more. The hotel comped us breakfast (sumptuous upscale buffet), sent sparkling wine and strawberries to our room. Throughout our stay staff was at our beck and call to attend to our needs. A couple descriptions.. There are seven swimming pools, many with waterfalls and tunnels, an ample sized hot tub, a sand bottom warm pool, beach right there, pool bar and walking paths throughout the resort with lush landscaping, koi ponds, birds, Flora and fauna to dazzle the senses. At night everything is bathed in twinkling lights. Right next door is Whalers Village. Plenty of stores, ABC Store for sundries, three waterfront restaurants. All right there. The hotel offers a free shuttle to Lahaina which runs every hour throughout the day. The return ride is a 2$ bus fare or 9$ via rideshare. They will also pickup from Kapalua Airport. But the ride to or from the main airport (OGG) you have to book on your own. Thank you, thank you, thank you.. From two honeymooners who had a wonderful and magical time at your amazing resort. We can't wait to come back!

This is really a 4.5 star review, but as we all know, half stars aren't a thing. I'm being as detailed as possible since the hotel is undergoing a major renovation. As of 1/19/20, the only things left to complete are the new oceanfront restaurant and lounge, and the spa. Both look like they will be stunning! We booked our stay here as part of a travel package, and we fully understood that construction was underway. Recent reviews had us very nervous, but we went into it with open (and hopeful) minds. Our stay far exceeded our expectations! LOCATION Kaanapali Beach is one of the main resort areas on the island, but for first timers, know this is about 45 minutes from the airport. The hotel has AWESOME beach right out front that even has decent snorkeling. Right next door is Whalers Village with several upscale shops and three great restaurants, all with a daily happy hour and oceanfront realty. The hotel has a shuttle that runs between other Marriott properties and into nearby Lahaina. ROOM The hotel's airport shuttle picked us up and that went smoothly. We were greeted with shell leis and check-in was a breeze. We were in room 507, facing the ocean and above the pools with a fantastic view. We watched whales from our lanai! I saw many reviews about the rooms being small and oddly-shaped, but we did not find that at all. Ours was a king, and we had a spacious desk/work area, large dresser, closet, bathroom, and separate wash area with a dual-sided mirror, which was awesome to get ready at the same time. The lanai had two chairs and a table. POOLS/GROUNDS When we checked in, the adult pool and plunge pool (there are 6 pools total) were being finished and they were completed a couple days later. They're all great with something for everyone - romantic grottos, waterslides and spray pads for kids, quieter lounge pools, and tons and tons of chairs and "pods"/cabanas. The pools are all very busy, but we never felt that they were noisy at all, even with our lanai door wide open. The grounds are gorgeous, with tropical birds, waterfalls, and greenery everywhere. They also offered crafts, island orientations, kids' activities, and other things each day outside. SERVICE Service we received from every single staff member was phenomenal. At check in we were asked if we were celebrating anything (we were, an anniversary) and that evening a bottle of chilled champagne and glasses were sent up. That was a great start to our trip! The couple of times we asked for something (an extra robe, bottles of water), they were brought immediately, and every person we encountered was friendly and helpful. We were especially impressed by a few things from the staff: We asked about the complimentary shuttle once, and the concierge went into detail about our options and made absolutely certain we knew where to go and when. The valet guys ask where you're headed to and how your day was, and offer guidance on your next adventure. Checkout was at 11, but our flight wasn't until 10pm. Not only did the bell desk hold our luggage, but we were able to use a courtesy suite that night for 30 minutes just before the hotel shuttle took us to the airport. Lifesaver! FOOD/BARS We had heard food was subpar here, but we were actually very happy. We ate dinner at both the poolside bar and the Happy Hours Lounge (the current full-service restaurant), and the breakfast buffet once. We loved the pool bar, the bartenders make fantastic mai tais (try them!) and their menu leans more toward contemporary pub fare. The crispy cauliflower app and poke bowl are awesome! The breakfast buffet is pricey at $33/each, but it's expansive with a TON of choices, including a fresh omelet bar and another station making fresh loco moco and eggs (not sure if that rotates, as we only tried the buffet once). In the full service restaurant, they have food trucks now, but we found it a little confusing because you still order centrally. It seems they are more for show until the new restaurant opens? Two nights a week the hotel has a luau and on those nights dinner service is limited. There is also a little coffee shop with drip coffee (why not espresso and lattes etc?) and a variety of snacks/pastries, as well as a shop with an impressive selection of everything. We found everything from fresh fruit and cheese cups to frozen pizza, liquor, and gifts there, and prices were reasonable. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and wouldn't hesitate to book here again - especially after the renovations are fully complete!

The hotel has a very beautiful area, many pools and two outdoor hot tubes. I don't like paid sunbeds at the beach but the beach is excellent without lava stones. Breakfast was pretty good and stuff very friendly. Nice place

The bad reviews here kinda shock me. The grounds are beautiful and the rooms are nicely appointed and comfortable. Yes, there is construction, but anyone who paid even an ounce of attention would have known that coming in. The construction hasn't bothered us at all. The beach is stunning, and the pools are great. Yes, some of the hallways might need a little work as previous reviewers had mentioned, who cares, how much time are you spending in the hallways? We are bonvoy platinum and received all of the amenities that are very hit or miss at other hotels (room upgrade, free buffet breakfast, and late checkout). The staff has really gonna above and beyond to make our stay excellent. If you're the type of person who spends their time in paradise enjoying yourself, stay here. If you're a grumpy coot who likes to spend their time complaining about every minor annoyance, by all means go spend $1000 a night and stay at the four seasons.

We loved this property for our family of 16 - three generations with 8 kids ages 1-8. we had 6 rooms and they managed to get us all connecting rooms in pairs. THe 5 pools are great! The one for the toddlers is great and has it's own water slide. Connected to it is a larger, deeper pool for the older kids with a much longer slide. We used these two the most, but there are some for adults only. The staff took good care of us, and when I used a concierge (Jake) to book us a glass bottom boat tour (which was also amazing), he passed me in the lobby me the next day, called me by name, and asked me how it was. I also felt like I'd befriended a desk clerk (Dawn) whom I also got to know and she'd been there 28 years! Our only glitch was not getting the luggage to our rooms quickly when we arrived. We had some babies that needed bottles and such from a suit case and it took 30 minutes to arrive!