The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka'anapali

This was the first time to Maui for many in the family. We picked the Westin primarily because of the pool and slides for the kids. Overall, it was a great experience. The hotel in general seems to have been updated recently. The room was clean, and we had the ocean view side. Breakfast was included at the Uni Restaurant. We were there every morning and probably tried all the dishes. The food is excellent, made with fresh ingredients. The had offerings for the kids including a mini Dave & Busters style arcade with a mini bowling alley. Fish and bird feeding, and of course the pool slides. The service was excellent from the bartenders, the servers and the room staff. Luckily it was not too busy when we stayed so there were no crowding issues at the pool, beach or restaurants. Then there is the beach which is the highlight. There are chairs and umbrellas for rent. The only downside, and I know this is an industry wide thing, is the inflated resort and parking fees. This was an added cost of $100 a night during our visit. It would be nice if the resort would incorporate these items in their base rate.

We have been to this Westin numerous times on the past 25 years. One of the benefits of being a Starwood owner. Most of the time we were pleased with our visit. This time we need to call out the restaurant management for the expensive mediocre food they are putting out and not having staff to give reasonable service. We went to Pailolo for dinner last night. The restaurant was pretty empty for happy hour. We said hi to a waiter and he said take any table. We did and then waited and waited… i finally went to the bar to order drinks and the bar tender said that he would have the waiter bring our drink. I ask what waiter, we haven’t seen one for like 15 minutes? He said he would take care of it and finally a waiter showed up. Looking over the menu I noticed all the entries were over $20. Being Hawaii I expected the menu would be pricey but good. We got pork nachos and a hamburger. Neither had much flavor. The bill with tip was $90. While I don’t mind spending money for a good dining experience, our experience at Pailolo was second rate. Not what any owner would expect from a Westin. Several years ago we had a similar experience that we chalked up to the hotel not being able to hire enough staff. That not an excuse today with the number of service workers looking for jobs after the fires. Westin you need to get things back on track.

My goal is to provide potential guests with information that will enhance your stay. We stayed 5 nights using Marriott points in the Ocean Tower opting not to pay the additional expense for the Hōkūpaʻa Tower “experience”. The Hōkūpaʻa Tower looks to be a paid upgrade that includes some food, beverage and a private infinity pool; I couldn’t’ find a way to book room with points. My status is lifetime platinum. After some 400+ stays in Marriott properties, I’m convinced that the room upgrade formula is locked away in a safe somewhere in area 51 but somehow, we were given an upgrade to an Ocean View room on the 10th floor. Incredible view and great way to begin our stay. Rooms are a scooch smaller than your average hotel room, that said you don’t feel cramped; that said the bathroom is a tad challenging for two simultaneously. Our room was clean and comfortable, and the daily service was outstanding. We received certificates for two free breakfast items daily at the Mahele Market; robust offerings from eggs with bacon or sausage, smoothies and my favorite the Loco Moco, a Wagyu beef patty topped with fried egg and gravy on rice. Service was simply wonderful at every tough point. I heard that the occupancy was 50%-60% during our stay so that combined with the thoughtful policy of “leave your stuff on a chair unoccupied for an hour and it will be removed” eliminated the frustrating “battle royale” at some resorts for pool chairs. A tip of the cap to Westin leadership for implementing this policy! There are beach chairs and cabanas for rent of varying price points; we chose the beach for $125 (for 2) noting that reservations are required though a third party and that a 10% gratuity, service fees and taxes are tacked on brining the total to $150. Some of the reviews I read spoke of a mad house of kids….at this time of year, families with kids were hard to find. Finally, note that there is no escaping ~$110 in fees per day: $45 self-park or $50 valet, resort fee of $49, occupancy tax of $6.49, “other tax” of $2.31 and something called a parking GET tax of $2.36. We were granted a late checkout – that was unexpected and honestly made our last remarkable! I have a single gripe – drink quality for the money at poolside. All in pool cocktails run about $20. I would challenge bar staff and leadership to taste test your Mai Tai versus the same served at the Monkey Pod in the Whalers Village next door….about the same price. My rating is 2 versus a 10 at Monkey Pod. I’m sorry, your pool side cocktails are just….well, not that good. Recommendation to guests: choose beer if choosing alcohol. All in the Westin team delivered a fantastic and memorable vacation experience for us. Mahalo to all of the well-trained, professional and friendly staff.

We recently stayed at this hotel expecting a premium experience given the $800-per-night price tag, but unfortunately, the service fell far short of expectations. When we checked into our room, we noticed that the sink was already draining very slowly. Within a few hours, it became completely clogged. We reported the issue to the front desk and asked if it could be resolved while we went out for a walk. Disappointingly, no one was sent for over 90 minutes. When we returned, the maintenance staff had just started working on it, and it took another full hour to fix the problem—meaning we lost significant time during what was supposed to be a relaxing stay. To make matters worse, the hotel’s response was underwhelming. We asked for some form of compensation for the inconvenience, but all they offered was a $100 credit, which hardly seems appropriate given the cost of the room and the disruption we experienced. For a hotel that markets itself as high-end, the level of responsiveness and customer care was far below what we expected. We left feeling disappointed and frustrated. Would not recommend based on our experience.

This is a lovely hotel in a brilliant location on the beach. Bipin, Rachel, Thami, Theresa, Robert, Trish, Carolyn and Jackson made our stay. There are staff here that go above and beyond and staff here that do this less so. Huge thanks to Bipin for making our stay so memorable. Highlights: Go for an ocean view room Water stations are a win and don’t taste of the yuck chlorine water we found when travelling in California! Love the room key on a wristband Love the bottles we get to keep instead of the hotel using plastic bottles everywhere Love love love love loved the cultural activities such as coconut weaving and ukelele lessons. Kahiki and team were amazing to speak to and it’s humbling to hear the Hawaiians talk about their country so fondly. I encourage guests to get involved in learning about this amazing land. Love the Valley Alley arcade. Caitlin and Trish provided amazing service. Hotel made a huge effort for my daughter’s bday. Loved the pools and slides Loved The Hale Mooelo beyond burger Loved the beach Love the self serve sun cream - so clever and handy! Go to black rock, you will see turtles there even if you do not snorkel! It was unreal! Adult pool is beautiful Whalers village is basically next door although suggest getting bits from a supermarket if you are pn a budget Microwave available to use in room if needed Stunning sunsets Lowlights: Concierge service was inconsistent Check in took a while which wasn’t great after such a long flight Feels like some staff do not have full autonomy to make decisions and sometimes a manager needs to be consulted Shame that the hotel charges for sun loungers on the beach All in all a beautiful place, beautiful land, beautiful Hawaiian people. Hotel is worth booking.