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Terrace View
380 to 456 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles.
A Balcony / Patio and a Terrace view.
Golf Mountain View
380 to 456 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles.
A Balcony / Patio and a mountain view.
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Oyster Review Summary
Photos and review by Briana R., Oyster Expert Hotel Investigator.
Updated: May 8, 2010
Pros
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Cons
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Bottom Line
The 759-room Westin Maui's five-pool aquatic playground, direct access to Kaanapali Beach, exceptional beds, and a slew of above-average amenities make it one of the best mega-resorts for the price in Kaanapali, if not all of Maui. But at a resort this big, you'll have to wake up early to snag a lounger.
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The Westin Maui Resort & Spa - Maui, Hawaii
The Westin Maui Resort & Spa - Maui, Hawaii
Rooms at The Westin Maui Resort & Spa
Best Price Guarantee
Learn More »
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Terrace View
380 to 456 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles. A Balcony / Patio and a Terrace view. |
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Golf Mountain View
380 to 456 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles. A Balcony / Patio and a mountain view. |
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Deluxe Ocean View
380 to 456 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles. A Balcony / Patio and an ocean view. |
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Partial Ocean View
380 to 456 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles. A Balcony / Patio and a partial ocean view. |
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Ocean View
380 to 456 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles. A Balcony / Patio and an ocean view. |
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Premier Deluxe Ocean View
380 to 456 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles. A Balcony / Patio and an ocean view. |
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Garden View
380 to 456 sq. ft with a King bed or 2 Doubles. A Balcony / Patio and a garden view. |
Oyster Hotel Review
Contents
Scene
One of Kaanapali's best beachfront mega-resorts; but expect long lines for food, chairs at the pool, and help at the front desk
The Westin Maui Resort & Spa
Past the Westin's landscaped driveway and grand entrance, throngs of guests line up at the front desk, waiting to catch first glimpses of the Westin's lush grounds, its 87,000 square feet of pool-mania, its waterslides, its Heavenly Spa, its Aloha Business Center, its on-site shops (there's even a Sunglass Hut), its live music at the 'OnO Bar & Grill, its gorgeous beachfront. ... If it sounds like a mouthful, that's because it is. One of Maui's biggest resorts, the 759-room Westin has more amenities than any other hotel in its price range.
Unfortunately, the line at check-in isn't the last. The pool decks get crowded in the afternoon and lounge chairs can be hard to find. Even the wait for breakfast can be ridiculously long. But the lines are no different here than they are at the Westin's closest competitor, the Hyatt Regency, or most other mega-resorts along the resort-rich four-mile stretch of Kaanapali Beach. The Hyatt also has an incredible pool complex and similar top-tier features, and its guest rooms are a touch larger, but its sliver of beach is also much narrower.
Service
Impersonal service and long lines
The front desk
Getting acquainted with the Westin Maui usually includes waiting in line to park your car, waiting in line to check in, and then waiting some more for your luggage to arrive at the room -- the operative word here is wait. This is a massive resort with well over a thousand guests on any given day, and you can feel it. Considerable lines at the breakfast buffet and even coffee stand would be prohibitive, if you had any other options. At the front of the line, the service is variable: like it or not, you're stuck with what you get and staff members aren't forced too hard to please guests.
- Two concierge desks; knowledgeable staff
- Separate activities counter for booking outside activities and excursions
- Drink service at the adult-only pool
- Nearly 24-hour room service (6:30 to 5 a.m.)
- Self-parking is free; valet parking is $12 per day
Location
In the center of Kaanapali Beach -- Hawaii's first master-planned resort community (built in the 1960s)
Kaanapali is centered around two golf courses and bookended by the massive Hyatt Regency and the Sheraton. Six hotels and a handful of condo rentals are squeezed cheek-to-cheek along four miles of uninterrupted beachfront; guests mingle on the sand, using the beaches (and even, at times, the pools and facilities) of neighboring properties. The mostly calm, white-sand beach incorporates Black Rock -- an eroded cinder cone sacred to ancient Hawaiians and the site of daily sunset cliff dives. Kaanapali is less crowded north of Black Rock, where the lodging is mostly composed of small hotels and condo rentals, like the Royal Lahaina.
- Four miles of uninterrupted sand between Canoe Beach and Black Rock with mostly calm, swimmable surf (though water currents vary in strength)
- Paved beach walkway runs the entire length of the four-mile beach; often crowded, but a great place to meet locals.
- Next door to Whalers Village, an open-air shopping mall with beachfront restaurants, curio shops, upscale fashion boutiques, and its own free museum
- About a 10-minute drive from the historic village of Lahaina, with tons of shopping, restaurants, and Maui's best nightlife
- The Sugarcane Train Tour - offering a history of Maui's sugar plantation days -- leaves from the station across from the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas in north Kaanapali, a five-minute drive from the hotel.
- Free self-parking on premise; valet parking available for $12 a day (if the self-park lot gets full, they'll valet park your car for free)
- Shuttle Service available to Lahaina and Westin sister properties in Kaanapali
Beach
Broad center of beautiful, four-mile-long Kaanapali Beach
The beach
The Westin Maui Resort & Spa faces Kaanapali's four-mile stretch of white sand beach.
- Located along Kaanapali's four miles of continuous, swimmable beach
- Beach is public (like all beaches in Hawaii), so even in front of the resorts, alcohol is prohibited.
- No lifeguards
- Wind and currents vary, but water sports from kayaking and snorkeling to windsurfing and beginner's surf lessons are possible along the beach.
- Excellent snorkeling at Black Rock, located at the north end of Kaanapali Beach (about a 15-minute walk from the hotel)
- Free resort umbrellas and beach chairs on the beach
Rooms
Great beds and modern features -- typical for the price in Kaanapali
The Deluxe Room
The Westin's comfortable, modern guest rooms are what you'd expect for this price in Kaanapali -- better than Kaanapali Beach Hotel's cheaper rooms and a touch smaller than those at pricier Hyatt Regency -- but the rooms at the nearby Sheraton Maui Resort look almost idential. The only difference between the Westin and Sheraton guest rooms: the Westin rooms have a sliver more space, but no microwave.
- Guest rooms start at a comfortable 380 square feet in the Ocean Tower, but the same room type (at the same price) in the Beach Tower is significantly larger, 456 square feet.
- Room rates are based on view, not size or layout.
- All rooms have a small balcony, just enough room for two chairs.
- "Heavenly" beds: pillow-top mattresses; down duvet; five down pillows
- Bathrooms, though branded "Heavenly," are pretty average. Though the shower/bath combo has two showerheads, the hotel keeps one of the two heads turned off for the sake of water conservation.
- Empty mini-fridge and one-cup coffeemakers in each room; free coffee, tea, and bottled water
- Flat-screen TVs with cable and on-demand movies
- In-room Wi-Fi or wired Internet (included in the $25 a day resort fee)
- Also available: 27 individually designed suites (700 to 2,034 square feet), all of which have ocean views, upgraded electronics like iPod docks and bigger TVs, and separate living areas
Features
All around great amenities, but nothing is especially distinctive
The Heavenly Spa
Clearly, the five pools and two waterslides are the Westin's top attractions (see Pools below), but it doesn't fall short on other amenities. For anything more, you're looking at a considerable price jump for a hotel like the Grand Wailea, the Fairmont Kea Lani, or the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua.
- 24-hour fitness center: up-to-date equipment; overlooks pools and restaurants from the 2nd floor; daily fitness classes like yoga and spinning ($15 per class)
- Heavenly Spa includes a coed relaxation lounge, and men's and women's locker rooms, each with a small steam rooms, dry sauna, and whirlpool -- $25 for access, cheaper than at some of Maui's best spas.
- No on-site tennis court, but you can take a free shuttle to play at either the incredible courts at Royal Lahaina or the Marriott Maui Resort & Ocean Club
- On-site shops include a Sunglass Hut, Lamont's Gifts and Sundries; water-sports equipment and apparel is also sold at the towel stand
- Aloha Business Center (open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekends) has computer stations, printing, copying, and faxing, plus an additional two computer stations to use during off-hours (computer use is $.65 a minute, extra fees for printing, copying, and faxing).
Pools
Five pools and two waterfalls, including an adult-only pool -- but good luck finding a lounge chair after 10 a.m.
The pool
The Westin's five pools -- its 87,000-square-foot "aquatic playground" -- extend like the Great Lakes behind the lobby. All pools are connected by a complex system of walkways, stairs, and waterslides that run between the multiple levels and sections of each pool. And unlike the pool complex at the Hyatt Regency, the Westin also has a quieter, adult-only pool.
- Five large pools -- rivals the best in Kaanapali, including the Hyatt Regency's pool complex
- Two waterslides -- a 120-foot, twisting slide with its own lifeguard and a slightly tamer one for younger kids
- Adult-only pool (16 and over), with its own whirlpool and poolside drink service
- Towel stand sells inflatable pool toys and swim apparel
- Pools get crowded by lunchtime; it's often hard to find lounge chairs in the afternoon.
Entertainment
A full schedule of activities, including an on-site Luau
Guests hop aboard a catamaran
- Westin's Wailele Polynesian Luau shows two to three performances each week ($109 to $130 per adult including tax); slightly more expensive than at the Hyatt Regency.
- Daily activities like surf lessons, airbrushed tattoos, hair wraps, and lei-making -- but just about everything costs extra (excluding feeding the fish in the koi pond)
- Live music outside 'OnO Bar & Grill some evenings
Golf
Two championship-quality courses; hotel guests get discounted rates.
There are two 18-hole courses at the Kaanapali Golf Resort, which spans 1,200 acres of land situated between the beachfront resorts of Kaanapali and the mountains to the west. Built in the '60s, both courses have been home to the Champions Tour Kaanapali Classic and the LPGA Kemper Open. Wind and rain are less common than at the neaby Kapalua courses, though the south Maui courses (those in Wailea and Makena) are the best in Maui.
- Par-71, 6,700-yard Royal Course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. But its wide fairways extend from Kaanapali's main thoroughfare to the beach, and the holes are never far away from traffic and resort structures. (Average rate: $235; $190 for hotel guests)
- Par-70, 6,388-yard Kai Course is designed for easier play, though it's suitable for all levels, and its location in the mountains offers great views of neighboring islands. (Average rate: $195; $150 for hotel guests)
Family
Tons of entertainment and a reasonably priced kids' club, but rooms are a tad small for families
The resort offers daily surf lessons
Full days of entertainment can be made of the Westin's pools and beach alone. While the Westin's kids' club doesn't offer the same level of educational activities as the kids' clubs at the Ritz-Carlton or the Fairmont Kea Lani, their daily rates are also slightly cheaper.
- Standard rooms can fit a rollaway, but very tightly; Deluxe Oceanview or Premium Oceanview Rooms are larger, and have the option of a king bed with a pullout couch
- Four kid-friendly pools; two waterslides
- Westin Kids Club has full and half-day programs, seven days a week. Activities include arts and crafts and supervised pool time (full day 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., $70 for the first child, $60 for a sibling; half-day $45 per child -- both include lunch)
- Heavenly Cribs, according to Starwood, offer thicker than usual mattresses.
- Kids' menu available from room service and kid-friendly options available at all restaurants
Cleanliness
Impressively clean rooms; but it's hard to keep a hotel this big looking perfectly tidy.
Guest rooms and grounds at the Westin are all very clean -- that is, for a 759-room hotel. By the end of the day, there's usually an accumulation of room service trays in the hallways, pool toys on the lounge chairs, and soggy towels crowding the pool deck. The hotel was last renovated in 2008, so furniture is unmarred and carpets are clean.
Food
Fairly generic menus are better than average thanks to high quality, fresh ingredients.
Tropicana restaurant
The two main restaurants at the Westin -- 'OnO Bar & Grill and Tropica -- use good quality, locally caught fish and Hawaiian grown produce. This makes for a good meal, even if the preparation isn't particularly inventive. There are plenty of worthwhile eating options within walking distance at Whalers Village in Kaanapali, or a short drive away in Lahaina.
- Tropica -- the resort's most upscale restaurant -- has a well-landscaped outdoor, oceanfront dining area and occassional live music (entrees range $35 to $45; 5 to 9:30 p.m.).
- 'OnO Bar & Grill offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a central location, including a well-varied but busy breakfast buffet ($28) and dinner that includes a long menu of tapas-style Hawaiian dishes.
- More affordable to-go breakfast burritos, muffins, coffee, espresso, and smoothies at Colonnade Café ($5 to $10 for breakfast and coffee).
- Nearly 24-hour room service (6:30 to 5 a.m.) offers a limited version of OnO Bar & Grill's menu offerings, plus a specialized kids' menu.
Bottom Line
The 759-room Westin Maui's five-pool aquatic playground, direct access to Kaanapali Beach, exceptional beds, and a slew of above-average amenities make it one of the best mega-resorts for the price in Kaanapali, if not all of Maui. But at a resort this big, you'll have to wake up early to snag a lounger.
Hotel Features
| Number of Rooms: | 759 |
| Pool: | Yes |
| Fitness Center: | Yes |
| Spa: | Yes |
| Internet Access: | Yes |
| Pets Allowed: | Yes |
| Cribs: | Yes |
| Kids Club: | Yes |
| Jacuzzi (in room): | No |
| Casino: | No |
Hotel Information
| Location: | Maui, Hawaii |
| Toll Free Bookings: | 1-888-776-9783 |
| Address: | 2365 Kaanapali Parkway, Lahaina, HI 96761 (See Map) |
Travel Guide
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Oyster Awarded This Hotel
We've visited hundreds of hotels. We slept in the beds and swam in the pools, and when we got home, we debated the pros and cons of every hotel and picked our favorites in a number of categories. Here's how this one stands out:
Things You Should Know About The Westin Maui Resort & Spa
Address
- 2365 Kaanapali Parkway, Lahaina, HI 96761
Hotel Is Also Known As...
- Westin Maui
- Westin Maui Hotel
- Westin Lahaina
- Westin Maui Resort Spa
- Lahaina Westin
- Westin Maui Resort
Room Types
- Terrace View
- Garden View
- Golf Mountain View
- Partial Ocean View
- Ocean View
- Deluxe Ocean View
- Premier Deluxe Ocean View
- Premier Suite
- Imperial Suite
- Luxury Suite
- Executive Suite
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