This Review of The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Maui is a 2019 review based on our visit earlier this year. We also stayed at The Fairmont Kea Lani and The Four Seasons Maui at Wailea, so we'll be reviewing those resorts as well.
The entire resort completed a renovation in 2018, so I expected a still new looking resort.
TravelSort Clients enjoy these benefits at The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Maui:
- Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
- Daily Buffet breakfast, for up to two in room guests (served in the Ulana Restaurant)
- $100 USD Resort/Hotel credit, to be utilized during stay (not combinable, not valid on room rate, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
- Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
Complimentary Wi-Fi
Ritz-Carlton Kapalua Location and Check-In
The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua is located about a 1 hour drive from Kahului Airport (OGG), in the northwestern part of the island. Note that the valet parking cost is $30 + tax per day, and there's also a resort fee of $35 + tax, which includes select complimentary fitness classes, tennis, basketball, the resort shuttle around Kapalua, cultural history tours and discounted golf fees.
It was quite crowded in the resort's driveway when we arrived, so it took some time to get valet attention, and there was a line at reception to check-in.
We were offered welcome drinks:
We were given directions to reach our 1BR Garden View Residence via inside hallways and elevators, but in retrospect, since we were traveling rather lightly, it would have been much faster to exist from the lobby towards the pools and reach our building that way. Here's the outside of the building our Garden View 1BR Residence was in.
Ritz-Carlton Kapalua Garden View 1Bedroom Residence
1 Bedroom residences are 900 square feet, and a good option for families as it gives parents some privacy, with a bedroom that is separated with a door from the living room.
There's also a kitchenette, with a sink, microwave, fridge and dishwasher.
The bedroom's king bed was quite comfortable, with a pillowtop mattress, although not as plush as the Four Seasons mattress.
Both the bedroom and the living room had sliding doors that opened to the garden, with a small private patio.
Our son especially enjoyed relaxing in the hammock in front of our residence:
The bathroom was on the small side, and notwithstanding the 2018 renovation, seemed slightly dated. For example, the shower was a regular shower, there wasn't a rain shower head.
Bath products, as is typical for Ritz-Carlton, were Purple Rain by Asprey.
More problematically, the separate soaking tub's drain didn't work correctly, so that water slowly seeped out, making it impossible to fill or soak in the bath.
See our Ritz-Carlton Kapalua Maui YouTube Video Review:
Ritz-Carlton Kapalua Pools
There are tiered pools at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, with the highest tier pool the Adults Pool, reserved for guests 18 and over. The middle and bottom tier pools are family-friendly.
The Verdict
We enjoyed our brief stay at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, although the resort itself and the location aren't my favorite in Maui. That's because the Kapalua area tends to be quite windy, with plenty of waves crashing, and not good for snorkeling. Our son loved this, however, and it was an effort to extract him from all his fun body surfing and boogie boarding. So if you or your family enjoy boogie boarding, this is an excellent place to stay.
If choosing the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, I do really recommend making sure you have Club Lounge access, as service in the Club Lounge was very good (full review on the Club Lounge coming soon) and helped make for a more personal experience in an otherwise very large resort.
Recommended Posts
Four Seasons Maui: $400 Nightly Resort Credit for Suites
The Mill House Maui Restaurant Review
Ko Restaurant Wailea Maui Review, Fairmont Kea Lani
Hawaiian Airlines A330 First Class Pros and Cons
If you enjoyed this, join 200,000+ readers: follow TravelSort on Twitter or like us on Facebook to be alerted to new posts.
Subscribe to TravelSort on YouTube and TravelSort on Instagram for travel inspiration.
Become a TravelSort Client and Book 5-Star Hotels with Virtuoso or Four Seasons Preferred Partner Benefits