The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua Review

This is not a 5 Diamond resort. It's borderline a 5 Star resort. Marriott clearly committed to maintain a Ritz Carlton brand property on the Kapalua resort, but at this point it seems they're serving out a contract and their heart isn't in it. It feels distinctly like this will be rebranded as a 4 star Westin or Sheraton in the next few years. Specifics: housekeeping was consistently poor despite very generous tips - never the right number of towels, shower screens always left with smears from the cloth used to wipe them down. Valet parking was insanely hit and miss, and valet and bell staff didn't seem to coordinate at all. Front desk staff seemed mostly interested in selling an upgrade on the room, and messed up our payment. We went from this hotel to the Four Seasons and the difference in service was Night and Day. The hotel is huge, but even on a quiet week the pools were too crowded to enjoy during the day. The suites are tired and in need of renovation. Massive crack right across the marble countertop in our room, sofa covers stained and showing their age. Coffee tables scratched and chipped. Crockery and glassware in our suite was a lottery: we had a grand total of two plates and one bowl in a 6 person suite. Stayed at many other RC hotels, and overall afraid this one just isn't good enough to justify the money or the brand.

Great Hotel with excellent costumer service! We love it! Absolutely beautiful!

Absolutely amazing views, likely some of the most stunning coastline around. Great walking trails. Make the trip if you are in Maui.

Typical impeccable Ritz service at an amazingly beautiful property. Fantastic location for a corporate retreat or lovers getaway. Prices are as expected for a top of the line resort with the additional because it's in Hawaii. The pools are the perfect temperature. The food and drinks are great. The rooms are slightly larger than other Ritz properties I've visited.

I'm giving this one 3 stars because the property was nice. I'm actually here right now and can say that it reminds me of an old country club and needs a serious refresh. The hallways to the rooms are dark and musty with old carpeting and the walls are very thin allowing me to hear everything from hallway conversations, cornhole outside, bathtubs being filled in the room above and the super loud sliding glass doors in the other rooms. The breakfast buffet is great, but the service is not. I had to get up and request coffee today and stack dirty dishes on our table as the waiters from today and yesterday left us hanging. The standard rooms are cute but small and have a nice coffee maker, comfortable beds and they give you two bath towels and waters. There is no microwave, no dirty towel basket, a wine opener but no wine glasses and a tiny fridge. The service around the pool is decent, finding a chair later in the day is tough because people take them early in the morning by putting towels on them even if they dont intend to use them for a while. the Banyan tree restaurant was good (ran out of oysters though). The area is very nice but they dont really provide the endless wonderful service or sense of urgency that we expected. As I had to ask for everything and think they should be a step ahead since this is their specialty... Hi there, can you give us new towels? Can we have coffee? Could you refill our water? Can you take the dirty dishes? Can we have wine glasses?

We looked around at a lot of resorts for our first trip to Maui and had a hard time deciding. It's not easy to tell what's good and bad if you've never been here before. We chose the Ritz because of its reputation for quality and because it looked beautiful in the pictures online. Overall, it was a good choice. The resort is gorgeous. We paid extra for an ocean view, which was a smart move. We could hear the waves crashing at night and sat on our balcony looking at the surf and the fantastic landscape in the mornings. The breakfast buffet, also included in our package, was top rate. They put something a little different out every day but you can also ask for specific items and they will bring them to you as part of your buffet deal. That was nice. There are three pools, which is really great, including one for adults only and a hot tub. Lots of families stay here so there are lots of kids around.

Some things you should know, however.

First, The Ritz is a bit isolated from the rest of the island. It's an hour drive from the airport, 20 minutes to good shopping and 30-40 minutes from other attractions. Plan a whole day if you're doing the road to Hana. We left at 8 a.m. and didn't get back until 9 p.m. (Hana is on the far side of the island and is far from all the resort areas.) Overall, the location of the Ritz was not a big problem for us. You need a car on Maui and driving is part of the deal there. But just be aware when you are at the resort that's pretty much all there is there.

Second, the beach is a bit of a walk and the surf is very rough. The Ritz faces the windy side of the island. In many ways, the constant breeze is very nice. But it got chilly some nights and the surf was always pretty rough. The walk to the beach is 5-10 minutes down a hill that is a pretty good grade coming back up. It is nice at the beach, tho, with a bar and restaurant down there.

If you want a really mellow beach with light waves drive 15 minutes over to Whaler's village near the Westin. Lots of shopping there, too. This worked well for us. We'd go over to the beach and shopping 15-20 minutes down the road and then return to the beautiful Ritz at night to relax.

I'd recommend the Ritz and would stay here again. But I would probably also look at the Westin and hotels near Whaler's Village, which we really enjoyed.

Beautiful resort with professional and courteous staff!

Talk about service! I travel to Marriot's across the country at nearly 75 nights a year and no one can top the service I received at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. I stayed there during covid-19 restrictions w/ my wife and two kids under the age of 4. We called in after arriving from our late flight to see if the crib was sent to our room and the response from Margie was "Yes Mr.Julio" so then I asked what time does the bar/kitchen close and she mentioned a time after the time it would take us to get there so I responded with "awe man" and she responded with " let me read you the menu and I'll place the order for you can have some food when you arrived." I was like "that's incredible". Upon arrival Mike the bellman knew I was arriving and unloaded the car and even picked up our food on the way to our room while we carried two sleepy kids. It get BETTER! Miko helped us while pool side and he was the right vibe for good times and always quick and experienced with the menu. Although Thanksgiving dinner was not very delightful I almost felt like they gameplaned to make up for our bad dinner. The next day Savannah (the manager) had remember how unhappy I was about the dinner that she took it upon herself to make sure we were EXTREMELY taken care of for the rest of our trip. Yes, the Ritz is expensive but hands down the best experience I've NEVER HAD at any luxury brand or hotel I've stayed at. Thanks you to the entire staff that somehow remembered my kids by name.

Please take your team and train other hotels on customer service.

Wonderful staff and customer service; however, I would not stay here except that we are attending a conference here. Dinning options are limited on property. No self parking available. Valet is $30/day plus tip every time you want to use your car. Area is much rainyer has other parts of Maui. Prices are ridiculously high for rooms, food, and spa. Probably won't return.

The room was nice and the staff was spectacular. The food was mediocre and extremely expensive. We had food from room service, burger shack, and dining room. The prices were 4 to 5 times what you'd normally pay and the food was average at best. That's not a sustainable combination. We started taking all our meals out of the resort.

It's great if you can afford it! If you can afford it you're rich; so, congrats! Lucky you

Super peaceful, luxurious, great sunrises and sunsets. Strongly recommend doing the road to Hana and going north to nakalele blowhole

This is probably one of the best hotels I ever stayed in. The only downside is how far we would have to walk to get to our hotel room. Other than that the amenities were amazing. Best part is that you get to enjoy a private area by the ocean for anyone who stays at the hotel. Most of the time it was just myself and my family there which was great. Amazing views as well. 100% would recommend.

Wonderful ocean views, delicious food and very friendly staff

Fabulous Resort and relaxing atmosphere in a gorgeous setting

The Ritz is the Ritz. It's Hawaii. What else need be said.

Great place for the sentry open loved the efficient shuttle traveling back and forth between the course

Beautiful resort. The views are breathtaking. Rooms are wonderful. All the staff we interacted with seemed friendly and helpful. It was quiet and peaceful all day because of the resort's location - the downside to this though is that there are not a lot of dining options at night nearby.

Very large hotel with many rooms but with adequate space. Clean and very spacious room. Eye to always close the mosquito net ... We found a giant insect in the room, like a cockroach of at least 7/8 cm ... Problem then solved by presenting the thing to the front desk of the Hotel. Buffet breakfast for $ 39 each plus taxes and gratuities. Everything is found. The beach is beautiful but as often happens in Hawaii they do not rent umbrellas. To see and absolutely try the bath in the kapalua beach that is reached by the hotel bus or on foot in about 20/25 minutes (doing the pedestrian path, less on the street). Around there are also other places where to have breakfast and dinner reachable on foot between 300mt and 1500mt.

I can't express how amazing the Ritz Carlton team at Kapalua was this past 10 days! Simply amazing and the customer service of the team was to notch. Each of the staff members took the time to get to know us and to check with us to ensure that our experience at the Resort was excellent. We spent time at the pool and were always well taken care of (thank you Victor!). We have now stayed at the resort 5 times when staying in Maui, and each time our vacation has been memorable and inspiring! This team gets it and takes care of their customers. Food at the resort it top notch. Golf is incredible. Take the time to explore the beaches and areas around the resort. Breathtaking! Thank you Ritz Carlton!

Great place
But then again, how could it not be.

We didn't stay at the hotel. Rather we just visited for the afternoon. And how spectacular it was. Rainbows. Huge surf. So nicely manicured. Kids playing. Just a magical place on a magical Island. While I probably wouldn't stay here, because we prefer Wailea, it's certainly always worth a visit every year that we come to Maui. Pure magic!

This is a beautiful location! The staff cares and are ready to help at anytime. The rooms are very classy but still give you a feeling of comfort! 24 hour hot tubs and private beach access. Walking distance to convenience store on property with deli and large alcohol selection as well as novelty goods. Chapel on property. Gorgeous golf course and many amenities available on site. Etc. Spa, gym, local attraction bookings, photography, clothing stores, and interactive staff lead activites. Anyway, a great place to stay if you vacation on Maui.

Had drinks at the bar and the staff/bar tender was really thoughful and fun! Went above and beyond to get a kids cup for my 2-yo so she could join in the fun!

So I stayed here 20 years ago and really was impressed by how high end the property felt. Fast forward , married now with a 14 month old and decided to go back. On the plus side the area is my favorite on the island and a completely different feel vs other parts .Staff is excellent, friendly and willing to do what it takes so you enjoy your stay. Rooms were always well maintained as is the overall property itself. Bar and pool food was good , pretty fair price wise for high end property . On my cons list the place felt very much like any Hyatt you may have visited and it felt crowded all through out property. We were fine at kid poll but adult pool was full all days.
If you have young kid, ground floor is key so you avoid the maze of hallways and elevators that are needed to get to pool. It felt very generic given the price.. The drive from the main airport is a complete deal breaker for me as it adds huge stress factor and time to your trip ( slow traffic both directions so add 1.5 hours once you land, get car , get to location)
All and all we loved our stay and most do. Also we had good rate $280 for ocean front room but add $30 for valet parking which is not optional, resort fee and taxes and you are closer to $430+ which is good but not great.
Lastly, I have visited all the island over the years and it has been a decade since my last visit. The island is simply crowded, more tourists than I remember and while I still view the "Ritz" as a high end hotel, it did at times feel very much like a typical hotel in a really nice location. Not a.minus for many just my observation.

Wonderful property! Have been impressed with everything so far. Staff is so accommodating and friendly. Rooms are spacious, clean and updated. Everything is luxurious. Grounds are well manicured and maintained. I would highly highly recommend. Spa was the best spa exerperience I have had (we had facial, body wrap and massage). All dining options have been incredibly tasty thus far.

Not the best Ritz Carlton I've been to (compare to Honolulu or Dove Mountain). The grounds were beautiful but the service was just... lacking. I felt expected a higher caliber. Things like providing directions to parts of the resort, concierge service, knowing what beer is on tap, helping with towels at the pool got a lot of tepid responses. And please don't talk politics uninvited with my family (yikes, it was bad). On the plus side, nice rooms, good food, beautiful atmosphere.

Thanks the Ritz Carlton for given us a half price deal for Xterra World Champs. It allowed people like us to live the dream for one night. BUT, you arrive, they take you car & park it for $30, they tell you breakfast is included & then charge you $105 for two + plus all the fees & taxes on top of it, it was a false dream that ended up costing the price that only rich people can afford. Did I mention the big air bubble on my room floor (which I fell on) & the dream is now

Top notch service, rooms, food and experience. Heated outdoor pools and fun games to play outside are a huge plus! The gym is also very updated and better than most hotel gyms.

We had a wonderful time here on our romantic getaway for two.

Beautiful location, very lovely rooms with views of ocean, some really nice staff, great live music by Mitch, the Auntie that gives the history sense of place tour is great, and the server at the main bar Colin is superb, would have given five stars if check in people were a bit more knowledgeable of resort amenities and activities.

I'm knocking off a star because of the required valet parking. If you are going to make people valet (even though the parking lot is just a short walk away), then the service needs to be prompt. Twice I called to have my car ready only to get down there and wait an extra 15-30 min because they were "extra" busy.

Service otherwise here was outstanding and what you would expect from the Ritz. Everybody from the maids, the pool personnel, and restaurant workers were friendly and made our stay a pleasure. I can't reiterate how awesome the staff here is.

Dining here is ok. Banyan Tree is your best dining option, albeit pricey. Great food and service and they also made my son's birthday feel special. Ulana should be tried at least once during your stay. One of the best breakfast buffets I've had with lots of tasty options. On the other end of the spectrum, Olu pool food was some of the worst and overpriced burgers, hot dogs, and chicken fingers I've ever had. Its hard to fail at such basic offerings, but they somehow did it. Amazingly, the Burger Shack (located at the beach) was able to trump this by having an even a worst and more expensive burger. Avoid if you can.

Beautiful serene location away from the overcrowded other resort areas.

The peaberry coffee and the kai cafe was only exceeded by the wonderful reception and smile of the lovely staff

Fabulous pupus! Our fantastic server Pam created a VERY special Happy Hour experience for us. Onolicious!

The food amazing. The staff just incredible and couldn't do enough to help us or tell us about the area for help. The location is about an hour from the airport and not much else around which is why we loved it.

The hotel gym wasn't bad to be fair and have a good number of free weights and the pool side area was nice but did get windy.

The room was nicely finished and had nespresso on it so I was happy with some good coffee.

It's not cheap but definitely worth staying here if you can and I know my wife and I cannot wait to stay again.

I really loved it.

Perfect vacation! By far the best accomodations and most generous staff in an absolutely stunning location. My husband and I finally tried the Banyan Tree just beyond the pool on the way to the beach and it was delicious- best food ever. We also tried the club level and the concierge and club level staff treat you like royalty. Hard to compare this level of service to anything else! Such an amazing place and can't wait to visit again.

If I could give the Rits spa zero starts I would. I was there with my mom, There was a fire alarm going off saying we needed to exit to the nearest exit because of a fire and we asked the lady where the exit was and she wouldn t tell us till we paid first. How ridiculous, you re putting money above our lives when we were scared and didn t know where to go after we got our facial. And a $60 dollar tip was added on my card, I would have given zero top after all that! Ridiculous!! You re better than this Ritz

Gorgeous property, amazing service. Bathrooms are small and outdated.

Amazing place. Highly recommend this hotel for your Maui trip. Best time ever!

My wife and I came for a couples massage and a day at the pool and beach. This place was phenomenal!

We wanted a spa day and heard about the Ritz from my brother. We were not disappointed. Amenities were beautiful, staff were wonderful, couples massage and salt scrub with private outside shower was amazing.
A beautiful sanctuary on beautiful Maui.

Great resort, separate adult and kids pool and playground on site. Private beach access, basketball court, tennis courts and soccer field. Sports gear - tennis racquet, soccer, volley and basketballs available to borrow. Terrace suites view trees and partial ocean view so it feels like your in the forest. Valet only parking which can be busy during meal times. Service is top notch.

Great views and venue but a bit of a walk to the beach

Went to see Drums of the Pacific luau. Good food, good music. One big ohana! The host is a real delight providing history and insight without dominating the show. Would go again.

Beautiful setting. Comfortable beds. Over the top service.

Excellent service and food. The view from the pool bar is outstanding

Hard to explain. What you would expect from a Ritz. Lots of food options, beautiful views. The room I am in is just ok but in a place like this who wants to be in their room

They treat you like royalty and have reasonable prices. Unlike other hotels in the area

Just dropped in with friends for drinks and desserts (friends were actually staying there, who loved it as well). Good service and drinks/food. Great view and atmosphere.

Nothing short of amazing! Save up your allowance and stay at the Ritz-Carlton.

We had an amazing stay at The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. Every single staff member we encountered went above and beyond to make our vacation perfect. They were so friendly and hospitable. They anticipate your every need. The hotel is beautiful and our room was perfect.

Beautiful resort. Friendly staff. Just what you expect from a Ritz.

Classy and beautiful. Golf on premises. Beautiful beach and pool. It s a Ritz... it s perfect :)

Perfect location with easy beach access. Loved our stay.

Beautiful place with delicious food and incredibly nice staff! The food was phenomenal

Location was nice, a little secluded and quiet. Not a far drive from the other towns and restaurants.

Awesome hotel, very friendly staff and they took really good care of our room and dining.

Our initial vacation for my birthday was cancelled due to a connecting flight! After many months later we finally had our vacation! First off What an amazing staff!!

The staff was so attentive. I became ill one night they opened the store for me after hours to provide me medication then sent hot tea up to ensure I was ok!

After asking about coffee service since we weren t big nexpresso fans they delivered a regular pot and coffee to our room the same day.

Jules is the concierge to see her delightful personality is amazing and she continued to go out of her way to make it a wonderful experience!

Simon the pool area manger really cares about your visit and goes above and beyond.

From the housekeeping staff being so presentable and friendly to the beautiful beach cats that graced our presence this was by far an AMAZING VACATION!

Thank you to the Ritz Carlton!

An amazing property, great service and made even better with club access. Love the Ritz Kapalua.

Best experience ever! Friendly staff, amazing hotel and amazing restaurant.

OK I get it is expensive and the extra 20 bucks for parking is a p off.
However, on the plus side it is a five star in every way.
The staff in all departments are trained to coddle you and they do it well.Exceptionally friendly.
The grounds and pool area is terrific.
The scenery and walking areas nearby are wonderful.
So the beach is public, but it is difficult for the public to access.
All the folks at the awesome beach seemed to be guests and it was not crowded.
Travelled the world in class and this place is right up there.
I generally prefer boutique hotels, but , if you like the big resort type stay, you will not be disappointed.

Beautiful hotel, beautiful pool, great food, wonderful staff, and very relaxing!!

Excellent service, facilities and location. Yes, it's a windy spot but this is Hawaii.

No pizzaz. Nothing special. Pool so far from the ocean u can barely even see it. U may as well be in Palm springs. I would give it a big "meh" But then again I think Maui is ruined and sad. :/

It is a great resort with amazing views and pools. But as a Platinum elite member we were not offered the club access, even after asking for it. It would have been nice to know before arrival that club floor is not available for Platinum elete before checking in. We would have stayed somewhere else. We were given a room upgrade.

Amazing place, fairly private but very expensive. Great pool with private beach.

Great place to vacation! Me and my wife really enjoyed our stay