Anchoring the south end of the hotel strip, next to the residential-oriented Marriott's Maui Ocean Club, and 3 mi north of Lahaina, this hotel remains the Kaanapali kingpin for upscale leisure travelers and groups (business and leisure). But the island's trophy for splashiest resort still goes to the Grand Wailea Resort in Wailea.
Thanks though to consistent upkeep and thoughtful renovations, the hotel looks great, although some of the public area look a little dated. Since the last inspection all of the hallways have been revamped, with new paint and carpeting. The next major overhaul is expected to commence in 2010.
Spectacular landscaping and an impressive Pacific Rim art collection bolster the hotel's sophisticated look. Rocky swan-filled enclaves, overpasses, grottoes, waterfalls and jungle gardens fill much of the 50 acres here.
The reception area is tucked in a corner of the vast open-air lobby—small for such a huge hotel, but with an excellent staff that keeps waits to a minimum. The space wraps around ingeniously fashioned mini-volcanoes topped with eruptions of colorful plants and fragrant
orchids. Beyond, walkways skirt shops and a parade of Pacific Rim art, such as ancient Polynesian artifacts, a collection of New Guinea masks, and ornate pottery.
Dining options are generally expensive though well regarded and include Spats, a northern Italian room for dinner only, the revamped Son'z at Swan Court, which wins awards for its Continental and Pacific Rim food, and the pricey Pavillion, undergoing renovations. A modest, though pricey food court awaits beside the pool. The bar in the atrium appears to float in a koi pond, while dual waterfalls curtain the grotto bar.
Beating drums signal the start of the nightly luau and Polynesian revue, and stargazers gather thrice nightly on the rooftop. On the beach side of the lobby, an elaborately landscaped hill slopes down to a half-acre freshwater lagoon with a 150-ft waterslide and two waterfalls separating the Lahaina pool from the Napili pool. In keeping with the hotel's extravagance, much of the mosaic in the pool is real gold.
The narrow beach is choked with coral offshore, but a fine swimming beach is just a short walk away. A recent 100-year storm hit this side of the island further eroding Kaanapali's fading sands. A library, game room, health club, six unlighted tennis courts, and watersports facilities are scattered about. The hotel offers a complimentary, on-site, hour-and-a-half wildlife tour, featuring 50 exotic birds ranging from East African Crowned Cranes to traditional tuxedoed penguins.
Located at the northern end of the property, the comprehensive spa offers nearly a dozen treatment rooms, as well as seaside settings for massage and body work. The hotel's gleaming 55-ft catamaran takes guests on snorkeling and sailing excursions in style. The conference space for 3,000 offers conventioneers wireless Internet access.
The Hyatt, like all of the other hotels on Kaanaplai Beach, charges a daily resort fee that "generously" includes free self-parking (valets park cars for an additional fee), free 1-800 and local phone calls, coffee and tea in the guest rooms, daily newspapers, access to the room safes, access to the gym at the spa, and one hour per day on the tennis court.
Kept in fine shape, the accommodations convey deluxe standards with quality appointments and an overflowing amenity roster. They are in three connecting buildings: the preferred nine-story Atrium Tower, seven-story Lahaina Tower and eight-story Napili Tower. The last is preferred by most for its greater quiet and poolside convenience.
Although set back farther from the water than the others, the rooms in the centrally located Atrium Tower offer the best decor and these offer the most straightforward ocean panoramas. Atrium Tower accommodations impress guests with their tropical appointments, quality fabrics and custom plantation-style furniture. Rooms at this Hyatt are also among the largest in the islands, vying with the Grand Wailea for top honors.
As a rule, most units sport smart-looking, rattan-strung plantation furniture, local art and low-pile carpeting, all lending an air of refinement. Muted backdrops—fine wall coverings, richly painted walls and exotic wood accents—predominate. The generous sitting areas provide armchairs and ottomans. In most, mahogany dressers balance TVs, but some have elegant armoires.
Among the niceties are plump, pillow-top Grand Beds topped with traditional Hawaiian-print throws, bedside reading lamps, phones with dataports, coffeemakers, irons and ironing boards, and digital alarm clocks with numerals large enough to recognize through half-closed eyelids. Spacious walk-in closets supply kimonos, slippers, flashlights and a lot of drawer space.
Baths are larger than average, with dressing areas, vanities cloaked in travertine, good lighting and plenty of mirrors. Unfortunately, their old tubs, even though surrounded by marble, look a bit dowdy. Sliding glass doors open to small, furnished lanais, and more than three-quarters of the rooms afford at least partial ocean views. Garden-view rooms below the sixth floor often take in only rooflines and parking lots. Room service never stops. Pets are not permitted.
Service is a high point, and it combines with the sophisticated surroundings and fine facilities to create one of Maui's best large-scale resorts. With Marriott's conversion to time-share, The Westin proves the only real competition to this property.
