Westin Maui Resort & Spa Family Feature at Kaanapali Beach is top rated and we can see why (12/10)
Westin Maui Resort and Spa
The Westin Maui Resort & Spa has it all and then some. It is located on 12 acres of oceanfront property. Some of the great features provided are the beautiful landscape, lush gardens, 15-20’ waterfalls, 87,000 square foot pool area, including five pools, two water slides and whirlpools. Also offering Ka’anapali Beach’s one and only adults pool overlooking the Pacific, exotic birds and koi fish in the lobby to visit, daily activities, five pools, a huge water slide, not to mention the incredible location and views from the rooms. This is a great place for families and kids to use the facilities right at the beach.
Located in the heart of Kaanapali, the Westin offers great beach access and fabulous service. The spa is a must during your visit. It is the only spa with a view of the pool and ocean around. The heavenly spa has many unique treatments from massages, facials, wraps and more. The 24-hour fitness center is a great facility and boasts state of the art equipment.
The hotel has a Go Green program to be eco-friendly, energy efficient and help save tons of waste. The guestrooms (731 of them) feature the heavenly bed with ten layers of deluxe bedding and spectacular views of the ocean. There are also 29 suites if one is looking for more space and upgrades.
There are quite a few options for dining but do not miss the Tropicana for dinner. Choose from their 4-course price fixed menu paired with wines or off the ala carte menu. The 4-course menu offered seared diver scallops to start, which were fantastic. Then the onion risotto before moving onto the local, fresh mon chong fish with potato puree. The dessert was the bittersweet chocolate torte. For two people, at least one should try this option. Our top choices from the regular menu to start were the big island heirloom tomato salad with kula onions and avocado mousse, spicy lobster flatbread, golden potato gnocchi and Asian blue crab cake. You cannot go wrong with any of the seafood entrees but I recommend the bouillabaisse with a great selection of shellfish and local fish in the tastiest broth over saffron potato aioli. There are selections from the land as well but the seafood is the way to go in my opinion. Other fish included the charbroiled ahi, mahi-mahi or catch of the day. Executive chef Garret Fujieda creates some magnificent dishes in the outdoor relaxing area overlooking the ocean. Enjoy some wine from their extensive list or try one of their popular martinis. The bartenders also get creative inventing some unique drinks such as the dragonberry bomb with elderflower liquor, dragonberry rum and blackberries or the okole wow involving hibiscus, pineapple and local okolehao liquor. Open for dinner Wednesday-Sunday 5pm-9:30pm
One other “not to miss is the Wailele Polynesian Luau with family style served food and the most incredible fire/dance show you will see anywhere. Make your reservations early as this sells out.
Some of the amenities feature high-speed internet in the rooms, multi-lingual resort staff, recreation direction, kids club, surf school, the only director of romance in Hawaii (specializing in just weddings), interactive arts/crafts, daily activities, fish feedings, affordable airport packaged ready to go pineapples at no extra charge to check in, the most convenient free shuttle around the Kaanapali area and a second shuttle to Lahaina. This in itself is fantastic so you avoid the busy inconsistent public bus and you just show your room key for use. Unless you are heading to another part of the island, you really don’t need a car especially with this shuttle service included. If you decide you want to rent a car for a day, there is an Avis phone in the lobby or the concierge can help set up a rental.
The Maui Times Weekly voted the Westin the 2010 Best of Maui for best hotel accommodations while the resort has won numerous other awards. For more information about the hotel, the go green or reservations, please visit www.westinmaui.com