Everything you'd expect a ritz-Carlton to be. First class all the way. World class golf right out your door. Great pool and beach. Great food nearby, and you can use a free shuttle to reach them.
Drawback: driving distances to essentially everything else on Maui. There's basically one road in west Maui, circling the mountains, so it takes four times as long to go east as it would as the crow flies. Almost 2 hrs to Haleakala and I-don't-wanna-know to Hana.
Judging by the clientele at the pool, there must have been some sort of tattoo convention in town that week.

We stayed here for five days as part two of a trip to Maui in January. My last stay was seven years ago. I was very pleased to see that the pool area has been expanded and many rooms have been enlarged in the last renovation. The landscaping is top notch. We were upgraded to a room on the first floor (ground) at the very end of the hotel with it's own "garden entrance" and a splendid view out to the ocean. It felt like a private bungalow and I did not mind the
long trek to the front of the hotel. Another definite plus is that the resort now has a shuttle available to take guests to the excellent area restaurants, and one of Maui's top rated restaurants Sensei has opened a restaurant that is a 5 minute walk from the entrance. The staff, as is often noted, were always friendly and attentive. Our room had a ac control problem and the maintenance staff was there to fix it in under ten minutes. When we had any request of housekeeping it was dealt with in less than five minutes. That's a gold standard for service that is hard to match. If you stay here don't miss the wonderful coastal trail walk that meanders behind the hotel. It's a beautiful way to start any day.

Aloha!
My girlfriend & I just spent 8 days at the Ritz in Kapalua, Maui. I did a lot of homework before choosing this hotel. We have been to Hawaii almost a dozen times, and have stayed everywhere between Waialea to Kapalua. First off, it's the Ritz Carlton. The expectation is high & they delivered on every front! Classic Aloha Spirit seems to be lost nowadays at hotels in Hawaii, but the Ritz delivers. From the classic lei greeting getting out of the rental car, to passed pineapple at noon everyday poolside. Everyone seems to know your name...everywhere! It's Aloha top to bottom. It was our anniversary during the week spent there & they deliver champagne, gift basket & personal welcome notes to the room. C'mon...it's not cheap to stay here, but the service & thoughtfulness is what makes this hotel stand out! The pools are great, the food great & the staff is even better! As far as the location? Yes, it's ten minutes from Kaanapalli, (the hotel district), and another ten minutes to Lahaina. But the location is really in it's own world. After staying in Kaanapalli for so many times, you figure that's the only place to stay, but really, aside from walking the beach everyday, checking out all of the other hotels & drinks at the Hula Grill almost always, you're going to get in your car & drive to Lahaina anyway, so really the extra ten minutes is not even an issue, so it's not the deal breaker by any means. You've got three places to stay in Maui, assuming you're not ruffing it. Waialea, Kaanapalli or Kapalua. For us, Walalea is beautiful, but too too far removed from Kaanapalli or Lahaina. It's a 40 minute drive & if you're having a few maitais later in the evening at Cheeseburger in Paradise, that doesn't work well. So you're down to Kaanapalli or Kapalua. Yes, there's more action on Kaanapalli beach, and the weather is a bit more predictable, but you do have to like one hotel after another, on top of each other. Don't get me wrong. It's a beautiful beach & view, but it's the hotel zone and it's all hotels. Aside from hotel restaurants and of course the Hula Grill, (personal fav), there's not much to choose from for great dining. Roy's is moving from Kahana to the Kaanapalli golf course, so that will add some destination dining to Kaanapalli. So with that being said, you have to drive anyway, so Kapalua is really not a big deal, like some say. As far as the weather? Depending on the day, the winds can and do get a bit much. It didn't chase us away from the pool, it just made it a bit challenging to read a newspaper, etc. But out of eight days, 3 days were windy and the rest were absolutely perfect! So don't get your undies too much in a bunch over this. The Kapalua area is quiet, serene & absolutely georgous! It's quiet, but you have Kaanapalli & Lahaina for everything else. We did see some families there but not that much. They keep the shorties in kids pools & maintain one pool for adults, which is really nice. Kaanapalli is full of families which is fine. If you're paying $500 a day at the Ritz, frankly.....keep those kids away! Sorry Mom & Dad, this is Maui, leave those kids with the inlaws & enjoy your vacation! You can always load up the station wagon and drive to Disney World with those things. There should be an age restriction, like 21 or older to come to Maui. Just a thought.... Anyway, after being cautious from reading the reviews of the Ritz and the Kapalua area and staying at the hotel, I can tell you, that if you want service, attentiveness, peace, tranquility, beauty and the overall experience, do stay at the Ritz. You always have Lahaina for restaurants and a little partying and the beach at Kaanapalli for that and all those shorties who should have stayed at home! We're already booking our return at the Ritz Kapalua for next year. Mahalo!

You can't beat this hotel. The grounds are fantastic - you basically have a private beach. There are 3 gorgeous pools and one of them is adults only! Our room was beautiful - it was a nice size with a balcony overlooking the golf course. Our bathroom was very nice and a good size. The grounds are immaculate and the service is phenomenal. We enjoyed every minute of our stay. There are tennis and basketball courts if you want something different to do. There is also a free shuttle around the Kapalua area to take you to other beaches or to restaurants in Napili.

Bonus - The Banyan Tree restaurant on their property is amazing. Also, the Honolua Store (walking distance) is a great alternative for a quick (and cheap) meal.