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Ka'anapali Beach Hotel – reviews, photos

3.0 of 5
2525 Kaanapali Pkwy, Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761
Hotel amenities
Ka'anapali Beach Hotel
Ranked #11 of 30 hotels in Lahaina
4.0 of 5 stars 1615 Reviews
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1,615 reviews from our community

What travellers say about this hotel
  • Black rock(72)
  • TIKI bar(57)
  • Whalers village(53)
  • Very friendly(37)
  • Breakfast buffet(34)
  • Partial ocean view(29)
  • Short walk(24)
  • Great location(19)
  • Hula show(14)
  • Nightly entertainment(14)
Traveller rating
    847
    484
    153
    78
    53
Only show reviews for Family (329) | Couples (747) | Business (15)
Date Rating
Vancouver, Canada
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
30 helpful votes 30 helpful votes
“location,location,location”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 February 2012
3
people found this review helpful

spent 10 nights here feb 1 through feb 10th with two other friends,paid for a partial ocean view but apon arrival was given room 143(back of resort next to the parkade).was told the resort was full but we were moved the next morning to room 268(kawai wing),we were very happy with this room,our friends were closer to the ocean in room 280 but had a poorer view (because of foilage.the resort is definitely 70s dated(thought i saw Jack Lord hanging by the tiki bar)but still retains a certain charm.(just don,t take a walk down the beach walk trail to the left and see the sparkling new resorts).
The beach is what kannapali is all about and i would say that the k.b.h. has both the best beach and the best location in the entire area.The aquatic life here is unbeliveable!!we took the whale watching tour(trilogy) that leaves directly in front of this beach and it was well worth it,but we also saw tons of whales from shore with a mother and calve breaching right in front of us not more then 600 feet of of shore!!we also saw giant sea turtles swim right by us not 30 feet of off the shore passing right by swimmers who never noticed them!
Just a word about the surf.it ranged from gentle rollers on day one to 6 foot crashers by day 8.alot of people seemed oblivious to the power of these waves with bad results which included many getting hurt(although not seriously),wardrobe malfunctions,and even little childern getting dragged out into the water!I,m not saying stay out of the water,but a little common sense is in order.
the hula entertainment seemed to get better towards the weekend and was then worth watching.the tiki bar was worth checking out and is almost allways full.if you are 20 somethings and are looking for late night partying,this resort or kannapali in general is probably not for you as by 10.45 p.m. this place gets very quite as does all of kaanapali (including whalers village).try lahaina?
In general,we loved this place.we always look for value when we travel thereby allowing us to travel more often and that is what we received here.the staff were nothing short of fantastic,the food above average,and if relaxation and beauty are what you are looking for,this is your place!
p.s. take in the magic dinner show(again located on site).it was truly entertaining(and funny)and the family that does the show has a true passion for there craft.
The true mark of a good resort for me is wether i would return,in this case it is a big yes,enjoy.

Room Tip: if you are canadians living near the border,check out travelling out of the u.s.we got 10 days out o...
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  • Stayed February 2012, travelled with friends
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Buffalo, NY
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
“Good Beach, Good Value”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 February 2012
2
people found this review helpful

Stayed here from 2-2-2012 to 2-8-2012. Hotel is a bit aged, but is clean and everything worked. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Room had a balcony, safe, iron, refrigerator, hair dryer. Shower worked OK, but takes a little while to drain. Provide a cord for plug-in internet access for $9.95 for 24 hours, but I was able to connect to a free wifi connection from my room (not from the hotel). TV is a tube type 25 inch. The breakfast buffet is offered as a part of a package or pay as you go. It was adequate, but very overpriced at $19.95 pp, standard fare of fruit, eggs, sausage and bacon.. Most Hotels in the area are even more expensive for Breakfast, Better to go to nearby CJ's or a short drive to Lahania for breakfast. Breakfast much less expensive and much better. There is no natural shade on the beach. You can rent an umbrella/lounge chairs or cabana for $30 per day, or you can go by the pool where there are plenty of chairs and tree shade. Pool is mediocre (smaller than most resorts). Towels are provide at no charge on beach or pool. Alcohol is not allowed on beach, but I think this is a law Maui-wide. Tiki Bar, and Snack Shack are adequate, but small. The restaurant is just OK, with much better options in nearby Lahania. All food in this area is very expensive, average is $30 for your base entree unless you go very early and get the early-bird specials. Parking is $9 per day self-park, unlimited in/out.

  • Stayed February 2012, travelled with family
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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Birmingham, AL
Senior Contributor
29 reviews 29 reviews
Reviews in 23 cities Reviews in 23 cities
22 helpful votes 22 helpful votes
“A bit of an older hotel but still is very charming”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 February 2012
3
people found this review helpful

Got married while I was staying at this hotel in Maui. When checking in the hotel gave us an upgrade to a larger room that had some nice couch and dining room table in it. The hotel is a bit older and could probably use some upgrades to make it more modern but was very comfortable. Most of the other guests at the KBH seemed to be generally older so there was no worries about any late night partying or anything of that sort so we always had a good night sleep. This was the only hotel in our trip to Hawaii that you could really tell the hotel went out of their way to give their guests the "Hawaii" experience. They have a free breakfast with a little seminar explaining all the activities and events in Maui and at the hotel. They give you a free lei when you checkout. We enjoyed our stay.

  • Stayed January 2012, travelled as a couple
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Accident, Maryland
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
“First time there”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 February 2012
4
people found this review helpful

My husband and I spent 5 days at this hotel Jan 2012 and really enjoyed ourselves. The place started with great staff, always helpful and very polite and ended the same way. The breakfast buffet was included in our stay and it was very delicious. We never had to wait for anything here, the staff always was available and so very polite. Our only problem, which was remedied after the first night, was our room type wasn't available (2 Queens instead of 1 King). After talking with the front desk people and our travel agent, the King was available the next day. The pool was pretty little, but it did the trick anyway. The beach is beautiful there so that was a big hit with us. We ate dinner in Lahaina every night, and it was really very convenient. The traffic in this area of Maui is terribly congested, but the beauty of the area made up for this. Since this was whale watching time, you could watch the whales jumping out of the water at any time of day right from your balcony. It was spectacular. We also did the magic show at the hotel, very fun with a great dinner too. The concierge there was very informative for us, and she suggested the "Feast at Lele in Lahaina, which was a total blast. Great food and great hula and dancing. We would definitely come back!

  • Stayed January 2012, travelled as a couple
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Lexington, Kentucky
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
“Needs a redo”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 4 February 2012
5
people found this review helpful

We just stayed here 4 nights from 1/28 through 2/1/2012. We came here from the Four Seasons on Lanai which was beautiful and wonderful, so we had been spoiled. When we walked into the lobby of the Kannapali Beach Hotel, we were very disappointed. It is small, boring, and dated. They gave us a room in the Molokai wing even though I had requested one in the newly renovated Kauai wing, but they had upgraded us to a partial ocean view room. It was very dreary and depressing. The hallways were narrow with low ceilings, and the best word to describe it was dreary. The rooms were decorated in brown and beige with dark blue and white bedspread. Why in the world wouldn't you use "pretty colors" in Hawaii? We went over to the Kauai wing and the hallways were taller and wider and it looked alot better, alothough still not "pretty". When we checked in, they said that we could be moved to Kauai wing in 2 days. However, we decided to go back and press the issue. We told them we would like to be moved or we wanted to leave the next morning. They then found us a room in the Kauai room which was much better.

They bill themselves as "the most Hawaiian Hotel on Maui", however, in reality, I think that is just trying to put a nice spin on the fact that the hotel needs a serious redo. In their defense, the rates were probably significantly cheaper than the other hotels on the Kannapali Beach strip, but after you spend all the money and time and effort to get there, you want a nice place to stay. The hotel we came from on Lanai was about $15.00 more per night and 20 times nicer. They charge for beach chairs, etc not so in Lanai.

We ate 3 meals there and all 3 were average or below. My husband said he liked his meal okay the first night, however. And the prices were not cheap. We did the Sunday buffet brunch which was $39.00 each, and it was quanity over quality in my opinion. It was the most expensive meal we had on our trip but nowhere near the best. Plus, the service was terrible. I was having to get my own drinks, no one was checking on us to see if we needed refills, they were not clearing our used plates, etc. Yet, when the bill came, they were suggesting your tip which was over 20%. It was a buffet for pete's sake and the service was terrible. The people are nice but they don't know good service.

On the pro side, the hotel is well located and our room ended up being convenient. The people at the concerige desk were nice. We had not been to Maui in 27 years and I could not believe how much more "crowded" it was and over built. They are turning paradise into a concrete jungle. I prefer less crowded beach areas. Lanai was alot nicer for about the same price, although Maui is still beautiful. Can't beat the sunsets on Kaanapali Beach.

We did not have a car there, they were sold out, so we had to use the bus. Another good thing about this hotel is it is near Whaler's Village which has a bus stop. For 2 bucks, you can hop on and off all day and it worked okay. If we went back, I might just get a car for part of the days when we wanted to drive far away. This was a significant savings. We went on a whale watch with Pacific Whale Foundation. A piece of advice. Go early and join the foundation. You get a free admission and a free tee shirt plus priorirty boarding, etc., and it all totals about what you would pay for one admission. I didn't realize this until after we were already on the boat.

If I went back to Kannapali Beach, I would try to stay at the Sheraton, the Hyatt or the Westin. They all were very nice in terms of their grounds and lobby, but I did not see the rooms. I probably would not go back to this hotel unless I knew they had had a serious redo.

Room Tip: Be sure and get a room in the newly refurbished Kauai section. They have smoking rooms there, but s...
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  • Stayed January 2012, travelled as a couple
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Additional Information about Ka'anapali Beach Hotel

  • Ka Anapali Beach Hotel
  • Kaanapali Beach Hotel
  • Hotel Ka Anapali Beach
Address: 2525 Kaanapali Pkwy, Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761
Price range (per night):* INR9,283 - 13,421

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