This is almost a perfect hotel, the best we've ever stayed at on Maui. The grounds are immaculate, and the facilities are up-to-date. It’s location on Kaanapali beach is ideal.
I was impressed with the hotel staff, always willing to help, and always smiling and friendly.
I also enjoyed the resort's towel policy: Trust. No wrist bands, no towel card. You want a pool towel? Just go pick one up. I'm sure there are some towels that don't get returned, but I imagine the towel return rate is close to 100 percent. It's nice being treated like a responsible adult.
Our room (123) was great for our group (three couples). It had enough room that we could invite others over for dinners and gatherings. The suite has recently been refurbished with modern appliances and lighting. This was not an "ocean view" suite, so we also had the construction noise from next door as mentioned in a previous post. However, I can't hold the Alii responsible for that. The noise was a bit bothersome if you stayed in your hotel room all day, but who does that? And we actually enjoyed the Westin’s Luau music.
My only complaint is the tiresome invasion of pool-chair trolls. These are the troglodytes that run out early in the morning, place a book and towel on chair/lounger, and expect everyone to respect their territory the entire day. The Alii needs to get aggressive against these lower life forms to prevent chair saving.
Just up the beach, another hotel (can’t remember which one) has signs posted around the pool area which remind guests that pool chairs are for “active use” only. This means if a chair is left for more than 25 minutes, the staff removes any personal items that the Chair Hogs have put there.
It’s not that it was impossible to find places to lay out in the shade or sun; it’s just that the nicer spots under umbrellas were always “saved” by these squatters.
Fix this one problem, and the Alii is easily a 5 Star property.
