JW Ihilani. I have only used cash, as there are better places for me to use points than HI. That may not be the case for you though. For me, my decision is easy; use points at a Cat 7 in HI which costs about $300/night or use it for a Cat 7 in Europe which costs about $600/night, or Cat 6 in Vail, CO during ski season which costs $536/night. Now if you have no plans to visit Europe or other better points valued destinations, then perhaps HI is a good use of your points. There are usually M11 or AAA rates available if you plan well enough in advance. The last time I stayed at Ihilani, this past June, it was a AAA Ocean View rate for $333.

Avoid Ren Maui as this hotel has been closing for months, which keeps getting delayed. Service and rooms are not up to standards, and they lack basic understanding of elite benefits, IMO. I have posted details on this in the last few days so feel free to do a search on my recent posts in this forum to find out more.

Yes, you can use MR points for Ritz stays. Yes, there is a Ritz in Maui.

There, I think I answered all of your questions.