xtremeski2001

I've never stayed at the Ritz in Kapalua or the Marriott in Wailea, but having been to Maui several times I really like the Wailea area better. It's quieter, less tourists, doesn't remind me of the mainland (e.g., rolex shops, quicksilver, etc.), easier to access all areas of the island (e.g., road to hana, haleakala, etc), great snorkeling, more local feel (especially Kihei), etc.

That said, the Ritz property is beautiful. If I was planning to go to Maui and never leave the hotel I'd pick the Ritz.

No matter what your choice, if you enjoy snorkeling make sure you check out honolua bay. Better than most of the paid snorkeling trips, IMHO.

JAGMAP

Ritz-Carlton Kapalua can be had for under $199/night through American Express FHR as well as Virtuoso (3rd night free)

$299/Terrace View x 2 paid nights = $598/3 nights = $199 + 15% taxes + $30 resort fee

Sample Dates: 16-19 September (3 nights)

Sousaphil

I'm planning to use points for 5 nights here in March. It looks like I could upgrade to Club level for $200/night.

1) For those who've stayed on club level, what are your thoughts? Worth it?
2) Would I earn MR points on the club spend?


Any notable property construction or renovation projects I should be weary of?

Thanks!

Eujeanie

We did exactly that last year for 2 nights - upgraded with cash on a points stay.

We did not earn MR points on the cash portion.

We thought the Club lounge was very nice, but we almost didn't leave the place. Breakfast, lunch, tea...we thought we'd go in the evening just for appetizers but it was so much food we just made a dinner of it. It was very convenient and very good, selections changed each day and were quite substantial. For 2 nights that was fine, I'm sure we would have ventured to a restaurant had we stayed longer than that.

ZZYZXROAD

$200 a night, no way. There is an ABC store right on the RC property about 1 min walk from front door and have awesome food, drinks and goodies. Save that money and eat well in Lahaina and Kapalua. Try the raw tuna with wasabi and plate special for lunch.

$200 is a lot for finger food in the lounge, $100 yes, $200 no. Go to the Gazebo for breakfast and get the fried rice with eggs. The best part about that section of Maui is Kahana, Lahaina and Kanaapali, so get out and enjoy.

FYI, it could be raining here and no where else so be prepared. We upspent on a large suite not the lounge for $100 a night more for the four of us and it was the best move I ever did. Best room experience I have had.

Make sure you snorkel at Kapalua Bay, no need to go anywhere else and rent from Snorkel Bob, best deal in town if going to snorkel for more than 3 days. Hotel shuttle to the bay every hour or even less and another great deal.

Sousaphil

Thank you Eujeanie and ZZYZXROAD. I appreciate the information.
$200 is quite an upcharge if all they really have is finger food. Is there a better chance that I'd be upgraded to an Ocean view as a platinum if I bought up to the club level? That may tip the balance if so.

Kapalua Bay is most definitely on the list. As for dining, Mama's Fish House is a must-visit for me any time I'm on the island. I also love Star Noodle and the Maui Brewing Company restaurant.

Eujeanie

I just picked my husband's brain as to what he remembered, and this might be of interest to you.

The offerings at night were more than "finger food" - while they had the usual suspects (cheese and crackers, crudités, etc.), they did have a couple of hot choices every night. And a huge paella-type pan of melted Brie topped with different fruits and nuts which was very good.

They also had a cook come into the lounge with a trolley and sautee a hot special every night - for us one night it was shrimp, one night scallops. These were very good and a nice highlight. However...my husband recalls the guy saying that they were considering discontinuing this, so you might want to find that out, because it did elevate the whole experience.

As far as rooms go, we were Gold and while we reserved the basic Resort View room on points, our room did have a distant ocean view (remember, the resort is high on a bluff quite a distance from the ocean). The building with the Club Lounge is one of the middle buildings, not the one closest to the ocean to begin with, so if you are in a CL room your view will be a distant one. Nice to see the blue through the trees but certainly not the ocean right below you.

We were also there for just 2 nights, and it was at the end of our trip, we had already spent several nights at the Sheraton Maui and from there did all our running around and sightseeing. Our 2 nights at Kapalua were just to hunker down and nest, and the Club Level was perfect for that.

TommyC80

This place is ridiculously overpriced (and very far from Kapalua). Nice view, but lots of places in Maui have a nice view. The food and the restaurant's ambiance inside are nothing to write home about and not up to par with the cost of a meal. The first, last and only time I've been there, lunch for two was $250 without going crazy with cocktails/wine. If you want something with good food and a view in Kapalua try Merriman's (make sure to go right at 5pm for a prime table for sunset).

Eujeanie

While I agree with you, Tommy, that we were seriously underwhelmed with Mama's, the OP said it is a must do for him every trip, so he must like it.

ZZYZXROAD

Mama's is a tourist spot. Agreed, over priced and not that good. 25 years ago, it was a gem. Near the airport? Go to Da Kitchen and thank me later. Costco membership? Try the wasabi poke. Best I ever had.

dayone

All you need to know.

hedoman

Trolley has been discontinued. I like the lounge and find value for $200. It's very civilized, uncrowded and booze is included all hours lounge is open. We do breakfast downstairs, lunch and dinner in the lounge.

The hotel seems the same as twenty years ago. It would be better flagged as JW.

Sousaphil

Hello all, I wanted to update my experience at the RC-Kapalua. I stayed 5 nights during the first week of March. Mother nature was the only disappointment as we only had 1 day of sun out of 6 on the island.

Platinum guest details:
1,000 points as an arrival gift
Upgraded to Ocean View room
(Did not have to request either, they were offered upon warm welcome and arrival)
Upon request, I received late checkout, 2pm

I stayed on points and paid cash ($200 per night) for the Club Lounge level. The RC website was very vague on what to expect in terms of food and beverage in the club, so YMMV, but here's what was listed in my welcome letter:

The Club Lounge offer 5 daily preparations
Breakfast 7am - 10am
Mid-day snack 12pm - 2:30pm
Tropical iced tea 3pm - 4pm
Hors d'oeuvres 5pm - 7pm
Desserts 7:30pm - 9pm

They also offer beer wine and cocktails all day. Soft drinks, water, and assorted snacks are available as grab and go if you're gearing up for a hike or other island adventure.

The Club Lounge food was very nicely done. The breakfast was advertised as continental, but that is incorrect. There were indeed plenty of pastries (with 3 island fruit jams), but they also had eggs, rotating breakfast sausages, house-smoked salmon, fresh fruit and the reddest tomatoes I've seen in a long time. They typically had a hot, sweet dish also. One time it was stuffed french toast, another time it was a Cinnabun-looking thing.

The mid-day snack is certainly sufficient as a lunch. They had a few hot and cold small sandwich displays, excellent salads, and a meat/cheese display. We found it very tasty and satisfying when we had lunch here. My favorite item found at lunch and sometimes in the evening were ahi poke lettuce cups. I'm a poke fiend, couldn't get enough of it while on Maui.

The hors d'oeuvres were the only presentation that couldn't be considered a meal replacement. Small, tasty, fresh bites were nice to take the edge off, if you knew you'd be waiting for a reservation and were already hungry.

Desserts were a nice way to cap a day in Maui (with a glass of port if one chooses!), however I wouldn't say the desserts were a highlight.


They can make most mixed drinks upon request, although they don't do blended drinks (pina colada, margarita...) since they don't want the blender noise encroaching upon the atmosphere. Their house mai tai was excellent. Fresh fruit juices and generously floated dark rum. I admit I had more than a few of those!

Aside from the food, the other noteworthy aspect of the Club Lounge was its staff. They did a wonderful job making my significant other and I feel like valued, long-time guests. Aside from taking care of us with food and drink, they engaged us in nice, down-to-earth conversations when we were in the mood for it (they didn't feel obtrusive when we just wanted a private moment). They went to lengths of phoning around the island to see if there were any sunny spots for us on the wettest days. Of particular note, Leslie, Laura and Ross were outstanding representatives of the Ritz Carlton brand. We were sad to say goodbye to them at the end of the trip.


The hotel room itself was at a level I've come to expect from the RC. The ocean view was what I expected, knowing the buildings are not as close to the water as other resorts. One thing I noticed is the rooms are very good at noise insulation. When we were in the room with the door closed, we felt like we might be the only people at the resort. There was an occupied room above us (I could tell when I was out on the balcony), but I didn't hear so much as a footstep.

Resort fee, self parking and taxes added up to about $450 for 5 nights. Resort fee included WiFi and gym. The gym was very nice, although if the weather was better I wouldn't have used it!


I cannot categorically answer, "Is the $200 a day worth it for the Club?". For the trip we had, it was absolutely worth it. However, I could certainly have seen us not making use of the Club during the day if the weather had been pristine. In any case, it was a great treat and a wonderful trip.

Eujeanie

I know at the hors d'oeuvres time they got rid of the trolleys where they sautéed up various things (we had shrimp one night, scallops another), but did they still have that huge paella pan of melted brie chock full of fruits, nuts, etc.? That was great.

Sousaphil

Yes, that huge baked brie dish was there and it was outstanding.