Maui magnificence: A overview of Kaanapali Alii, a Vacation spot by Hyatt Residence

There’s loads to like in regards to the Kaanapali Alii, a Vacation spot by Hyatt Residence. Positioned on Maui in Hawaii, this Hyatt-affiliated property gives a superb location on iconic Kaanapali Seashore, massive lodging with spacious residing rooms and full-size kitchens, complimentary parking and a calming pool space, amongst different highlights. Better of all, you need to use your World of Hyatt factors to guide a keep right here.

For some time now, I have been promising my brother and his three kids, who’re 9, 11 and 13 years outdated, that we might make a journey to Hawaii. So, when a stash of World of Hyatt factors and some days off lastly put the dream household trip inside attain, I made a decision to take my household to the Aloha State.

After our four-night keep on the Kaanapali Alii, it is protected to say that our journey was so successful that we’re already trying into how we are able to make this an annual journey. Right here is all the things you should find out about bedding down on the Kaanapali Alii so you may plan your personal Maui getaway.

Reserving

I used to be very enthusiastic about utilizing World of Hyatt factors for a trip in Maui … that’s, till I noticed there was hardly any availability for the dates I wished to go. For the October journey I used to be planning, I could not discover any award availability on the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa or the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort. Thankfully, the dearth of rooms at these Hyatt properties ended up working in our favor, because the lesser-known Kaanapali Alii had availability.

To accommodate the 5 of us, I looked for two-bedroom condos with house for as much as six company. Given the island’s recognition and lack of award availability at different Hyatt properties, I wasn’t stunned to search out that ocean-view premium suites have been going for a whopping 60,000 World of Hyatt factors per evening on my dates. Redeeming 240,000 World of Hyatt factors for one keep was probably the most I’ve ever spent on a Hyatt redemption.

Regardless of the excessive award charge, I might nonetheless name my redemption a terrific worth, as TPG values these 240,000 factors at $4,080. Money costs for a similar days for a similar unit would have been $5,601.56, so I saved some huge cash and in addition had an opportunity to deal with my brother and his kids to an outstanding journey.

If you do not have sufficient factors (or money) to guide a dearer two-bedroom rental, there are a few methods to trim prices. For instance, teams with not more than 4 individuals can reserve a smaller one-bedroom unit with backyard views. The lodge additionally studies that you’re going to sometimes discover the most cost effective charges from April to June, in addition to between September and mid-December, so in case you’re versatile along with your journey dates, chances are you’ll discover decrease costs. After I checked for October 2023, I discovered money charges beginning at $548 per evening and award nights for as few as 30,000 World of Hyatt factors per evening.

When figuring out if a keep right here is feasible in your funds, bear in mind to issue within the property’s resort price. Known as a “each day service price” on the Kaanapali Alii, the $58.71 cost can shortly add up over a multiday journey. Nevertheless, in case you guide a stick with factors as a World of Hyatt member, your resort charges can be waived. No matter whether or not or not you employ factors, you may additionally get resort charges waived when you’ve got Hyatt Globalist standing (which was the case for us throughout this keep since I am a Globalist member).

Location

The 177-unit Kaanapali Alli is positioned a couple of 45-minute drive away from Kahului Airport (OGG) on one among Maui’s hottest seashores, not removed from the outdated whaling port of Lahaina. It is one among a number of resorts on well-known Kaanapali Seashore, a 3-mile stretch of sand on the western coast of the island. The world has drawn vacationers because it began being developed within the Sixties, although the Kaanapali Alii did not open till the Eighties.

Subsequent to this trip rental complicated, you will discover Whalers Village, a shopping center with loads of boutiques and eating places, together with standard spots like Hula Grill Kaanapali, Leilani’s on the Seashore and Joey’s Kitchen Maui. Moreover, you may take a roughly 20-minute stroll to the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, the place each evening at sundown, there’s a torch-lighting ceremony and cliff divers. I managed to scale and dive off the cliff and in some way satisfied my brother to do it, too. The expertise ended up being a spotlight of our go to.

Associated: The perfect time to go to Hawaii

Test-in

Test-in on the Kaanapali Alii is at 4 p.m., so I used to be pleasantly stunned once I arrived round 2 p.m. and was informed that our unit was prepared. The method was fast, with the lodge worker taking a bank card and confirming I used to be in a two-bedroom rental with ocean views.

Throughout check-in, the entrance desk employees handed me 5 bracelets, which my brother, his three youngsters and I have been requested to put on all through our keep to show residency. I used to be additionally given 5 towel playing cards so we may have towels to make use of when on the property’s swimming pools and Kaanapali Seashore. With the latter, I used to be warned that if we misplaced a card (or a towel), I might be on the hook for a $25 substitute price, a coverage I discover to be a bit strict however not unusual to come back throughout at resorts in Hawaii.

As soon as the visitor insurance policies have been coated, the entrance desk agent supplied to ship a bellman to assist us unload all our baggage and groceries. Since we had a lot stuff, we determined to move in favor of shifting all the things we introduced ourselves to avoid wasting time and maintain ourselves organized.

Room

When my brother, his youngsters and I walked into our assigned rental, we have been blown away by what lay inside.

After getting into the rental, which was someplace between 1,500 and 1,900 sq. ft, and taking a fast peek on the small laundry room near the doorway, we walked down a brief hallway that linked to the primary residing house, the place sweeping views of the ocean and the neighboring Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Kaanapali awaited us.

Following a pause to absorb the unbelievable panorama, we turned our consideration again to the residing space. Composed of a household room, an open kitchen with an electrical vary and a Sub-Zero fridge, a separate eating room and two entries to a big lanai, or balcony, the residing space was spacious. It was a beautiful place to unwind with my household away from different company and residents.

Whereas there was loads of seating inside the primary room, we spent the majority of our time on the lanai when within the unit, because it supplied a terrific view of Maui’s attractive sunsets and the adjoining Westin’s nightly luau. It was a terrific spot to get pleasure from dinner as a household after getting ready our meal within the unit’s kitchen, too.

Past this primary residing house, there was the aforementioned laundry room, which was outfitted with a stacked washer and dryer, plus a small sink. After a number of days with the children in Hawaii, it was clutch to have a method to clear all the garments wanted whereas swimming and out exploring.

A pair of closets with ample however not overwhelming space for storing was additionally out there. A lot to my shock, the closet by the laundry room had one of many oldest-looking safes I’ve ever seen whereas touring. In contrast to extra fashionable variations with digital options for locking and unlocking the door, this protected was coin-operated, requiring 1 / 4 to open the door.

Moreover, there have been two massive bedrooms with a mixture of picket furnishings and island-inspired accents (suppose: tropical throw pillows, potted crops and partitions painted in beachy colours like mild blue and beige). Resort necessities like a flat-screen TV, a cellphone and air-con have been additionally out there in every bed room. General, the design was fundamental however ample, giving us a snug place to catch some zzz’s each evening.

Hooked up to every bed room was one of many loos. Regardless of providing sufficient house for a walk-in bathe or a big shower-tub unit, plus a bidet within the toilet for the proprietor’s suite, every toilet solely had one sink. Nonetheless, they have been principally a success with our crew due to the full-size lavender-lime-scented toiletries from Lather, an organization that sells magnificence merchandise made with plant-based components.

Meals and beverage

In contrast to conventional resorts the place you will discover a number of eating places, there are not any sit-down eating venues on the Kaanapali Alii. This wasn’t a problem for my household, as we visited a Costco by the island’s airport on our method to the property so we may prepare dinner the majority of our meals in our unit’s well-equipped kitchen.

In case you do not need to fear about shopping for your personal groceries, you may prepare to have the resort inventory your unit’s pantry and Sub-Zero fridge for you forward of time. There’s additionally a small comfort retailer on-site, must you need to choose up a few gadgets or purchase a snack with out stepping foot off the property.

An expert grill grasp on the property may help you make completely seasoned meat, too. This complimentary service is accessible on a first-come, first-served foundation from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday via Tuesday.

For individuals who’d relatively keep away from having to prepare dinner whereas on trip, there are a number of eateries positioned inside strolling distance, together with the beforehand talked about Leilani’s on the Seashore and Hula Grill Kaanapali, plus Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman. All three serve informal, family-friendly Hawaiian fare, reminiscent of fish tacos, poke bowls and pizza topped with kalua pork and pineapple.

Associated: Which lodge has the perfect free breakfast? TPG ate 10 meals to search out the winner

Facilities

Though eating choices are restricted, there’s an array of different facilities on the Kaanapali Alli. Nevertheless, they are not fairly of the caliber of what a high-end lodge would supply in Hawaii.

Free facilities vary from on-site parking (which I all the time recognize, because it’s onerous to search out today) to Wi-Fi entry to complimentary espresso within the mornings in an indoor-outdoor house with TVs and plentiful seating.

There’s additionally a health club, which, I famous, remained empty for almost all of our keep. Positioned in a constructing to the appropriate of one of many parking garages, the unstaffed house had fashionable train gear, together with a Star Trac Max Rack weight machine, cardio machines like ellipticals by Matrix, Peloton bikes, free weights and a small studio for yoga.

The resort gives “Rise and Shine” yoga lessons three days per week for $25 an individual. Group health lessons, reminiscent of circuit coaching, are additionally out there three days per week for $25 per particular person. To take part, you will want to order your spot on the entrance desk.

In case you’d relatively break a sweat with outside actions, you may head to one among three clay tennis courts. They’re free to make use of, and company can borrow tennis rackets and balls totally free via the concierge.

Must you desire to indulge whereas on trip, a day spa can be out there within the health heart. I did not guide a therapy however noticed that numerous massages, facials and even waxings have been out there in particular person therapy rooms. A 50-minute therapeutic massage prices $145, whereas a 50-minute facial will set you again $160.

Moreover the wellness services, company have entry to 3 oceanfront swimming pools: a quiet pool, a youngsters pool and a curviform primary pool with a waterfall. They’re small by Hawaii resort requirements and lack any wow elements for households, reminiscent of waterslides, however they by no means obtained too crowded throughout our go to. We may all the time seize sufficient lounge chairs for our whole group, no matter once we visited, which is a significant plus in Hawaii today.

A few sizzling tubs have been additionally out there and have been all the time empty once we walked by.

On the primary pool home, you can lease seaside umbrellas and poolside cabanas. Seashore umbrellas price $20 per half day and $40 per full day, whereas cabana costs vary from $45 to $70 per day.

All through the pool space, there have been stations the place you can prepare off-site actions and excursions like whale watching, snorkeling and helicopter rides. These stations have been additionally the place you can get recent towels, although company are restricted to 1 towel per towel card, which is strictly enforced.

If you realize you need to get pleasure from some actions whereas on Maui however usually are not fairly certain what you’d love to do, you may go to the concierge workplace contained in the small comfort retailer. There, you will discover extra data on close by issues to do and might get help reserving actions. Simply remember that the hours are restricted from 8 a.m. to six p.m.

Like different resorts in Hawaii, the Kaanapali Alii has seaside entry. Nevertheless, it’s miles from good. We have been warned at check-in that components of the property, together with the seaside, had washed away throughout latest storms. Whereas older photographs of the seaside present a large stretch of sand, it’s at present a lot smaller.

Practically all the seaside stroll is closed as properly as a result of latest climate occasions, so whilst you can nonetheless entry the seaside, you may not stroll down the garden on to it. This is not the resort’s fault by any stretch of the creativeness, as neighboring properties additionally had points with their seashores once we visited, however you will need to maintain this in thoughts so you realize what to anticipate.

Service

General, we skilled top-notch service whereas on the Kaanapali Alii. The entrance desk employees was pleasant, and the truth that they allow us to verify in early was a beautiful shock. The bellmen have been hospitable and fast to supply help, too, and calls to the entrance desk have been answered promptly. We additionally appreciated accessing fundamental housekeeping each day, as so many resorts have eradicated it altogether because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Nonetheless, we did encounter a few points within the room, although they have been dealt with effectively.

In one of many loos, the hand-held bathe head did not work and the bidet drain was backed up. Thankfully, a name to upkeep led to the decision of each points by the point we returned from a number of hours on the seaside.

We additionally needed to name upkeep to activate the televisions because the property directs all company to take action as a substitute of leaving directions contained in the models. Whereas it was barely annoying to need to take this further step so we may often watch a present, it was in the end a minor inconvenience that did not eat up an excessive amount of of our time.

The pleasant girl working on the concierge desk deserves a particular point out. She not solely helped us guide actions, but in addition personally walked my household and me to the seaside to point out us how one can detour across the closed sidewalks. That was a pleasant service contact we weren’t anticipating.

Checkout was quick and environment friendly as properly, and there have been no surprises within the last invoice.

Whereas the service wasn’t as hands-on as what chances are you’ll expertise at conventional inns, it exceeded my expectations for a trip rental.

Associated: E-book this, not that: Hawaii resorts version

Accessibility

As a result of the models on the Kaanapali Alii have particular person homeowners, there isn’t a authorized requirement for rooms to be absolutely compliant with the People with Disabilities Act. Nevertheless, I used to be informed that some rooms have ramps and are due to this fact wheelchair pleasant, although each room has at the least two steps.

The property itself is not very best for wheelchairs, because the irregular pavement and closed walkways would make it powerful for these in wheelchairs to get round. The hallways have been large, although, and the elevator may accommodate company in wheelchairs.

Moreover, there have been chair lifts for the swimming pools and sizzling tubs.

General impression

The Kaanapali Alii has all the things you can need in a trip rental residence … properly, apart from a bargain-basement value. The one- and two-bedroom condos present ample house to stretch out, plus some top-notch options like absolutely outfitted kitchens and comfortably furnished lanais. Having complimentary parking and easy accessibility to numerous retailers and eating places are highlights, too.

As a result of every unit is individually owned, the precise inside design, structure and situation of every house will differ from rental to rental. In case you do not thoughts this lack of consistency, although, odds are you will get pleasure from staying right here, as long as seaside erosion is not a deal breaker.

Go to TPG’s Hawaii vacation spot hub for extra tales about attending to the islands, staying on the islands and what to do whereas visiting.