We just went to the Kaanapali Beach hotel with our two kids, ages 4 & 6 and had a marvelous time. I have to admit when we first checked in we were not impressed with our room and were a little concerned that the rest of the hotel would have the same rundown feel but that was not the case. The room was very spacious and frankly, we didn't spend a lot of time there anyway - the real value of this hotel is in the beautiful location and the activities you can participate in. They post the activities and you have to register for them beforehand (don't just show up because there is preperation that goes into each of the activities) and the ones that we did were awesome - we learned how to play the ukulele, made leis and took a hula class - all really fun! My four year old son took the lei making class with us and actually did great. You have to take the initiative to participate in the activities - it would be easy to miss if you weren't aware of them! (Also, it was nice to go to a welcome breakfast where they didn't try to arm wrestle you into buying a condo)

Our kids just loved the passport program, and I didn't feel pressured to buy anything - they were just thrilled that they got a stamp and a gift at each location throughout the resort and totally got into the whole program - my daughter wore her passport even when we weren't in the hotel. She was very proud and told every kid she saw about it.

The shows in the evening were nice, we could sit and have a cocktail and the kids danced to the music, so relaxing! If it's luxury you're after or you're on your honeymoon, I probably wouldn't stay there, but with family it was perfect - check rates and you'll see that it's a great value for that part of Maui. It was our first time to take the kids to Maui, I would have been ticked if we took them to a four star hotel and hung out at the pool the whole time. We felt very welcome and very comfortable and would definitely go back. We had a free night at the Marriott Wailea which was really awesome - they have an incredible pool (hey - weren't we on one of the best beaches in the world? why were we at the pool?) And the rooms were first class, the buffet breakfast was absolutely first class but it definitely didn't have a relaxed family feel, the beach wasn't directly in front of the hotel (if you stay in Wailea be aware that they have a pretty small beach compared to Kaanapali and all the hotels share it - in Kaanapali most of the hotels have their own beachfront) not to mention the going rate was nearly 3x that of Kaanapali Beach Hotel, we couldn't have swung a whole trip there but it was nice to have a little luxury at the end of our trip. All in all, as far as value - Kaanapali Beach Hotel is worth it - stay there, save the cash and use it for excursions and the HUGE cost of dining throughout Maui!

Dave, Jennifer, Isaac, Alexis Klementis and Patti Diebel
From Gresham, Oregon Stayed with Maui's most Hawaiian Hotel from April 11-18, 2008

I can not express fully just how much our family loved our stay at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel. We truly felt like their Ohana and we can’t wait to go back. For our first trip to Maui and their Hotel we didn’t know what to expect but this hotel exceeded our expectations by leaps and bonds. Our vacation was wonderfully memorable mainly due to the stuff at the KBH. Our children loved the whale pool and our daughter Alexis had such a great time learning the hula and lei making. Our son Isaac’s favorite part was the cookies on the pillow at night. As for the adults we were so fascinated to learn about the Hawaiian history from the Guest Services not to mention that they all can dance the hula!! Even the waitress got on the stage and danced. Their love of the island and culture was so evident that we all felt like it was our home too. Upon our checking out the Good bye ceremony was so beautiful it brought tears to our eyes. Everyone sang and danced to not just one song but I believe there were four!! They all showed us how grateful you were to have us there that even the nice lady that cleaned our room left us a beautiful thank you letter. I ask you where else can you find that kind of Hawaiian spirit!!! Mahalo to them for giving us treasured memories that will last a life time. We will be back as soon as we can. Aloha until then!!

I stayed at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel with my husband and 4 year old daughter in early March 2008. Here's the good and the bad.

Good
-The location is wonderful. Right on a beautiful, very long stretch of beach. It was whale season so we could look right off our balcony and see whales cavorting out at sea! Magical!
-The grounds are meticulously groomed every day. There are huge lovely shade-giving palm trees all over the property. There are plenty of lawn chairs and picnic tables in which to relax.
-There is a nightly free hulu show. It was fun and my daughter loved it. The hotel staff dance in the show and they are very talented.
-Go to the welcome breakfast. It gives you a nice overview of what to do on the island. There is zero pressure to buy anything. It is just informative.
-It was a decent value for the money.
-KONA COFFEE - mmmmmmm!
-Walking distance to many restaurants and shops in the Whaler's Village.

Bad
-The rooms are very average. Nothing special at all. They are worn and dated and ours had only a very small shower stall (no bath tub). The hallways are dingy and there are dirty marks on the walls where luggage or carts have scraped.
-The staff is not all that great. Some are friendly, some are not. They all seem to know each other very well and get caught up in personal conversations and can ignore the guests.
-The kids passport program was pretty dumb. It really just encouraged my daughter to go into their stores and ask me to buy her things.
-The breakfast was just OK. There was a large variety but the food was not so tastey.
-The pool area was nothing special.
-The Mixed Plate restaurant was not very good.

All things considered, I would not stay here again due to the "just averageness" of the hotel. Next time, i will stay at the Sheraton next door or the Alii a few hotels down.

What could have been a good stay turned into one of the worst hotel stays ever.

We certainly had looked forward to the "most Hawaiin hotel" on Maui. However, starting 14 April the KBH has been under construction at three different locations. This includes removing the entire front side of rooms - which happened to take place right above our room. From 9:00 am onwards all we could hear was sawing, hammering, a compressor running, the breaking down of materials. etc.

Incredibly, no notification whatsoever was provided. When I called the manager I was told to talk to my travel agency. Aside from the fact that I booked direct with KBH this is plainly ridiculous. And a quick check with major travel websites evidenced that none listed a construction notice as posited by KBH.

A second call resulted in the same advice. Silence ensued when I again pointed out that we booked directly. Then I was told that a notification about construction could be found on the KBH website. I had just looked at KBH website - nothing. More silence. Then a Eureka moment: I was told there is no construction, just updating. And updating is in guests' interest and thus there is no need to notify guests. I was left stunned.

This was a family vaction with babys and grandparents, multiple adjecent rooms, and a need for some peace and quite for naps. What we got was a wholly unpleasant experience whith KBH staff refusing to take ownership of the problem.

We were offered to move rooms on our last day. But this begs the question why - with plenty of rooms empty - guests were situated in rooms right next to construction to begin with.

The mixture of two days of relentless construction and "creative mangement" was unique - and enough for us after one experience.