Mieko Horikoshi
Above, from top: The Ka’anapali’s summery, bright interiors. One will never be starved for inspiration or admiration from culinary creations the island’s hotels.
The time-honoured Ka’anapali Beach Resort continues to enliven one of Maui’s most photogenic beachfronts. Framed by white sand beaches and crystal water, Ka’anapali once served as a playground for Hawai‘ian royalty and continues to be a mainstay for both locals and visitors. While Hawai‘i’s first planned resort continues to inspire layouts for beach resorts around the globe, it further sets itself apart with its unforgettable landscapes, world-class hospitality and famously inviting culture.
One of the area’s obvious distinctions is that it offers something for every traveller, with 11 accommodations to choose from. They run the gamut from oceanfront hotels featuring lush gardens and waterfalls to a family-focused resort with nightly luaus and multiple waterslides, and luxury villas with a private lanai and full kitchen. Favourite household name hotels (Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club, Aston Maui Ka’anapali Villas, the Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Hyatt Ka’anapali Beach Club) rub shoulders with intimate boutique properties and hotels with distinctive local ambiance (Ka’anapali Beach Hotel, Royal Lahaina Resort, Ka’anapali Alii, Maui Eldorado Ka’anapali and Aston at the Whaler of Ka’anapali Beach).
The presence of the 11 hotels ensures that many memorable dining experiences await. To complement the variety of restaurants in popular retail centres like Whaler’s Village (populated with many Hawai‘ian home-grown shops) and the Fairway Shops, Ka’anapali Beach Resort’s hospitality partners offer more than 30 restaurants in a variety of genres, including Ka’anapali Beach Hotel’s new restaurant, Huihui, featuring sustainably-sourced cuisine or refreshing cocktails at the Sandbar, accompanied with bites from Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa’s lanai lounge.
Ka’anapali Beach Resort is also the ultimate hub for outdoor adventure on and off the beach. Sunset dinner sails, whale watching excursions, snorkelling, parasailing, surfing, zip lining, golf and cliff-jumping ceremonies are among the many options offered to adrenaline junkies and nature lovers. Travellers specifically coming to Hawai‘i to unplug, meanwhile, will also appreciate that it is also home to a number of world-class spas, countless walking and hiking trails and numerous children’s programme options across the resort’s expanse.
A number of festivals and cultural events each year are staged at the resort, including the Wa’a Kiakahi (an ancient Hawai‘ian canoe festival) and popular Hula O Nā Keiki (a solo hula competition for kids), in addition to daily activities like hula shows, musical performances, Hawaiian lauhala weaving, quilting, lei making and more. The Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival, coming this October 21–3, 2022, features a roster of internationally renowned master chefs, culinary personalities, winemakers and mixologists, and will kick off events across the three islands, including Kaanapali Beach Resort.
For more information about everything Ka’anapali, Maui has to offer, and then some, visitkaanapaliresort.com.
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