The Best Hotels in Maui

Maui's hotel market is one of the most developed in Hawaii; a range that runs from the most refined luxury resorts in the Pacific to small boutique properties in Hana and Upcountry that offer something the resort corridors cannot. Understanding the geography of where hotels sit is as important as understanding the hotels themselves. The Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea is the finest hotel on the island by most measures. Its position on Wailea Beach (one of the best stretches of sand in Hawaii) is exceptional, and the service standard it maintains is the benchmark against which every other luxury property in Hawaii is measured. The Spago restaurant, Wolfgang Puck's Hawaii outpost, is among the best dining experiences on the island. The spa is extensive. The pools are beautifully designed. The rooms and suites are among the most well-appointed in the Pacific. It is expensive in the way that the best hotels are expensive (the price reflects something real. The Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, is the most dramatic property in Hawaii) a 40-acre resort built in the early 1990s with a budget and an ambition that has never quite been replicated. The nine-pool water complex, connected by slides, rivers, and a water elevator, is the most elaborate pool system in the state. The Spa Grande is one of the largest spas in the country. The property is filled with Botero sculptures and commissioned art. The scale is genuinely overwhelming in a way that is either thrilling or exhausting depending on your temperament. For families, it is the best hotel in Hawaii. The Andaz Maui at Wailea is the most design-forward hotel in the Wailea corridor, a contemporary property with a more restrained aesthetic than its neighbors, a strong adults-only pool, and the Morimoto Maui restaurant, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto's Hawaii outpost. The hotel's architecture integrates the landscape in a way that feels more considered than the older Wailea properties, and the overall experience is more intimate despite the size. It is the best choice in Wailea for guests who find the Grand Wailea's scale overwhelming and want something more edited. The Montage Kapalua Bay is the most secluded luxury resort on Maui, a property on the island's north shore, away from both the Wailea and Kaanapali corridors, on a bay with some of the best snorkeling directly accessible from the beach. The residences and suites are among the most spacious on the island. The Cane & Canoe restaurant is excellent. The location (removed from the resort strip energy, facing the island of Molokai across the channel) offers a version of Maui that the south shore properties cannot. The trade-off is that the north shore weather is less reliable than Wailea's, and the distance from other parts of the island is significant. Travaasa Hana is the only hotel in Hana; a small, farm-to-table resort at the end of the Road to Hana that offers the most remote luxury experience in Hawaii. The property sits on 66 acres, the dining uses produce from the hotel's own farm and the surrounding community, and the experience of being in Hana after the day-trippers have left is entirely different from anything available in the resort corridors. Staying here is the reason to do the Road to Hana as an overnight trip rather than a day trip. The rooms are simple by luxury standards; the setting is extraordinary. The Kaanapali Beach Hotel is the most authentically Hawaiian hotel on Maui; a property that has resisted the corporate resort formula and built its identity around genuine Hawaiian cultural programming. The hula lessons, the lei making, the staff who are largely from the local community, the sense that the hotel is genuinely connected to the place it occupies; these are things that the larger resort properties, for all their polish, cannot replicate. It is not the most luxurious hotel on the island, but it is the most characterful, and for many visitors it is the most memorable. The Wailea Beach Resort, a Marriott property, occupies a prime position on Wailea Beach between the Four Seasons and the Grand Wailea. It offers good value relative to its neighbors; the beach access is identical, the Humble Market Kitchin restaurant is genuinely good, and the rooms are well-maintained. For guests who want the Wailea location without the Four Seasons price point, it is the most sensible option on the strip. Booking notes: Wailea is the right choice for guests who want luxury, reliable sunshine, and the most refined beach experience on the island. Kaanapali suits guests who want the resort strip energy, proximity to what remains of Lahaina, and a more active beach scene. Hana is for guests who want the Road to Hana experience done properly. Resort fees are universal across Maui's major hotels; factor them into the true cost of any booking. Peak season (December through March and June through August) sees rates rise significantly; the shoulder seasons of April–May and September–October offer the best value.