While visiting Maui I stayed at the Napili Kai Beach Resort in Kapalua along with the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa in Wailea, and I spent a few nights in a Sunny Maui condo in Kehei. I liked each accommodation for their own various reasons and will be reviewing them all on the site. First up is Napili Kai.
At the Napili Kai Beach Resort I had a Studio room located in the “Puna 2” building on the property. Inside my room I had a full size kitchen with all of the cooking utensils you could want, there was a full sized fridge, stove, microwave and even a dishwasher.
There was a large closet for me to stash all of my things in along with a safe, however the safe was not large enough to fit my laptop. Next to the closet was the bathroom sink with great smelling Napili Kai branded bath products and next to that was the toilet and shower in their own room so people could still use the sink while the other part of the bathroom was occupied which is nice.
Since it was a studio of course everything was all in one room but they all had their own spaces, there was a comfortable large bed, a cute sitting area and a dining table to eat at.
My favorite part of my room at Napili Kai however was the Lanai (aka balcony/veranda). On the wall in the room there was a switch which activated my power curtains and showed me an amazing view. My room was on the second floor and the building was practically in the ocean. Well perhaps 20feet from the ocean, so when you looked out it was as if you were on a boat or extremely fancy cruise ship. Each morning I could wake up and hear the waves crashing outside as I watched Stand Up Paddle Boarders smoothly glide by in the calm bay. I even spotted a turtle or two swim by.
The property has 163 rooms spread out over about 10 buildings on the property. They range from standard rooms to Studios like mine and even have 1, 2 and 3 bedroom suites. It’s a quiet place and many of the guests are repeat customers who often stay there for months at a time.
On property there are four swimming pools and a whirlpool and the hotel itself is located on a nice sandy beach. The staff can arrange Stand Up Paddle Board rentals and also have snorkels and masks. However when I was there they didn’t have any fins to rent. There are also several BBQs for guests to use, there is an 18-hole putting green, and they offer lei making lessons, hula lessons and they even have a Mai Tai party each week. Sadly I missed the Mai Tai party when I was there. Oh and I can’t forget the free wifi! Yay!
Breakfast, lunch and dinner is served at the Sea House Restaurant overlooking the beach and ocean. They made a mean Mai Tai and some other tasty eats. I filled myself up on Pupu (appetisers) one night I couldn’t even finish my main course. To see a video review of my room watch the video above.
How to Get There
Located on what the locals call “West Maui”, there is only one road to get you to Kapalua from the rest of Maui. You either drive the Honoapiilani Highway which takes you clockwise around West Maui or you drive the Kahekili Highway counter clockwise around West Maui which eventually turns into the Honoapiilani Highway. Taking the Honoapiilani route is by the far the safest, quickest, and I even heard a few rumours that many rental car companies don’t insure you if you drive the Kahekili way.
When you are headed to Napili Kai in Kapalua or any other area on West Maui like Lahaina or Kaanapali by the Honoapiilani Highway I recommend you give yourself a lot of time to get there. Reason #1 being that it is a pretty drive and you might want to stop often for photos or to visit places like Lahaina along the way. #2 Because the road can be dangerous. Take your time and be safe. Rarely it occurs that there is a accident so bad that they have to close the road down and then you are only left with trying to get there on the Kaheili Highway which really should be left to the locals or very good drivers. When I was there an accident closed the road and the police actually closed down Kaheili as well to keep tourists from trying to drive that way. I eventually drove that road after my stay at Napili Kai… stay tuned for that adventure post…
While visiting Maui I was a guest of the Maui Visitors Bureau. As always all opinions and views expressed are my own.
3 Comments
Christina
July 5, 2013 at 7:09 pmAh, Napili Kai. I stayed there as a kid with my family — more than once, I think. We used to visit Maui all the time, but I probably haven’t been back for 20 years!
Napili Kai Beach Resort
July 3, 2013 at 5:33 pmAloha Cailin:
Mahalo for the wonderful review. We’re so happy you enjoyed your stay with us. Because Napili Kai does not have a resort fee our guests can enjoy free WiFi, free parking, weekly putting party, Keiki (children’s hula show) and Mai Tai party, along with many other complimentary activities. Many of our guests say we make the best Mai Tai on the island. The Sea House Restaurant recently won the 2013 ‘Aipono Silver Awards for Most Maui-est Restaurant and Best Pau Hana (Happy Hour) from Maui No Ka ‘Oi Magazine. We hope you’ll come visit us again.
Warmest regards.
Wendy
July 3, 2013 at 3:45 pmNapili Kai has a great reputation and is one of few resorts that sit so closely to the ocean in Maui! I hadn’t seen a suite before – that was beautiful!