The best hotels in Maui

One cascading outdoor infinity pool is pretty special. But four is… well, it’s exactly what you’ll find at this fantastic beachfront hotel in Wailea. Along with the pools (one of which is reserved just for adults), visitors can also enjoy some of the island’s best restaurants, including Ka’ana Kitchen and Morimoto, and a heavenly spa. For the more adventurous visitor, there are regular heli-foraging trips zipping people to remote corners of the island to source the ingredients needed for a cooking sesh under the guidance of a celeb chef.

On a prime site along Maui’s Wailea Beach, the Four Seasons is the place to head for the truly customizable experience. Activities include swimming in lava caves, dining out on an organic farm, horse riding and photography workshops led by famed photographer Daniel Sullivan. You won’t even notice how beautifully light and airy your high-ceiling suite overlooking the ocean is because you’ll be too busy exploring. Ok, you will, every time you walk back into it and remember why you booked this stunning hotel.

If you’re the sort of person that defines a Maui vacation by a whole lot of pool time, then the Grand Wailea is the hotel for you. Following a recent $4m pool overhaul, the hotel now boasts everything from a scuba pool to a Tarzan rope swing and extensive lava tube slide with a 360-degree exterior loop and LED-colored light bands. Add in the fact that it’s just installed the world’s first water elevator and you’ve got yourself a water baby’s dream.

Located on the quieter side of the island in Kapalua, Maui’s Ritz-Carlton is all about understated elegance. Home to six restaurants, a private beach, a locally-inspired spa and two of Maui’s most exclusive and renowned golf courses, The Ritz-Carlton is the sort of hotel that you won’t have to ever leave - unless you want to. Pro tip: No stay is complete without a fancy brunch (and a few guava mimosas) at The Plantation House, the golf course’s club-house restaurant.

If you’re looking to check out and completely dedicate yourself to authentic island life, you can’t do much better than the Hana-Maui Resort. This award-winning hotel of spacious rustic-chic cottages in the secluded eastern tip of Hana sits perched amid rolling grass fields and towering cliffs studded with palm trees, giving the sort of remote Maui experience that’s far removed from the rest of its tourist hubs. Want to see the best of Maui’s natural beauty? This resort is also conveniently close to some of its most famous wonders, such as the seven sacred pools cascade of waterfalls and the Haleakala crater.

You might be just minutes from Kahului Airport, but you’d never know it while taking in the tranquil views of the Pacific from your spacious balcony at the Wailea Beach Marriot. With famed Hawaiian chef Roy Yamaguchi’s new restaurant Humble Market Kitchin, and one of the best luaus on this side of the island, the Marriot’s luxurious beachfront location has some of the better Maui-centric experiences on the island.

Recently voted Fairmont’s hotel of the year, the Kea Lani also boasts the title of the only all-suite and villa luxury beachfront resort in Maui. So, if lapping up some elegance is what you’re after, this is where to come. Compared to a lot of other hotels on the island, the Kea Lani is pretty design-focused, featuring spacious, family-friendly suites and two- and three-bedroom villas with full kitchens, courtyards, and private plunge pools, all done in an understated Hawaiian aesthetic of muted whites and earth tones for an island vibe that won’t hit you over the head.

Situated on the home of the PGA Tour’s season opening golf course, Kapalua villas offer one- to three-bedroomed villas with views onto Onaloa Bay, Molokai, and Lanai. While these don’t come with a localized hotel hub, their island vibe aesthetic and state-of-the-art kitchen and bathroom amenities make it the perfect place to stay if you want to spend your vacation with all the features of a house at your disposable. Dinner party anyone?

This five-star hotel perched on Kapalua bay boasts 24 acres and 60 one- to three-bedroom luxury suites, making it one of the more intimate luxury hotels on the island (some have up to 400 rooms). With three restaurants and bars (including a private dining room on the edge of a cliff), and a full-service spa with highly personalizable treatments featuring luxury Swiss skincare products, the Montage’s Kapalua enclave covers your resort bases without making you feel like you’re staying at just another luxury chain cookie cutter outpost.

Located on Ka’anapali Beach, the Hyatt Regency is the hotel to go with if you like to divide your time between lounging at the hotel and exploring. Just a short walk along the beach boardwalk to Whaler’s Village you’ll find local artisans, designer shops, and beachfront restaurants. Back at the hotel, rooms have a modern minimalist aesthetic, with sleek contemporary fixtures in place of the island decor favored by so many other hotels here. But don’t worry, if you’re looking for the Maui vibe, the throngs of parrots chilling in the lobby have it covered.  

Located on a private section of Wailea Beach, these tropical-styled two-to-five bedroom villas come complete with modern kitchens, flatscreen TVs, and your own BBQ so you can grill while you lounge on the terrace. Kids and adults can both enjoy the pools, with a family-friendly pool featuring waterfalls and an adults-only infinity pool for downtime alongside drinks. Just 10 minutes from Kihei, Wailea Beach Villas is perfectly situated so you can easily explore the more locals-laden parts of the island.

This boutique inn in the hip, locals-heavy surfer town of Paia along Maui’s north shore is the perfect spot for a low-key Maui getaway. Housed in a charming heritage building just steps from a turquoise stretch of beach, waking up in one of Paia inn’s cozy sun-drenched rooms is the perfect way to start your day. Especially when one of the city’s best daily brunches is right downstairs at its café.