Hilton Vacation Club Ka'anapali Beach Maui

The staff are great, and there’s a nice little mall within walking distance. We stayed for a week. The rooms are ok, with a full size fridge and microwave, but the place is dated. It sounds like they may remodel, though I don’t know when. There’s one washer and dryer on each floor, and a few more would help. The pool is nice, but kids aren’t kept out of the adults only hot tub.

The beach access and walkability worked well for us, and there’s a grocery store right across the street. The rooms have practical kitchen gear for a longer stay, including a good-sized fridge/freezer, full-size dishwasher, toaster and griddle. We also liked the clean pool, the plenty of umbrellas, the quick texting system for requests, solid housekeeping (though it was slow), good toiletries, and the big tub with a rope for drying swimsuits. There were some real drawbacks. The property seems family-oriented, but it wasn’t great for little kids. The waterslide has a height restriction, there’s no ice cream or snow cones on site, and the food service isn’t flexible for younger kids. Breakfast was overpriced and not worth it, drinks were expensive and tasted watered down, and even basics cost way too much. The time-share side was hard to miss. We were asked over and over if we were owners, and owners seemed to get better perks than regular guests. Rooms were functional but very dated, the beds and pillows weren’t comfortable, and the slotted doors let in too much noise. I’d stay again for the location and basic kitchen setup, but the rooms, food and kid-friendly resort experience weren’t what I’d hoped for.

The beach is small, but it’s right there, and we snorkeled from shore way beyond the reef/buoy. It was amazing. The Snorkel Shop rents gear for $35/week. It’s kid friendly, though most visitors seemed to be senior citizens using their timeshare. The place is very affordable for the area. My one gripe is that everything costs money, even the fun hula lessons and lei making classes, which was super annoying. Maybe that’s just Maui compared with Cabo, and it was my first visit. I’d give it a 4.8 if I could, mostly because I’m a cheap ass.

The rooms are larger, the ocean view is great, and the location is perfect. Some people call the rooms dated, but to me that’s part of the old Maui feel. We’ve been coming for years and it never disappoints. Staff are always there for you, especially Lady Ann, who’s an all star and never lets us down. - Tom Johnson