Hanoa Kai, Ka'anapali Beach, Maui

I know this is super, super late (we got back from Hawaii well over month ago), but I really want to endorse the wonderful condo we stayed at on Maui. And to reminisce about a great vacation, since I don't have another coming up until late May! I think it is an excellent place to stay for those of you planning a Maui trip in the next few years. I generally put a lot of stock in personal recommendations, so like to make them myself when I can!



Hanoa Kai is a good fit for a wide variety of travelers- couples that are free from children (like us), a group of girlfriends, families with young children, or a bunch of adults (family or friend groups). Really, the place is quiteversatile. It is all condos, the majority of which are rented out, not that many are owned. The two things that stood out most about this place were the kitchens and the porches (called lanais). The grounds were absolutely beautiful, there were multiple pools including waterfalls and hot tubs. It was right on the beach with plenty of whales about. And the restaurant is good enough for a few meals.

We had a studio and between the bed area, the living room, the porch and the kitchen there was plenty of room. It is the kind of place where you want to just hang out in your room and relax.

Hotel stock photo, but an accurate depiction of the room, the porch and the view.




My picture of our room.



Let me say a few words about the porch. The big, comfortable porch with an incredible view of the grounds and the ocean. I could see whales in the water from the porch! For us Mid-Westerners spending the maximum amount of time outside on vacation is key and a porch means you can have happy hour and home-cooked meals right on the porch.

Skillet cheese toast. One of my favorite meals is becoming a vacation tradition!

Mushroom and sausage pasta.

The kitchen was also amazing. New, nice appliances, a huge island, plenty of counter-space, pretty much every kitchen tool and utensil you need- and ours was the smallest studio-sized version (our kitchen pictured right). While this condo wasn't super cheap, it was made a lot cheaper by having home cooked meals! In fact, compared to the big chain resorts in the area (Hyatt, Hilton, Sheraton), our place was ~$1500 cheaper. If you include the money we saved on meals by having a kitchen, the savings are even greater! Additionally, Adam and I drove around all the resorts at Ka'anapali Beach and a lot of them were really old. I'm sure they are still nice, but they just look old, and the windows are small and a lot of them don't even have porches, which seems ridiculous in Hawai'i!

The restaurant, Duke's Beach House, was perfectly adequate for a hotel restaurant. We had 1 breakfast, 1 lunch and 1 dinner there. Duke's was oceanside- unlike most of the resort restaurants. Folks from the neighboring resorts came to Duke's to eat so it's probably one of the better places around.


Bottom line, I'd love to go back. Tonight. Next week. Next year. Anytime! Anyone interested? Like my good friends B & D? Or my brother and his family? Or my parents? Anyone...ANYONE?? Really, it's a great place (both Maui and Hanoa Kai) and I will be back!