Ritz-Carlton Kapalua On Maui does have a beach, but it’s not the dreamy Hawaiian beach you’re looking for. The hotel is not located directly on the beach. The beach is a fairly unmanaged area 5-10 minutes walk away with a burger bar and often choppy, muddy water.
We recently compared Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua vs. Four Seasons Maui and we wholeheartedly recommend the Four Seasons over the Ritz-Carlton as Four Seasons is a fully serviced beachfront resort. The beach at the Four Seasons is set up with managed loungers, so you can order a drink or bite as you lay on the sand. There’s loads of beach equipment to borrow, and the water off the beach is crystal clear, with plenty of snorkeling and swimming opportunities.
The ocean off the beach at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua can be very choppy. This is partly because the Ritz is located on the windy side of the island, so the waves can be large and whip up the mud from the seafloor, which makes the waters look rather grim and muddy. Certainly, you are unlikely to see much if you get your snorkel out when the conditions are like this! The muddy waters make swimming uninviting even to hardened ocean swimmers.
If you get lucky and stay in Kapalua during a less windy period, you may find the beach to be OK and usable, but the windy weather on this part of the island makes this particular beach and its subsequent conditions a bit hit-and-miss.
The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua hotel website doesn’t make it clear that the hotel is not beachfront, nor that the beach area is not managed like the beaches at other luxury resorts in Hawaii. There are no luxury loungers to laze on, and the beach area near the Ritz-Carlton feels a little desolate and remote compared to the beach resorts in Wailea.
Remote would be a good word to use to describe this beach. The beach is a 5-10 minute walk from most rooms at the Ritz, and so is remote from the resort. Once again, it offers an uninviting length of walk before you get to the less-than-inviting beach.
In fact, the majority of the guests who visit the Ritz-Carlton spend their time around the numerous pools or go and play on the golf course. And if you like lazing around pools and golfing, the Ritz absolutely hits the spot. The pools are great, with Hawaiian straw umbrellas dotted around the pools, and the golf is meant to be fantastic. This luxury resort is great in many aspects. It just doesn’t offer much of a beach, particularly when you compare it to the resorts in Wailea and Kaanapali.
The beach feels very much like an afterthought at this resort, so if you are looking for a glorious beachfront Hawaiian resort experience, the Ritz-Carlton Maui resort is unlikely to match up to your expectations.
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