Maui's classic resort coast — Kaanapali and Kapalua on the sunny west shore, with long golden beaches, the famous Black Rock, big beachfront resorts, the Whalers Village shops and dining, superb winter whale-watching and gorgeous sunsets. Polished, lively and beach-perfect; the base for travellers who want the full resort experience, great swimming and snorkelling and easy sunset luau. Maui at its most classic and convenient. Beautiful and well-serviced.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
$600–1400
typical per night in United States
You pay for the postcode
One of the pricier addresses in Maui.
Where it sits
The circle is Kaanapali & Kapalua and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- Iao Valley & the Needle48 min taxi16.1 km
- Poke & a Hawaiian plate lunch101 min taxi33.7 km
- Hookipa: windsurfing & turtles105 min taxi35.1 km
- Wailea & Kihei (beach)111 min taxi36.9 km
- Wailea Beach & the resort coast112 min taxi37.2 km
- Snorkelling at Molokini Crater116 min taxi38.7 km
- Haleakala sunrise & summit155 min taxi51.7 km
- The Road to Hana176 min taxi58.6 km
- Waianapanapa black-sand beach220 min taxi73.4 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 4.Kaanapali Beach & Black Rock — Maui's most famous resort beach — Kaanapali, a glorious five-kilometre curve of golden sand and clear water on the sunny west coast, backed by resorts and the Whalers Village shops, with excellent swimming, snorkelling and a paved beach walk. Its highlight is Black Rock (Pu'u Keka'a) at the north end: a lava headland with wonderful snorkelling (turtles galore) and a nightly torch-lighting and cliff-diving ceremony at sunset that honours an old Hawaiian legend. Spend a classic beach day here, snorkel Black Rock, and stay for the sunset ritual. A beautiful, quintessential Maui beach. Lovely and lively.
- 5.Whale watching — Every winter Maui hosts one of nature's great spectacles — thousands of humpback whales migrate to the warm, shallow channel between Maui, Lanai and Molokai to breed and calve, and from December to April the water erupts with breaching, tail-slapping giants. Take a whale-watch boat out of Lahaina or Ma'alaea (often with naturalists and hydrophones to hear their songs) for close, respectful encounters, or simply watch them spout from the beaches and clifftops — they're astonishingly easy to spot. An awe-inspiring, only-in-winter highlight. Unforgettable. Bring binoculars if you're watching from shore.
- 8.A Hawaiian luau — A quintessential Hawaiian night out — a luau, the traditional feast-and-show celebrating island culture, where you'll watch a whole pig lifted from the underground imu oven, feast on kalua pork, poi, poke and haupia, sip a mai tai, and be swept up in an evening of hula, chant and the mesmerising Samoan fire-knife dance, usually as the sun sets over the ocean. The big west- and south-side resorts host the best-known ones (the Old Lahaina Luau is legendary); it's touristy, yes, but genuinely fun, delicious and a warm introduction to Hawaiian tradition. A joyful, cultural highlight. Book ahead — the good ones sell out.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Kaanapali & Kapalua; flights via Google Flights.