This fall we redeemed Marriott points to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua in Maui, Hawaii. It was my husband’s first ever trip to Hawaii and I wanted to make it extra special for him. We originally booked the King Deluxe Room with resort view for 240,000 Marriott points for five nights. Since this is a Category 7 property the standard rooms start at 60,000 points per night. However, if you book five nights (like we did) then the fifth night is free!
The Room
Thanks to our Platinum Premier Elite status the front desk agent upgraded us at check-in to an Ocean Front Suite. This room featured one king bed and one sofa bed on the first floor facing the ocean. It also included a living room along with a dining room table and two separate patio seating areas each with its own sliding glass doors. Perfectly located with only a short walk to the pool area. The front desk agent asked if we minded the handicap accessible bathroom before upgrading us. That didn’t bother us at all. From what we could tell the only difference was a shower curtain instead of glass shower doors.
Since we checked-in late at night I only have photos after turn down service in the evening, but I did take a brief video walking through the suite during the daylight.
The view from our Ocean Front Suite patio
Sean enjoying the hammock just outside our suite
The Award Redemption
It was an absolutely fabulous room that more than suited our needs. Curious about the cash rate for this suite, I looked up the dates for our stay in the Ocean Front Suite and the grand total was $9,673.11 for our room. That means we got about 4 cents per point in value with our redemption thanks to that upgrade! We only paid $182.30 total cash out of pocket to cover the resort fees.
The Perks
Additionally, we took advantage of another Marriott Platinum Premier Elite status benefit and ate at the giant breakfast buffet every morning for free. Without this complimentary perk, the breakfast buffet usually costs $100 for two people per day. It’s located in The Terrace restaurant with gorgeous views overlooking the pools. Lawrence, who is the restaurant manager, greeted us by name every morning and helped plan our daily activities. He even provided us with complimentary upgraded coffee options which normally are additional charges.
The view from our breakfast table one morning.
The food selection rotates every morning. However, a few staples remain consistent like the items displayed below along with a made-to-order omelette station.
The Service
Of course, the service at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua completely blew our minds as well. Every single person we met was so genuinely kind, helpful, and concerned if we were enjoying ourselves. In addition to Lawrence, both Amy and William were excellent servers who really went the extra mile. Tony ensured our chairs and towels were situated perfectly by the pool. Then Craig saw us attempting a selfie in front of the staple Ritz-Carlton entryway floral arrangement one evening. He took it upon himself to snap multiple photos from different angles so we had plenty of options.
The Bottom Line
We adored the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua and the service even more. It provided such a relaxing, yet fun environment and we definitely plan on returning again one day. In my opinion, the only negative aspect of the property is that the walk to the beach is quite lengthy and the beach itself is rather small with rough waves. However, Kapalua Bay Beach is a short drive away and a great place to snorkel. We got up close and personal with wild sea turtles there! If you want to book this property and are low on Marriott points, simply transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio instantly to top off your Marriott account.
You can view more photos of our activities during this trip on our Instagram account.