#16 in Top 20 Hotels in Hawaii 2026 · ★★★★
The Westin Maui Resort and Spa, Ka'anapali
Five-pool Aquatic Playground, the multi-pool family resort, Ka'anapali Beach.
Five-pool Aquatic Playground, the multi-pool family resort, Ka'anapali Beach.
"The Kaanapali Westin Maui: West Maui's biggest pool complex, freshly renovated as the Kukahi Tower."
Why this rank: The Westin Maui earns #16 on the strength of its renovation and its pools. Originally the Maui Surf, rebuilt as a Westin in the late 1980s, it has just completed a $160-million overhaul that rebuilt the Ocean Tower into the Kukahi Tower and added Ulu Kitchen by Peter Merriman. The signature is the five-pool Aquatic Playground, with a 128-foot waterslide and a lazy river, backed by the Heavenly Spa by Westin. It sits on Kaanapali Beach beside the Hyatt Regency and the Sheraton, and stays earn Marriott Bonvoy. The honest caveat is that it is a large, busy resort with resort and parking fees, and Maui's best restaurants are in Wailea, not here. Best for travellers who want a renovated room and the island's biggest pool complex.
Best room: Renovated Kukahi Tower ocean-view room
"Five-pool Aquatic Playground, the multi-pool family resort, Ka'anapali Beach."
The Westin Maui Resort and Spa sits on Ka'anapali Beach and traces back to the Maui Surf, rebuilt and rebranded Westin in the late 1980s. A $160-million renovation has since rebuilt the Ocean Tower as the Kukahi Tower, refreshed the rooms, and added Ulu Kitchen by Peter Merriman and a 10,000-square-foot arcade with TopGolf Swing Suites and duckpin bowling. There are around 759 rooms. The signature is water: a five-pool Aquatic Playground with a 128-foot waterslide, a lazy river, and an adults' pool, plus the Heavenly Spa by Westin. It shares the Ka'anapali strip with the Hyatt Regency and the Sheraton at Black Rock, where the nightly cliff-dive ceremony is a five-minute walk. The honest trade-off is scale and cost: this is a big resort with resort and parking fees, and the island's finest dining is in Wailea, forty-five minutes south. Best for travellers who want a renovated Ka'anapali room and the biggest pool complex on the beach.
A renovated Kukahi Tower room for the newest finishes and ocean views; the Two-Bedroom Suite for more space.
Confirm your room is in the renovated Kukahi Tower at booking; finishes vary by tower. The Aquatic Playground's 128-foot waterslide is the headline, and the Sheraton's sunset cliff-dive ceremony at Black Rock is a five-minute walk.
The Westin Maui sits at #16 on our Top 20 Hotels in Hawaii for 2026, scoring an aggregate 9.5/10 across Room & Design, Service, and Location. It ranks here because the renovation and the pool complex outweigh its scale and its distance from Wailea's dining. For quieter or more luxurious stays, compare the Wailea and Kapalua resorts at the top of the list; for the full ranking, see below.
With dates settled, the booking window that works is about twelve weeks ahead. Rooms with the coveted orientation are claimed first, while popular-month availability runs out months in advance. Suite-level rooms with private plunge pools or terraces, the ones that earn this rank, are typically the first to sell out.
Editorial · #16 on the Top 20 Hotels in Hawaii 2026 list
The Westin Maui's case for a Hawaii stay is its renovation and its water. Originally the Maui Surf, rebuilt as a Westin in the late 1980s, it has just finished a $160-million overhaul.
There are around 759 rooms, and the rebuilt Ocean Tower, now the Kukahi Tower, holds the newest of them; Ulu Kitchen by Peter Merriman and a TopGolf-and-duckpin arcade are part of the same programme.
The signature is the five-pool Aquatic Playground with its 128-foot waterslide and lazy river, backed by the Heavenly Spa by Westin. The resort sits on Ka'anapali Beach beside the Hyatt Regency and the Sheraton, and stays earn Marriott Bonvoy rather than World of Hyatt. The honest trade-off is scale and cost: this is a large resort with resort and parking fees, and the best dining is in Wailea. Best for travellers who want a renovated Ka'anapali room and the island's biggest pool complex.
New openings, special offers, and the week’s best value suites. One email a week, no noise.