Kaanapali Beach on Maui’s west shore was once considered the best beach on the Valley Isle. Today, the best view of Kaanapali beaches is with your back to the beach. Why? Today, Kaanapali Beach is littered with…

Condominiums. Hotels. Resorts. They’re everywhere. And it’s been that way for a few decades. In fact, driving along the highway west of Lahaina, you can’t see the beach at all. It’s hotels, resorts, condos, and golf courses.

The view? It’s stunning. If you’re standing on the beach, looking toward Lanai or Molokai, and your back is toward the hotels and condominiums.

It starts with the sprawling Hyatt Regency Maui; the first resort along the Kaanapali coast. This once luxurious complex was part of the fantasy collection of resorts built by developer Chris Hemmeter for Hyatt in the late 70s and early 80s.

The view from the beach is great; not the view OF the beach. The Hyatt, though was once a great a luxurious lady of the beach. Today, the dark wood halls and rooms seem quaintly out of touch with today’s open view requirements. Still, the staff is courteous, warm, friendly, and helpful.

Farther down Kaanapali beach is the Maui Marriott; looking more like a resort that floated over from Florida than anything else. Suites at the Marriott range from a modest $205 to well over $1,000 per day. I’d have to ask myself, if I could afford $1,000 a day, would I stay here?

The Marriott does boast a shopping arcade near the beach with over 20 well appointed shops. There are fountains and waterfalls. Coconut groves and pools sprinkled among the Marriott’s 15 acres of semi-lush luxury.

Nearby is the aging Kaanapali Alii; one of the first luxury condominiums to grace the beach at Kaanapali. Just because it’s a condo, doesn’t mean you can’t get a room there. Many luxury rooms are available at modest rates considering the quality of the neighborhood.

Kaanapali is one of Maui’s first master planned resort communities. While it was pure luxury back in the late 70s and early 80s, other resort areas, notably Wailea, west of Mt. Haleakala, show more staying power.

Want to see the beach at Kaanapali? Don’t. The view of Lanai or Molokai from the beach is better.

Want to know the best places to eat in Hawaii? Click over to Ono Dining for totally biased reviews on Hawai's best (and not so best) restaurants.

There *IS* a way to enjoy Ka'anapali without corporate-resort-overload!!! Mention of Ka'anapali isn't complete without mention of the wonderful Ka'anapali Beach Hotel.

If you want the ultimate in state-of-the-art pampering, jet-setter discos and nightlife, overpriced snooty restaurants, and trendy fellow guests, then the KBH is *NOT* for you.

Instead, the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel specializes in providing a warm, genuinely friendly, and caring stay with the most thoroughly HAWAIIAN experience to be found in this area. After you admire the views of Lana'i and Moloka'i from the beach, turn around and face the series of developments. See all of the high rises and overblown excesses on this stretch of coast? See that gap just south of the Sheraton where comparatively low-rise buildings are fronted by palms? That's the KBH. You'll find honest and sincere Hawaiian music every night, occasional local Hawaiian groups meeting there, and staffers practicing their own dancing at breaks, right by their lobby desks.

Bet you don't find any of that at the Hyatt or the Marriott! Heck, you could stay at the Royal Lahaina and pretend you're in Tucson, Tampa or Topeka (you won't be able to tell the difference).

The Ka'anapali Beach Hotel was the highlight of our family's recent Hawaiian vacation.