#9 in Top 20 Maui for A Family Holiday · ★★★★
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, the working West Maui Marriott family-resort anchor."
Why this rank, Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Kaanapali opened in 1971 on Kaanapali Beach (rebranded as Westin in the 1980s, refreshed via 2017 renovation), the working family-resort Kaanapali alternative to the Hyatt Regency. 759 rooms and suites; the Hokupa'a Tower Royal Suite, the Westin Suite, and the multi-bedroom Family Suite are the property's signature accommodations. The five-pool Aquatic Playground with the working family-resort lazy river and the 128-foot waterslide is the property's working family-resort signature. The Heavenly Spa by Westin runs the wellness programme. The 2017 renovation refreshed the Hokupa'a Tower as the property's all-Royal-Hawaiian-suite product. The Marriott Bonvoy points-earning at the Westin tier suits the Bonvoy-aligned traveller. The Kaanapali position alongside the Hyatt Regency and Sheraton Maui produces the working Kaanapali resort cluster. Best for the Kaanapali family-resort Maui stay at the working Westin tier.
Best room: Hokupa'a Tower Royal Suite
"Five-pool Aquatic Playground, the multi-pool family resort, Ka'anapali Beach."
The Westin Maui Resort and Spa, Ka'anapali, opened in 1971 (originally as the Maui Surf) and has been operated by Westin since 1989. The property completed a $130-million renovation in 2021 that updated the room product and the pool complex. Seven hundred and fifty-eight rooms across the resort, with the working family infrastructure built around the Aquatic Playground, five pools across the property, including the Heavenly Spa pool, the family pool with the 128-foot waterslide, and the children's-features pool. Westin Family kids' club runs the daily programme; the in-house Tropica restaurant is the working casual family-dinner room. The asset is the post-renovation room product (the Westin Heavenly Bed standard plus the 2021 updates) at a value-tier rate compared to the Wailea cluster. Westin Maui is the right pick for the family holiday at the value tier in Ka'anapali where the post-renovation room finishes are the explicit asset, the family experience is at the working Ka'anapali level (pools, beach, kids' club, luau access at the next-door Sheraton) without the Hyatt Regency's age-related compromises or the Wailea-cluster premium.
Two-Bedroom Suite (the family-of-four working option) or Heavenly Premium King Suite for the upgrade tier.
The 2021 renovation rooms are the working asset, confirm at booking that the room is in the renovated tower. The Aquatic Playground's 128-foot waterslide is the children's-day centerpiece. The Sheraton next door's Cliff Dive Ceremony at sunset is a 5-minute walk.
The Westin Maui Resort and Spa, Ka'anapali sits within our broader Top 20 Hotels in Maui for a Family Holiday list. It scored an aggregate 9.5/10 across the three editorial criteria, competitive against the field but, on a family holiday-specific factors, the angle above is what earned its rank. For the alternatives in the same Maui neighbourhood, see Ka'anapali, west coast and adjacent. For a different city entirely, see the related lists below.
If you have already chosen the dates, our editor recommends booking the room twelve weeks ahead. The best suites with the right view orientation go first, and inventory for the popular months is quoted in months, not weeks. 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
Westin Maui Resort's case for the Hawaii stay is the working Kaanapali Marriott Westin family-resort anchor. The 1971 property is the working Kaanapali Westin alternative to the Hyatt Regency Maui.
The 759 rooms and suites include the Hokupa'a Tower Royal Suite, the Westin Suite, and the multi-bedroom Family Suite.
The five-pool Aquatic Playground with the working family-resort lazy river and the 128-foot waterslide is the property's working family-resort signature. The Heavenly Spa by Westin runs the wellness programme. The 2017 renovation refreshed the Hokupa'a Tower as the property's all-Royal-Hawaiian-suite product. The Marriott Bonvoy points-earning at the Westin tier suits the Bonvoy-aligned traveller. The Kaanapali position alongside the Hyatt Regency and Sheraton Maui produces the working Kaanapali resort cluster. The structural difference from the Hyatt Regency Maui is the Marriott Bonvoy alignment versus the World of Hyatt alignment; both properties operate at the working Kaanapali family-resort tier. Best for the Kaanapali family-resort Maui stay at the working Westin tier.