Montage Kapalua bay

I'm sure that almost all of these reviews are from when this property was a Montage resort that have just automatically carried over to The Resort at Kapalua Bay. There is no way this place is near 5 stars, unless you're used to staying at Marriott's. Those of us who wanted a luxury resort know better. My family booked this vacation when it was a Montage. We knew it was transitioning over to a Marriott property, but we went for it anyway instead of changing our plans. This was our first stop when we landed in Hawaii. We were so excited to show our family the Hawaiian culture and vibe. Upon arrival there was 1 guy working the bell hop/car area. He was fine I guess. Zero welcome, zero lei, no towel or welcome drink (which is expected and common at a resort of this level, I'm not just a massive snob). We walked ourselves to the check in desk and BARELY got a friendly hello. After we checked in, seeing almost no staff anywhere, we were asked if we wanted to be walked to our room. Ummm yeah? We have no idea where we are, thanks? The one amazing thing about our stay was the incredible accommodation we had. Now this was booked through Montage bc we "knew a guy" who hooked us up. Our family Of 5 had a 3 bedroom, 3 bath suite, the size of a massive apartment. The view was nice- minus the parking lot below and the construction of the building between us and main hotel area. The woman showed us around the rooms and left. We had no explanation of the restaurants or kids club or activities offered. We had to call the front desk to find out about room service and activities. We also had no soap in the entire unit (3 bathrooms- not one bar or pump soap anywhere). They eventually brought us soap and a printed out piece of paper with some activities on it. Looked like something I could've typed up on Microsoft Word and printed from my home computer. Again, they are obviously going through a transition and don't have any of their permanent things that you often find in a hotel room (menus, room service info, restaurant info, area recommendations- NOTHING). Throughout our 5 day stay, we tried to reach the front desk about kids activities (specifically a lei making class), and either no one picked up the phone or called us back. One time the following day, they called us with barely any info. We never did make the class bc we never had the info. I don't even know if they held the class, there seemed to be no staff on property outside of a few guys at the pool restaurant. Literally those are the ONLY workers we saw. There were used plastic cups left all around the pool area, no one cleaning them up regularly and they'd end up blowing around the entire place. Are those cups making it into the ocean? One day I saw one guy cleaning the pool with a skimmer- at 11am when people were trying to swim. Isn't this usually done at 6-7am at most busy resorts? The pool wasn't even properly skimmed. Another time I saw a pool waiter completely drop half an eaten meal on the ground, next to the pool, next to where people were sitting. He didn't pick up the food, he just left it there and walked on. A woman sitting right there, walked up to the bar, asked for a pitcher of water and a towel and proceeded to clean up the mess herself. A guest at the hotel- it was insane. My kids spent 2 full days jumping off the rocks near the pool. Then randomly on day 3 of our stay, a worker (who we hadn't seen at all up to this point, and never saw him again) told them that wasn't allowed. Ok fine- but like where has the staff been all this time?? They seem to have brought in the C list staff for this transition. And about 50% less than the proper number to actually properly staff a resort this size. They're doing a lot of construction- one entire building (in the main area of the pool and hotel) is completely covered in a beige tarp and an eye sore. Not to mention from our room, we could hear the construction workers yelling at 7:30am one morning. I don't know why they decided to keep this property open and running during this transition. Seems if you're going to do a half ass job of running a large resort- that people have spent a lot of money to stay in- maybe just close for a few weeks and open up properly with the right staff and construction finished. Also make note- Kapalua is a cool area of Maui for sure. The view from the resort is beautiful. We had a nice dinner at Merrimans one night that was right near by, but in general the hotel is quite far from a lot of the goings-on on the rest of the island of Maui. Lots of things could take a 35-45 minute drive to get to. I'd imagine if this was an amazing resort, that wouldn't matter.

Yes, the resort is in transition. And yes, transitions happen. But if you are going to charge full ultra-premium rates, including a $185 resort fee, the experience needs to deliver full-service luxury. Unfortunately, this property currently does not. The $185 resort fee seemed to offer very little beyond the privilege of navigating construction that was both visually and audibly intrusive. The property itself is elegant, beautifully located, and the pool is excellent. The valet and car staff were also genuinely helpful. Unfortunately, those positives were overshadowed by significant service and staffing issues throughout the resort. The property felt severely understaffed at nearly every outlet, and this was especially apparent when trying to get basic assistance from the room. Room service took more than 30 minutes just to answer the phone. We requested assistance from the bell staff and they either forgot to come or the request was never properly communicated. The concierge experience was particularly disappointing—rather than being helpful and solution-oriented, the interaction felt resentful and dismissive when we were looking for assistance with the inevitable logistical challenges of traveling with a family. There are also some surprisingly basic shortcomings for a resort charging this level of pricing. Room service ends at 10 p.m. The room-service menu is simply printed on a piece of paper next to the phone—an oddly inconvenient setup when you're traveling with children and trying to keep track of everything in the room. There is no central bar or particularly convenient all-hours main restaurant, leaving very limited options when you need something outside the limited operating hours of the individual outlets. And ultimately, that is the issue: the resort is charging luxury prices while currently delivering something that feels decidedly less than full-service luxury. I completely understand that the property is undergoing changes. But construction, staffing shortages, and operational limitations shouldn't be the guest's problem when the resort continues to charge full ultra-luxury rates and a $185 resort fee. There is clearly a beautiful property underneath all of this. The location is excellent, the architecture and grounds are elegant, and the pool is fantastic. The car/valet team also deserves credit for being among the few consistently helpful interactions we had. If this property eventually becomes a St. Regis, I sincerely hope the transition brings the level of service and attention to detail that the pricing currently promises. At the moment, however, the experience simply doesn't justify the price.

Location is spectacular. Atmosphere- peaceful, not crowded, laid back Rooms- fantastic, beautifully appointed, wonderful view. Very clean, great staff, wonderful restaurant and bar. Given the transition, exceeded our expectations.