On our most recent trip to Maui this past April, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa in Lahaina. After doing a lot of research on other popular hotels in Lahaina, we decided to stay at the Hyatt Regency Maui and glad that we did!
We really enjoyed our stay there and found it perfect for our family of four. I’ve listed some pros and cons here for you and have broken up this post in sections to make it easier to review.
I hope this helps you in deciding whether it’s the right hotel for you!
One thing I want to mention is to avoid the time-share pitch at all cost! (Unless you’re into that sort of thing). They will try and tempt you with all sorts of freebies like a luau show or snorkeling adventures in exchange for a few hours of your life while they give you a tour of their “residences” and try to hard sell you into buying one. Just remember, that nothing comes for free! I have absolutely nothing against time-shares but this is just not for us. So if you’re like us, just politely tell the sales people thanks but no thanks.
If you have any comments or questions, please leave me a comment below!
THE HOTEL GROUNDS
Cleanliness
I found this hotel to be extremely clean. The public restrooms throughout the hotel near the pool areas especially. I always saw staff coming in to check on the restrooms often and if it needed some attention, they were on it.
Ease of Accesibility
The flow of the resort was nice and there are ramps available for strollers and wheelchairs throughout, however, you had to look for them. There weren’t any clear signs as to where things were located and it took me a whole day to figure out where the gym was but that’s me and I am extremely directionally challenged.
Running Trails
My favorite! The running trail is right along the beach so you have the hotel grounds on one side and the ocean on the other. I mean, you can’t ask for anything better than that.
Ponds & Gardens
So beautiful! I was so impressed with how much work they put into the gardens, fountains, and ponds for all the animals to freely frolic in. It’s like a mini zoo with so many animals such as penguins, koi fish, swans, ducks and flamingos. My kids absolutely loved it!
AMENITIES
Pool
We absolutely loved the pool! There were a couple of toddler areas for kids Emilia’s age (3 years old) and several other pools for the bigger kids like Gabe (8 years old) with slides and fountains for them to play with. The main pool in the middle of the resort is the biggest and closest to Umulu Restaurant & Bar. We enjoyed going to the pools near the Residency building. It was much calmer, less crowded and suited both Emilia and Gabe’s needs in terms of safety and depth of the pool.
The Grotto – So this was cool. It’s a bar under a grotto right in the pool. I imagine it’s much more fun if you don’t have two kids with you and you can sit and drink there all day but either way it was fine the short time we were there. The music is quite loud because it echoes inside the grotto and it has a very “bar-like” atmosphere so we didn’t stay long with the kids.
Gym
The gym is pretty standard and has equipment such as elliptical machines, treadmills and weights. It’s fully stocked with cold filtered lemon water and towels but I did find it quite small for the size of the resort. However, the best part for me was the view of the ocean! When you have that right outside your window, I was just on a mission to get my workout in and get back outside!
Beach
The hotel is literally steps away from the beach. You seriously can’t get any closer and this was one of the main reasons we loved staying at the Hyatt Regency in Maui. It’s not crowded at all and no-one was trying to sell us anything while we were laying out. The water was shallow enough near the shore so we were able to watch the kids splash around and play in the sand. Gabe even saw a huge turtle one time which made his day!
With kids, having the beach so close to the hotel was a lifesaver when having to take one of them to go to the bathroom or back to the room to quickly grab something.
Stores
There is a market conveniently located on the first floor where you can get necessities such as water, milk, sunblock, snacks, beer and wine. I’ve seen people purchase their alcohol here and take it to the pool which is a great way to cut costs. Directly across from the market is a Mens and Womens Macy’s that sells beach wear so if you forget your swimming trunks or get your flip flops stolen like my husband, you can purchase some here. It is pricey though so I would suggest stocking up at the ABC store outside of the hotel for necessities.
HOTEL ROOM
The Hyatt Regency in Maui was built in 1985 so the rooms definitely need a little upgrade. The decor and the furniture in the hotel rooms are a little dated but it is clean and well-maintained. However, since it is a 4-star resort, I was a little disappointed at how dated and old it looked.
In other words, it’s in desperate need of some freshening up and it definitely didn’t have the “WOW” factor when we first walked in our room.
Our partial-ocean view room came with one Queen and one Twin bed. The beds were comfortable and the sheets were super soft. The room also came with a fridge as well as a large counter space for toiletries which is a must for us. Besides that, here are a few things worth mentioning…
Robes
Our partial ocean-view room came with light and breezy kimono robes which I loved! It was perfect for the warm weather in Maui.
Great View
Our room overlooked the pool and the ocean. The view is spectacular and although we only had partial ocean view, we had the most amazing view of the sunset.
Large Walk-In Closet
One of my favorite features of our room was the walk in closet. It was roomy and big enough to store mine and Rowell’s clothes and shoes.
Small Bath and Toilet Area
My least favorite thing about the room is the tiny bath and toilet area. There was barely any room to get my kids undressed and in the tub and made it difficult when having to use the toilet when someone was showering.
VALET & PARKING
We did valet everyday. The cost for daily valet was $32 vs. the cost for daily parking in the general parking lot was $22.
So for $10 extra you have the convenience of dropping off and picking up your car right at the front of the hotel while avoiding the long walk to and from the parking lot and makes for a more pleasant experience. Especially on the nights where there was a luau, parking spots are scarce so it was worth it for us to valet without having to carry all our stuff as well as drag our kids back to the hotel.
The approximate time to wait for the car was usually 5-10 minutes depending on the time of day. However, you can call your call ahead of time from your hotel room so it’s ready for you when you get down.
The valet service at the Hyatt was excellent!
CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES
Penguin and Koi Fish Feedings
This is probably what sets the Hyatt Maui Regency apart from the other resorts nearby. They have lots of animals throughout the hotel and you can hear birds chirping in the morning and parrots repeating what you say. It’s so cute. The kids loved to participate in the penguin and koi fish feedings. which happens daily at 9:30am.
Easter Sunday Activities
The Hyatt put together a wonderful Easter Sunday with free fun events for the kids such as photos with the Easter bunny, arts and crafts, games and an Easter egg hunt. My kids had a blast and even though we were on vacation, we were still able to celebrate Easter together as a family.
RESTAURANTS
Honolulu Coffee Co
Great for grab and go breakfasts. I tried their acai bowls and their waffles and both were delicious. I would often grab my breakfast and sit in the open air lobby facing the ocean and just listen to the birds singing while sipping my coffee. It was wonderful and how I wish I could spend every morning.
They pride themselves in roasting and brewing the finest coffee in the world. Read about their Farm to Cup process here.
The Swan Court
They have a nice breakfast buffet spread but too expensive in my opinion at $35 per adult. The kids ate for free but still, $70 for breakfast is a lot. I would rather go out of the hotel and eat at a local breakfast spot or a food truck for way less.
Umulu
The food and drinks were fine, pretty standard pool bar food. But what I do want to point out is how disappointed we were with the service we received from a server named Marilyn who was working the bar the afternoon we were there. We wanted food to go so we can take it to the beach, so we approached the bar and told her we want to just place an order to go. She told us to have a seat and someone will take our order. We were confused because we didn’t want to eat there, we wanted to order take-out and usually you don’t occupy a table if you’re not eating there.
But we did what she said. Sat at a table. Waited for someone to come and noone came. Meanwhile, we watched as she took order after order from other people who came after us. I approached her again and told her we want to order take-out and not eat there because I thought maybe she misunderstood me. And this time she brushed me off and said someone will come and take our order. At this point, we were frustrated because we had been waiting a good 10 minutes. My husband then went and asked another bartender if we could place food order to-go with him and he quickly and graciously took our order.
I have no idea what Marilyn’s issue was. But she was rude, and blatantly refused to serve us. Her job is literally to serve and she did not do that. We were highly offended by her no-care attitude and the fact that she served other people who came after us was infuriating. She should not be in the service industry and I’m actually appalled that a hotel such as the Hyatt would employ a person who had such a lack of respect for its customers.
This was hands down the most disappointing part of our trip.
Japengo
The number one reason we loved dining at Japengo is the view. The view from this restaurant is fantastic so if you go, do yourselves a favor and make a reservation during sunset and make sure to ask for a table outside. You can also come for hour and sit in the open area near the bar and still get a nice view of the sunset.
While the ambiance and view is great, the food is good but nothing super impressive. What we liked was that you can order half orders of some dishes for half the cost which allowed us to try a bunch of stuff without ordering too much food. We ordered sushi, appetizers, noodles and fried rice and hands down the fried rice was the best dish we had! The malasadas for dessert with the three different sauces was also worth getting.
Sonz Steakhouse
At dinnertime, the Swan Court transforms into Sonz Steakhouse. We ended up here because we were too lazy to leave the hotel for dinner and have already eaten at all the other restaurants on the property. I really wish we just went to a food truck or something because everything about this meal and place was underwhelming. The steak was okay but for the price, you’re better off somewhere else. I’d skip this restaurant if we’re ever back at this hotel.
Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice
Located in the pool area, Ululani’s was voted the best shaved ice in Maui for three years in a row. Their syrups are made from pure 100% sugar cane, fruit purees and concentrates. Their main location is in the historical downtown Lahaina.
If you’re looking for a family friendly resort that will suit all your families needs, the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa is for you. You will love the convenience of having so many options right inside your hotel and will leave you not wanting to go home!
You went during a busy time, but it seems like that did have much of an impact on your stay. That’s my biggest fear with some of those larger resorts, you go to Hawaii to relax not fight the crowds like you do everyday in the Bay Area! This one looks like a keeper!