Hyatt Regency Maui, how do I love thee ?

Aloha !

I spent a weekend being completely saturated in Kaanapali. The gorgeous beach walk, the great shopping, the amazing whale watching, the delicious food.....it's all there, just a short, scenic stroll away !

Lucy and I had a girl's weekend that was jam-packed with a little bit of everything. We had planned to go with another mom and daughter team, but at the last minute it ended up being just the two of us, and that was fun too !

Lucy just turned 3 last week, and anyone who has spent time with children agrees that they grow up way too fast. My daughter is no exception. This weekend she learned to swim in the pool - and I honestly believe that it was THIS PARTICULAR pool. My son also learned to swim in this pool, coincidentally.

"This pool" is the pool at the Hyatt Regency Maui. Or rather, the pool complex. Or waterpark. Whatever you want to call it, my kids just LOVE it here. It has everything you need, in one incredibly accessible, and very well laid out pool area. Even with the pool side grill closed and under really major (from the ground up) construction, with all the noise that entails, it was still a great experience.

Let's get that construction business out of the way first. It is highly visible from the ocean view deluxe rooms in the main tower. It's Right There. But if you look out at the ocean instead of down at the pool area, you wouldn't know - the guest rooms are all above the construction, so your view is not compromised in the least. The construction is all contained behind a painted wooden wall, and is off to the east side of the main pool. It is completely separated from the children's pool area, which is on the west side of the property, and if I had also stayed on that side of the hotel, I would never have even known about the construction, honestly. There is live music poolside for most of the day, so the noise isn't noticeable between the music and the roaring ocean and the crashing waterfalls.

The main pool is very large, and at one side is a huge water feature with a rock waterfall wall leading to a grotto, and then on through another waterfall wall to the water park. In the grotto you will discover an almost-swim-up bar. You have to climb up some stairs to get to it, but you remain in the grotto, sheltered from the sun and hidden from the rest of your group, so you can catch the game and grab a drink under the guise of "taking a little swim". They have 2 TVs in there, one usually tuned to Golf, and the other to whatever game is on at the moment. Veeeeerrrry convenient.

Once you manage to make it out of the grotto, you find yourself in a jungle of sorts, vines and trees and waterfalls and just ahead of you, a rope bridge hangs overhead. And around the bend is the bottom of the water slide.

Just for you, dear readers, I tried that water slide a few visits ago. I HATE water slides, so this was a huge sacrifice for me. But people who love water slides love this slide. It was high and for the most part it was an enclosed, tube-style slide. I am feeling slightly panicky just remembering this ! ((((shudder)))) OK, so basically, the slide is a good slide. Kids love it, my husband loves it, everyone seems to think it is JUST GREAT - so that is the feedback I will give you about that (my personal version would be "terrifying from start to finish - and I think that is what makes a water slide good, from what the aficionados tell me.)

The best part of the Hyatt pool, for me, is the kids pool area. It is the best keiki pool on island - period. It's a soft bottom (very fine-grain pea gravel) and the water is no more the 1 1/2 feet deep, which means small children can play without having to be held the entire time. There is a "sandbox" in the middle, set on a raised platform between 2 wading pools. Those wading pools are less then a foot deep, and perfect for new walkers and crawlers to sit and play with constant supervision.. Around that "baby area" is the shallow lagoon, with floating dolphins to ride on (they are attached to the bottom of the pool so they won't flip over). There is also (drumroll please) a keiki water slide. Otherwise known as "the only water slide I have ever not completely hated". Once kids don't mind getting their face wet, they can ride this slide over and over again, there is no age limit, and babies can go down tithe an adult or older sibling. There are also spraying turtles and a water fountain built into the pool deck that shoots streams of water into the air and can be redirected with hands and feet to spray mom right in the face, which my daughter discovered in the fist 30 seconds. Oh, that was a funny joke for the rest of our stay. Ha. Ha. Ha.

One downside - and really, the only one I can think of - is that the sand/gravel that fills the entire keiki pool area gets INSANELY HOT. No, really, I cannot stress this enough. Really. Hot. Just be prepared to RUN the three feet from your chair to the pool. And if your kid comes up and says their feet hurt because the ground is hot, they are not fooling around. I am going to mention it to the crew over there, just as Moe honest feedback. Because WHEW they need to install some sort of passive watering system to keep it cool.

Once we were through with the pool, we went to the beach, which is RIGHT THERE just 20 feet away. Kaanapali Beach is a fairly long one, and some areas of the beach in front of the Hyatt are better then others. And some places are very narrow, and during high tide disappear completely - so don't leave a towel out there, or anything else for that matter, it could very well get swept away. Kaanapali Beach is a nice, white sand beach, very well maintained and clean. Great views, the resorts have loungers either on the sand or on the lawn along the oceanfront, all the way down the beach. The surf can be rough, and there are no lifeguards, so pay close attention to everyone in your party, and to your own safety.

The Hyatt is made up of 3 separate towers, right along the ocean on the southeast end of Kaanapali Beach, closest to Lahaina. The center tower has an enormous atrium, filled with plants and birds. Besides the little sparrows swooping around, there are a lot of birds to stop and visit with. There are usually 3 to 4 parrots in the atrium, and on one side there is also a penguin habitat !

The rooms at the Hyatt are gorgeous, spacious, and have a balcony with furniture. My favorite rooms in the resort are on the first floor over by the kids pool. They are so convenient when you are traveling with kids ! The view isn't as great as the view from the upper floors, but I love having the lawn to walk across. It sort of completes the resort experience my mind, being able to walk right out the door and own tot eh ocean has it's appeal !

Every room has the same great bed and bedding. You can buy all of it for your own home, but in the meantime, enjoy it at the resort ! There are crisp white sheets, topped with a duvet and a stack of different pillows. The furniture in the room has clean lines - the rooms haven't been updated in a while, but they are pretty sleek and timeless. I believe they are going to make the switch to flat screen TVs soon, but in the meantime, they still have the "old fashioned" box TVs. The rooms do have an iHome stereo - so bring your iPod along !

The bathrooms are clean and traditional - a vanity in the dressing area with the sink in it, a separate room with tub and toilet, and a closet with safe and ironing board and hair dryer, and on the counter is a toothbrush holder and a jar with q-tips and cotton balls. I love that. LOVE IT. We don't need a crib anymore, but when we did, it came with a blanket and an amenity bag with baby wash and powder and cream and a ducky, I believe. SO CUTE. Also, the rooms all have a mini bar AND an empty fridge. Hallelujah. There is also a coffee maker with complimentary coffee, tea and hot chocolate . There are blackout curtains (great for naps and for sleeping late or adjusting to the time change) and sheer curtains so you can let the light in while maintaining privacy. The room is air conditioned, and the AC automatically turns off when the sliding door to the patio is open.

There are several really wonderful dining options at the resort. None of them are a bland, typical, hotel restaurant. Spats is Italian, it's traditional and very good. I come from a large Italian family, and I know good Italian - this is it. Son'z is another amazing restaurant, with a huge walk-in wine chiller and a varied menu. Cascades has a sushi bar as well as a sit down restaurant. There is also a lobby bar area, that is currently serving continental breakfast, and Starbucks coffee drinks all day long. There are two shops selling magazines and snacks, a small Macy's outpost with resort wear for adults, and several boutiques and galleries. I can't honestly think of anything you would need that you couldn't get on property. Honestly. Nothing. You could show up without a suitcase, and be just fine.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. This resort has something for everyone. It's a great choice for a vacation, a wedding, a family reunion, or a conference. I really honestly highly recommend it.