May 19

May 19 Where To Stay on Maui: Montage Kapalua Bay

food, Hawaii, Maui, Montage, Montage Kapalua Bay, travel

As a food and travel writer, I've stayed at my fair share of hotels over the years. During my recent trip to Maui, I spent 3 nights at the Montage Kapalua Bay. The Montage is a 24-acre resort set atop of the picturesque Kapalua Bay. They have 50 residences, 6 grand residences, and 54 Montage branded home ownership residences. I had an incredible stay there and I highly recommend checking them out if you are planning on being on Maui. Let's take in some of the sights first!

Here's the view upon arriving. Koi fish surround the sides of the entrance. There's actually feeding times where guests can gather round and feed the fish. The fish are so used to guests that they come right up the surface each time you walk by!After getting lei'd, I was presented with some sweet, sweet pineapple. I was still in LA mode when I arrived. I was scrambling to get my luggage and checking my bags, but the staff came over and literally told me to relax and enjoy myself. Island time! No rushing! For someone as Type A as me that's quite a difficult feat. Pineapple always makes everything better though.

The multiple pools were spectacular. During my stay alone, I relaxed in 3 infinity pools. The best part was even though I was there during peak holiday season (Easter week), the Montage was so spacious that you never felt like it was crowded. Since I don't have children, I wanted a relaxing stay. I didn't want to hear crying or tantrum-throwing children. This infinity pool was all to ourselves. So amazing! Now onto the most important question you've probably been wondering...what do the rooms look like?

The suite I was in was so nice. We had a communal kitchen. I shared a suite with two other food journalists. Here's a video tour of the suite.

A video posted by Kristie Hang (@kristiehang) on Mar 31, 2015 at 7:13pm PDT

I also arrived to a beautiful welcome tote from the Montage as well as a large fruit platter. One of my favorite fruits in Hawaii is the Star Apple. It tastes like a cross between a fig and a persimmon. I could eat fruit all day!

I spent a all my breakfasts and a dinner at the rester's Cane& Canoe Restaurant. Chef Riko Bartomolome is known for his modern take of Hawaiian cuisine with a hint of Asian influences. His dinner was so amazing, but that post will come later. It was so delicious that it deserves its own post. The above pictures are just from breakfast. I'm drooling looking at the malasadas right now and the passionfruit butter and jam that I ate with it. And hello? Fresh orange, papaya, and guava fruit juices? I never wanted to leave.

The Spa Montage Kapula Bay is set on 5 acres of land. The 30,000 square foot facility has 9 indoor and 10 outdoor treatment rooms. The outdoor spa has incredible views of the ocean. There was an additional infinity pool outside. They even offered complimentary organic sunblock for visitors that forget to bring their SPF! If you follow me on Instagram, you know I love saunas. I was going back and forth from the eucalyptus steam room and cedar wood sauna throughout my stay. There's also a cascading whirlpool, relaxation room, bamboo rainfall showers, and the infinity pool with a view of the Pacific at the spa. And this is separate from the ones at the resort!Here's another pool shot during the busy holiday week. This pool was one of the more family friendly pools. Here's a more adult pool with another view of another cascading pool.

The Montage shuttles take you wherever you need to get around to at the resort. It was also very relaxing just to walk and do some exploring alone. I mean you're in Paradise! Besides hiking a trail, I also ended up walking to the nearby Kapalua Bay Beach, which is a great beach for families and snorkerlers. The beach is clean and the water is clear. It doesn't get too crowded either, which was a common theme I experienced at the Montage. Snorkelers were treated to tropical fish, sea turtles and eels sightings. I also learned how to paddle board! I didn't realize how hard your core has to work to stabilize yourself. I stayed in Maui for about a week at two different resorts for the Maui Ag Festival. The Montage Kapalua Bay was the best experience I've had at a resort in terms of service and relaxation. I highly recommend anyone visiting Maui to book their stay there. Tell them I sent you!