We’re a small family of four, and this was our second time staying at Honua Kai. Previously, we rented from the resort and stayed in the Hokulani building in a 2 bed/2 bath unit with an ocean view. It was nice, no complaints, we had a good experience.
This time we rented through VRBO/Maui Resort Rentals and stayed in the Konea building, specifically in unit 813 — and this place, whoa, it was amazing! We had a great stay. I’ll share some thoughts here in the interest of helping others trying to plan their visits.
First off, this unit, it’s *all* about the ocean view. It’s one of only a few units that has a wraparound lanai, so you really have a unique expansive view looking out over the resort grounds and the ocean. We sat out on the lanai every morning with our coffee, and nearly every night too, just watching the beautiful world in front of us.
The interior of the unit was well maintained and clean, which was important to us since this was our first trip post-Covid. It is a rental after all, so there were reasonable signs of wear here/there, but nothing gross or unkept. The important thing is that we had everything we needed. The kitchen had most of the stuff we needed to make basic meals, the bedrooms were comfortable and the bathrooms very clean. The unit also had a small wash/dryer, plus a closet full of beach gear, which was great to use.
The unit was very quiet, we had no problems with noise. The Konea-side of the resort just felt a little more chill during our stay. Still lots of families and kids out and about, but nothing obnoxious.
The resort grounds are nice, and there are multiple pools. If you have new or non-swimmers (like us), most of the pools are pretty shallow (3-4 ft), so that takes away some of the stress. But finding a place to plant your stuff and hang is near impossible, you’re almost forced to pay fairly steep cabana or casabella rental rates to just sit comfortably near the pool.
We had a rental car and found parking to be a minor annoyance. Previously, Honua Kai had a valet service, but that was suspended presumably as a Covid safety measure. And the underground garage parking is limited, so a few times we had to circle the resort hunting for parking.
All this being said, Honua Kai remains our favorite Maui resort, and this unit was beautiful, we would absolutely rent it again and recommend it to others.