A Detailed Review of the Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club in Kaanapali Beach, Hawaii

In this article, we share our honest Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club review – read on for details!

Walking onto the grounds of the Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club on Kaanapali Beach was like walking in a lush tropical oasis, with the smell of flowers in the air and the sounds of babbling waterfalls and swishing palm trees in the background.

On islands filled with gorgeous properties and luxurious experiences, this hotel was truly a gem to stay at in Hawaii. We had, across the board, such a great experience here and would really recommend it to anyone.

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Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club – The Full Review

In this review of the Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club, we’re going to break down just why we love this hotel so much, and why it’s a great option to stay at during your Maui vacation.

The Grounds

The grounds of the Marriott Maui Ocean Club are lush, green, flowering, and absolutely drop dead gorgeous.

Palm trees dot the landscape, providing shade and the constant reminder that you are, in fact, on a Hawaiian holiday. Vibrant greenery and flowers are everywhere. It’s a peaceful, tropical oasis, punctuated by delightful activities and forms of recreation.

Tiki torches stand proudly in the vegetation, ready to be lit at night.

We loved that the pool area wasn’t just a pool plopped down in a courtyard. The whole area was designed to be an immersive experience. There were bridges to cross, little water features, and pathways that wove around an irregularly shaped pool with lots of little inlets, creating a landscape that felt intentional yet natural.

The grounds are literally just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the beach. You literally walk from the grounds, across the sidewalk and are on the sand. The convenience is amazing!

The Pools

There are 3 pools and 2 hot tubs on the grounds of Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club. The main pool is by far the most exciting – they call it the “3.5 acre super pool.” It has a grotto cave you can swim through, with a waterfall cascading over the entrances. There are waterslides built into the “landscape” and nestled in among the vegetation.

The pool is also extremely large and meanders around, giving you lots of different inlets and little spots to swim around and explore.

Kid’s Pool

One of the pools is a children’s pool, with a whole Pirate’s Ship aquatic playground set up in the shallower waters. To be honest, I was kind of sad I was too old to play in the kid’s pool, it looked like a lot of fun!

The Hot Tubs

Despite being in the hot Hawaiian sun, the two hot tubs on the property are still very relaxing to soak in (and we loved going into them at night!). We particularly loved the hot tub that looked like it was built up into a little “stone” wall, and was also very conveniently located next to the pool bar.

Night Swimming

We really loved that the pools are open late and you can do a late night soak under the stars. Nighttime on Kaanapali Beach is absolutely lovely, with the Hawaiian music from luaus and ukeleles from restaurant performers float along the Kaanapali Boardwalk.

Watch the sunset, walk the boardwalk, and then come soak in the hot tubs or go for a late night swim, with tiki torches lit and the outlines of the palms swaying against the background of the stars.

Pools are open from 6am-10pm and the hot tubs are from 6am-11pm.

The Restaurants

There are 3 “restaurants” to get food at Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club: Starbucks, the Beachwalk To-Go Snack Shack, and the Lokelani Pool Bar.

The Beachwalk Snack Shack and Lokelani’s Pool Bar actually serve the same foods, just in a different location. You can order at either location, or order via poolside service. You can get any of these foods to eat on site, by the pool, or in your room. They offer everything from steak and shrimp meals to fried tenders, to coconut shrimp, plus lots of fun beverage options.

Hands down our favorite thing was the coconut shrimp – it was best shrimp we had in Hawaii! We also really loved the fresh smoothies they made.

Happy because I know some coconut shrimp is in my near future

When you’re ready for a more traditional restaurant, there are many delicious, high quality establishments along Kaanapali beach. Our favorite was the Hula Grill in front of Whaler’s Village!

Review of the Rooms at Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club

There are two sets of towers at the Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club: the Molokai, Maui, and Lanai Towers, and the Lahaina and Napili Towers.

Molokai, Maui, and Lanai Towers have rooms and suites with a mini-fridge, and maybe a microwave. The Lahaina and Napili Towers, on the other hand, all have suites with a full kitchen and washer and dryer.

There is a smaller pool in front of the Lahaina and Napili Towers, but the main pool, resort pool, kids pool, bars, and amenities are by the Molokai, Maui, and Lanai Towers. It’s not far at all between them though!

Between these towers, you can find a whole host of rooms sizes and amenities to fit your needs and budget. We went with a regular queen room (not a suite), but spent the extra to get the oceanview room – we LOVED listening to the waves crash and waking up to the view over the water!

I would say the rooms were very comfortable. There was decent space, the beds were soft and cushy, the bathroom was very clean, and everything felt nice. We had a great experience with the rooms themselves!

Tip: Book early – this property is amazing and does sell out!

👉Check prices and availability for rooms in the Molokai, Maui, and Lanai Towers here

👉Check prices and availability for rooms in the Lahaina and Napili Towers here

👉Browse prices and availability in both towers via VRBO here

Other Features – Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club Review

Hammocks

When we needed a little break from the beach, pool, or activities, but still wanted to keep the the tropical vibes flowing, we just found one of the hammocks strung conveniently throughout the palm trees on the resort. Let me tell you, there is nothing quite like drifting off for a mid-afternoon nap on a hammock with the waves of the Pacific lulling you to sleep!

Fitness Center

I’m not usually a “work out on vacation” person, but my brother is, so we had to stop in at the fitness center and get a little workout in. I have to say, I was insanely impressed by the fitness center at the Marriott Maui Ocean Club.

The room was absolutely massive, extremely nice, and had basically any kind of workout machine or free weight setup you could ever want or need.

If classes are more your style, there are fitness classes offered, including yoga sessions in the studio and on the beach, or you can hit up the tennis courts!

Spa

We didn’t use the spa while we were at Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club, but there are really lovely outdoor spa cabanas by the beach where you can receive massages and and indoor facility where you can receive other treatments. If this is something you enjoy doing on vacation, you’ll love the setting here!

Luaus

The Marriott does not have its own luau on Kaanapali beach. This really is not a problem, though, as you can attend the other hotels’ luaus without being a guest there.

These are the luaus available on Kaanapali:

All of the luaus are great, but our favorite was probably the Drums of the Pacific dinner and show! (Make your reservations ahead of time)

Rentals

One last thing I want to mention in this review of Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club is that there is a whole Water Sports Center on-site where you can rent a variety of gear for the beach, including snorkel gear, surf boards, long boards, and more!

This rental center makes it incredibly convenient to enjoy all sorts of activities, right at your fingertips, on Kaanapali Beach.

Favorite Activities:

Besides enjoying the pools and grounds and the beaches, these were 3 of our favorite activities we did in or near Kaanapali Beach on Maui:

#1 Biking Down Haleakala: On this exciting tour, you are driven to the summit of the dormant Haleakala volcano, and then dropped off with bikes to ride back into the valley at your own pace. The views are spectacular!
👉Book this Haleakala bike tour here

#2 Small Group Whale Watching: This small group, close to the water whale watching experience gives you an excellent chacge of an up close and personal encounter with the majestic whales of Hawaii.
👉Book this small group whale watching experience here!

#3 Surf Lessons: For many of the people in our group, learning to surf was a top priority when coming to Hawaii! After these surf lessons and a little practice, my brothers got up!
👉Book this small group surf lesson here!

Read More: 20 Fantastically Fun Things To Do On or Near Kaanapali Beach

Why the Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club is the Best Value on Kaanapali Beach

In this review, I’ve highlighted a lot of the things that we loved about the Marriott. The fact of the matter is, after visiting Kaanapali Beach several times, we really feel that Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club gives you one of the absolute best values of any of the resorts on Kaanapali.

In our opinion, this is definitely one of the top 2 resorts along the boardwalk for amazing, expansive, beautiful grounds, and interesting pools. (The Hyatt Regency also has stunningly gorgeous grounds, but that resort is also quite a bit more expensive).

At the Marriott, you just get a really fantastic experience, the ambiance is amazing and immersive, the pools and grounds are large and absolutely gorgeous, and there’s a whole host of amenities included or available here – it really is a great value.

Whether you are coming with family, friends, or as a romantic getaway, the Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club is going to be a great Hawaiian experience for you!

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