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A Taste of the 50-50 Menu at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua

Where: One Ritz-Carlton Drive [map], Kapalua, hi, United States, 96761

The Banyan Tree restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua is arguably one of the top dining dogs on Maui, with unbeatable views of the Pacific Ocean, the island of Moloka'i and the Pailolo Channel. But, like a lot of the super swank resort’s services and amenities, it’s not exactly budget friendly.

The restaurant is bringing its five star dining experience within not-just-for-special-occasions-only reach with its new three-course 50/50 menu deal for $50, which includes mea ‘ai mua (perfect starter), mea ‘ai nui (entrée), and mea ‘ai momona (dessert).

For another $50, you can buy a bottle of wine from a select list that changes weekly, including plenty of picks we would gladly recommend: Family Vineyards Viognier 2005 and Henschke Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia 2005. We’re a bit of a wine snob and loved many of the selections. (Both deals are exclusive of tax and gratuity.)

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Hotel Renovations / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Hotel News / Maui Hotels / → All Tags

Maui's Ritz-Carlton Kapalua to Unveil Pricey Renovations on Jan. 7th

Where: 1 Ritz Carlton Drive [map], Kapalua, HI, United States, 96761

We fantasized about leaving our cubicles for the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua in Maui last October thanks to the hotels killer view but we were saddened to discover the resort was closed due to a $160 million make-over.

But on Jan. 7th, we are free to flee our cubicles again--not just in our mind but in reality as the hotel is set to re-open then. The hotel actually opened its doors last Friday for the PGA Mercedes-Benz Championship but even then crews were still working to get things all fixed up.

All 445 guest rooms as well as the lobby, fitness center, restaurants and other public areas have been upgraded. A new spa will open in March and residential suites will go on the market sometime in mid-January. Additionally, an entire wing of the hotel was converted into 107 suites, making it more family-friendly. And instead of using a bland standard Ritz-Carlton decor scheme, the hotel will focus on its Hawaiian heritage. The Honolulu-Advertiser wrote:

[T]he resort has moved away from the Ritz's "cookie-cutter" Old World style, and redesigned its rooms and public areas with a Native Hawaiian motif, incorporating local art, images of significant native plants such as breadfruit and ti, and meaningful objects, like calabash bowls.

Hotel staff will be trained to explain the history, meaning and cultural significance of the items to guests.

The only sad thing is that when hotels do top-to-bottom renovations, a price increase usually occurs and at this Ritz, the room rate jumps up nearly $200 to $599 a night. So will probably have to stick to cube dreamin' after all.

Killer View / Golf Resorts / Hawaii Hotels / → All Tags

Room with a Killer View: When the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua Re-Opens...

Where: 1 Ritz Carlton Drive [map], Kapalua, HI, United States, 96761

We are suckers for a room with a killer view.  We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.

...we are so hitting this place up.

When you want to take a holiday in paradise, check into Room 2609 at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua on the island of Maui, Hawaii, and make sure the conditions are right for a rainbow.

This view probably doesn't happen every day, but even without the rainbow you'd probably feel like you'd struck your personal pot of gold if you could overlook both the swimming pool and the bay like this. In fact, the big attraction at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua is really the golf, so it's possible that some guests might even feel dissatisfied with this view, lacking any golf greens as it does. But not us.

A big word of caution, however: the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua is currently CLOSED. It's getting a $125 million renovation-come-transformation ready for January 2008. Guest rooms are getting remodeled, there's a new spa and fitness center and a new Japanese restaurant. But the views should remain more or less the same.

[Photo: extravigator]

Related Stories:
· Fore Play: Ritz-Carlton Kapalua [HotelChatter]
· Hotels in Hawaii [HotelChatter]

Golf Resorts / → All Tags

Fore Play: Ritz Carlton Kapalua

Where: 1 Ritz Carlton Drive [map], Kapalua, HI, United States, 96761

The Ritz Carlton Kapalua in Maui was voted by readers of Travel + Leisure as one of the top golf resorts in the world in 2005.

Why is that? Maybe because the resort boasts three 18-hole championship courses--one of the only places to do so in Hawaii. Two of the courses were designed by Arnold Palmer and the third by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore. The resort also is home to the Kapalua Golf Academy which has 23-acres for golfers to use for practice. Lastly, the hotel is home to the PGA Tour's Mercedes championship held each year in January.

As for the hotel, it's a typical Hawaiian resort offering ocean views, leis upon arrival, and luas at night. This resort was built next to an working pineapple plantation so expect plenty of that fruit to grace each meal. And for nightlife, the town of Lahaina, a historic century-old whaling town, is nearby with shopping, bars and restaurants like Jimmy Buffet's Cheeseburger in Paradise.

Related Stories:
· Ritz Carlton Kapalua reviews [TripAdvisor]