Review: Courtyard Maui Kahului Airport

Last updated on November 20th, 2017 at 03:38 am

In my previous post, I covered the Maui Seaside Hotel, which isn’t a property I cared for much.  In fact, when I’m on Maui, my go-to property is the Courtyard Maui Kahului Airport Hotel.  Yes the Courtyard Maui isn’t on the beach, and is next to the airport and a Costco, but it has a convenient, central location, good value (for Maui), and provides good quality.

When I said the property was next to the airport, I wasn’t kidding.  You can see the Courtyard Maui from the plane when you’re on final to Kahului Airport.  Fortunately, the hotel is pretty well insulated, so you won’t hear arriving and departing aircraft.  Besides being just minutes away from the airport, another appeal of the property is it’s central location.  The Courtyard Maui makes an EXCELLENT base of operations for drives up to Haleakala and Hana, as it’s the closest hotel to both (aside from Kula Lodge for Haleakala).  This means that you won’t have to get up as early to head up Haleakala for sunrise compared to staying in Kihei/Wailea, Lahaina/Kaanapali, and Kapalua.  Besides, you won’t be staying in your room much on “adventure days” like these right?  So why waste money on a luxury property for these days?

Service at the property is kind of hit or miss.  I’ve had great service at the property, but I’ve also had really indifferent service too.  No staff was ever actively rude to me, though.  My last two stays at the property I was a Marriott Rewards Platinum.  One of the stays I wasn’t charged for parking, while the other I was assessed the $10/night fee.  At check-in I was always offered the welcome amenity of points and my choice of an item from The Market.

The Courtyard Maui, unlike many of the other Courtyards in Hawaii, is a pretty cookie cutter property, which isn’t necessarily bad, but also means it looks like it could be in middle America.  The property does have little touches here and there, though, to remind you that you are in Hawaii.

I’ve never been upgraded at this property, but my bed type and floor preference has always been honored.  Both of my recent stays saw me assigned a standard king room on the 4th floor.  And while not on the beach, one side of the building does have better views than the other, but more on that later.

Aside from the tiny handful of suites at the property, all rooms are basically the same.  Immediately to the right when entering the room is the nicely sized bathroom.

The bathroom has enough room for a couple to comfortably get ready at the same time despite having just a single vanity.  While there’s no tub or shower/tub, the shower stall is a nice size; you definitely won’t feel claustrophobic in this one.  The only negative was the simple lack of toiletries.  This property only provides shampoo, conditioner, and bar soap, though they at least they continue to be Paul Mitchell.

Immediately after the bathroom is a nook containing the fridge & coffeemaker.

The area also contains an ice bucket, some glass cups, coffee + supplies, and some to-go cups.

The beds at the Courtyard Maui are among the most comfortable and plush I’ve experienced yet.

The night stands both have a drawer, and has a iHome radio/alarm clock on one side, and a phone on the other.  Immediately at the foot of the bed is comfy sofa and a table.

Directly across the sofa is a desk with work chair, dresser, HDTV, and a dresser/closet.

The closet contained a bunch of hangers, an iron, and ironing board.

Remember how I mentioned about the view?  The two views available at the Courtyard Maui are the ones facing Haleakala, while the other faces a wetland of sorts, though you really can’t see anything… So you definitely want the Haleakala view.

You can even see the observatories on Haleakala on clear days.

Ok, so you can also see the Costco across the street from this side and the soon-to-be defunct Pu’unene Sugar Mill off in the distance.

If you MUST have a water view, this side also has a view of the pool and fire pit ?

If you’re a Marriott guy like me, you’re likely familiar with Marriott’s The Bistro concept at Courtyard properties.  The Bistro does make an appearance here at the Courtyard Maui, and it is still mediocre to poor.

Looks tasty, but it was not.  I’d rather run across the street and buy a Costco hot dog…

But who cares about The Bistro?  There are other options available near by.  What is important is the fact that the Courtyard Maui has quiet, comfortable rooms, and represents a decent value, for Maui anyway.  As I stated before, it’s also very centrally located, which makes it an ideal base of operation to explore the island.  And if you’re spending sunrise (or earlier) to sunset exploring the island, why spend upwards of $400+/night on a luxury property?  So really, the Courtyard Maui is the practical choice for those that want to get out, drive around, and experience Maui for what it really is.

Unfortunately, as a Category 7 hotel, the Courtyard Maui is WAY overpriced in terms of award stays… Off peak point redemptions are 30,000pts/night, while the normal rate is 35,000pts/night.  This is really high for such a basic property, but I wouldn’t rule it out, as the average nightly rate can spike up immensely during peak times too.

Despite the pitfalls, however, the Courtyard Maui is my go-to hotel on the island.  I do LOVE staying at the Andaz Maui (review coming soon), but the Courtyard is the much more practical choice, and one that better fits our itinerary a vast majority of the time.  I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again and again.