Kaanapali Beach Club – Lahaina
Let Mercantile Claims help you with Diamond Resorts Timeshare Release, Claims & Compensation
Let Mercantile Claims help you with Diamond Resorts Timeshare Release, Claims & Compensation
Owners of Diamond Resorts timeshares often find themselves trapped in infinite agreements with rapidly increasing maintenance charges which ultimately stem from a mis-sold timeshare agreement. In recent years, there have been some ground-breaking rulings regarding mis-sold timeshares by many timeshare groups and resorts leading to refunds and compensation. Many owners of Ka’anapali Beach Club timeshare agreements are entitled to or have already made claims.
There has been a huge rise in timeshare release enquires and complaints from clients with Ka’anapali Beach Club timeshares.
Many concerns revolve around the following factors:
If you believe you had a Ka’anapali Beach Club timeshare agreement mis-sold to you or you wish to exit your timeshare scheme, please contact one of our experts at Mercantile Claims or fill out the form below.
A Resort Well Past Its Prime
I will start by saying the staff at Kaanapali beach club are outstanding. From check-in to check-out they were always ready and willing to help. Any questions or concerns are taken care of promptly, and they always give you a call to make sure it was taken care of appropriately. A special shout out to Ruby at the front desk for being exceptional, but they are all great and we can’t say enough good things about them. The whale watching from Kaanapali beach club is great as well. It was the height of whale watching season when we were there, so that was fun to see. The location on the island is great for going into Lahaina and Kapalua. We had a rental car, and getting in and out of Front St. and Whaler’s Village was a breeze. Parking is free if you’re a guest, so that was a nice perk as well. Duke’s Beach House and Aina Coffee is a short walk over to the neighbouring resort, Honua Kai. Being able to walk there for breakfast, happy hour and dinners made the trip!
The pool is a nice size and great for both kids and adults. We were able to hop in and throw the football around or sit on the sitting ledge with a drink to cool off. My only con to this was the way the chairs are situated around the pool. They are packed in so tight that it feels like a pool on the Vegas strip. Having your chair touch the neighboring chair gets annoying when you try to get up to hop in, walk to the bathroom, etc. Maybe this is from the beach being washed out, but they need to figure out a more comfortable way to seat everyone.
Unfortunately, that is where the good ends for Kaanapali beach club. This is a timeshare resort that is well past its prime. After doing our research before booking and coming, I am now convinced that timeshare owners are writing many of these reviews to sell off their weeks/intervals on red week and other sites.
We stayed in what was considered a premium 1 BR ocean view room. Although they’ve tried to make some updates in the rooms, there is only so much you can do to cover up mould and mildew. The staff came to do a remediation treatment in our room one day. This was a 2 hour process, but the results only lasted about 2 hours past that. The carpet feels wet on your feet, and drying swimsuits in the room leave them damp. It’s a moisture trap, and the AC doesn’t help cut the moisture. Maybe that’s where the problem lies? There was mould on the ceilings (covered by a fresh coat of paint), on the caulking in the bathroom, in the picture frames, etc. they were all mouldy. There is not a full kitchen in these units, but there are small appliances to scrape by. However, as we discovered on Maui, you really need a true fully functioning kitchen to get some variety in your meals if your stay is a week or more since most of the restaurants in the area have virtually the same menu with few exceptions. Do yourself a favour and book at one of the neighbouring resorts with full amenities (Honua Kai, Westin, Marriott, Hyatt, etc.). The balcony was so narrow that you couldn’t see past the railings that are at eye level, so we didn’t get to enjoy the views and whale watching from there.
The beach is gone and washed out from an active storm season. “Restoration” is underway, but we found out early on that restoration is really the building of a retaining wall with no beach access. This is similar to the other resorts in North Ka’anapali and not the fault of Kaanapali beach club, however, I have read Kaanapali beach club’s responses to several people on here that they do in fact have a beach with beach access. That is completely untrue. They have oceanfront with ocean views, but that is all until mother nature recedes. As stated above, the pool is packed in pretty tight so hopefully, when this restoration is done they gain more area for chairs so you’re not packed on top of others. This brings me to the parking garage and its proximity to the pool… it lines the pool which isn’t a big deal, but they don’t do much to try to landscape and improve the aesthetics around the pool. There is a lack of palm trees and tropical plants/flowers around the property making it feel less like a resort and more like a condo… although the surrounding condos had nicer landscapes. The property really lacks a beachy resort-style feel, making the Mirage in Vegas look like a tropical paradise. Maybe this will change after the beach restoration.
Needless to say, since this is a timeshare resort, the salespeople start pursuing you the moment you check in. Maybe if Kaanapali beach club better maintained the property their timeshare would help sell itself, but after staying here for 8 nights we’re not interested in returning to Kaanapali beach club… let alone buying into their timeshare.
The room and resort as a whole was a big change and disappointment after coming from the Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club on Oahu where we also had a 1 BR unit the week prior (also a timeshare property).
Overall, there are much better properties to stay at in Maui that are around the same price point. After talking to others on the island, the Hyatt Regency or Westin seem to be the places to stay, and after walking in and checking them out we agree!
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Our team here at Mercantile Claims is always available to assist you with any issues, concerns, or queries you have regarding your timeshare agreement. Below are some reviews left by Kaanapali Beach Club owners and visitors. If you have a more specific query please contact our team of experts and we will respond as soon as possible.
Unexpected issues
The front entrance is under construction so entry is through the parking garage. No one mentioned that.
The beach erosion has been under repair for at least two years so access to the beach is a challenge. I also noticed the majority of the guests were much older than in previous years- just an observation, not a complaint.
The pool area is nice, there was live entertainment at the restaurant near the pool in the evening and the views of the sunset were lovely. The gym is nice but small, the location is good and within walking distance, there is a grocery store and a few restaurants. Not too far to drive to Front Street in Lāhainā or shopping and many other restaurants.
There are no in suite washer/dryers.
The rooms have a refrigerator and microwave but I heard there are barbecues you can use on the property. The bathrooms are large with a soaking tub and separate shower which is nice.
The suite was spacious and comfortable and relaxing. The food at the restaurant is good. I liked many things about this property more than the Westin Kaanapali Ocean villas. Just the kitchen and laundry facilities are not as good and the Westin property although newer is so large and the staff there was not as friendly.
Beware and Avoid Paying for View
We just checked in at Ka’anapali Beach Club and are beyond disappointed with the room, the service and the lack of transparency in the reservation process. Like others who have recently reviewed this location, we booked a Deluxe Ocean View about 10 months before our arrival.
Prior to booking, I called to inquire about the difference in room rates, and was told that the Deluxe Ocean View rooms were ocean-facing, and the Ocean View rooms were on the sides of the building. I paid for the Deluxe Ocean View room because we wanted to be ocean-facing. Check in took about 20 minutes, and then we proceeded to our room, which overlooks…the pool and another hotel.
I called to tell the front desk that there must be a mix-up, as we were expecting ocean-facing. The front desk staff told me there was no mix-up, that I did get their Deluxe Ocean View room, but she would check to see if there was another room available for us to move to. About 20 minutes later, she called back and said there wasn’t anything she could do.
I asked to speak with a manager, who told me she had no options because I was in a room that was considered Deluxe Ocean View. I asked the difference between Scenic View, Ocean View and Deluxe Ocean View, and got a vague explanation (rooms 404 and up are all Deluxe Ocean View, and there is no such category as Ocean Facing). I again stated I was told upon booking that Deluxe Ocean View meant the room was ocean-facing, and that Oceanview were the other rooms in the complex with a view of the ocean.
I asked for a rate adjustment to reflect the view we were assigned and was told I already had the best rate through AAA and the manager couldn’t justify any better of a rate ($391.60 plus tax and HI transit).
I asked who I could contact next to voice my dissatisfaction and then was offered a room change to an ocean-facing room two nights into my stay with no adjustment to the previous nights in the non-ocean facing room.
Bottom line: Don’t waste your time or money on this resort, but if you truly have no other option on places to stay, then don’t pay more than the lowest rate for the least view since that is what you will end up with anyway based on my experience and that of fellow travelers who recently came before me!
Pro’s Con’s and a bad experience
We are currently at the end of a week-long stay at the Ka’anapali Beach Club. I give it a three here are some pro’s and cons…
Pro’s: clean, large pool that never seems crowded, water slide for the kids, restaurants on site, Beach is in front of resort however due to erosion there is no longer beach access, large rooms, staff is mostly friendly, self parking or valet with no extra charge.
Con’s: Electric is outdated and our room kept blowing breakers, no stove/oven in mini kitchenette, no beach access, timeshare is heavily pushed, no laundry in room, rooms and facility are a bit dated, paid for an ocean view and ended up getting a view of the mountains and local grocery store. (Management claims this was the fault of our timeshare exchange, but did not offer to help resolve anything.)
The experience we had was bad which was unique to us and the concierge we worked with. Although he was new and friendly enough he ended up ruining our trip. He pushed the timeshare way to hard taking over an hour of our time at check in. We finally gave in and agreed to attend the 2 hour session, but advised we would not schedule a time until the next day as we were too tired from travel. He had us sign the paper and come back the next day. When we came back he set us up with an activity for agreeing to the timeshare meeting. This took over an hour as well and after it was done he gave us our signed forms back with boxes he had checked without us agreeing too.
One of which is that we had to leave our child for a few hours in daycare. I clearly stated this was not an option for us and he led us to believe they would be accommodating. When we showed up to the meeting they stated we would absolutely not be able to take our child and would either have to leave him, cancel our activity, or pay without their discounted price. This was almost $600 when he originally told us it was $200 (written in permanent ink then later claiming he made a mistake). And by the way, there are no spots left…. because our meeting and activity were scheduled later in our trip it was too late to book anything else.
The concierge should have told us this would be a problem from the VERY beginning knowing we had a child and didn’t want to do the timeshare speech to begin with. Instead he wanted the credit for signing us up and wasted our time. The concierge had one job to do and failed us; which ruined our trip and wasted multiple hours of our vacation.
That being said there were pros to the resort but I will certainly not be coming back and will not recommend it to friends as we have been to plenty of nicer resorts on Maui.
IT’S A TRAP!
Signed up to do the “tour” aka timeshare presentation to get deals on activities for my vacation (which worked out great). I knew what I was getting into but want to warn others that no matter how compelling this industry rebranded points system is, it’s still the same old timeshare deal.
Although this one seems to be the worst of the lot, smoke and mirrors and extremely hard sell, don’t get sucked into their trap.
If a deal is good no matter what it is the company or salesperson will let you walk away with numbers to consider and have an open door policy.
If they don’t, then they know your research will reveal their dirty secrets.
Such as the out of control maintenance fees and broken promises, oh and they iron clad contract your children will inherit. FYI, this resort has lost their beaches due to climate change/sea level rise and is importing sand from Australia. Pay attention to their sandbag wall and ask how much that s costing their “owners”. If you want to own a stake in a vacation destination I suggest buying a vacation home you can rent out full time and take advantage of full-service management companies, especially ones that have income guarantees and open-ended contract terms
Mixed Bag
We stayed at this resort for just under a week with our kids. We are not owners and simply booked a room through a travel website.
Overall, there were some good things with this resort and some areas for improvement. First off, the room itself is very large. There is a kitchen with full-sized fridge/freezer and a large kitchen table (no stove/oven). The pull-out bed in the living room was also surprisingly comfortable – probably one of the better ones I’ve seen in a hotel. The bedroom and bathroom were also quite spacious. The pool area at the hotel is also quite good with a gigantic swimming pool, water slide, fountains and what I believe to be a brand new hot tub area that was really good. The mini golf and some of the other kids activities offered are also a nice feature of the resort.
Some things that could use improvement are just the general dated feeling of the rooms and a lot of the resort. When it rained, the patio doors in our room leaked water – not a ton but enough that the carpets next to the door were wet and obviously over time this is probably the cause of a lot of the “musty smells” that other reviews have mentioned. The bathroom, while spacious, definitely had an outdated feeling. As others have also mentioned, there is unfortunately virtually no beach left at this resort due to erosion.
The staff at the hotel was a mix of excellent and friendly to disinterested. The valet staff and front desk were friendly and helpful but some others around the resort (restaurant area, some but not all of the activity centre staff) seemed like they were just there to get through the day and didn’t appear to be that enthusiastic about their jobs. There were no terrible experiences so I can’t really complain too much but it was just an observation.
Finally, the timeshare selling at this resort is very aggressive. We knew this was a timeshare resort when we booked and we have stayed at other timeshare resorts in the past (other companies, not Diamond) but Diamond Resorts really stood out in how aggressive they were in trying to get us to sign up. From the moment you arrive, they drag you to their “concierge” to try to get you to sign up for a timeshare tour (this concierge visit is “mandatory” before you even get to go to your room). They offered us some dining credits and discounted activity bookings if we signed up for a tour but we declined. Even after declining that, there are numerous voicemails and calls to the room throughout your stay to try to convince you to take a tour – eventually, we just stopped checking the voicemails as it was obvious what type of message the flashing red light on our phone was alerting us to. I understand that they are in the business of selling timeshares which is perfectly fine but I think they could be a lot less pushy about it.
Overall, this was certainly not a terrible place at all but there is for sure room for improvement.