The Whaler Kaanapali: centrally located right on the beach

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In a nutshell: Resort amenities with vacation rental living on one of the best beaches on Maui. The Whaler Kaanapali is a favorite place to stay for Maui frequent visitors.

Overview of The Whaler

If you want resort amenities with vacation rental living right on one of the best beaches on Maui, you’ve found your spot! The Whaler is comprised of individually owned condos with full kitchens, A/C, and washer/dryers in-unit, giving you all the comforts of home while adding the elegance and amenities of a resort stay. And yes, The Whaler is right on Ka’anapali Beach in the heart of Ka’anapali.

The Whaler Key Facts

The Whaler Location:

Located 45 minutes from the Kahului Airport, these vacation Rentals sit right on Ka’anapali Beach, so you can walk to just about anything you need. If you do want to venture out, you’re an hour from Paia Town (don’t forget reservations for Mama’s Fish House!), an hour from the start of The Road to Hana, and an hour and a half from Haleakala National Park.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to go that far for incredible Things to Do in Ka’anapali, there are a ton right around where The Whaler sits.

The Whaler Pool:

The Whaler has one beach front pool and hot tub, plus they have a lovely Koi Pond for viewing.

The Whaler Unit Sizes:

The Whaler condos offer studio to 2 bedroom units with 1-2 bathrooms. All units are equipped with A/C and most have a washer/dryer in unit.

The Whaler Review: why we love it

• Location: Right in the heart of Ka’anapali, situated on Ka’anapali Beach, you can walk to just about anything you need.
• The views: The Whaler is a high rise, so you can get some pretty glorious, unobstructed ocean views.
• Amenities: This property has on-site professional tennis courts, a full gym, and an in-house spa, plus you’re across the street from the Ka’anapali Championship Golf Course, and you’re minutes from Black Rock Beach with world-class snorkeling. Note that there is a daily resort fee that covers things like WiFi, parking, cable, beach towels, and other services provided by The Whaler

Things to Know Before Booking The Whaler

• Rental fees: All accommodations in Hawaii can come with some (rather large) fees. Whether you’re in a hotel paying resort fees or you’re getting a vacation rental and paying service fees, factor these into your equation. We usually go with VRBO because we’ve found that these fees are usually lower than what you’ll find on other similar platforms. Even though this is a vacation rental, they do have a resort fee that is paid separately from your online reservation
• No unit consistency: all of these vacation rentals are individually owned, so there’s a lack of consistency. Some have excellent views and others come with a less impressive view or fewer helpful in-unit amenities. Reading reviews of individual units can always give you a better sense of what to expect before booking.
• Older building: The Whaler is an older property without many amenities. You’re in a great location for (usually) a good price, and there are some tradeoffs. It is a large building with a slow elevator, some of the units are very dates, and the parking is not covered.

Want to check out other options on Maui? Read our reviews:
Residence Inn Wailea: a hotel with condo functionality
Grand Wailea Maui: Come for the Beach, Stay for the Pool
Fairmont Kea Lani: a hotel full of suites

The Best Maui Itinerary

Ready to plan the rest of your vacation? Especially staying in Ka’anapali, you’ll have to plan for days out of the area. We have you covered with our Maui itinerary. This download and go itinerary takes you on a planned out route around the island seeing the best sights and eating at the best restaurants.

Thank you so much for your itineraries.  Just got the Maui and Oahu ones and man oh man are you guys a life saver.  

I’m surprising my wife for her 40th to Oahu for 3 days then hopping over to Maui for 7 more days and have booked exclusively off your recommendations!  Cannot thank you guys enough for all this.  

Best regards and see y’all in April!

YouTube comment @jonesings