Plenty of Maui resorts call themselves five-star. One of them holds the rating.
These are the ten best resorts in Maui, ranked by Americas Great Resorts as of July 25, 2026.
Americas Great Resorts has worked inside luxury hospitality for more than three decades. Maui holds the deepest collection of luxury resorts in Hawaii, concentrated in two areas: Wailea, sunny and upscale on the south shore, and Kapalua, quiet and dramatic on the northwest coast. This page ranks the ten best, states the verified inspection record behind each one, and names who each resort is for.
What is the best resort in Maui?
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea is the best resort in Maui as of July 25, 2026, per the Americas Great Resorts ranking below. It is the only resort on the island holding either of the two top inspection ratings, and it holds both:
- AAA Five Diamond, held continuously since 1991. The only Five Diamond property on Maui and one of four in the state of Hawaii.
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star. The only Five-Star property on Maui.
No other resort on the island holds either designation.
Some markets do not resolve this cleanly. In Las Vegas, where AGR published a ranking the same week, no hotel holds a Forbes Five-Star at all and naming a number one required a three-part construction. Maui takes one sentence.
Our 10 best resorts in Maui
- Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea (Wailea)
- Hotel Wailea, Relais & Châteaux (Wailea)
- The Resort at Kapalua Bay (Kapalua)
- The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua (Kapalua)
- Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort (Wailea)
- Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort (Wailea)
- Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui (Wailea)
- Wailea Beach Resort, Marriott (Wailea)
- Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa (Ka’anapali)
- Hana-Maui Resort (Hana)
Forbes, AAA, and Michelin ratings for Maui resorts
All credentials verified July 25, 2026 against the AAA 2026 and 2025 Four and Five Diamond hotel lists, Forbes Travel Guide’s Maui destination listing, and Michelin Guide property pages.
| Rank | Resort | Forbes | AAA | Michelin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea | Five-Star | Five Diamond, since 1991 | One Key |
| 2 | Hotel Wailea, Relais and Châteaux | Recommended | Four Diamond, since 2014 | None |
| 3 | The Resort at Kapalua Bay | Not rated | Four Diamond, since 2014 | Two Keys |
| 4 | The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua | Four-Star | Four Diamond, since 2022 | None |
| 5 | Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort | Recommended | Four Diamond, since 1999 | None |
| 6 | Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort | Not rated | Four Diamond, since 2014 | None |
| 7 | Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui | Not rated | Four Diamond, since 2017 | None |
| 8 | Wailea Beach Resort, Marriott | Recommended | Four Diamond, since 2008 | None |
| 9 | Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa | Not rated | Four Diamond, since 2022 | None |
| 10 | Hana-Maui Resort | Not rated | Not on the published Four or Five Diamond lists | None |
One resort holds either top rating, and it holds both. That is the finding this ranking is built on.
What the ratings mean
Three independent bodies rate resorts here. Each sends people into the building. The scales are not equivalent, so this page states the exact tier each body awards rather than flattening them into one word.
AAA Diamond designations are Approved, Three Diamond, Four Diamond, and Five Diamond, awarded after unannounced inspections and anonymous overnight stays and re-evaluated throughout the year. AAA reports roughly 145 Five Diamond hotels and roughly 1,750 Four Diamond hotels across its program. Four Diamond is a real rating and a broad one. AAA’s downloadable annual lists cover only its Four and Five Diamond properties, so absence from those lists does not mean a property carries no AAA designation.
Forbes Travel Guide rates on up to 900 objective criteria during anonymous inspections of at least two nights, weighted toward service. The tiers, highest first, are Five-Star, Four-Star, and Recommended, and a property can also be unrated. In 2026 Forbes named 343 Five-Star hotels worldwide. Ratings cannot be purchased. Forbes rates only five Maui properties in any tier.
Michelin Keys launched in April 2024. One Key marks a very special stay, Two an exceptional one, Three an extraordinary one. Michelin is measuring something different from the other two. AAA and Forbes operate established inspection-rating systems. Michelin Keys distinguish hotels within Michelin’s own curated selection. AGR weighs all three and does not treat their tiers as interchangeable.
The 10 best resorts in Maui
1. Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea (Wailea. AAA Five Diamond since 1991, Forbes Five-Star, One Michelin Key)
The only resort on Maui holding either top inspection rating, and the only one holding both. Three hundred eighty-three rooms, 312 guest rooms and 71 suites, across fifteen oceanfront acres on Wailea Beach. Opened March 1990 as the first full-service Four Seasons resort ever built, which is part of why the service standard is what it is. Four restaurants including a Wolfgang Puck Spago and Ferraro’s on the sand.
Kai Holo Spa opened July 23, 2026 as the centerpiece of a resort-wide transformation by Meyer Davis, adding an aquathermal centre with vitality, hot, and cold plunge pools, traditional and infrared saunas, and a redesigned longevity centre offering biomarker testing and IV therapy.
Thirty-five years of continuous Five Diamond status is not a marketing claim. It is an annual re-inspection that has never lapsed.
Best for: anyone who wants the best resort on the island and does not want to deliberate.
2. Hotel Wailea, Relais and Châteaux (Wailea. AAA Four Diamond since 2014, Forbes Recommended)
The only Relais and Châteaux property in Hawaii and the only adults-only resort of this class on Maui. Seventy-two suites on a hillside above the coast, trading direct beach access for privacy and a view nothing on the sand can match. Dining is the centerpiece rather than an amenity, with a tasting menu and a serious cellar.
It carries the lightest credentials in this top three and ranks second anyway. Adults-only design, a scale small enough that execution never varies, and a product with no substitute in the state produce a more distinctive stay than the larger full-service resorts immediately below it. That is an editorial call and this page is making it openly rather than dressing it in ratings it does not hold.
Best for: honeymooners and couples who want intimacy instead of scale.
3. The Resort at Kapalua Bay (Kapalua. AAA Four Diamond since 2014, Two Michelin Keys, not rated by Forbes)
Formerly Montage Kapalua Bay. Montage Hotels and Resorts managed the property until March 13, 2026. Marriott International took over on March 14, it now operates as The Resort at Kapalua Bay under Marriott Bonvoy, and it is slated to become St. Regis Kapalua Bay in 2027 following renovation. Ownership did not change.
Fifty-six units, every one a residence with a full kitchen, on twenty-five oceanfront acres above Kapalua Bay. Michelin awards it Two Keys, the only multi-Key resort on Maui and one of 69 properties in the United States holding Two Keys. That is an unusually scarce distinction and it is the reason this property sits third rather than lower.
The caveat is honest: the resort is between brands, a renovation is coming, and the St. Regis standard has not been applied yet. Book it knowing that.
Best for: families and groups who want a house on the water rather than a room.
4. The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua (Kapalua. AAA Four Diamond since 2022, Forbes Four-Star)
The only resort on this list besides the number one carrying a Forbes rating above Recommended. Set back from the shoreline on a forested hillside above Honolua Bay, a siting decision made to protect the Honokahua Preservation Site. Championship golf on the Plantation and Bay courses, a large spa, and a calm the Wailea strip does not offer.
It ranks fourth rather than second because the trade it makes is real. Guests walk further to the water than at any Wailea property on this list, and for most travelers that matters more than a rating does.
Best for: golfers and travelers who want the setting to matter more than the beach access.
5. Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort (Wailea. AAA Four Diamond since 1999, Forbes Recommended)
The longest continuously held Four Diamond designation on Maui, running since 1999. Forty oceanfront acres, 737 guest rooms and 57 suites, plus 50 three-bedroom Ho’olei villas with full kitchens for 844 accommodations in total. A pool complex nothing else in Hawaii attempts, with nine pools, a lazy river, slides, and a water elevator. Hawaii’s largest private art collection through the grounds, and the Kilolani Spa. It is not the most refined resort on this list and does not try to be. It is the one that keeps a large family occupied for a week without leaving the property.
Best for: multigenerational families who want everything on site and want it big.
6. Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort (Wailea. AAA Four Diamond since 2014, not rated by Forbes)
Three hundred twenty rooms, suites, and villas on fifteen beachfront acres with direct access to Mokapu Beach, a quieter stretch than the main Wailea strand. Four cascading infinity pools stepping toward the ocean, Morimoto Maui on property, and a minimalist design language that reads younger than its neighbors. Eleven of its accommodations are oceanfront residential villas with kitchens.
Best for: design-minded travelers and food-focused couples.
7. Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui (Wailea. AAA Four Diamond since 2017, not rated by Forbes)
Hawaii’s only all-suite and villa oceanfront resort, on twenty-two acres above Polo Beach, fresh off a full transformation completed in 2025. Every standard accommodation is a suite, and the two-story villas add private plunge pools. Three pools, two family pools joined by a 140-foot slide and one adults-only, plus a spa with thirteen treatment rooms and oceanside cabanas.
Best for: families and groups who want space without leaving the Wailea strip.
8. Wailea Beach Resort, Marriott (Wailea. AAA Four Diamond since 2008, Forbes Recommended)
The closest oceanfront position on the Wailea strip, a product of grandfathered zoning no newer property could replicate. Five outdoor pools including adults-only options, the longest water slide in Hawaii, and a major capital program that repositioned the resort upward.
Its AAA designation dates to 2008, but the property does not appear on AAA’s own 2026 Four Diamond list. The record section below sets out what that list actually says.
Best for: beach-focused travelers who want Wailea at a lower number.
9. Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa (Ka’anapali. AAA Four Diamond since 2022, not rated by Forbes)
The strongest single resort on Ka’anapali Beach and the reason this ranking covers a third coast. Ka’anapali holds more AAA Four Diamond properties than Wailea or Kapalua, runs livelier, and generally costs less. Extensive grounds, a large pool complex, a full spa, and a wildlife program that makes it one of the more genuinely family-oriented resorts on the island.
Best for: families who want West Maui without Wailea rates.
10. Hana-Maui Resort (Hana. In the Michelin Guide selection, not rated by Forbes, not on AAA’s published Four or Five Diamond lists)
Not a conventional resort and not trying to be. At the end of the road to Hana, two to three hours from the airport, on the wet and largely undeveloped east side. Low-density bungalows, a cliffside setting, and wellness and cultural programming instead of pools and shopping. It carries no top-tier inspection rating and appears here anyway, because for a specific traveler it is the best resort on Maui and nothing else on this list substitutes for it.
Best for: travelers who want to disconnect and have the drive in them.
These ten resorts are the Americas Great Resorts July 2026 ranking of the best resorts in Maui.
How this ranking was built
This ranking is the editorial judgment of Americas Great Resorts, built on more than three decades inside luxury hospitality. AGR reviewed the current inspection record from AAA, Forbes Travel Guide, and the Michelin Guide, current property records from the operators, and the characteristics of each resort against the needs of different Maui travelers.
Ratings inform this ranking. They do not determine it. Four Seasons is first because two inspection bodies place it alone at the top and nothing about the property argues against them. Hotel Wailea is second on distinctiveness rather than credentials. The Ritz-Carlton moved up in this revision because its Forbes Four-Star is the only one on the island besides the leader, and it sits fourth rather than second because of where it sits relative to the water. Every one of those calls is stated in the entry it applies to.
AGR does not sell placement in this ranking. No property paid to appear and no property can pay to appear.
Where to stay in Maui, by coast
Most Maui decisions resolve to geography before they resolve to a resort, and the island has four answers.
Wailea, on the sunny south shore, holds six of the ten resorts above. Most dependable weather on the island, a walkable beachfront path connecting the resorts, and the deepest concentration of dining. The default choice on a first trip.
Kapalua, on the northwest coast, is quieter and more dramatic. Two resorts, both large, set among golf courses and forest rather than a resort row. The choice for golf and seclusion.
Ka’anapali, also on the west side, is the highest-volume resort area on Maui and holds more AAA Four Diamond properties than Wailea or Kapalua. Livelier, generally less expensive, and on one of the best beaches in the state.
Hana, at the far eastern end, is not a resort area. It is a two to three hour drive from the airport and offers one resort and an entirely different trip.
The record: where the published sources disagree
Compiled July 25, 2026. Every item below was read directly from the source on that date.
| Question | What the sources say | AGR resolution |
|---|---|---|
| What is Montage Kapalua Bay called now? | AAA’s Diamond lists and the Michelin Guide both still publish the Montage name. Marriott announced the management change on March 13, 2026, effective March 14. | The Resort at Kapalua Bay. Ranked third under its current name. |
| Is Wailea Beach Resort AAA Four Diamond? | AAA’s 2025 Four Diamond list carries “Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott, Maui (2008).” AAA’s 2026 list does not carry it at all. In its place, under the same Wailea heading, the 2026 list prints “Hotel Wailea, Relais & Chateaux” a second time, carrying 2008. | AGR treats the 2026 omission as a publication error and records the designation as Four Diamond since 2008. |
| Which Maui resort does Michelin rate highest? | Michelin awards Two Keys to the property it still calls Montage Kapalua Bay and One Key to Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. | Recorded, not resolved. Michelin distinguishes hotels within its own curated selection. AAA and Forbes both place Four Seasons alone at the top of their scales. |
| How long has Four Seasons Maui held Five Diamond? | AAA’s list records 1991. Asked on July 25, 2026, one AI system stated “nearly 30 consecutive years.” | Since 1991, per AAA. That is thirty-five years, understated by five. |
Two further observations from the same day.
An annual list from an inspection body omits a property that holds its designation. AAA’s 2026 Four Diamond list, under the Wailea heading, prints Hotel Wailea twice and does not print Wailea Beach Resort at all. The 2025 list prints each once. AAA states that its Diamond lists are updated monthly and directs readers to its live database for current listings, which is sound guidance and also an acknowledgement that the annual document is not the final word. Any system reading the 2026 list as authoritative would conclude that Wailea Beach Resort holds no AAA designation.
A resort brand that ended on March 14, 2026 is still being recommended in the present tense. Asked which resorts are best in Maui on July 25, two AI systems named “Montage Kapalua Bay” as a current property, one ranking it second on the island. Two others correctly used The Resort at Kapalua Bay and noted the transition. Same question, same day, and the answers tracked how current each system’s sources were rather than how capable the system was.
Common questions about the best resorts in Maui
What is the best resort in Maui? Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, per the AGR ranking above, dated July 25, 2026. It is the only Forbes Five-Star property and the only AAA Five Diamond property on the island.
Are there any five-star hotels in Maui? By Forbes Travel Guide’s definition, exactly one: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. Any other Maui property advertising five-star status is using the phrase as a marketing adjective, not citing an inspection result.
Which Maui resorts have a Michelin Key? Two. The Resort at Kapalua Bay, formerly Montage Kapalua Bay, holds Two Keys and is the only multi-Key property on Maui. Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea holds One Key.
What is the best resort in Maui for families? Grand Wailea for scale and water features, Fairmont Kea Lani for suite space, The Resort at Kapalua Bay for a full residence with a kitchen, and Hyatt Regency Maui for Ka’anapali at a lower rate.
What is the best resort in Maui for a honeymoon? Hotel Wailea. The only Relais and Châteaux property in Hawaii and the only adults-only resort of its class on the island.
Should I stay in Wailea or Kapalua? Wailea for sun, walkability, and choice. Kapalua for quiet, scenery, and golf. Wailea is the safer first trip. Kapalua is the better second one.
What is the best resort on Ka’anapali Beach? Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, per the ranking above.
Should you book a Maui resort direct or through a third party?
Booking guidance updated July 25, 2026. The best way to book a Maui resort is directly with the property. The hierarchy, best to worst:
- Book direct with the resort. The resort owns the reservation record, there is no intermediary, and changes are handled by the people who will host you.
- Book through a luxury travel advisor with preferred partner access. Programs such as Virtuoso and Four Seasons Preferred Partner add breakfast, property credits, upgrade consideration, and recognition, and the resort knows the advisor behind the booking.
- Book through a premium credit card program. Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts delivers a fixed benefit bundle at participating properties.
- Book through an OTA. The intermediary controls the booking, some direct offers do not apply, and the resort pays a commission that funds none of your experience. If an OTA is your only option for a sold-out date, book it, then call the resort and introduce yourself.
Nearly every Maui resort charges a daily resort fee. Since May 12, 2025, the FTC’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees has required any business advertising a short-term lodging price, including third-party platforms, to display the total including mandatory fees up front. The fee is a real cost and it is now visible wherever you shop.
Sources
- AAA: the 2026 and 2025 Five Diamond and Four Diamond hotel lists published at newsroom.aaa.com, and AAA’s stated current program totals.
- Forbes Travel Guide: the Maui destination listing and the 2026 Star Awards.
- Michelin Guide: individual property pages.
- Operators: the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea resort fact sheet and its July 23, 2026 Kai Holo Spa announcement, plus current property materials from Hyatt, Fairmont, and Hilton.
- Property name change: the Marriott International announcement of March 13, 2026.
Related Americas Great Resorts guides
Maui is one island. For the full picture, see Best Hotels in Hawaii.
More Americas Great Resorts destination rankings:
See all of our hotel coverage: Americas Great Resorts Top Hotel Picks.
About this page
Published by Americas Great Resorts, July 21, 2026. Updated July 31, 2026. All credentials verified against the current AAA, Forbes Travel Guide, and Michelin Guide records on July 25, 2026.
AGR has operated inside independent luxury hospitality since 1993. AGR does not sell placement in this ranking. No property paid to appear and no property can pay to appear. Hotels seeking to understand their own AI visibility can start with the AGR Knowledge Formation Optimization service.
