When it comes to Hawaii, you really can’t go wrong. But on a recent trip to Maui with my 9-year-old daughter, stayed at the Hyatt Regency Maui and the Andaz Maui. We stayed three nights at each of these kid-friendly Maui hotels. I guess Pam is rubbing off on me with her hotel hopping! Here’s how the two stack up against one another…

 

The Redemption

Hyatt Regency Maui is a category 7 Hyatt, so standard award nights will cost 30,000 Hyatt points/night. I spent 90,000 Hyatt points total + $0 for our three-night stay. Standard rooms include one king bed or two queen beds.

Andaz Maui is a category 8 Hyatt, so standard award nights will cost 40,000 Hyatt points/night. I spent 120,000 Hyatt points total + $0 for our three-night stay. Standard rooms include one king bed or two queen beds.

 

Hyatt Regency Maui Location

Hyatt Regency Maui is located on Ka‘anapali Beach on the west side of Maui. The beach in front of the Hyatt is swimmable, though I wasn’t super impressed with it. There seems to be some erosion/restoration going on, so while swimming in the ocean in front of the Regency is an option, we preferred Airport Beach (located a short drive from the Regency).

The Regency is also within walking distance of Whalers Village with lots of shopping and dining options. The beaches on the west side of the island are great for boogie boarding and snorkeling. We did find this side of the island much more busy than the area by the Andaz.

Andaz Maui Location

The Andaz is located in Wailea on the south side of Maui. Wailea is a more upscale area and is much more quiet and relaxed than the west side. I preferred the vibe of Wailea much more, but this will depend on your personal preference. The Andaz is also oceanfront with a great beach. It’s calm and great for snorkeling in the mornings. As the wind picks up in the afternoon, it becomes a good spot for boogie boarding or kite surfing.

The Andaz has a complimentary shuttle that will take you anywhere in the Wailea area. We went to dinner one night at the Four Seasons and the shuttle to and from the Four Seasons was very convenient!

 

Hyatt Regency Maui & Andaz Maui Rooms

We had a one king ocean view room at both properties. We honestly enjoyed both rooms and didn’t have any complaints!

Both rooms had balconies that were great for watching the sunset. The Regency king room also had a queen sleeper sofa which was great for some extra seating. The Andaz king room had a lounge chair, but no sleeper sofa.

It seemed like the Regency rooms had been updated more recently, but the Andaz had a huge rainfall shower that I really loved.

The Regency has 810 rooms/suites while the Andaz only has 320, so overall the Andaz is a much smaller (and quieter!) property.

 

Hotel Properties

Both properties have beautiful grounds. We enjoyed walking around both and admiring the landscaping. The Regency has a lot more colorful flowers and plants while the Andaz has a lot of white/more neutral flowers and plants.

The Regency has a ton of animals on-site, which was a huge hit with my daughter—penguins, fish, parrots, swans, ducks, and more!

Hyatt Regency Maui Pools

The Hyatt Regency Maui has two pools—a main pool and a kids pool area. They are normally connected by a grotto bar, but the grotto was closed for repairs during our stay (and when I asked about when it will reopen, they said there was no reopen date, so it could be awhile). The kids’ area is great for younger kids with a splash pad, small slide, and dolphin/sea turtle to climb on. There is also a larger slide near the kids pool area.

The Hyatt Residence Club is located next door to the Regency, and guests of the Regency can use the Residence Club pool, and vice versa. One negative of the Regency pool for us was how crowded it got. The front row of pool chairs was usually claimed by 7:00am with people leaving things to save their seats.

The Regency also has towel kiosks throughout the property. You scan your wristband, collect your towels, make sure the door closes, then return the towels to the same kiosk you got them from. The towels are chipped, and you’ll be charged $25 per towel if they aren’t returned. I did everything right and was still charged $25 for an unreturned towel (luckily the front desk removed the charge).

Andaz Maui Pools

The Andaz has five pools. An adults only pool, three infinity pools (one has a large hot tub), and a lagoon pool on the bottom level (which was our favorite and the most family friendly). Because the Andaz is a much smaller property, we never had an issue finding seats. There are no slides or splash pads at this property, but they did have floats, pool noodles, and sand toys for kids to use. They also had bingo by the pool and came around with mochi ice cream which we really enjoyed!

There are no wristbands required and no towel kiosks; you simply collect your towels from stands near each pool (they also have flavored water and sunscreen at these stands which was a nice touch).

 

The Food

Because I have Globalist status, we were able to save a ton of money on food at both properties!

The Regency has a Club Lounge that those with Globalist status are able to access (you can also access the Club Lounge by booking a Club Access room). The Club had breakfast each day from 6:30-10am, grab & go snacks from 11am-3pm, appetizers from 5pm-7pm, and desserts from 5pm-8pm.

We had all of our breakfasts and two dinners at the Club! Breakfast was things like pancakes or french toast, sausage or bacon, scrambled eggs, fruits, pastries, and cereal. Appetizers were mac n cheese, meatballs, salad, spanakopita, etc.

The Andaz has an extensive buffet offered in their restaurant, Ka’ana Kitchen. The buffet included a juice bar, mochi waffles, pancakes, fruits, bacon and sausage, scrambled eggs, a selection of meats, cheeses, and breads, and made-to-order omelets.

Overall we preferred the food at the Andaz, but the Regency was still good.

 

Maui Activities

The Regency offered a variety of complimentary activities including penguin feeding each morning, bracelet making, lei making, hula lessons, and ukulele lessons. You can rent snorkel gear, stand up paddle boards, and kayaks from the beach activities desk for a fee.

The Andaz also offered some complimentary activities including outrigger excursions, stand up paddle board lessons, guided kayak tours, coconut weaving, ukulele lessons, lei making, and bingo by the pool. We did a paid outrigger turtle watching tour and highly recommend it (you can arrange it through the Andaz and it leaves from the beach right in front of the hotel). Snorkel gear and body boards can also be rented from the kiosk on the beach for no additional fee.

 

Bottom Line

While you can’t go wrong with either the Hyatt Regency Maui or the Andaz Maui, they definitely offer unique experiences. The Regency is in a busier area of the island and there are significantly more people staying at the resort. The kids pool and on-site animals provide lots of entertainment for kids! The Andaz is more laid back and relaxing. While still great for families, it’s also an ideal choice for couples. Or you could hotel hop like we did and enjoy a little of both! Which sounds more like your vibe—the Regency or the Andaz?