We recently stayed at The Whaler on Kaanapali Beach. It was a week in paradise. The property is located right on the water on what I would consider to be one of the nicest beaches we saw in Maui. On two different days, we saw Alaskan Humpback whales frolicking in the bay right outside the hotel. The area has shops, restaurants, and a great ocean walkway that takes you from one end of the beach to the other. The snorkelling is fantastic, with Black Rock at one end of the beach being the top spot. All of the suites in The Whaler seem to have a pretty spectacular ocean view. We spent our mornings and evenings on our lanai relaxing and enjoying the sights and the sounds of the ocean. The staff at The Whaler is very friendly and helpful. During our stay we had something come up and required the assistance of the hotel manager. He dealt with the matter immediately. You can tell that customer service is very important to them. Our studio apartment was a good size for two people. It seemed to have been totally renovated as all the appliances were new, with granite countertops, king size bed, and a new bathroom. We look forward to returning soon.

Despite the weather we really enjoyed our stay here. We booked thru Aston and were given 516. It is updated and well cared for. Would book this unit again. Close to Black rock and not really busy staff was really friendly and our maid was wonderful.

This was another perfect vacation in Hawaii- our 26th trip there, but the Whaler is our favorite destination. The waves perfectly break on the beach for boogie boarders and body surfing. Snorkeling at black rock is steps away. We were in Unit 1202 again, which is the penthouse 2 bedroom that faces Lanai and the perfect sunsets, and additionally has a side lanai with unobstructed views to north Maui, Molokai, and the mountains. The kids room has 2 queen size, not full size beds, so is comfortable.Everyone is nice, especially TJ and Michelle at the beach hut. The pool can be crowded when the afternoon trade winds come in, but we stay mostly at the perfect beach. The rooms are nicely appointed, and the pillows are unusually comfortable and fluffy. We sleep with the lanai sliding glass doors open and listen to the wave all nite. Great restaurants are less than 100 steps away- Hula Grill, Leilani's, and more.

My Husband, myself and our 3 month old daughter stayed at The Whaler for 8 nights Jan 9-17th. This was our 3rd time to Maui and our first time staying at The Whaler.
THe location is great. We like being able to walk to different restaurants and shopping and so having it located right beside the Whaler's Villiage mall and restaurants was ideal, especially with an infant. It is right on the beach which is also great and super close to Black Rock for snorkelling.
Having a condo was also great when travelling with a child. It was equipped with a full fridge, stove, microwave, kettle etc and all the amenities needed for cooking. THey also provided 2 beach chairs, which was also convenient.
However...
THe service was less than steller. The front desk staff were not overly friendly. Our room service was lacking as well. One day we were out of our room by 9 am, we returned at 1 pm to feed the baby and our room was not yet cleaned. We left it at 2 pm and returned again at 4 pm to find it still wasn't cleaned. They finally knocked on the door at 4:30, which was way too late and so we declined room service that day. This happened on 2 occasions.
The pool area was also not great. It is a fairly small pool area and if you aren't there super early, your lucky to get a chair. THere is minimal shade and as such we couldn't use the pool at all because of needing to keep our baby out of the sun. It is fully fenced in, which in my opinion takes away from atmosphere. If you are sitting by the pool, you very well could be at a pool in any regular complex (such as my Grandma's townhomes here in Canada). Nothing about the pool area screams Hawaii.
I have stayed at the Marriott in both Wailea and Lahaina and their pool area's were amazing compared to this as was their customer service.

I am not one to typically leave negative reviews and am usually always happy with where I stay, but I think I was spoiled in the past with my experiences at the Marriott's and as a result was a bit dissapointed with The Whaler.