The Reign of Ritz

Hotel Geek Winner: Best Maui Resort

The Kapalua side of Maui greeted us with a misty rain storm. "If you can see the sun through the crowds, it won't last long," our driver advised. I had been warned about the rain. But even so, I was excited to luxuriate in a Ritz bed at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua, while not expecting much from the hotel itself.

I love Ritz Carlton beds. The Ritz Carlton Grand Lakes Orlando was my first time in one, in October 2006, followed by The Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman in June of 2008, and The Ritz Carlton Laguna Nigel in August of 2009. I mention the dates because spending the night in one of these beauties is an event all unto itself.

While the beds at Ritz hotels are consistently amazing, the hotels can be somewhat of a snooze. Kenji, the sales manager at Kapalua, explained that when Marriott International acquired the brand from 1996-2000, it went through a huge expansion phase requiring its franchisees to build essentially the same hotel, with the same "Grandma Luxury" (my phrase) aesthetic, all over the world.

Back then, it was all about brand consistency and identity. When they first opened, travelers were wowed by the same variegated black and white marble and Bulgari product in every Ritz bathroom. But it soon got old. If you're spending so much money on a room, the revised logic goes, why would you want your experience in Hawaii to be exactly the same as your experience in Atlanta? And since about 2004 Ritz hotels have been scrambling to focus on the culture and flavor of each destination to varying degrees of success.

Enter Marc McDowell, executive sous chef at the Ritz Kapalua. While touring the grounds, Kenji referenced an event held in the resort's kitchen garden. I geek out about all the farm to table sustainability crap going around these days, so we detoured towards a grassy spot behind the tennis courts where we could see a chef dressed all in white, rummaging around in a modest-size grow box garden.

"I did the math," Marc explained while picking tomatoes and eggplant, "and we were spending over $30,000 dollars a year on fresh herbs." He pointed to the lavender, lemon grass, thyme, and mint. "Today there is no cost to the hotel except my time, and I'm able to grow most of the fresh vegetables for our Banyan Tree restaurant."

I imagined throwing a seed on the ground, leaving it to the rich soil and frequent rain, and harvesting sans effort two months later.

"But this is nothing. When I install our aquaponics garden where those two tennis courts now are. . ." We acknowledge with nodding heads, "I'll be able to grow all the vegetables we will ever need. It's incredible. . ." He looked up from picking, tomatoes in hand, "we'll be able grow baby lettuce in 15 days."

I'm a little hazy on the details, but an aquaponics garden involves a tank of Tilapia, some kind of irrigation system to circulate the tank water to the plants, as well as trays or beds for the plants to grow in. While working at Kapalua, Marc has graduated from a master gardeners program offered by the University of Hawaii and studied under aquaponics experts on the Big Island.

This is a man who has clearly found his passion in life. We left Marc to his harvesting. As we turned to leave he said, "If the resort won't let me take over the tennis courts, I'll leave, start my own garden, and become their supplier!"

After the site inspection, we sat in the Kai Sushi Bar looking out at the wavering pool lights and down to the black ocean. Kenji rattled away with the Chef in Japanese, asking him to bring the best and freshest whatever. "This restaurant used to be one of the Ritz Carlton Libraries. Can you imagine being shut up in a Library with all of this?" The lobby, originally an enclosed box, was knocked out at both ends, and remodeled in Koa wood, and relaxed Island-themed furniture.

The original hotel plans called for the massive structure to be built right on the beach front. However, early excavations uncovered a burial ground, and lawsuits ensued. "There was a well-organized local group opposed to the project." Kenji explained between miso slurps. "And when it was all sorted out, the General Manager was so impressed that he hired the opposition leader as the resort's Cultural Adviser. Much of what you see today is a result of their work together."

Plans for the hotel were changed. It was moved back and built at the brow of a hill with a meandering path down to a secluded beach. It's sublime. There's an unmistakable sense of place. One night was not enough.