Maui Coast Hotel’s Kai Tower brings new rooms, a larger pool deck and familiar flavors from Kihei Caffe and Miso Phat Sushi to Kīhei.
Photographs by Coconut Creative HI
Kai Tower
Eat. Sleep. Beach. Repeat.
It is the simple rhythm that pulls people toward Kīhei: mornings along South Kīhei Road, beach towels over shoulders and dinner within walking distance. South Maui’s low-rise condominiums, retail centers and restaurants have long defined the area’s visitor experience. Now Maui Coast Hotel is making a larger play for travelers who want Kīhei’s walkable pace with the amenities of a full-service hotel.
Maui Coast Hotel has long filled a rare slot in Kīhei: a full-service hotel rather than a condo-style stay. Its original Hōkū Tower dates to 1992 and established the property with 265 rooms. In summer 2024, the hotel expanded with the debut of Kai Tower, adding 162 modern rooms and suites.
“The intent behind the expansion was really rooted in the success we’ve seen here in Kīhei,” said Ellie Erickson, director of sales for Maui Coast Hotel. “There aren’t a lot of hotel options in this area compared to places like Wailea and Kā‘anapali, and we’ve found that guests really value being in a more walkable, central location with access to beaches, restaurants and local businesses, while still having a full-service hotel experience.”
The expansion included a 2,000-square-foot infinity pool, EV charging stations and three regulation pickleball courts.
For its food and beverage program, ownership group Paramount Hotels & Resorts recruited two well-known Maui names to anchor the expansion: Kihei Caffe and Miso Phat Sushi.
“Both are really strong local staples in South Maui, which made them natural fits for us,” Erickson said. “The partnerships have been very positive and really enhance the sense of place here on property.”
Together, the restaurants give the hotel what many hotel dining programs struggle to build: names Maui diners already know. Kihei Caffe brings the breakfast crowd from morning into midday; Miso Phat Sushi extends the draw into dinner, rolls and sake.
Both have also earned reader-voted ʻAipono Awards from Maui Nō Ka ʻOi Magazine, including 2025 gold for Best Breakfast for Kihei Caffe and Best Sushi for Miso Phat Sushi.
Kihei Caffe
“My goal was always to have a greasy spoon,” said Barry Allison, who founded Kihei Caffe in 1998. “Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day because it’s always quick, fast, bright colors, fresh.”
The Maui Coast location opened in early 2024 with more room and a more polished setup than the original at Kalama Park Village Shopping Center, just up the road. Across from Kamaʻole Beach Park I, the hotel location turns a familiar breakfast stop into an easier pre- or post-beach move for Maui Coast guests.
The kitchen is larger and better equipped for high-volume breakfast service. Instead of a line of hungry patrons along South Kīhei Road – a familiar sight at the original “worth-the-wait” location – guests can spread out indoors or on the patio, order from a walk-up window or use online ordering.
Even with the larger footprint, the breakfast spot still brands itself as “a diner done Hawaiian style.” Fans can still order mainstays such as house-made corned beef hash and eggs, banana macadamia nut pancakes and loco moco.
According to Allison, the expansion was a chance to carry that “greasy spoon” spirit into a higher-performance setting.
“I was initially interested in finding a new location because I’ve been at the original location for so long, and the ownership group was interested in having me come down there to be a part of their remodel,” Allison said. “It’s allowed me to get updated and upgraded. I couldn’t be more tickled.”
Miso Phat Sushi
Miso Phat Sushi built its following from a similarly modest setting.
First opened in 2013 at Kahana Gateway Shopping Center in West Maui, the sushi bar drew loyal fans looking for fresh fish and generous rolls. A second location followed at Kīhei’s Azeka Shopping Center in 2015, and the restaurant later drew national attention when it was featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
For years, the strip-mall space at Azeka struggled to keep up with demand, pushing owner Joy Steadman to consider the brand’s next move.
“We have limited, tight space there,” Steadman said, reflecting on her motivation to expand. “We wanted to have more room, a place that could take reservations, a full bar, someplace you could have a private event.” Reservations and full bar service give the room flexibility the Azeka space could not offer.
Miso Phat Sushi opened its Maui Coast Hotel location in February, bringing over the familiar rolls that built its following, including the TNT Roll, Miso Phat Roll and 007 Roll. With the addition of a full kitchen, the team has expanded the menu to include teriyaki chicken, short rib and desserts.
While the contemporary space is built for scale – capable of five times the volume of the Azeka restaurant – Steadman said the goal is to keep the feel personal, without the corporate polish diners often expect from a hotel restaurant.
“That’s that whole ʻohana vibe,” Steadman said. “We’re meant to be family. Everybody that walks through that door needs to feel like they’re coming to your house. Like you were going to feed your mom or your grandmother.”
Scale That Still Feels Like Kīhei
Together, Maui Coast Hotel, Kihei Caffe and Miso Phat Sushi point to a different kind of South Maui growth. The hotel gets new rooms, a larger pool deck, courts and charging stations. The restaurants get more room to serve the crowds that were already finding them in shopping centers up and down Kīhei.
For travelers, the result is simple: breakfast can start with banana macadamia nut pancakes, dinner can end with sushi and sake and the beach is still a short walk away.
For three Maui brands growing into bigger rooms, the test is whether scale can still feel like Kīhei – breakfast fast, sushi fresh and the beach close enough to call everyone back outside.
Eat. Sleep. Beach. Repeat.
