On to the Four Seasons Wailea!

Again, this is now two years late. I am writing this from memory, with the assistance of some notes and reviews that I wrote.

To recap, we had spent 6 nights at the Fairmont Kea Lani, and two nights at the Grand Wailea. This was our 9th and final night in Maui on a well-researched and long anticipated trip.

I really wanted to stay at the Four Seasons because I love hotels, especially nice hotels. I was excited to check this one out, but also sad because it meant we were on the home stretch of this trip.

We checked out of the GW fairly early (around 11) because we kind of wanted to get out of there. We were early to check in the the FS, but hadn't had breakfast/lunch yet, so decided to get lunch before we checked in.

We went to Ferraro's, the restaurant off the pool area and overlooking the beach. The food was completely delicious, and the service lovely and competent.

What a beautiful cocktail- oh I could go for one of those right now!

After our wonderful lunch (and with a wee buzz on) we went to the lobby to check in.

The lobby is stunning, huge with massive slabs of marble and an open air view of the ocean. Some large art pieces are a focal point.

On the way, I stopped for this money shot. Writing this now, 2 and a half year later, is really hard- because I'd like to go back right now!

We had a smooth and pleasant check in. Again, I had booked this hotel through Whatahotel.com and it came with an upgrade (if available), breakfast, and resort credit.

Although the hotel was not full (it was obvious), we were walked to out room and found that, though lovely and spacious and luxurious, it faced the parking garage (cleverly but not completely disguised by slats of wood). So, the view was of nothing really- a wall of tasteful wooden slats. We were terribly disappointed and decided to call the front desk. We explained that it was our last night of a dream vacation, that we would soon be returning to cold and snow, and that we desperately wanted to be able to see a sliver of ocean from our room. Graciously, they immediately arranged to give us an ocean view room (I booked standard view). It was tucked away at the far end of the resort, but again was a lovely, big, luxurious room with a walk out patio.

 This was the view from the room, which was sold as an ocean view room. If you like a better view, I think anything higher than the first floor would be desirable.

We went to the pool area, which was large and simple but tasteful. Our daughter and her friend spent a few hours playing around the massive fountain in the middle of the pool- seriously, we had just come from the GW, which is basically a water park, and they can't get enough of this fountain. We sunned, and checked out the adult pool, which was beautiful but seemed a bit....I don't know....snotty? I didn't feel super comfortable there, I am not sure why.

The beach at the Four Seasons is perfect. We went down to watch the sunset and there was a very small wedding (about 6 people) happening. Wow, it was beautiful! Earlier in the day, I had snorkeled for first time (free 1 hour use of equipment) and fell in love with that (though I have done it since, in
other places, and realize that snorkeling for the first time in Maui has probably ruined me for snorkeling many other places!).

We set our girls up with room service for dinner and headed to the lobby, where there was a slack guitar player with a hula dancer. Ah, that was heaven. A few strong (super expensive) cocktails and hula, with the soft scented ocean air surrounding us (the lobby has few walls)... a beautiful memory that I will never forget.

We must have had dinner! I can't remember...might have been those drinks!

A few years later, overall feeling about the Grand Wailea.

These are the things I remember about the Grand Wailea, a few years on (a benefit, I guess, of waiting a few years to finish a review/blog):

• Huge, just huge. Distances from room to pool, room to lobby, room to restaurants are long! Really far. 
• Impersonal. So big it's more like a Disney or Vegas property- those aren't usually warm and fuzzy either. In fact, the Grand Wailea reminds a lot of a Disney property, especially a luxury one- lovely on the surface, but incomparable to a true five star. 
• A truly stunning pool area, which I think of frequently and fondly. Grateful that we experienced it. But..
• Intense pool chair rules!  And wristband rules! By nature, I am a rule follower, but I was feeling a little chastised here. 
• EXPENSIVE. $5.99 cappucino, $20 sandwiches.
• My overall memory is that this hotel was frosty. Cold, robotic, without any care or concern for the guest beyond a very scripted welcome and goodbye. 

I'm glad we spent some time at the GW, but I wish it was one night, so we could have had two nights at the Four Seasons Wailea. 

Room at Grand Wailea

I picked up our keys and went to the room while the rest of the family dried off and gathered up from the pool. We were on the 7th floor of the Molokini wing- very far from the lobby- facing south. The room was pretty standard- two queen beds, a desk and a chair. There were sliding doors out to the lanai, which had a table and two nice chairs with pads. The balcony juts out from the building a bit and is not very private. The view (no upgrade- I was disappointed) was of the Four Seasons next door, the loading dock area, the well-disguised parking garage, the ocean to the right and Haleakala to the left. Since we were up so high, we actually had a nice view. The room was ok- it seemed small after the Kea Lani, but was still quite luxurious and nicely furnished.

I am sorry- I didn't take any photos of the room. This is a courtyard between two wings of the building. There are little paths and streams and so many flowers. Stunning.

Dinner at Ko, Fairmont Kea Lani

Mostly pictures....we had a very nice dinner here. There is a lovely Hawaiian guitarist and the restaurant opens up to a gorgeous view of the adult pool. It is expensive- out dinner for four was $275.00. 

The girls had virgin cocktails in real pineapples. They were $15.00. This was a highlight for them, so well worth the $. 

Guitar guy. He played "Somewhere over the Rainbow/Wonderful World" by request by us. It was goosebumpy good.

Bread, crackers, edamame hummus, Korean BBQ sauce and Honey Butter.

Deep fried ahi sushi. Tasted good, but pieces were huge!

Calamari.

Tempura vegetables.

 Our server was professional and very sweet. Overall, we had a good experience. The food was good, but not great. It was definitely hotel food. 

Kea Lani #5 Breakfast

Our first morning, after seeing the view off the lanai in the light for the first time (it was quite solidly overcast), we headed down to breakfast at the buffet breakfast restaurant. I had originally booked a breakfast package directly with the hotel. After I had booked it, however, the hotel had a fifth night free promotion, so I changed packages (and saved over $600.00). We thought we would have the breakfast, though, if it was worth it- I had heard great reviews. 

It was busy in the restaurant, even though it was barely 8:00 am. I guess everyone is time-shifted, too.  We were sat with menus. I asked for one kids menu, as one of the 13 year olds in our party is the lightest, pickiest eater ever! The other one eats like an adult, so I have no issue paying for an adult portion. However, it pains me that the other one has aged out of kids menus. Three of us decided to get the buffet, and my partner decided to try Loco Moco, in keeping with a pledge to eat as local as possible. The buffet was $34/person. I was immediately disappointed by the buffet selection- the fruit consisted of canned peaches and mandarins, some pale cantaloupe, green bananas and sour, unripe pineapple. Hey! Wait a minute! I am in Hawaii- where are the fresh fruits!? The rest of the items- baked goods (very nice), cereal, eggs benedict, omelette station- were okay. Nothing I haven't had a hotel in Toronto in February. I was just expecting something else, I think...maybe an orchid here and there? The restaurant is half inside, half out. We sat in a kind of weird spot in a courtyard- our fault, my daughter wanted to sit by the waterfall- but it was probably a bad choice a it was kind of tucked away and maybe even a little dismal...although the people sitting outside by the adult pool were fighting off bold sparrows that tried to eat off their plates. 

Plate one from buffet. 

Loco moco- rice, soy sauce flavoured gravy, a hamburger patty and two fried eggs. 

Overall, a sort of so-so breakfast. I was glad that we weren't committed to it every morning. In fact, it was the only time we ate there in six days. The bill came, and it was $135.00. Ouch! Our server didn't even ask about the kids menu on the table...just billed the kids both as adults. So here is how I feel about that: both my partner and I have a long history in the Hospitality business. One of us owns a restaurant, and the other is a Hospitality high school teacher. I really think that servers should be trained to observe! Especially at a buffet service. If our server, who didn't actually seem that interested, were observant, they would note the kids menu on the table, and the half bagel with one bite out of it on the plate, and note mentally that the kids rate ($16.00) would be more than fair. I get that the hotel probably sees way too many cheapskates trying to pass off their ravenous teenagers as kids...but come on. A little observation and attention goes a LONG way. That's all! I didn't feel like bickering over the bill on this first morning of a long planned holiday, so I paid it and vowed that we wouldn't make that mistake again. 

   

Kea Lani #4

Woke up bright and early on the morning of Day one- like, 4:30 am. I was kind of expecting to, with the time change...plus I was sooo excited to check out this hotel. My 13 year old daughter was up too, so we quietly got dressed and headed to the lobby to have a look around. 

Wow, the hallway in our tower is long...then, after a quick elevator ride, it's down another long hallway, then across a mezzanine (with shops on one side and a view of the ocean/pools on the other, so interesting at least) to get to the lobby. It was very dark, and a little drizzly. There was no one around expect a few hotel staff members. There was coffee, tea, and hot chocolate set up in the lobby so we happily got a cup and sat on big, soft comfy chairs with footrests in the open air lounge right off the lobby. I discovered later in the trip that this complimentary coffee and tea is only available until the restaurant opens for breakfast at 6:30. The lounge has a big staircase down the middle, which goes from the lobby to the grounds, and seating on either side. I think it opens for drinks and a very limited menu of appetizers around 11 am. The chairs all face a wall of huge arches- there is a real Middle Eastern/Mediterranean vibe to the architecture here- that are wide open to the outside and have a stunning view of the grounds, a koi pond, the lawn and the ocean beyond it. 

A not very good picture from the lounge at night. This is what it looks down onto- Pools, landscaping and Nick's Fishmarket. 

Since it was dark, we could only hear the waves and not see them. We were coming from a brutally cold Canadian winter, and the concept of sitting in short sleeves, with fresh, warm air rich with the intoxicating smell of flowers and green, was still incredibly novel. We just sat and relished that for awhile and this is one of my fondest memories of the entire trip. Gradually, the sky lightened and we went up to the room around 6:30.

Since the rest of our party was still sleeping, I went out on the lanai and looked around at the view. I looked to the left and was astonished to see a big, beautiful mountain topped with moody looking clouds, with the sun shooting golden rays around it. What the heck is that!? I mean, I had read there was a mountain (or two!), but I didn't picture it being right there! Wow, what a stunning backdrop! 

This is not from the Fairmont room, but the view was similar. 

Kea Lani #3

Our room was very big- bigger than in the pictures I saw online. I believe it was an upgrade, possibly because I am a member of the Fairmont President's Club, though not an exceptional upgrade. The living room area was very big. In the entryway just beyond the door was a wet bar- sink, mini fridge, microwave, and coffeemaker (a Keurig or Tassimo- can't remember the exact type).  Opposite the wet bar is the bathroom, which is massive- a huge bathroom that doesn't seem to use the space very efficiently. There is just a lot of floor happening! The bathroom has a shower; a huge, deep bathtub; and separate little room for the toilet; two sinks; and a long shelf for toiletries. There were two robes and a hamper for used towels. The bathroom has a second door that leads to the bedroom.

Back to the living area. The living area had a large couch and two side chairs, and a long ottoman/coffee table. It also has a desk with two chairs. There is a huge TV with an elaborate entertainment system- speakers, DVD, etc. In this particular room, there are windows everywhere, and three full size sliding doors that lead to a huge balcony (lanai). The lanai has a table and four chairs and two lounge chairs. The lanai furniture is plain and not particularly spotless- no cushions or decoration.


The bedroom has a king bed, and is reasonably large. It has a small closet, a set of drawers, two side tables with more small drawers and a large TV. It also has a sliding door to the lanai.

This is our (lack of) view, if you look straight out.

The room seems very clean, and did not seem worn. A plug-in attachment on the desk was broken and falling off, but that was the only real sign of wear that I could see.  The bedding was very crisp and luxurious and the bed was incredible. The sofa bed was thin but the girls said it was comfortable. The front desk made sure that we would call housekeeping when we wanted the bed made up, and we did the first few nights. The whole room had blackout curtains, and sheers. 

The reason that I think this was just a little upgrade was because, although the room is bigger and has the huge, wraparound balcony, the room was on the third floor and directly faced the Polo Beach Club condo building.  There really was no view- we looked  straight down to a parking lot- the free beach access lot, which was always empty- weird!- and straight onto the condo building. If you looked to the right, there was a sliver of ocean between trees. There was always a lot of landscaping noise- but I suspect that was everywhere, as they are constantly grooming the grounds. I think you would have to be at least two floors higher to get any kind of view.  I booked and paid for no view, so I didn't really expect one. 

This is the public parking lot between the Fairmont and the Polo Beach Club. It never seemed busier than this.

This was the road our room looked...never very busy.

So, day one summary and first impressions:

Beautiful, maintained hotel. 
Huge. Big, spacious room.
Ridiculously large bathroom. 
So far, very warm, genuine and courteous staff. 

Good start. 


Since it was late, we only saw the interior of our room on the first day. 

Kea Lani #2

The hotel is huge. Really big.

First impressions- the lobby has a massive, soaring ceiling with four large domes. Everything is white marble...the floor, the walls. It was dark, but I could see that the lobby opened up to the outside. The entry of the hotel was just wide open- no doors (no wall!)- coming from Canada, I had never seen that before. The temperature was the same in the lobby as outside, warm, not humid and the air had a "soft" quality that is hard to describe. Flowers and greens were everywhere, and as we walked to our room, we passed through several areas that opened up to the sky.

We reached our tower- the hotel is like a string of five connected blocks, kind of zigzagging sideways along the property. Our room was the last room of the last block- in the Molokini tower. We were on floor K- in six nights, I never figured out the numbering system, nor did I determine if we were travelling up or down in the elevator to get to the lobby- a very disconcerting feeling. As we walked, and walked, with the bell person, we passed through three of the five blocks. The tower our room was in had strangely wide hallways- the widest hotel hallways I have ever seen. It seemed like a waste of space, but maybe there is a reason? The hallway was quite dark and the carpet has a pattern that almost looks as though it is worn- though we determined that it is the pattern, with gradient colour, and not wear. A poor design- I saw several reviews that commented on worn hallway carpets- they actually seemed quite new, I think- just a very poor choice.

We finally reached our room- K97- at the very far end. I commented that it was a hike, and the bell person (who was very nice and chatted all the way) said that the end rooms were worth it because they had wrap-around balconies. The end of the hallway had a fire exit door that was not so pretty- odd placement- actually one of the stranger hotel hallways I've seen.

The beginning

When I first started researching a possible trip to Hawaii, it took me a long time to decide on an island. To be honest, I ended up choosing Maui because I was flying on Air Canada Aeroplan reward miles, and the connections were kindest. Once I started really getting into my research, though, I determined that Maui was  the perfect choice- natural beauty, posh neighbourhoods, exceptional hotels, good food- all things I like when I am traveling.

A little background about me- I love hotels. In a way that is almost worrisome. I love five stars, four stars, and I'll do the odd three star. Not crazy about bare bones hotels- what's the point? I can camp for that. I spend time daily on sites like TripAdvisor, Hotel Chatter, FlyerTalk, and Oyster. I like looking at hotels in places I may never visit. I like looking at strangers' hotel pictures on blogs and Tripadvisor. I stay in hotels 25-30 nights a year, strictly for pleasure- I don't travel for work. I belong to every hotel loyalty program and collect points aggressively. I consider hotels a hobby. I put up with occasional ribbing from my family and friends, but I always make sure we have a nice place to stay, so I know it is ultimately appreciated. I know that I am not alone- check out a few travel forums and you will find lots of people like me. So I ventured into my trip to Maui with a bit of hotel saavy.

Once I committed to Maui, I had to commit to a location. I found myself completely overwhelmed- Maui is a very popular destination, with diverse towns/neighbourhoods that have loyal fans. After scouring all the forums I could, I decided that the pretty, high end town of Wailea seemed like the best fit- kind of like staying in Beverly Hills when you go to LA.

Wailea is home to a handful of hotels and several groups of condos. For this trip, I was only interested in hotels- but I certainly will consider a condo for the next trip. The hotels in Wailea are The Fairmont Kea Lani, Hotel Wailea, The Grand Wailea (A Waldorf-Astoria Hotel), The Four Seasons and the Marriott Wailea. The Fairmont, Grand Wailea and the Four Seasons are directly on sandy beaches.

All of the hotels in Wailea are top-end, beautiful and expensive. Our trip fell on Canadian March Break (typically high season) and was 10 days in length. I decided on three hotels: The Fairmont Kea Lani, The Grand Wailea, and the Four Seasons. All were within a few minutes of each other- in fact, we did not move more than a few miles during the course of ten days (except, of course, to explore the island!)

Since I read lots and lots of great blogs to prepare for my holiday, I suspect there are others who are considering one or all of these hotels and are looking for an honest opinion, which is why I decided to write this blog. Read on for opinions (which are, of course, very personal! My feelings about a hotel may be very different from yours!) about each of these hotels. I will try to stay away from facts- you can find those on the hotels own website, and I really dislike blogs that sound like travel magazines. To the hotel lovers, travel over-planners, detail addicts- welcome and I hope you find something interesting here!