Ho'olei at Grand Wailea

My review is long overdue but I spent a lot of time looking at reviews of Ho'Olei before booking, so wanted to offer my 2 cents. My biggest hesitation when looking at the property was the price - we paid about $25k for 7 nights during spring break 2023. Granted this is a prime time to go, and they charge accordingly, but expectations are sky high when you're paying this much. Pros: - Plenty of space for our party - my family of 4 (with 2 small children) plus 3 grandparents. 5 adults and 2 kids total. We had a nice 3 bedroom setup. - Beautiful views from the top row villas - Our villa was nicely appointed with relatively modern finishes - Housekeeping was good / fine but I didn't find it to be anything special like you might get at a premium resort hotel. - Access to the GW amenities was very nice to have, but again this is where the value is questionable. My 3 year old loved the slides + kid friendly pools, and the beach/chair service is a plus (though they don't have full food/beverage service on the beach as its technically a public beach). But are the rooms worth more than double to access the GW amenities? Not sure. - The smaller pool and fitness center at the villas itself was nice and quiet, but again not 5 star resort nice. - There is a shuttle that can take you from the villas down to the main hotel, and to other areas within Wailea. A nice to have, but it felt silly taking it down to the main hotel, especially with all our kid/beach gear with us. We took it back up the hill a few times with older grandparents. Cons: - While we had a lovely view from the top row villas, it was a LONG walk to get from our door to the GW pools. And walking downhill there is much easier than walking back uphill. Just didn't feel like we were actually at a resort because we couldn't pop into our room to get things or put the baby down for a nap. We had to really plan out the days, it felt like when we left the villa we were going on an excursion for the day. - No food options / service up at the villas. Which meant walking down the the main GW buildings or driving elsewhere to get food. Net-net it was a nice experience and probably a once in a lifetime trip solely due to the cost (and necessity of bring both sets of grandparents). You're paying for the space, and in some regards paying for access to the GW amenities, which are nice but it doesn't feel like part of your resort. For our next Maui trip we just went with our family of 4 and stayed at the Fairmont - you could probably get 3 1-bedroom suites for less than the cost of Ho'Olei and you're right in the main building area, overlooking the pool with quick access to all the resort amenities. GW might have marginally better amenities in terms of the slides and activities for kids, and the full kitchens in the villas can be nice if you use them, but the resort / hotel offerings are comparable. Just giving my honest review that Ho'Olei is nice but I really struggle with the value you get for the price paid. Probably would continue to explore other options in the future.

Space to relax, views to capture, and memories to make. Private, quiet, yet easily accessible, our stay began with a warm, personable welcome to our villa. With a private garage connected to our spacious nearly 4,000 sq. ft. two-story villa, complete with its own entrance, it was the perfect retreat from the first day to the last. Whether cooking or grilling ourselves, dining at Grand Wailea’s restaurants, or exploring nearby options, delicious local meals were always just minutes away. We enjoyed the private pool for the Villas, along with access to the resort’s many pools, the spa, and a variety of activities and beach. After a full day, it was wonderful knowing we could return to the space and privacy of our villa each night. Service was just a text away, though we only needed extra towels – everything else was perfectly prepared for our stay and room service helped along the way. The Living Room, Dining Area, Kitchen, and Balcony with expansive views served as the heart of our time together, where family and friends gathered before retreating to our comfortable bedrooms. We will absolutely return. This experience has set the bar higher than ever for future vacations.

Our family of six stayed here 7 nights and were pleased. The unit had top end finishes and appliances. Daily touch up housekeeping was included. The concierge was terrific as was the shuttle service with an Uber type app. We also found the onsite pool to be good with two hot tubs. For late departures they have a shower and changing room. The GW facilities were fully available. A good spot for families.

We stayed at three villas during our trip around the island. Ho’olei is not the most expensive, not the closest to the ocean front, but the staff service would make us come back again and again. The hard product is still a well deserving 5 star resort, but the service is well beyond expected. Staff will send personalized text messages days prior to arrival to arrange for our children’s birthdays, our nanny’s accommodations, and dinner reservations. On arrival, staff addressed my children in surnames and treated them with the upmost respect. Property offers designated pool for villa guests, shuttle services to the main resort/pool/luau. The front office even delivered printouts to my teenager working on his homework when the villa printer ran out of paper. This is the case where service speaks for its brand, and makes up for the “slightly” further away location, being about 10min walk to the oceanfront.

We rented 24-3 from PMI vacation rentals. This is a very nice 3 bed, 3 1/2 bath unit with nice furnishings. The lanai is huge with a bbq, dining and patio furniture, BUT it is directly above the main road so the noise level is high at times. No ocean view due to trees, but lovely if you can handle the traffic noise. Once inside with doors closed, it’s very peaceful. Please note that if you rent from any source other than the Grand Wailea, you may not be welcome to use the GW pools, gym, towels, etc.. They are happy to take your money at the restaurants and bars, but don’t get close to the pools, as they will sternly tell you to get away. Although you’re staying at “The Ho’olei AT the Grand Wailea” not “The Ho’olei BEHIND the Grand Wailea” the GW does NOT consider you a guest. While we were there, two of the GW pools were closed anyway and we found the pool at the Ho’olei to be beautiful, quiet and perfectly adequate.