Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

Huge property, beautiful sunset. The most exclusive and manicured area in Maui. We like to snorkel at the black pebble beach just south of the Grand Wailea about 15 minutes drive away. Kihei is close by if you would like to have dinner outside of the resort. You will see turtle swimming every time you swim in the Wailea beach.

The hotel is beautifully landscaped and the art is amazing. We had a great customer service experience with all the employees, from front desk to valet to housekeeping. The slides and pools were so fun for our kids. Although the water elevator stayed closed, all of the slides were open most of the time. I will note that the water is deep and the lifeguards are limited to the slides, so please be careful with kids under 5’0 tall in some of the pools and lazy river features. We had a great ocean view from our room. We saw whales from the beach. We don’t regret staying here. But…they do charge extra for everything, including valet, access to the game room (the Cave), and many of their activities. Hawaii is expensive but this resort is extra expensive. Pro-tip go to the local markets and nearby restaurants. Many of these are even walkable from the hotel. The biggest downside to this resort is the lack of seating in the pool areas. When we first arrived, the hotel was at 75% capacity (according to the front desk) and we still struggled to find pool chairs. By the end of our week, the hotel was closer to 100% capacity and it was impossible to find chairs. Here’s the thing: if you don’t have a place to set your towels down, it’s nearly impossible to enjoy the pools. Management knows and yet they don’t seem to care to solve the issue. The resort is great for families. But until they fix the pool seating issue, I don’t know that we would return. It might make more sense to stay somewhere cheaper and spend more time, money, and energy enjoying all the adventures that Maui has to offer.

Ac did not work in our room. We called the front desk and they never sent anyone. It was unbearably hot. We came for the pool and there were no chairs available unless you get up at 7 and go put a towel down to reserve a chair. Despite their signs saying they will remove your things if you are gone for an hour, they do not actually do so and the chairs at totally booked up for the entire day if you're not out there at 7a.m.

I cannot encourage you to look elsewhere more. This stay has been nothing but stress, annoyance and frustration. From the moment we arrived we had issues. Our car dropped us off and helped us unload our bags. I went up to valet to ask if there was a cart. They said they had none and to leave our bags, unattended, on the sidewalk. They would get to them when they could. Then we checked in at 3pm, our room wasn't ready but they told us to go enjoy the pool. My girls hopped in and started around the lazy river. They came back near tears. They said the lifeguard yelled at them and said they couldn't be here because they don't have wristbands. Which we were told nothing about at checking. Some kind people next to us gave me the directions. I told my girls to wait and I would go get them. I waited in line for 30 minutes to get wristbands. I was told I could only get wristbands for myself, my kids had to be present to get their own wristbands. I went to get them and waited another 30 minutes to finally be able to swim. Now, if you want a chair, you have to be in line for the 7 am rope drop. You will see people run to reserve chairs with no plans to sit in them for hours. See photos. People walk all over trying to find a chair with no luck. The attendants do nothing to stop this awful behavior. The lines to get food are forever long. Do yourself a favor and go to island gourmet market. But really, just avoid this place. My husband put it best, this is Waldorf amenities run by Spirit Airlines.

Arriving at the grand wailea  maui is like a dream We start driving thru green lawns with waving palm trees The sun is beaming down and the air smells so crisp! We pull into the grand wsilea and there's dolphin statues spitting out water into a moat pool with an open roof surrounded by flowers Wow! Is this a dream? It feels like heaven! Let's take pictures i say, so excited! We go to the pool and a pineapple rum drink called a maitai is in my hand and I float in a  22 acre pool with several slides. We see our reserved cabana with snacks a frig & a safe! Our waiter brings us hummus kale red quinoa salads. I decide to float around. It takes me an hour to float around the entire pool. I'm in a pink sparkly floaty enjoying the sun beating down on my rose colored rayban sunglasses As I float around i hear laughter from all the kids. I see smiles and families playing games. I pass by the grotto swim up bar and I see adults engaging in deep conversations that look interesting.  Gosh I love it here. The grand wailea makes me smile It's the place where I feel relaxed. I look around and everyone looks beautiful. All the people look happy. This is my heaven. Going to dinner now, where we get the best food from the most experienced chefs. I never wanna leave!!