Hotel Wailea
Suite surrender
Muted side of Maui
At adults-only Hotel Wailea, where lovebirds flit among swaying palms, babbling brooks invite quiet meditation, and lounging in a poolside cabana nursing handcrafted cocktails is practically a rite of passage. There’s space to sprawl in this arcadia, too: the hotel is set back from the island’s beach resorts, with a clutch of sea-view and garden suites occupying 15 acres of pristine sun-dappled lawns and tropical fruit orchards.
Facilities
Rooms
72 suites.
Checkout
Noon, and check-in is at 3pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability, and early arrivals are welcome to stow luggage and make use of the pool until their suite is ready.
More Details
Only rates for the Celebration Ocean View One Bedroom Suite include breakfast; otherwise, à la carte options are available in the main restaurant (or in your suite) for around $80 each.
Also
There’s an ADA-approved suite but some facilities, including the fitness studio, have stairs.
Fitness Center
Free Internet Access
Laundry
Pool
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
At the Hotel
Free WiFi throughout, and free shuttle service to local beaches and attractions. In rooms: TVs, air-conditioning, tea- and coffee-making kit, free bottled water, sodas and snacks, and Molton Brown bath products.
Our Favourite Rooms
Designed by notable Hawaiian interior designer, Philpotts, Hotel Wailea’s 72 spacious suites blend Polynesian tradition with modern playfulness. Stately oak floors and carved mango-wood furnishings meet offbeat island art pieces, and deep (very deep) bath tubs. All of the suites are sea-facing, meaning that even if you can’t see the big blue, you’ll still benefit from those sweetly scented ocean breezes. But for the full package, the smart money’s on the seaview suite — ask for one on the first floor for the best bragging rights.
Poolside
Surrounded by palms and lush jungle vegetation, the resort’s triangular saltwater pool is open 24/7. Poolside cabanas are on a first-come-first-served basis, or can be reserved up front for a fee.
Spa
No spa, but the hotel can organize treatments including facials, body polishes and classic Hawaiian lomi lomi massages in your suite, on request.
Packing Tips
It might seem counterintuitive to pack your winter thermals for a sunshine vacation in Hawaii, but if you’re planning to catch a technicolor Haleakalā sunrise (as you should), they’re precisely what you’ll need. Temperatures at the volcano’s summit are significantly lower than down on the beach, so don’t spare the woolly hats, mittens and earmuffs.
Also
The resort’s treehouse-style fitness studio brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘jungle gym’, with inspirational views that admire the ocean and islands beyond.
Children
Sorry kids, Hotel Wailea is just for grown-ups.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
You’ll get the best sunset views from the main restaurant terrace, but choose intimate nooks in the Japanese-style garden below for after-dark stargazing.
Dress Code
No dress code, but there’s no better time to don flamboyant botanical and animal prints come cocktail hour in Hawaii.
Hotel Restaurant
Dinner’s a big deal at Hotel Wailea’s restaurant, where menus showcase fresh Hawaiian flavors, served with cinematic sunset scenes of the West Maui Mountains and neighboring islands. Ingredients are hyper-local and dishes change with the seasons. Start with salads plucked from the slopes of Haleakalā, before gorging on lobster and lamb mains, remembering to leave space for dessert. Ask to try the behind-the-scenes kitchen table experience to see the chefs in action, and book in advance for private dining at the Treehouse, where it’s just you, the chef and seven tasting courses high among the mango and avocado tree-canopy.
Hotel Bar
Resident lovebirds flutter between alcoves at the Birdcage, a laidback open-air lounge with a sprawling cocktail umbrella as a roof. Much like the interiors, the food and drink here is far from understated: pair Japanese grill specialties, caviar and sashimi with colorful bird-riffing cocktails that include a Blue-Footed Booby and, ahem, Im-Peckable Daiquiri. If you aren't ready to part with your lounger, light bites and tipples are served poolside, too.
Last Orders
Breakfast is served from 7.30am; staff fly the Birdcage after last orders at around 9.30pm. The pool bar opens from 10am (food starts at 11am).
Room Service
You can dine privately on your terrace during normal restaurant opening hours, 7.30am–9pm.
Planes
Kahului Airport is around 30 minutes north of the resort by car. Private transfers and taxis can be arranged on request.
Automobiles
You can rent a car at the airport, but you may decide you don’t need one: Hotel Wailea provides free shuttles to and from beaches and other attractions in the area. Or you can go full Blue Hawaii-era Elvis in a sporty vintage convertible, available to rent at the resort for full or half days. There’s free parking in the grounds.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Aerial yoga, Pilates sessions and lazy lounging in poolside cabanas are typical low-tempo options at Hotel Wailea. But if you fancy topping up your Hawaiian tan at one of the local beaches, well, that doesn’t require much effort either: house cars will breeze you to the golden sands of Wailea, Ulua and Palauea in minutes.
Maui’s south-west coast is also in pole position for the great annual whale migration, between December and April, when calving humpbacks cruise into Hawaii’s warm waters. Watch them from the beach, or join the resort’s guided canoe whale-watching excursions to get up close to these tail-slapping leviathans. Alternatively, you can ogle Maui’s kaleidoscope of native marine critters year-round on snorkeling and scuba trips to Molokini, a partially submerged volcanic crater just a few clicks off the coast.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
