Maui caters to over a half-million visitors each year, mesmerizing travelers with equal doses of untamed beauty and outdoor activities, all in a sun-splashed, enchanted-isle setting.
The Valley Isle’s fun in the sun includes swimming at its multi-colored lava-rock beaches, hiking through the volcanic crater and bamboo forests of Haleakala National Park, and driving the fabled Hana Highway with its often perilous switchbacks.
While flashy surfers shred big waves and curious snorkelers explore an abundance of marine life, the island’s epicure revival is in full swing — placing special attention on sustainability, locally sourced seafood and farm-to-table dining.
Maui’s many grand luxury beachfront resorts may not be as ostentatious as their Oahu counterparts, but the understated opulence rivals the best hotels in the world.
The Grand Wailea Resort, a Waldorf Astoria property on 40 oceanfront acres, oozes a typically casual elegance. It’s located in the village of Wailea, near four golf courses and quaint shopping, 30 minutes from the Kahalui Airport.
You’ll note a luxurious water-park vibe the moment you step into the resort. An intricate water system flows through the grounds, feeding impressive water slides, cascading waterfalls and the world’s only water elevator. Every space on the property is well planned, including common areas, which feature an impressive display of international and local artists’ renderings.
Sleeping and dining
The Grand Wailea has 776 oversized guest rooms and suites, most of them with seaside views and lanai terraces overlooking a sun-drenched beach. Bright color palettes reflect the Hawaiian ambience, while amenities include mini-fridges, Keurig coffee makers and plus Waldorf Astoria bathrobes. One hundred of the rooms are in the private Napua Club, a members-only hotel-within-the-hotel.
With 10 eating and drinking establishments, the Grand Wailea has no shortage of places to partake in a meal or to sip on a Mai Tai or another fruity rum cocktail.
The Breakfast Buffet is an out-of-body experience. The choices are endless as you weave through a buffet line, past cooked in their starched white outfits making omelets or carving roasts, to a plethora of other options ranging from tropical fruit to Japanese sushi.
The Grand Wailea’s gourmet restaurant is officially known as “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a,” a 12-syllable name it shares with Hawaii’s state fish. But even locals know the fancy eatery simply as “Humu.” The Hawaiian fusion menu from executive-chef Alvin Savella is unrivaled anywhere on Maui. Dishes such as crispy fried mochiko chicken, seared togarashi ahi with foie gras, Hawaiian-style poke and lobster ramen tantalize the taste buds. The atmosphere of traditional ohia-wood huts, on stilts over saltwater, add to the unforgettable experience.
Relaxation and culture
Overlaid in Italian marble with Murano chandeliers from Venice, and surrounded in mahogany, the Spa Grande at Grand Wailea is the quintessential oasis for pampering and rejuvenation.
More than 40 therapy rooms offer ancient Hawaiian therapies, including the honey-macadamia nut indulgence, using local island products. Both Eastern medicine and Western remedies are integrated into curing specific ailments. The full slate of treatments includes soothing massages, cleansing facials, saunas, a Japanese furo soak, the latest Swiss jet showers, five fragranced bath, and a modern fitness center with daily yoga classes to kick-start your day.
Culture vultures are delighted to find that the Grand Wailea even has its own teacher of Polynesian culture, Kainoa Horcajo, who shares the traditions and folklore of the Hawaiian Islands. “When we tell the stories of a place, we give life to those stories,” Horcajo says. “I think that it is really important to connect to the Hawaiian culture when you come to Hawaii. It’s a spiritual concept. Without Hawaiian values and sense of place, you could be anywhere.”
With its treasure trove of on-site activities, delicious meals, personal concierge attention, wellness-therapy treatments, and cultural involvement, it is hard to imagine being anywhere else on Maui than the Grand Wailea.
—Nick Kontis, Publisher
Website: www.grandwailea.com
Accommodations: 776 Rooms and Suites, including 100 rooms in the exclusive Napua Club
Rates: From $400-650, Guests arriving with a car are changed $50 to valet park
Book This Hotel: Booking.com
