GailLK

Heading to Maui (middle age couple, no kids)and narrowed down my hotel choices to the Grand Wailea or Four Seasons Maui.
Can't decide which one to pick. The Grand Wailea is more expensive than the Four Seasons cheaper mountainview rooms. We want a fun and lively atmosphere, nice rooms, but don't want to be overrun with families and kids. Which is a better choice or maybe we should try both?

snowrooster

We stayed at Kea Lani which is next door and you might want to consider as well (all the rooms are suites and bathrooms are HUGE). If you don't want a lot of families/kids, I'd choose Four Seasons over Grand Wailea. We walked to both and Grand Wailea had tons of kids and a very kid frienly pool area (like a mini waterpark).

sandyca

skip the Grand Wailea, it is geared toward families, the Four Seasons is a better choice, however I agree with snowrooster, if the Kea Lani is the same price it is very nice also.

cassiesmu

I have been to hawaii many times and my favorite island is Maui...BUT Wailea is the best place to be on Maui. I have stayed at the Grand Wailea and the Four Seasons which are side by side. Grande Wailea is beautiful, yet there are a lot of children. Four Seasons isnt as beautiful, but the service is better and more adult oriented. They have GREAT restaurants! Both hotels are connected by a walking path along side the beach. If you are trying to stay away from children then is would be the four seasons that you would want to stay at.

GailLK

How are the rooms at the Grand Wailea compared with the Four Seasons and Fairmont Kea Lani? These room rates are on the high side and want to make sure I at least "like" the room...

JohnD

We stayed at GW at end of October and found it to be "fun and lively" and not overrun by children. The furnishings were pleasant and comfortable, accented with hardwood though did not seem to be brand new. The bathroom was spacious and impressive.
of room link:
http://www.hawaiitravelbureau.com/re...andwailea.html
also: www.grandwailea.com

klw25

We also stayed at the Four Seasons and loved it. The service is amazing, very adult-oriented. When we walked over to the Grand Wailea, we thought it was quite impressive, but there were a ton of kids. We saw maybe three children in almost 2 weeks at FS.

I thought the rooms at FS were very nice. The bathroom was awesome.

The restaurants are also excellent. We loved getting room service and enjoying a wonderful, private dinner on our balcony.

If my husband and I were going to back to Maui with our kids, we'd stay at the Grand Wailea in a second. By ourselves, we'd opt for FS again.

gyppielou

The Venetian, Las Vegas or Venice Italy?

carylnco

I go to Maui every year and usually stay at the Four Seasons for a few days. You can not beat the service, it is top notch.

The attention you receive by the pool is wonderful. You are completely looked after from the moment you arrive . I have not stayed anywhere that looks after you so well.

The reason you don't see many children is that they are probably all in the kids club which is excellent and complimentary. My daughters love it and hate to leave.

In my book the Four Seasons beats GW hands down. Four Seasons is beautiful and is more Hawaiian than GW. The GW is very ostentatious and noisy. We like to visit the Grand Waileas restarants and shops but that is about it. I don't want to stay there.



A lot of celebrities stay at the Four Seasons but I don't think we are treated any differently than they are. Every one is made to feel that they are in paradise and your every wish is their command. I could go on, I love this place!!

I hope this helps you make your choice.

mjs

The rooms in both of your hotels are actually similar in quality and size. GW has by far the better pools. Service better at 4S. Tend to get charged for all sorts of little things at GW. We stay at the 4S.

crazy4Hawaii

You'll get many opinions on this topic. The Grand Wailea noisy?! I would say opulent but not ostentatious, certainly not tacky in any way - incredible art collection. I guess I don't require as much "service" as some, but we loved the GW. The pools are not to be beat - for children OR adults. I never felt it was crowded and the swim-up bar was a hoot!

TripleSecDelay

You beat me to it, crazy4Hi.

My consistent noise issue at GWR is only the tiled hallways that cause excessive noise from the service carts as they roll by : clunk-clunk-clunk from the 5/16" tile grout lines on the floors outdoors.

Elsewhere, marble tiles that are butted and level = quiet rolling floors. You'd be surprised how much of a big deal that can be.

Beyond that, I expect the noise of the crashing surf, the splash of adults acting like kids, etc. There is a pool that is say...an adult swim area. There is another pool that is adjacent to the paths to slides and swing rope tarzan thing. The "hidden" hot tub in the cave is great - as is the swim up bar on the other side of the waterfall.

What kind of service should we be requesting that we are not receiving elsewhere, I wonder?

klw25

Triplesec--don't know if they offer these "services" at GW, but here's one that we really enjoyed at FS. Pool attendants would come around frequently and offer to either spritz you with Evian or hand you an ice-cold washcloth using silver tongs to help you cool off. We also loved how they wet the sand heading down to the water so you wouldn't have to walk on the hot sand. Perhaps they do this at all the Wailea resorts (I wouldn't know), but we got such a kick out of it. We felt so completely pampered, everyone where we went, whether at the pool, the restaurant, gift shop, concierge, room service... I agree with carlnco, we felt we were getting the same treatment as the celebrities we saw while staying there. They made it hard for us to drag ourselves away to see the rest of Maui, and I have to admit that we spent quite a few of our 12 wonderful days there just lounging around the resort!

luvtotravel

The Fairmont Kea Lani is an all-suite hotel. The Four Seasons is lovely, so is the Grand Wailea -- but the Grand Wailea is the most family-oriented and crowded of the three.

amelie

We really liked the Kea Lani, and they did walk around the pool with cold washcloths and pineapple slices. However, they did not wet the sand so that you don't burn your feet like the Four Seasons does apparently! Wow, that is something else.

GailLK, honesly, I think you would like either the Four Seasons or the GW (although, I did think the GW was too big and overrun with kids), or the Kea Lani. You should probably pick the Four Seasons though. When I was checking, their prices were significantly higher than the GW and Kea Lani. Probably for those extra special services they do (like wet the sand!).

sfamylou

I have two little kids, but one stay at the Grand Wailea was enough for me. Didn't like the long hikes and two elevators to get to the pool area. Didn't like having to line up at 7 a.m. for an hour with other parents, shivering with a paper cup of coffee, in order to get a beach chair (the nice ones with the large shades, can't remember what they call them). Didn't like having to explain my restaurant reservations, when we'd make one for kids and another for adults, and some genius would notice and track us down and ask us why we needed two reservations. Didn't like the chapel or the fountain or the other over-the-top decor. The pools were fun once you were in them, and the spa was amazing. We were there in July; maybe it's better when school vacations aren't in full swing.

Ag3046

I would just mention the Maui Prince, farther down that coastline at Makena beach. A very low-key relaxed feel, perfect beach with excellent snorkeling. Much better value. If you get a room facing south, you dont' see any buildings at all, just the beach, the water, Molokini and Kahaloaewe

starrsville

The Maui Prince IS very nice. I found it very zen-like. I had a room with the view ag described and it was very serene and wonderful to sit out on the lanai. We moved there after several days at the Hyatt and, while only a few miles away, it was a world apart.

Spent a lovely day on the beach there and we virtually had the beach to ourselves. Wonderful, peaceful beach experience.

It may not be the "fun and lively atmosphere" you are looking for though.

jgg

Another vote for the Kea Lani. We have stayed there four times. As others have mentioned, all the rooms are suites, so you have a bedroom and a large sitting room with couch, table, etc. and a nice balcony. The bathrooms are very large and luxurious.

We have not stayed at the Grand Wailea or FS but have gone there for meals. For me the GW is just too crowded, FS is very nice and I would definitely recommend it for you over the GW. However, the grounds are not as big.
Kea Lani has more open spaces which is nice, and the adult pool is very nice and always a relaxing place to go.

travelinwifey

You don't mention when you're going but the 4S Maui is very busy with families during the summer. We stayed there 2 years ago during the week of the 4th of July and is was so overcrowded we left and went to Lanai. We even received a room upgrade at check in but it wasn't enough to keep us there. There is a kid club at that hotel and kid buffets.