beachgirl86

Hi everyone,

DH and I will be visiting Hawaii for our third trip next August, and I am starting to look into resorts. We are spending a few days in San Francisco to begin our trip, then flying to Hawaii. (14-15 nights for the trip)

We have never stayed at a Four Seasons, so I am looking into them for this trip to at least splurge for a few nights The lowest cat. rooms are $395/night for Wailea Four Seasons and Four Seasons Manele Bay on Lanai, but the Big Island's Hualalai is $625/night for the cheapest room!! That's a BIG difference.

For those of you who have stayed at more than 1 -- what is the comparison like? I know stever recently returned and preferred Wailea to Hualalai, but it seems most people have the opposite opinion. This would be a BIG splurge for us if we did 1 or 2 of these hotels. Is Hualalai that much better, or just that much more popular?

Also, I know these properties are very popular, and summer is so busy in Hawaii, so when should I have a decision made by? Thanks

beachgirl86

ttt....

can anyone weigh in?

starrsville

Is it worth it?

Okay, I'll weigh in. I think so, and the spa always ranks at the top of lists.

If the $200 difference is going to bother you, then go with one of the other options.

Have you been to the Big Island before? That would be the deciding factor for me. If not, go!

I would stay at another hotel/ location/ rental for the days that I want to be out and about sight-seeing, and then end up at the 4S just enjoying the resort...and the spa!

I strongly recommend staying over at Volcano Village rather than driving back the same day if you go to the NP.

stever enjoyed both BI and Maui. With 14-15 days, I'd do a mix of another location on BI, a few days just enjoying the 4S and then move on to another island and stay at the 4S there. You will LOVE the 4S experience.

beachgirl86

starrsville: Thanks so much for your opinions!

Yes, we have been to the BI before (twice) and Maui (once). We are becoming official Hawaii junkies

I appreciate your idea about splitting the stay, and I think we would probably spend a few days at Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel enjoying the beach and sightseeing, etc..., and then relax for a couple of days at the 4S.

The good news is (as of now) we have plans to take a trip to Hawaii in summer '06 AND '07, so if I don't make it to the BI 4S this coming summer, I DEFINITELY will the summer after!

Anyone else?

beachkomer

Since you have been to BI before, why not try Kauai, the Hyatt there looks great. I haven't been there, but we were looking into it for our next trip. Also, Princeville looks nice. Not sure about the spa facilities. I saw pics of Matt Leblonc *Joey* who married there. So, it must be nice!

The terrain up there looks incredible! I read you can take a tour that shows where all the movies have been shot.
Just my 2 Cents!

glaff

You are not going to go wrong at any Four Seasons, but the Hualalai is fabulous. For a beach,however, Wailea on Maui has sand like velvet. The spa there is wonderful and if that's not good enough, the spa right next door, (in fact the hotels share this wonderful beach) is very famous. The Hotel is the Grand Wailea. The service is legendary at the Four Seasons, and if you could swing it, get a suite on the club floor and you won't want to come home. Concierge, Lisa Carson is the best. It's elegant without being stuffy. Good luck.

beachgirl86

Thank you for all your tips! I love reading about these fabulous hotels from people who have already stayed there!

And we definitely WILL be going to Kauai at some point, if not summer 2006, then for our summer 2007 trip.

Keep the opinions coming

klw25

I've only stayed at the Wailea Four Seasons, so I can't offer a comparison, but I will say that the Wailea property is incredible. We were lucky enough to spend two weeks at the hotel for our honeymoon, and there were several days when we couldn't drag ourselves from the hotel. We considered venturing to the spa over at the Grand Wailea, but never bothered as we were so happy with the massages that we got at the 4S spa. In fact, my husband got hooked on them. We were getting massages every third day!
The food was also incredible and the service was amazing. It was VERY hard to come home!

offlady

The physical difference between the Hualalai 4S & Wailea/Lanai 4S is that at the Hualalai the rooms are in 2-story separate bungalow buildings spread throughout the grounds. I've only seen the ground floor unit but it had a nice lava rock wall shower that made it seem more tropical. The 4S on Maui & Lanai are your typical resort mid-rise buildings with elevators with nice sandy beachfronts. At Hualalai it's pretty much just lava rock ocean frontage, but it's the exclusivity of the place. As a hotel guest, you'd have golfing privileges at the Hualalai golf course that only hotel guests and private home owners within the resort are allowed to play on. I think the golf fee was around $200. I don't golf but my husband thought it was a beautiful course.

thebigkahuna

We were at the Four Seasons Maui over the holidays '04, and are going again this year. Ray Romano was staying there with his family,and was on the beach quite a bit, throwing a football with his kids and hanging out. Wailea beach is one of the best beaches in the world! Haven't been to Hualalai, but Hyatt Kauai is very relaxing: old style Hawaii of the 1920's

gyppielou

Sorry offlady, but in no way do I find The Lodge on Lanai your typical resort midrise building........way off lady! I hope the 4S makes it even more magical. Love that island, but it isn't for everyone. No shopping, nothing to do but entertain yourself. Beachgirl, each 4S is it's own special destination. Are any better than the rest.......eye of the beholder my friend. I say decide which island calls you most in your heart.

beachgirl86

Thanks again everyone, getting your opinions is great!

gyppielou: Have you stayed at Manele Bay?? If so, how did you like it? There is so little info. on these boards about it and Lanai, compared to other islands. If we went, it would only be for a few days to enjoy the beach, snorkeling, maybe some horseback riding for me, and golf for DH....is it as scenic as some of the other islands? (We have been to Oahu, BI, and Maui). Any info. you could give me on the island and Manele Bay would be much appreciated. Thanks!

wonderandamazement

IMO they are two different types of experiences. The Maui property is a more like a luxury hotel while the BI property is a luxury resort. I actually like the Maui FS better because it feels less isolated and there are shops and good restaurants located close by and it's very lively. Leaving the BI FS means driving quite a bit since there's nothing else near the property. It's also in an area that is undeveloped and surrounded by lava rock so its not lush and green like Maui. The BI FS is romantic and quiet, it also has far superior spa and gym facilities and multiple pools to choose from around the property. I actually think the beach at the BI FS is more interesting and special because it's not very crowded (you aren't sharing it with any other resorts) it has lava rocks all around it which makes it look exotic,
and there are sea turtles sleeping on it throughout the day which is not something you normally find at a resort beach. Both have the same level of attentive service that you find at any FS property. The crowd at the Maui FS is
younger, lots of honeymooners. The crowd
at the BI is older and the pace is slower. I guess it comes down to what kind of vacation you want. If you plan to party, eat out at different restaurants, and do tourist things I suggest Maui. If you want to hang out, relax, and be pampered go with the Big Island.

beachgirl86

Lots of great responses here, thanks !

I spoke to DH today, and I think our current plan is to go to Maui and Big Island for summer 2006 and Oahu and Kauai for summer 2007. (May sneak over to Lanai at some point, too.) Hopefully I can afford a few nights at one or two of these glorious resorts!