Four Seasons Maui Pool
 

I am going to Maui on September 1 for my honeymoon...this will be the first time on Maui for the both my fiance and I. We did some research and I thought the four seasons was the best fit for us but now I am hearing that the pool is very crowded and you have to "fight" for a cabana or chair. Will this be true in early September or is it just during summer and school vacation times? The beach and pool are important to us and we don't want to not get a cabana for a day or feel pressured to wake up early to get one. Are we better off at Kea Lani or Ritz Carlton?

Just returned from a wonderful two week stay in Maui at the Grand Wailea (next door to the $Seasons). As always we wandered over to the nearby resorts. The pool at the 4 is rather small and there are not a lot of cabanas. I don't know how difficult it is to reserve one. If you want to bounce back and forth between the beach and the pool I wouldn't recommend the Ritz. The pool and the beach are nice but they are a long way apart. The beach is down a large hill.
I stayed at the Kea Lani 10 years ago. Nice place. Haven't been there recently.

I don't know about the FS pool, but if you switch hotels consider the Grand Wailea. We had a great time there. No, fighting for chairs and the pool facilities were awesome!!

We stayed at the Ritz in early Dec, 2002 so it was very quiet at the resort and in Maui in general. We never had to reserve a cabana (had one every day for 8 days at different times of the day at no charge) and there were always plenty of chairs by the pools and at the beach-which FYI is not THAT FAR from the pool area.There is a sloping sidewalk down to the beach (very scenic) which is maybe 2-3 minutes tops and they can take you down in a golf cart too!! It is SO WORTH the stroll down!! The Ritz has a huge pool area-3 tiered pools each with their own sitting areas.So relaxing-the service is outstanding.They will attend to your every need!! I don't know about other times of the year but when we were at the Ritz there were literally NO families there.Pretty much only couples so the beach and pool areas were quiet and oh so relaxing!! Just my two cents-have a great trip!!

1) Grand Wailea would be an odd place for a honeymoon IMO since it's teeming with kids relative to the other higher end resorts.
2) September usually sees a big decrease in kids at all resorts.
3) The FS pool is not large, but the class, pampering and atmosphere there are the best.
4) The weather (on average--anyone can have a great week now and then) up in Kapalua is cooler, windier and rainier. The Ritz pool is nice, but windy, and the beach is a hike, and often has very rough water.

Congratualations. I just returned from Hawaii on my honeymoon. On Maui, we stayed at the Kea Lani. Origianally wanted to stay at the 4S but was just a little out of our budget. The Kea Lani was great. All rooms are suites are the pool area is very spread out... never felt crowded.

We walked through the 4S property and the first thought was how crowded the pool area was. It looked beautiful but just too compact for my taste. Since the cabanas are free there ($50 at the Kea Lani), I'm sure there will always be a fight for them. Not sure about the chairs.

Also walked throught the Grand Wailea. Again, just my taste, but I would not stay there on a honeymoon. The pool area is very nice, and large, but it is too family oriented and there were a ton of kids around (even in early May).

I don't think you would go wrong at either resort, but if you are worried about space, I would seriously consider the Kea Lani.

Now an opinion from someone who actually stayed at the 4S....not that advice from those staying at other resorts who walked over to the 4S for a few minutes can't be taken into consideration, but until you actually stay there and experience the service and the pampering (constant water, fruit, ...), you really don't know.

Stayed there this past February for my honeymoon and have nothing but great things to say. Never had a problem getting a cabana or a chair, but again that was February....not sure if it would be different in September. And not many kids if that makes a difference.

Enjoy!

I stayed at the FS in April during a school break and the pool area was indeed overcrowded with kids. I found that to get a good cabanna, I had to play the pool weasel game, by getting up early and squatting for a place until the attendant came to register people at 7 am. September should be better. A few suggestions:

1. Use the beach. Attendants can set you up with a covered beach chair there, and when the weather is good and the surf not too strong, the beach is better anyway.

2. Use the pool early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Go sightseeing in between.

3. If you want to reserve the best spot, go early and reserve one of the cabannas on the hill, facing away from the pool but facing the ocean. You can spend all day there. During the winter months, it's a great way to see the whales.

The 4s will not have kids the first week in September...they will be going back to school. Our stay there was in early December and the pool was not crowded. You will love the quiet atmosphere at the pool and the way the attendents come around with water, cold cloths, treats. I loved the free water arobics classes. The 4s is lovely for a honeymoon. The Hyatt is fine for kids, but huge, busy, many conventions. Wailea is lovely with the best walk along the beach. Wailea is reputed to have the best weather. We have been 5 times and loved each and every time.

The Grand Wailea isn't a Hyatt any longer. It's owned by a small, non-branded hotel group.

We too, stayed at the 4S last July. My husband still can't stop talking about the cold towels, complimentary ice pops, frozen cherries, evian sprays and the like. Yes, we did have to get up early to put our t-shirt/book etc on a chair, but it really wasn't a big deal. Usually, hubby ran down while I slept and then he came back up to bed and we did breakfast before we headed down or grabbed a to-go goodie bag from the restaurant right off the pool.

Regarding cabanas...if you don't get one, you can always ask an attendant to add a hood to your chair, which essentially gives you the same shade if that is your concern and also allows for a bit more privacy. And, we found, if you don't end up with a cabana first thing in the am, most of the time people are constantly coming and going, so chances are you can swipe one later in the morning/afternoon.

Don't stress over this. It's really not as big a deal as everyone makes it. If you are sitting right on top of the pool, is it such a big deal anyway? So you'll get a chair on the lawn and quite honestly, it will be more peaceful. You're in Hawaii, remember...it's beautiful no matter what.

Enjoy!

We have stayed at the Wailea 4S five times and would not stay anywhere else on Maui. The pool is on the small side but it does not seem to bother anyone.
Have not been there on school holidays but than again I would imagine all hotels in Maui would have children at them during that time. One of our favorite hotels in the world.

Can anyone describe the pools for me? I have seen the fountain pool but not too sure about the other one. I have seen the tiny slide on their website. Is that it for the "fun" factor?

Well, the fountain pool is what you see in the website- decent sized, but doesn't get deeper than about 5 feet (in the middle, under the fountain) and it has a jacuzzi on either end. The waterfall pool is up the hill from the fountain pool and has just that - a waterfall, and a tiny slide as you describe - I'd say it's three feet long. It's a bi-level pool, and probably just about the same size (or maybe slightly smaller) than the fountain pool when you put the two levels together.

I'm shocked the cabanas are free! I've seen them up to $400 at other hotels. That's good to know.