okay...so by now most of you have read my threads on the GW vs Kea Lani...seems most of you are telling me hte Kea Lani is better, and the amount of negativity about the GW is amazing, I cannot believe it can be that terrible..the ony good thing is the pool...hard to beleive...
I think it looks absolutley gorgeous, which is why we want to stay there, granted..we have no children and do not wish to be surrounded by them , but kids are everywhere... there is no esaping, and even at the Kea Lani I am sure there will be kids, we most likely would spend most of our time at the adult pool anyway, and on the Beach, deinitely on the beach.
we arent flying from NY just for some pool, no matter how great, we want the ocean!!!!

so.... please give me your positive remarks onthe GW...there has to be some out there...
if you have an experience with the Napua tower, love to hear it,as thatis where we are booked..

btw...crazy4hawaii..I couldnt find JohnD's GW trip report, only Kauai...

on another note.. we like that the resort is big, walking doesnt bother us at all, especially when the grounds are so beautiful.

I did do a search on the GW before someone suggests that, and it was mostly negative except that the pools are great...
how can this be?

It seems like your heart is set of GW and you are looking for reinforcement. I recommended Kea Lani but I think you should follow your heart and stay at GW - otherwise you'll be second guessing yourself throughout the trip. If you have regrets, it just gives you an excuse to go back!!

Interesting that you only want positive info...negative opinions please do not respond. If that were a requirement one could make anything sound good. Let's see, what am I describing now: warm, quiet, private room with own toilet and room service food delivery each day, free exercise facility, laundry service included, extremely affordable. That would be a prison.

Most of the negative comments about GW (IMO) are due to the facts that it's large enough that good service is difficult to provide, ownership has changed several times so there hasn't been a lot of continuity, it's very glitzy/Vegas-y for Hawaii, and for the price people tend to have very high expectations.
Plop the GW down in Atlantic City and it would be everyone's favorite. But the competition is fierce in Hawaii, and GW's next door neighbor is the best on the island for a similar price. Then again, some people's personalities mesh with the GW better than Four Seasons or Kea Lani.

So my 'positive feedback' would be: go to the GW with an open mind, expect a great time, know the pros and cons going in, and you're likely to have a very nice time. You'll likely walk over to the Four Seasons and say to yourself, "Oh, I wouldn't have been happier here. It's too quiet. This place doesn't look as nice as where we're staying". (I've heard that comment over and over from people who choose to stay at GW. The opposite from those who stay at FS. Draw your own conclusions as to why that is).

TedTurner, by no means am I closed minded and only want to hear the good, believe me, it's just that I have heard all the bad I could possibly hear on the GW, it just seems to get totally bashed, and I was imagining there had to be some positive feedback.
i couldnt think of any other way to get it, except to ask exactly for that.....positive reviews, and then see what happens

I'm still on the fence, needless to say. sorry

This isn't quite positive as you requested but kinda interesting, I thought. We stayed at the 4S this past holiday season and saw a number of children who were participating in the 4S Children's program, swimming in the 4S pool, etc. who were wearing those wristbands from the GW. When I questioned a worker at the 4S, I was told that what usually happens is that the family will get the cheapest room available at the GW for their nanny so that the kids can use the pool (as long as one member is staying there, they get a certain number of wristbands) and then the rest of the family stays at the 4S. Now why would they not ALL stay at the GW unless it's missing something that the 4S is providing?

The only good thing I will say about GW is it has an incredible spa.

The people on this forum are so helpful and polite! I've been reading all of your hotel posts over the last several days and I think you have all the information you need to make a decision. Enjoy your stay at the GW!

Mahalo to Crazy4HI, for referencing our GW Trip Report. We only stayed for 1 night and the better part of 2 days, but the GW staff treated us exceptionally well.

Perhaps because we went during the low season (end of October), we were upgraded (at no charge$)) from the cheapest terrace view room, to an Ocean-front Deluxe room and the tropical sights, sounds, and view made me think we were on Kauai. We had a great meal at the GW Humuhumu restaurant and the poolside cafe was also very reasonable and tasty .

If I were as torn between the GW vs Kea Lani, I would split the time between the two, or decide how many days and time you have available to enjoy the GW's pool. On our visit to Maui we saved the best (GW) for our last night and the next day, and they even let us check out of our Ocean deluxe and into a terrace view room for a few hours at no charge, so we could enjoy the pool most of the day before checking out for ourevening flight to the mainland. We the GW, and have never regretted not getting an Evian spritz or sunscreen butler.

I think the Grand Wailea is a really nice place to stay, and doubt you would be disappointed if you stay there. I spent my honeymoon there and had a great time, and even went back a couple years later. I think it has the most beautiful grounds of any hotel on the island, and I personally do not view it as a negative to have children around (even on my honeymoon). I think the sound and sight of children having fun on vacation is charming (although, I realize I am in the minority here). I also love the fact that the hotel is "over the top," as I feel it matches my dream vision of a Hawaii resort. The rooms are also nice (much better than say a Marriott or Hilton), and besides I don't know about you, but I spend most of my time in Hawaii at the pool and beach. The service is also good, in fact, I actually received a free upgrade to an ocean view room (from garden view) on my last visit for no reason at all. I also enjoyed the breakfast buffet (beautiful view), and the over the lagoon restaurant. However, that said I have switched over and been staying at the Four Seasons lately, but that is only because I now have young children of my own and really appreciate the extra pampering and relaxation.

JohnD, thank you

we have decide to stay at the GW for sure, I know we will regret it if we don't.
we cannot split the stay because we are already staying at 4 resorts, and no way am I adding a 5th!
we wil have so much quiet time at the Princeville in Kauai and at the Hotel Hana Maui (no kids allowed in Sept) prior to arriving at the GW, we will be ready for a little activity

I am very excited, and do not need evian spritz's either.. actually my dh would not like that.

so... on that note, thank you all for putting up with all my Kea Lani and GW questions, I will be sure to post a report when we return end of Sept.

meanwhile, I'll post restaurant ??

thanks!