Summary of Maui FS/Grand Wailea issues
Jul 3rd, 2002, 07:25 PM
#1
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Summary of Maui FS/Grand Wailea issues
I know the subject has been beat nearly to death, but my wife and I will be traveling to Maui in Feb. for the first time. We have always gone to Kauai in the past but a meeting in Maui offers us the opportunity to explore someplace new.
We are looking at 2 resorts, maybe 3: the Four Seasons, Grand Wailea, and perhaps the Fairmont Kea Lani. I have read page after page on the differnt hotels and have surmized the following...
The Four Seasons offers better service (as expected) at the expense of a smaller/inferior/crowded pool area. Many travelers have also complained about the "ocean view" being less than ideal. Cost and such concerns are typical of the FS and if we go, we will budget accordingly.
GW sounds like it has one of the best pool areas ever but has a bit of a Vegas type atmosphere some travelers found distastful. Service and food have been described as good but not FS quality. Also, lots of kids.
Haven't found much info on Kea Lani's pool area.
My wife and I are fairly low maintence, not to say we don't enjoy top notch service but we have stayed at the Hyatt in Kauai many times and have been thrilled with the hotel quality and service. We are big pool fans and love the Hyatt pool. Not so big on having children around however.
Any other major issues that separate these resorts? and any thoughts on Maui weather in the Wailea area in Feb.?
Thanks.
We are looking at 2 resorts, maybe 3: the Four Seasons, Grand Wailea, and perhaps the Fairmont Kea Lani. I have read page after page on the differnt hotels and have surmized the following...
The Four Seasons offers better service (as expected) at the expense of a smaller/inferior/crowded pool area. Many travelers have also complained about the "ocean view" being less than ideal. Cost and such concerns are typical of the FS and if we go, we will budget accordingly.
GW sounds like it has one of the best pool areas ever but has a bit of a Vegas type atmosphere some travelers found distastful. Service and food have been described as good but not FS quality. Also, lots of kids.
Haven't found much info on Kea Lani's pool area.
My wife and I are fairly low maintence, not to say we don't enjoy top notch service but we have stayed at the Hyatt in Kauai many times and have been thrilled with the hotel quality and service. We are big pool fans and love the Hyatt pool. Not so big on having children around however.
Any other major issues that separate these resorts? and any thoughts on Maui weather in the Wailea area in Feb.?
Thanks.
Jul 3rd, 2002, 07:41 PM
#2
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Weather:
Jan-Mar is by far the wettest time of year, but rainfall in Feb is still only 2.5 inches (in Kihei).
Temps in Feb average 81 for high, 63 for low. Wailea is about 4 degrees warmer than Lihue/Poipu, with about 30% less rain at same time of year.
Hotels:
Your summary is accurate. If you love the Hyatt Kauai pool system, FS will underwhelm you. It's a boring pool area. Both GW and KL have better pools (plural in both cases).
FS has the best atmosphere/ambience. Feels like a world class resort in a non-stuffy way. Professionalism to the maximum.
KL has the largest rooms, and deals can be had (don't know about Feb though). Check places like LuxuryLink.com and other hotel room clearinghouse sites.
Personally i think any adult couple which is well travelled and wants to get away to Hawaii to relax and enjoy will be disappointed with GW versus the other two. Too many kids, too loud/busy, needs updating.
The real decision is KL vs FS. That decision should depend specifically on what makes your vacation click.
You wouldn't be disappointed with either.
Jan-Mar is by far the wettest time of year, but rainfall in Feb is still only 2.5 inches (in Kihei).
Temps in Feb average 81 for high, 63 for low. Wailea is about 4 degrees warmer than Lihue/Poipu, with about 30% less rain at same time of year.
Hotels:
Your summary is accurate. If you love the Hyatt Kauai pool system, FS will underwhelm you. It's a boring pool area. Both GW and KL have better pools (plural in both cases).
FS has the best atmosphere/ambience. Feels like a world class resort in a non-stuffy way. Professionalism to the maximum.
KL has the largest rooms, and deals can be had (don't know about Feb though). Check places like LuxuryLink.com and other hotel room clearinghouse sites.
Personally i think any adult couple which is well travelled and wants to get away to Hawaii to relax and enjoy will be disappointed with GW versus the other two. Too many kids, too loud/busy, needs updating.
The real decision is KL vs FS. That decision should depend specifically on what makes your vacation click.
You wouldn't be disappointed with either.
Jul 5th, 2002, 08:33 AM
#3
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My wife and I recently stayed at the Four Seasons Maui for our honeymoon. We were there for 10 days. The resort, overall, is very nice. We however, read the various raves about the resort and felt mildly "let down" when our honeymoon included. We reserved a garden view room. Many posters said they recieved some sort of upgrade on their honeymoon. Despite asking descretely, we were told there were no upgrades available. I found that hard to believe. In addition, our room was "run down" with large scratches on the night stands, stains on the couch pillows and carpet which was pulling up and frayed in areas. The room was not what we expected. The bathroom was very nice, but if you have a large master bathroom in your house you will not think it is that great. Apparently, they are going to renovate rooms this summer, so, if you stay there make sure you get a newly refurbished room. There was 1 convention while we were there and 2 large weddings. At night they will light fireworks off for these groups. Not letting any of the other guests in the hotel know, we were somewhat surprised to hear loud booms at 10:00 pm. Also the pool service was spotty. Younger people man the pool side service and when their boss is away they tend to become lazy. When he was around they hurried up and acted busy. Looked amateurish to us. The lobby of the resort is very posh and nice. Spago's food was good, but service was average. Pool side food is overpriced and average. Breakfast buffet is overpriced for what you get.I think that our experience was hindered by 1. high hopes before going 2. lack of an upgraded room 3. dated room 4. length of stay, after 10 days we found things to critique. Walked to the KL. Found the resorts lobby and hallways to be nice, but not as nice as the FS. Didn't see rooms. Beach is more secluded than the FS's Wailea beach, but the chairs were not as nice and were dirty compared to the FS. The pools were nice looking with more children than the FS. Saw the breakfast buffett prices. They were 5 dollors cheaper than the FS was, not sure of quality.
Jul 5th, 2002, 11:43 AM
#4
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I stayed at none of these hotels, but thoroughly walked through them all and I'll give my brief opinion. Grand Wailea: All I can say is, wow! Amazing facility with spectacular pool area. Yes there can be kids, but in February this may not be a huge problem. It isn't exactly a "family" hotel, but the pool may attract more family's than the other two. Four Seasons: very nice, elegant, nothing made me go wow! about it, but I wouldn't complain. Looked too stuffy for me, but others disagree. Kea Lani was a nice blend of the two. Saw nice pool area, rooms looked very roomy from the outside, and there was a bit more energy than the FS, but not quite as bustling as GW. My personal choice if I could stay at one hotel in Maui(and afford it) would be GW.
Jul 8th, 2002, 10:55 AM
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Hopefully I'll be able to answer this question with a little knowledge. I just spent 5 days at the Hyatt Kauai (EXCELLENT- not sure what the people in the rants and raves section are complaining about- no bugs and rooms were very clean) and 6 days at the Kea Lani. We stayed the previous year at the Four Seasons, and although we thought it was great, the Kea Lani outshines it in several ways.
One area is the view from your room. May not be important to many, but to my wife and I it is. We had a deluxe ocean view at the FS and the Kilohana Premier Suite at the Kea Lani (about $70 more per night for the Kilohana Premier than the Deluxe FS oceanfront) and there is no comparison on the view. The Kea Lani has an incredible wraparound Lanai and a full, almost unobstructed ocean view. The Four Seasons also had a nice view, but not near as spectacular without the HUGE lanais the Kea Lani offers. The rooms are amazing at both, but again the edge, IMO, goes to the Kea Lani for their size and bathrooms. I believe the only advantage I would give for the FS over Kea Lani is the service is a little bit better with the FS, but we had no problems at the Kea Lani. As for the Grand Wailea, we have walked though it several times. Looks great, but it is overflowing with kids (great if you have kids, but not so great for those looking to get away). Also, the shear size of the Grand Wailea scared us off a bit.
One area is the view from your room. May not be important to many, but to my wife and I it is. We had a deluxe ocean view at the FS and the Kilohana Premier Suite at the Kea Lani (about $70 more per night for the Kilohana Premier than the Deluxe FS oceanfront) and there is no comparison on the view. The Kea Lani has an incredible wraparound Lanai and a full, almost unobstructed ocean view. The Four Seasons also had a nice view, but not near as spectacular without the HUGE lanais the Kea Lani offers. The rooms are amazing at both, but again the edge, IMO, goes to the Kea Lani for their size and bathrooms. I believe the only advantage I would give for the FS over Kea Lani is the service is a little bit better with the FS, but we had no problems at the Kea Lani. As for the Grand Wailea, we have walked though it several times. Looks great, but it is overflowing with kids (great if you have kids, but not so great for those looking to get away). Also, the shear size of the Grand Wailea scared us off a bit.
Jul 8th, 2002, 12:14 PM
#7
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My 2 cents. I have stayed at the Kea Lani once, the Grand Wailea three times and have visited the Four Seasons for dinner and "room checking".
The KL is an excellent hotel with huge rooms and balconies. The pools are very good, though not too interesting. The main dissappointment we had with the KL (and why have not gone back) was the beach. The beach was very dark, grainy and not very attractive. Also there was little snorkling off the beach.
The FS is a very elegant hotel but I feel a bit stuffy. The pool is way too small for a resort that size. They also have a huge problem with birds. When we ate at the restaurant we were continually attacked by these winged little monstors who actually attempted to take food right off our plates. The rooms are nice (we looked in when the maid was cleaning them).
The GW is a large resort but it is our favorite. The resort has a gentle slope to one of the best beaches in the world and there is great snorkeling just off to the left (near the FS, they share the beach). The pools are a marvel. 7 or 8 of them connected together with little slides. The kids tend to hang around specific areas of the pool (rope swing area and the rubber slide). The pool is so large you can always find some part that doesn't have any kids in it. If not they have a seperate adults only pool also. They also have five large spas (two adult only) that are great. One is on top of the hill near the rubber slide (kids tend to take this one over) another is in a grotto. It's great. The rooms are excellent and I think the service is outstanding. The resort was bought out about 5-6 years ago by KSL resorts and I have noticed improvements every time I've returned. My wife and I will be going again next year for our 25th wedding anniversary.
All three of the resorts will provide you with a great experience, I just prefer the GW.
The KL is an excellent hotel with huge rooms and balconies. The pools are very good, though not too interesting. The main dissappointment we had with the KL (and why have not gone back) was the beach. The beach was very dark, grainy and not very attractive. Also there was little snorkling off the beach.
The FS is a very elegant hotel but I feel a bit stuffy. The pool is way too small for a resort that size. They also have a huge problem with birds. When we ate at the restaurant we were continually attacked by these winged little monstors who actually attempted to take food right off our plates. The rooms are nice (we looked in when the maid was cleaning them).
The GW is a large resort but it is our favorite. The resort has a gentle slope to one of the best beaches in the world and there is great snorkeling just off to the left (near the FS, they share the beach). The pools are a marvel. 7 or 8 of them connected together with little slides. The kids tend to hang around specific areas of the pool (rope swing area and the rubber slide). The pool is so large you can always find some part that doesn't have any kids in it. If not they have a seperate adults only pool also. They also have five large spas (two adult only) that are great. One is on top of the hill near the rubber slide (kids tend to take this one over) another is in a grotto. It's great. The rooms are excellent and I think the service is outstanding. The resort was bought out about 5-6 years ago by KSL resorts and I have noticed improvements every time I've returned. My wife and I will be going again next year for our 25th wedding anniversary.
All three of the resorts will provide you with a great experience, I just prefer the GW.
Jul 12th, 2002, 05:03 AM
#8
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I appreciate the excellent feedback. We have ruled out the Grand Wailea and just about settled on the Kea Lani for our trip. I have heard tremendous things about the Four Seasons but descriptions of the pool as less than spectacular and the issues with upgrading to an ocean view and not receiving one are swaying me against it.
I do want to stay at a four seasons at some point though but it sounds like the Nevis and Big Island properties are superior. Maybe next summer.
I'll post a report regardless. Thanks!
I do want to stay at a four seasons at some point though but it sounds like the Nevis and Big Island properties are superior. Maybe next summer.
I'll post a report regardless. Thanks!
Jul 12th, 2002, 06:59 AM
#10
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Hey TJ, the pick was for Kea Lani, not FS.
JHS: the Four Seasons Nevis is nowhere near as nice as the Big Island property. Not even close (though the view of the islands on Nevis is very pretty, and it's still a nice hotel, just not near as nice as the Hawaii hotels).
I think one reason the FS Nevis gets such high marks is that there aren't as many nice, similar type resorts in the Caribbean as competition.
It's easy to stand out as a gem in a field of coal.
JHS: the Four Seasons Nevis is nowhere near as nice as the Big Island property. Not even close (though the view of the islands on Nevis is very pretty, and it's still a nice hotel, just not near as nice as the Hawaii hotels).
I think one reason the FS Nevis gets such high marks is that there aren't as many nice, similar type resorts in the Caribbean as competition.
It's easy to stand out as a gem in a field of coal.
