Wailea Marriott Maui
 

Has anyone stayed at the Wailea Marriott on Maui? Is it located on the beach? How is the pool, restaurants etc. Considering staying there since rates are pretty good. Thanks for any info.

Jett, have stayed right next door at the Renaissance, and it's a wonderful location. You just walk a couple of minutes right or left, and are on wonderful beaches, though not one right out in front of the Marriott. Though I haven't stayed there, I've always heard good things about the place. (I stayed at the Renaissance once, fell in love, and kept going back there! :-) )

bb thanks for the info. How far from the beach is the Marriott Wailea? Is it within walking distance or do you have to drive. Thanks.

The hotel istself sits on a point so you have great ocean views. There are beaches on either side. Ulua Beach Ulua Beach is like a two minute walk, and is a popular snorkeling beach.

Jett, Ulua Beach is just a few STEPS away to one side. It's a wonderful location. Go to the link below, and do the photo tour:

http://marriott.com/property/propert...rshaCode=HNMMC

I was just in Wailea last week...seems like months ago! We had considered staying at the that Marriott and after walking past the front of it I was glad we didn't. If you like to have a beach at your doorstep you may be disappointed because you have to walk to one side or the other of the hotel to get to nearest beach. In comparison to the other Wailea hotels I also thought the Marriott looked quite a bit less luxurious. I didn't go inside of the lobby or rooms so maybe it is nicer in that respect. My husband and I commented that we were glad we didn't stay there. We did stay at the other Marriott on Kanapali and it was great, had much nicer grounds etc. The beach there was washed away so you also had to walk to another beach but the pool area made for it. The Renaissance in Wailea looked nicer.

Drinking coffee from my Grand Wailea Resort mug today as I read this thread. ha! Of all the cups in the kitchen...

As I recall, these hotels are all side by side with the Four Seasons and GWR, right? For the price variance, the Marriott is likely a great choice.

I've long been amused how my fellow travelers denounce other locations that share the same stripe of sand. Maybe I see it differently because I live in California, where the whole coastline is a beach. Sure, there are different atmospheres. Agreed, walking directly to the sand, instead of rocky cliffs can be important.

We stayed as a company promotion at GWR, but would have been equally comfortable anywhere if we paid for lodging - as we usually only sleep and shower in our room. My goal on vacation is to be away from the hotel room. Walking distance means little to us as we do like to explore. If a person has a physical limitation, I could understand the proximity issue being high on the list.

While staying at GWR, one day we wandered over to the FS for lunch. If you aren't thrilled by the restaurants at the Marriott, you might dine at the neighboring hotels.

Of course, if it is possible, see if a higher-floor room is available facing West at the Marriott. Some of their rooms may face inland. Just a thought...

I have stayed at the Wailea Marriott many times (8-10 times?) it is a great value for the money when compared to the other more luxurious hotels along that beach path.

I love the low key atmosphere there; the open air lobbies are scenic, calm, lovely, the ground are sprawling and spacious. The pools are nothing special so if you are seeking Fantasyland this is not the place. The beach is a very short walk, thre are lounges on the lawn next to the rocky ocean promontory to nap on.

jett, I stayed there in March and concur with everything vivi said. It is not as luxurious as the others in the area, but it is nice in its own way. The rooms are pretty good sized, well-maintained and very comfortable. Because it is so spread out, it doesn't feel all that crowded (when we were there, the resort was full). We only had light meals at the restaurants, but they were fine for that purpose. It is a 15 minute walk down to the higher-end restaurants at the Kea Lani, Four Seasons and Grand Wailea. If you do decide to stay there, I would suggest a couple of things:

--Splurge for an ocean front room if you can afford it. These are closer to the ocean than the rooms at most of the other resorts. They also are in smaller buildings within the grounds.

--Try to get a room on the north side of the resort; there's construction going on to the south.

And look at the reviews on TripAdvisor. There are a lot of them, and it is pretty highly rated.

We spent a week at the Wailea Marriott in May-June 2003, having considered all the other Hawaiian resorts in the Marriott Rewards program. (Yes, like so many others we stayed on points.) Though generally speaking we like nice beach condos more than resort hotels for the privacy, we found our stay there quite enjoyable and would do it again.

Not only is the Wailea Marriott bookended by two great beaches just a two-minute walk from the pool, but it's within a few minutes' walk or drive of several others. We spent the week there happily waterlogged. Generally speaking, we liked the Makena-Wailea-South Kihei beaches more than those around Ka'anapali, whether for snorkeling, swimming or just quiet early morning walks. Beaches aside, Wailea-Makena is also much less densely developed, the resorts there seem quieter without feeling dead, and we felt the landscaping and natural beauty (a huge draw for me) were greater. We enjoyed a couple daytrips to Lahaina and Ka'anapali but were glad we weren't staying there -- at their worst, they seemed like Coney Island. We also loved the second week we spent at Napili, and my 2 cents worth is that the two farthest extremities of Maui's west coast are the best.

As noted already by others, the WM's grounds and open air lobby scored high with us. The pool is very pleasant, though if you want the really flashy water features you're better off next door at the Grand Wailea. Pool snacks and drinks were tasty and service was efficient and friendly. Breakfasts were fine, just typical Marriott fare, but the couple other meals we had there were frankly mediocre. We've had some great, memorable buffets at other Marriotts (especially the Friday seafood buffet at the JW in Hong Kong), but the Wailea Marriott's was a bit depressing and a lot of the other diners looked distinctly unimpressed as well. However, one of the advantages of the Marriott is that if you don't want to get into your car, it's a fabulous stroll along the beach walk to fine dining at neighboring resorts -- Grand Wailea, Four Seasons, Fairmont Kea Lani. The Sunday brunch at the Prince, while not within walking distance, is a treat we look forward to repeating later this month -- fabulous sashimi.

That's our take, anyhow....

I am confused - is the Wailea Marriott next to the Renaissance? Where is the Outrigger?

The Marriott used to be the Outrigger. The rebranding is complete, and I don't think they use the Outrigger brand at all now. It is near the Renaissance, but I recall there is a condo complex in between them.

My husband and I returned from the Wailea Marriott last week and we had a lovely time. They upgraded us to a junior suite at no charge. And the staff was great. There are beaches are on either side of the hotel.

We LOVE the beach and were a little concerned that the Marriott was not right on the beach--we had even agreed that we would switch to another Wailea hotel if the beaches were not as close as people described. They really are just a 2 minute walk away and the Marriott's rooms have great ocean views, so we stayed put. On one side, you share the smaller, quieter Ululua Beach with the Renaissance. On the other side, the Marriott shares the busier Wailea Beach with the Fairmont, Four Seasons, Grand Wailea, etc. It's kind of like hotel row on the beach, because all of the hotels share the same strips of beach--just like TripleSecDelay mentioned.

There is some construction going on near Wailea Beach that would affect some of the room views at the Marriott and the Grand Wailea. So if you do choose the Marriott, make sure to request a room on the side next to Ululua beach, because you won't see or hear any construction. Have fun!

Thanks for all of the great information! Very helpful! The Wailea area sounds great! Reading the threads posted on this site and noted that many people are receiving free upgrades to oceanview/oceanfront rooms/suites while in Hawaii. Is this upgrade at no charge common practice at hotels in Hawaii, say for instance if you book a garden view room? I assume its all based on availability at any particular hotel. Thanks again for all the tips!

Well, it wouldn't hurt to sign up for Marriott Rewards before you make a reservation and/or go there. It is free. It's not a guarantee of an upgrade, but it might be viewed favorably by the person checking you in. As I recall, I also got a better rate with Rewards than I did with AAA or AARP (I was traveling with my mom) discounts.

We reserved a garden room and got a garden room, but the hotel was very full that week (March).

I am curious as I am planning a trip also. Which is it: a few STEPS to the beach or a two minute walk away? With two preschool children and all the beach gear this is a HUGE difference.

Talk about splitting hairs here. What my 6'8" boyfriend would call "a few steps" would be maybe two minutes for someone like me, 5' tall with short legs. If you are that concerned about exact distance down to a minute or two (which I do not think most people are), then you would best call the hotel and have them walk it off for you, I guess.

Is this part of some initiation for newbies or are you this snippy with everyone? This is a legitimate question that is a concern for me in choosing our hotel. To me a "few steps" to the beach means it is right outside the door, hence the "few steps." If I have to make a two minute trek with small children and gear, then I will consider another hotel, as there seems to be a great deal of them to chose from.

Where I am confused is someone here said you walk a few minutes and then someone else came back and said the beach is only steps away. Some say the beach is just off to the side. Is this immediately adjacent to the hotel, or do I have to cross through to another hotel to reach the beach? Is this an easy walk with children and gear?

EdenPrarieArtist: i understand your concern about the logistics of getting to and from the beach with preschool children. i stayed at this property for a week between last Christmas and New Year's. although i was happy with the accommodations and thrilled to be on Maui, i don't think i would stay here with very young children, and this is because you DO need to walk to the beaches on either side of the hotel. it is not just a few steps. this isn't an issue for adults in good shape, but it would certainly be a haul with little ones and all their gear. if your children are perfectly happy in a pool, it's one thing, but if they love the ocean and the sand i would stay somewhere right ON the beach, where you walk out the door and you're ON the beach with the sand between your toes! consider this: you get down to Ulua Beach with them and one of them needs something that you forgot to bring, or needs something that you brought but have run out of....then it's all the way back to your hotel (maybe with everyone in tow unless you have another adult with you!). not the way you want to spend your vacation!!

EdenPararieArtist - considering the size of the hotel (the Wailea Marriott has 521 rooms, and 5 outdoor pools), one of their rooms could literally be steps from the beach, while another could also be minutes from the beach. Impossible to predict where you'd be...

EdenPrairieArtist :
Not defending the other poster, as I do not know this person. However, the tone of my posting has been misunderstood before as people cannot hear the vocal inflections of the written word.
I think that this person was explaining that we each have a different interpretation of distance.
And, it really is a good suggestion to ask a hotel employee - although you're equally likely to receive equally varied replies from them.
Kamahinaohoku nailed the source of the disparity.

EdenPrarie Artist...go to www.bluehawaiian.com and click on "view your hotel from the air"...will give you an idea of the beach situation at the Marriott.

I can't think of too many hotel rooms in Wailea that are "steps from the beach." (Hmmm, maybe the $2K a night villas at the Kea Lani.) For example, it is quite a haul from the Grand Wailea to the pools and the beach. The Marriott has sprawling grounds, so depending upon your room location it could be longer walk than you want. We have stayed oceanfront at the Marriott and been practically on the beach path, we have also stayed up high in the Haleakala Tower whcih necessitates a longer walk.

Fitzie39 - Thanks for the reminder. Good call.

My wife and I stayed at this Marriott in September. They have several fine pools and a nice one for young kids. It is not a big deal to get to the beaches that lie on either side of the hotel. You will pay 2 -3 times as much for a room in any of the other hotels located nearby. The rooms are fine and the hotel will be undergoing a update over the next year.

I really liked staying at the Wailea Marriott. Their staff was very friendly and accommodating. Also, you'll find that everything is a short walking distance away - - their two pools, the beach, dining, shopping.

Just go with your instincts - anywhere you stay in Wailea is amazing.

Have a great time!

I had a great time in Hawaii! I went to all 4 islands, Big Island, Maui, Kauai, and Oahu. I went to Hawaiidiscount.com and reserved my activites beforehand. I would definitely recommend this. They do really book up. We did'nt get to go on the helicopter ride we wanted. The name of the guy who helped us was John. Hope this helps.

We just got back from 5 nights at the Wailea Marriott and absolutely LOVED it!!! We got the room off Priceline for $150 - so were particularly happy with the deal. We were also upgraded to a WONDERFUL room no more than 15 feet from the ocean and with amazing views. We loved the entire Wailea area and were so glad to be there. This board was a HUGE help in planning our trip - my detailed report to come soon.

You can't go wrong with the Wailea Marriott. I know many people find it less fancy and too 'low-key' compared to the other Wailea properties - but that's just what we loved most about it. I went to the spa at Grand Wailea (highly recommend!) - and walked around the pools and property there. It was so big that I found it overwhelming. And everywhere you looked there were people, beach chairs, etc.

We spent a lot of time at the pool at the Marriott and were frequently the only ones there (in the mornings and evenings especially). I also loved how close it was to the water. Granted - it isn't smack on a beach - but I found the chairs overlooking the rocky 'beach' to be particularly relaxing. And never crowded. A HUGE perk for us!

We also had dinner at the Four Seasons and Fairmont.... and pardon me for saying this - but I found the atmosphere at those places to be a bit snooty and uptight. Again - I'm sure it's all just what you are accustomed to. But we felt infinitely at home, relaxed and treated quite well at the Marriott. You'll have a GREAT time!!

Just one more quick note though - it does appear they are gearing up for MAJOR renovations. I believe we were told the pools would be completely remodeled beginning this winter. So depending on when you go - you might want to check on that status first.

Aloha!!! :)

Thank you, carabro, for reinforcing what I stated earlier here - for the price variance, the Marriott has to be the better choice.

Great to hear that you enjoyed the spa at GWR. That "rope of water from the ceiling massage" is exquisite! We each had an excellent masseuse there, as well.