Ashley24

I agree with the Four Seasons!

irlandes

Fairmont Kea Lani. We LOVED it! It was gorgeous and the hotel staff were so friendly and helpful.

WayneY

No one will argue that the Grand Wailea has an unbelievable water feature with their pools. But on your honeymoon, do you really want to be surrounded by kids all day and all night? FS Maui will afford you the privacy, quiet and service that you expect for a special time together, just the two of you.

NYCFoodSnob

I always thought the purpose of a honeymoon was to acquire kids. Am I showing my age? The anti-children sentiment here is odd. The Grand Wailea is NO Disney World even though the "activity" pool is a blast.

I adore young people and prefer them to the golf-cart-community. As many times as I've stayed at the Grand Wailea, I've never noticed an abundance of children. Plus, their Orchid Pool is for adults only and remarkably serene.

Frankly, unless you absolutely hate kids, you can't go wrong staying at either Grand Wailea or The Four Seasons. But, I think Grand Wailea is more picturesque and offers more fun, especially if the "kid" is still inside you.

WayneY

Sorry but I have to disagree. In terms of service and food quality, Grand Wailea pales to its neighbor 4 Seasons.

NYCFoodSnob

No apology necessary, Wayne.

"In terms of service and food quality, Grand Wailea pales to its neighbor 4 Seasons."

Frankly, I find your statement laughable and a gross exaggeration of the truth. The Grand Wailea Maui has consistently won too many awards to come up that pale. Any credible critic would be more reasoned.

crazy4Hawaii

NYCFoodSnob -
Your name suggests that you like food as much as I do! What did you think of Humuhumu's at GW? Were there other restaurants in the Wailea area that you particularly liked?

NYCFoodSnob

I've eaten dinner at Humuhumunukunukuapua'a four times and each time I was very pleasantly surprised. My notes say I fell in love with the chef.

I can't imagine HSN star, Wofgang Puck, whipping up anything near as authentic. (Wolfgang Puck at the Four Seasons is about as tacky as Martha Stewart at K-Mart.)

Truthfully, I've eaten at every restaurant GW offers. I was so impressed with this hotel I had to try everything, much more than once. The sushi at Kincha is divine. GW is a very popular hotel with Japanese tourists so I had a hunch Kincha would be special and it was.

For a change of pace, I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast at Cafe Kula. I have a discerning sweet tooth and this place delivered the pleasures.

Bistro Molokini made my mouth water as each lunch hour approached. I think I tried every offering on this menu, each day something new (burger and fries, yummy!).

Even the Grand Dining Room is grand. What a special place. Buffet's are a huge turn-off to me but I became a convert after experiencing breakfast here. Not only was the presentation elegant and artful, the selection of goodies made this hedonist weak at the knees and salivating for more.

Each time I visited the GW, I rarely left the resort simply because I didn't want to miss the next "thing." Don't get me started on their spa.

travleis

I'm not sure how accurate the term "pales" is when it comes to comparing the GW and FS, but in terms of one being clearly better than the others in the opinions of critics, the FS has always been rated higher in reviews and polls. The last 3 Conde Nast Traveler readers' polls (in which 32,000 people submitted opinions) have each given the FS ratings 10-15 points higher (scale of 1-100) for service and overall total compared with GW.
I haven't visited the GW since it was last sold (it's either on its 3rd or 4th owner) but have not heard great things about the current level of service compared with the original team.
No one's disputing that it's a world class resort. But particularly in the area of service, it is not close to being on par with the FS.

NYCFoodSnob

travleis, your reply is far more reasoned and provides readers with intelligent feedback. I appreciate that.

I haven't been to GW in almost three years and I'm not privy to current ownership. (I'm over the Hawaii thing and spending more time in France and Italy.) These things do have their effect on any business this large and need to be considered.

When you're on the top 100 hotels list, you can pretty much count on an extraordinary experience. 10-15 points doesn't really say much to me when you're this close to heaven. What speaks to me is the actual experience and the feeling I have while there, which is why non-magazine-critic opinions can be very helpful.

I love the Four Seasons and I love the Ritz-Carlton but my memories and photographs of GW are more spectacular. Quality service is the first thing I notice but, sometimes, I find some services pretentious and overbearing, such as FS's Evian sprittz (give me a break).

I recommend trying them all. It's the only way to measure true love, for sure.

travleis

NYC FS:
What are your favorite spots in Italy?

I've really come to love Italy over the past 10 years, and there are still acclaimed parts I haven't visited.
But if I had to move away from the USA, northern Italy would probably be my destination.

crazy4Hawaii

Hey NYCFS-
Let me get you started on the spa (at GW)! I'm in the process of planning what treatments to book. Would you recommend one type of massage over another? The lava rock one and lomi lomi both look interesting...
What other treatments did you find exceptional?

Grasshopper

What exactly is an Evian spritz?

crazy4Hawaii

Grasshopper-
They put Evian water in a spray bottle and "spritz" your fanny with it while you sit by the pool.

Ashley24

I found it quite interesting when we stayed at the 4S over Christmas break that a lot of people in our pools had the Grand Wailea's wristbands on. I happened to mention this to the lady who gave me my facial from the 4S and she said that often families will have a nanny get a cheap room over at the GW so that their family can use their pools but the rest of the family pays for a room at the 4S so that they can enjoy the service here. The best of both, I guess. The 4S pool attendants always asked for our name so I am certain that these people did not happen onto the 4S property without a room but they also had the wristband from the GW. Anyone else notice this?

TedTurner

"Spritz your fanny"??!
In the US 'fanny' means rear end, in Britain it means female genitalia.
No employee at the Four Seasons would consider spritzing either, believe me.

The pool attendants will, however, spritz the face and extremities of pool guests if desired.

crazy4Hawaii

Thanks for the clarification, Ted. You should try tipping better. Just kidding...

TedTurner

LOL.....nice comeback on that one.
Maybe you were subconsciously thinking of Las Vegas hotels.

mzambo

This is not a simple answer, the poster needs to tell us more of what they like to do, their budget (come on most of us do have a budget) their age has alot to do with it too. Wailea is too far away from Lahaina, Kaanapali is much closer to all the action and imho is better for younger people. The Sheraton and the Hyatt are great choices.