Hotel Review: Wailea Beach Resort
Hotel Review: Wailea Beach Resort
The Wailea Beach Resort is a stunning oceanfront hotel offering a perfect location for relaxing and exploring the beautiful island of Maui. We have stayed here twice in the past few years and love coming back to enjoy the amazing amenities this hotel has to offer.
You can read more about our most recent trip to Maui here: Just Got Back: Maui Family Travel Itinerary
If you have not been to Maui, I highly recommend planning a trip to the Valley Isle, as there truly is something for everyone to enjoy and experience here. Maui is beloved for its world famous beaches, the sacred Iao Valley, views of migrating humpback whales during the winter months, farm-to-table cuisine and taking in spectacular sunrises and sunsets from all across the island, especially above the clouds at Haleakala.
Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands and has been voted "Best Island in the U.S." by Conde Nast Traveler readers for more than 20 years and once you visit, it's not surprising not to see why it holds that distinction.
Hotel Overview
The Wailea Beach Resort is a Marriott brand hotel situated on 22 oceanfront acres and is the only resort in Maui 44 steps from the ocean’s edge where the most vibrant reef is located.
Situated between sunny Kihei and the beautiful beaches of Makena, Wailea is the perfect place to stay at on Maui if you're looking for luxury resorts, high-end shopping, golfing, or just a relaxing day at one of the many beautiful beaches here.
In Wailea, the resort is nestled between Ulua Beach and Wailea Beach and while there is easy access to either beach, it is good to know that the property does not sit directly on the beach. The area immediately in front of the resort is rocky and home to a vibrant reef system.
When first arriving to the resort, you'll be greeted by an open-air lobby featuring spectacular ocean views, a water feature, areas to lounge around in and a grass area perfect for kids to play in.
Amenities you'll enjoy on property during your stay here include:
- Three Distinct Pool Experiences
- Adult’s-only Maluhia Pool is a stunning infinity edge pool overlooking the ocean
- Nalu Adventure Pool featuring the longest resort waterslides in Maui and a Scuba Pool
- Ohi Pools that sit oceanfront with great views, an infinity edge and plenty of lounge chairs.
- Mandara Spa
- 3 Award-Winning Golf Courses
- The Shops at Wailea with lots of shopping & dining within a 2 minute stroll from the hotel
- Private Cinema
- Two Adjacent White Sand Beaches
- Award-winning cuisine by celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi
- GameSpace featuring board games, video games, arcade, foosball, shuffleboard and billiards
- Keiki Club for ages 5 to 12
- Resort water sports activities: Scuba classes, surfing & SUP, outrigger canoeing
- Cultural activities: Hula, ukulele, Hawaiian games, arts & crafts
- Te Au Moana luau is an authentic Polynesian luau held oceanfront
Accommodations
The resort features 547 spacious guest rooms, including 56 suites, with an ocean inspired theme that offer Garden Views, Partial Ocean Views, Ocean Views, and rooms featuring expansive lanai's in the Sundeck Collection.
Rooms feel spacious and feature a minimalist decor by design with tile floors, wood accents and a uniquely crafted wooden hanger for your lei. For our most recent stay here, we were in a ground floor two Queen bed room just outside the Nalue Adventure Pool, which was amazing for the kids. They loved the easy access from our back patio to the pools.
Dining
There are so many great places to eat in Maui that it’s best to pack your appetite and make meals a big part of your trip. Maui offers some of the best dining choices in all of Hawaii and many different options, ranging from trendy food trucks to amazing 5-Star dining locales.
On-site dining options at the Wailea Beach Resort offer a great selection of distinctive menus featuring locally sourced Maui ingredients ranging from from romantic private candlelit oceanfront experiences to casual, poolside food-truck offerings.
- Humble Market Kitchin
- KAPA Bar & Grill
- Whale's Tale
- Mo' Bettah Food Truck
- NALU Pool Bar
- Sunsets Bar
- Starbucks
- Te Au Moana Luau
Overall Impression
We love coming back to the Wailea Beach Resort, as I feel it is the best family hotel in Wailea. We have stayed at other hotels in Wailea and while the other options in Wailea are very nice (and pricey), the Wailea Beach Resort just feels more family-friendly and offers more amenities for families. Also, sicne it is a Marriott property and we have Bonvoy status, it just makes sense for us to utilize the benefits and get more value from our stay.
One thing to note is that this hotel is one of the most popular redemption options for Marriott Bonvoy points and elite member benefits here can be hit or miss (depending on occupancy) based on our experience. Room upgrades may be hard to come by, so if there is a particular room category you want, it is best to book it and not rely on any upgrades at check-in.
Also, in my opinion, the breakfast benefit here is severely lacking for being a full service Marriott resort, but I do understand why they don't offer more, as they get a very high number of Platinum/Titanium/Ambassador members here. Other than two small complaints, the Wailea Beach Resort checks every box that someone would be looking for at a resort in Maui.
Related Posts
- The Ultimate Maui Travel Guide: Where to Stay, What to do, Where to Eat and Shop!
- Review: Te Au Moana Luau at the Marriott Wailea Beach Resort on Maui
- Marriott STARS and Marriott Luminous Hotels in Hawaii
- Exclusive Marriott STARS & Marriott Luminous Special Offers for Maui
