dallasnewsman

July 22
W Honolulu

AA flight 5 arrived in HNL around 12:30 p.m. After securing the Olds Intrigue from Alamo, (I need 1 credit for WN Rapid Reward ticket, and this was half of one - Maui rental the other half) we went direct to Waikiki. I lived in Honolulu in the early 90s -- and not far from the present-day W either, so I pretty much knew where I was going. I read on an earlier post here that the W is a little hard to find and somewhat tucked away. I saw the silver W and flags in front and pulled in.

This room was booked on W's website as an "Internet-Only Rate" in February for $226. I booked the "ocean view" category, and added my SPG number, but knew the view might be somewhat obstructed since the W is about a block or so off the ocean. The W here appealed to me because of its size (48 rooms total, I think) and because it was away from the Waikiki circus.

It should also be noted that this is my first stay at a W. I have friends who have stayed in them in various cities, and read numerous posts here so I was eager to give it a spin.

Back to the arrival. Two 20-somethings in short-sleeved black shirts and khaki pants swooped in from the valet desk when we arrived. We went to the lobby which, in a word, could be described as minimalist. The furnishings were very tasteful, and it's somewhat refreshing to check in at a place that doesn't look or feel like a hotel. It was about 2:00, and I knew we might be pushing it for an early check-in. Michelle the desk clerk/reservation manager, said, "Well, I have some good news and bad news. The bad news is your room isn't ready. The good news is you've been upgraded to a suite." We were happy to receive the upgrade and happier still that she let us store our luggage after we changed into swimsuits for a drive up to Makapu'u Beach on the east side of the island.

We returned about 4:00, and were escorted to our suite by the 20-something guy who valet parked the car. He said he would swipe my card in-room and we'd be set. I have never been taken to my room by the valet parker (who also played the role of bellman), but I suppose this is part of their plan. Our luggage was already in the room.

Folks, this was no upgrade. This was an uprgade of the highest order.

We took the elevator to 12, then went through a private door, walked up a set of inside stairs to our door which read DIAMOND HEAD SUITE. We almost fainted after going in here. This was about the coolest hotel room (suite) I have ever stayed in. The penthouse took up the entire top floor of the W. It has a 360-degree view of the island, a balcony (lanai) that wraps around three-fourths of the suite, and some truly fine features and furniture with nice teak furniture on two different sides of the balcony. The suite was two bedrooms (the master suite was HUGE), two and a half baths, a functional kitchen, a large living/dining area, and a sitting area with fax machine and couch looking west toward Waikiki. Internet booking shows this room going for $1,500 per night.

This link will take you to W's website, but will show a small-ish picture of the master bedroom for our suite.

http://www.whotels.com/cities/honolulu/index_rooms.html

After walking around checking out the place, another 20-something came in carrying a huge silver ice bucket with a bottle of good (and complimentary) champagne (don't remember the brand) and two glasses. After finishing off most of the bottle and showering, we rode the elevator down to the second floor for our 7:00 p.m. reservation at the Diamond Head Grille.

Things seemed a little slow at the DHG, and I suppose this was due to it being a Sunday night. I have read that this is one of the places to see and be seen in Honolulu, so Friday and Saturdays are probably a lot busier. Service was excellent, and the food was great. Portions were huge.

It's rare to get this type of upgrade and service at any hotel, and W has just made a repeat customer out of me.

July 23-July 27
KSL's Grand Wailea - Maui

Several friends of ours have stayed here in the past couple of years, and I have read a lot on it, so I pretty much knew what to expect.

After gettting our Alamo Jeep at OGG, we were off for the 30-minute drive down to Wailea. Check-in was relatively quick, and an indifferent bellman led us to the Chapel Wing and room 2028. This property is almost too big. It took us a day or so just to figure out where everything was, and I still think we may have missed something. The room was large enough, with a partial ocean view, a nice view of the grounds and the white wedding chapel. While everything in the room was in great shape, it still felt a little "used" to me. Nothing that I could put my finger on exactly, just a little "used," that's all. But for over $400 a night, I want a really crisp room. No matter, though.

Here are some random notes about the place I made while on the flight back:

*On an earlier post, someone had mentioned a "polite indifference" from the staff. That seemed true, though I think a large reason for that might be the sheer size of the property. It might be a little much to expect a high level of attention.

*You should know that there are a LOT of families with children at the Grand Wailea. That never presented a problem as there is an adults-only pool area and many of the activities related to children are on a separate part of the grounds.

*Food at the two resort restaurants where we dined was good, but nothing truly remarkable. Their large breakfast buffet is outside on the balcony. Food was good, but it had that buffet-temperature to it. We had much better food at Maui restaurants away from the resort. (Mama's Fish House, Hali'imaile General Store, etc.)

*If you stay down in Wailea, you really almost have to rent a car. There are only a few restaurants and shopping areas within walking distance, but there are many, many places to see that require a drive.

*We drove to road to Hana and took the southern/Upcountry road back. It made for a long day, but the drive was great and the scenery beats any views we might have here in Dallas.

*The resort fee of $12 per day really irked me. They give you a card to tell you what you're paying for (in-room safe, local and 1-800 access, golf club storage and the like) but these are all things any nice resort should include in the price. I spent about 20 minutes going round and round with the hotel operator and front desk over the inability to use my Southwestern Bell calling card (a 1-800 number) from my in-room phone. It worked fine from a lobby pay phone, but not my room. They said since their carrier was AT&T, it was AT&T's fault that I could not access it. Southwestern Bell customer service said there was no issue with a Hawaii-to-mainland call, and the problem was with the resort. The pay phones were Verizon. They allowed me to make a couple of long distance calls from my room at their expense. They handled this well, but I have a sneaking suspicion that some calling card access numbers are intentionally blocked.

Would I stay at the Grand Wailea again? Doubtful. I did like the resort amenities, pool setting and general feel of the place, but it's a "been-there-done-that" kind of thing. It was very expensive (and I know Maui is expensive anyway) and I think for that kind of money I might do something else next time.

EXPLAT

The food at Hali'imaile General Store is great. The ribs especially!!!

Wow, the Diamond Head suite at the W, now when you go back you will be disappointed if you don't get that room again. Did it make it hard to venture out of the room with all the great amenities!

Try the Four Seasons if you like Wailea or the Hyatt in Kaanapali or Kapalua Bay Hotel in Kapalua past Kaanapali. Alfred--