Tonight is my last night in Hawaii, tomorrow night me and my family will head home. We had a wonderful 18-day trip that began at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, then Oahu staying at the JW Ihilani, and finished at the Andaz Wailea.

This is a new hotel and there are some things to work out. Yes, there is construction happening at the villas and at Morimoto's. There is noise from this construction. There are a lot of staff members serving a small number of guests. This is an expensive area and prices do reflect what I anticipate and commonly see at high-end hotels.

The property is beautiful and sits on a wonderful beach. In fact the beach makes me wonder why I ever stayed in Lahina or Kanapali. There is nice snorkeling at the hotel (straight out from the beach ~30 yrds then head left there is a nice reef). The pools have a lot of seating and with the small number of guests the tiers offer a lot of privacy. As we traveled with my wife, 2 year old daughter, nanny, and myself we found the suite to be comfortable. The furnishings and overall design of the room, common spaces, and pool are all very nice.

While there was a lot of staff on duty they each were friendly and caring AND genuinely wanted to assist. There are some staff who are efficient and did their job well and there was staff who were top notch. My daughter is very outgoing and happy to offer an "Aloha" and high-five to everyone. Many staff members looked out for her and sometimes even "prepared" for her by having a flower, crayons, or something else special pre-set or waiting. We love the GH Kauai and the wonderful staff there, but no one (even the waitress we had four days in a row at the pool) remembered her or went out of their way for her. Want to make a mom and dad feel special? Take care of their kids.

We met a number of guests at the property who shared similar positive thoughts of their experience. The Andaz Wailea will hit their stride and work through any kinks that exist. IT will be on our list of hotels to return to. Their vibe is warm and modern that is targeted for upscale guests looking for something other than a Ritz Carlton or St. Regis experience.

I will share more detail when I return home, for now I am going to get some rest so we can enjoy our last day tomorrow.