Originally Posted by Nash_Andrew

I’ll structure this review a little differently and provide overall impressions, pluses and minuses, and some tips. There are also a few photos at the end.

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at the Wailea Beach Resort and would absolutely return to the property. This hotel is a little unusual in that it’s technically a Marriott (Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott, or Wailea Beach Resort by Marriott, were the two most common ways it seemed to be styled) but if you didn’t look too closely you’d probably never identify it as a Marriott property. Much of the branding never mentions Marriott at all. Quite frankly, it would probably be better suited as a JW Marriott or Le Meridien resort. It’s just nicer than your typical Marriott and definitely has much more style to it.

To provide general context, the property is smack in the middle of the Wailea resort. This is in the best part of the island in my opinion. It’s the driest area, which matters if you’re going during the winter (wet) season and is also closer to the airport than Kapalua or Ka’anapaali. Wailea seems to be the nicest resort on the island overall. From north to south you have: Andaz, a condo complex, Wailea Beach Resort, a condo complex, the Grand Wailea (Waldorf Astoria), Four Seasons, a large condo complex, and the Fairmont. So our subject property is right in the middle of the action. It’s perfectly suited because you can walk anywhere along the beach part if you’re wanting to visit the other resorts for dinner or a drink, you can walk to the adjacent mall if you need to shop or stop at the market, and you’re close to the other dining/shopping options in Wailea (could walk or drive depending on your tolerance for long walks). The resort was formerly the Intercontinental and I am told it was the first resort in Wailea. As such its buildings are much closer to the water than at the other properties. Some rooms are legitimately 25 feet or so from the rocks at the water’s edge – not possible at any other hotel in Wailea.

Even though it is the oldest property in Wailea, you largely wouldn’t know it due to a truly top-to-bottom reno in 2016ish. As mentioned above the property feels less like a Marriott and more like a Le Meridien or a sleek new JW Marriott. Frankly, it doesn’t feel very Hawaiian, though this didn’t really bother me. However if you are truly looking for a Hawaiian feel you probably won’t like their design choices. If you took the art off the walls, the rooms could be anywhere. We were booked in a Garden View room which I believe to be the lowest category. No upgrade as a platinum – we were told the property was not only 100% occupied but oversold. As we were staying over Valentines/President’s Day not surprising. The room was large, tiled floor, shower only with nice fixtures, great lighting in bathroom, large balcony – no complaints but also nothing that wows you. The gym was also a highlight, lots of machines, several Peloton bikes, new equipment – really enjoyed working out there.

One of my biggest complaints about the property’s physical plant would be the lack of a lobby bar. Not sure how you design a hotel of this size and stature without a lobby lounge. To be clear – the lobby is beautiful (see pic below), open air, very pleasant. But no way to get a drink or a snack. To do that you have to go into the separate restaurant areas. Speaking of, there are two restaurants (Humble Market Kitchen and Kapa). The former is off the lobby, totally enclosed, and is a celebrity chef, 3-meal-per-day affair. The latter serves lunch and dinner, open air and next to the all ages pool, until 8pm. Like all of Wailea the prices at these restaurants are heart-attack expensive – was recently at the Ritz in Miami and the prices were lower. A standard pool burger is $24 to give you an idea. There’s also a Starbucks in the lobby, a great waterside drinks and quick bites shack called Whales Tale, and a pool bar and food truck next to the adventure (read: kids) pool.

Some quick thoughts: The great thing about this resort is it works equally well for couples and families, which is hard to do. This is achieved by having a totally separated adventure pool with waterslides, water features, etc on the property’s south end. This is a kid heaven and has lots of nice shady spots next to the bar for the onlooking adults. The adult pool is one of the best I’ve experienced… multi-tiered seating, large very nice umbrellas, and a very big infinity pool with cabanas. Excellent drink and food service – Terri at this pool may be the best employee at the resort, and you get the feeling she’s been serving generations of people at this pool (she told me she’d worked there 25 years). The “all ages” pool is next to the Kapa grill closest to the lobby and is a nice mix of ages with an infinity pool and good overall setup/vibe. One nitpick would be the adult pool has no hot tub… while the all ages area has two.

There are a few total cheapout moves this resort tries to pull which seriously hurt the experience. Don’t call me twice during the stay to sell me on a timeshare… come on. The resort fee is beyond outrageous at $35/day and providing close to zero value. I’ll post a pic of the “benefits” card below but it’s laughable. 15% discount on laundry, unlimited phone calls, etc. Again, come on… throw in the self park ($30/day separate charge providing what literally must be the world’s narrowest parking spaces) and I’d stop complaining. The “platinum breakfast” causes more problems than it solves by giving you a small coffee, pre-ordained pastry, and small fruit cup at Starbucks. You can sort of use it as a credit, but only on other items of the same type – i.e. you can get a bigger coffee or a different pastry and use it as a credit, but trying to get a different drink type or hot sandwich wouldn’t allow the credit. They should make it more straightforward and make it a specific dollar amount credit at Starbucks or Whale’s Tale and leave it at that. As structured it just angers guests and slows down the Starbucks line.

There were also some service nitpicks – forgot our laundry, got a call about a leak in our room but couldn’t talk to anyone about it so had to rush back to the hotel hoping our stuff wasn’t soaked… but then there wasn’t actually a leak in the room, just in the hallway wall into rooms below us. A massive pile of dirty towels and no water in the coolers in the gym. Stuff that wouldn’t bother you as much at a lower-end resort but when a garden view room goes for $500 plus resort fee it’s just not acceptable.

Overall, even with the above small issues I’d go back here in a heartbeat. The views and location can’t be beat and the hotel is very nice. We went to the Ritz for drinks one day and that property is in much worse shape (and I’d argue a worse location) than this one… no way I’d choose it over the Wailea Beach Resort. A great place for families and couples alike and perfect spot for a short or long trip to Maui.

A couple other tips: If you’re Maui for anything longer than a couple days, definitely rent a car. You’ll wish you had one. We went to the luau down the beach at the Grand Wailea called Honua'lua - it was excellent and worthwhile. Also, you gotta eat at Mama’s Fish House on the north side of the island. It was the best meal we had the whole trip.

Below, note the pool image is of the adult pool.

[pictures removed for readability since they are easily seeable in the original quoted post]