Kiwi Flyer

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ARCHIVE THREAD for Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

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Kiwi Flyer
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UsernameChuck

Tbc, the idea was to pack an appliance or two from home, and go to Costco for groceries. If we did this, we could get our 2 diamond breakfasts to go and eat in room, supplemented by whatever we bring from the outside.

Cledaybuck

Yeah, but where are you going to store a bunch of Costco sized things in a hotel room? Mini fridges are pretty small.

HawkeyeFlyer

I am all for trying to be cost conscious but some of these ideas are just extreme to me. You booked a vacation at a Waldorf-Astoria property in one of the most expensive cities to vacation in the United States and then are trying to find ways to bring in cheap appliances to make sandwiches in the room. Just does not make sense to me I guess. Maui is expensive, the Waldorf is expensive, they have a captive audience and they know it.....you should know it to

UsernameChuck

A fair point... as you might suspect, it's booked with free nights and points, as are the flights etc. We aren't the target demographic for this hotel. I'm fairly sure the rack rate would exceed whatever we'll have in the bank. But to your point, P2 will get self-conscious about cost-cutting unless I find a way to do it with style. We should have some resort credits to work with, hoping to use those for sandwiches / some drinks around the pools. But if we could avoid spending hundreds on dinners for 3 nights, would be very good.

drewdawg199

There are also multiple offsite restaurants that are within walking distance or a short car ride, as well as the ABC store and grocery store.

happyxix

My question would be... whats the point of going to Maui (not even this hotel) if you are going to eat sandwiches in the room? There are cheaper beaches elsewhere. Food is pricy in Maui but it is not unreasonable. One of my favorite places in Maui (https://eskimocandy.com/menu/) costs about $15 per person and you get some delicious local seafood.

Don't eat in the hotel as that is typically never worth it, and buy some alcohol from Costco. Maui has so much to offer (without breaking the bank), that making burgers in the hotel room is almost.. insulting to the island.

Jailer

+1.

And if you are craving a burger walk over to Cheeseburgers in Paradise at the Shops at Wailea. Nice vibe, and they even have a two egg breakfast special with coffee for about $8.

UsernameChuck

Thanks for the tip! I suppose you are asking it as a rhetorical question... I take your point, but there's no limiting principle to it. What's the point of going to Kauai without taking a helicopter ride? What's the point of flying economy class? We all have limitations: limited vacation days, limited funds, physical limitations... I look for ways to take my family on vacations for free(ish) despite a job that doesn't support expensive habits. And the kids aren't adventurous eaters.

If you are asking an actual question of why GW, we'll be in Kauai for 9 days, which is more our vibe. Maui was just 4K southwest points away, we had the points and nights to stay for free, and there are direct flights from OGG to ORD. To be honest, I've been thinking of the trip as 9 days exploring Kauai and 3 days in and around GW... We might not get to explore the island at all. But after days of muddy hikes on Kauai, it might be a good contrast.

That said, I appreciate these suggestions, if we find good restaurant options (esp if we don't end up with a rental car), we might not need that panini maker.

Beachchaser

Thanks for the suggestion, I am absolutely visiting this gem when I visit maui in 2021!

BrlDsguise

You can get a 10 oz burger with a scoop of potato salad at Da Kitchen takeout in nearby Kihei for about $10.

gaobest

And luckily there are so many great eateries and markets near GW within a 15-minute Walk. Factor 5 min walking from room to the main road or beach for the journey :-)

we have a car rental and definitely drive to Kihei and Wailea for food etc; no need for room cooking but there is a very high level of dining choices :-)

looking forward to our April visit...

wally5505

Seconding what gaobest just said! There are some good food choices at the GW, but the little shopping mall place can be accessed via a little walking path along the side of the front entrance of the GW (opposite side of the parking garage) and there are some really nice places to eat. Some of them are "chain" type places like Ruth's Chris, Tommy Bahama, etc., but there are some cool places. Tommy Bahama's Happy Hour had a lot of really cool food choices, too.

The best place, in my opinion, by suuuuuch a long shot was Lahaina Grill. You obviously have to drive to Lahaina, but it is fun driving up there and checking things out along the way. The wait staff, the food, the atmosphere...absolutely wonderful. It was my wife's birthday and they brought out a piece of their awesome berry pie and a hand-signed, personalized card, which was fantastic and unexpected (I am not one to even mention special occasions out of fear of people doing some clappy happy song and everyone looking, lol). It is a bit pricey, but very well worth it.

jphripjah

I will also add that there's an (obvious) "short cut" from the main entrance to the main road when walking that saves a few minutes. People should keep an eye out for it.

Edit - ah wally5505 just mentioned it

There's also an excellent new Thai restaurant called My Thai Maui near the airport which is a great place to stop for lunch if you have a late afternoon flight out of Maui.

Cardboard55

Tommy Bahama is a chain, but I will say that I've been pleasantly surprised with the food quality every time we've gone there. It consistently exceeds my expectations.