Milezjunkie

You should absolutely book elsewhere. While you're in Maui check out the hotel so you can book next time. But definitely don't book in March!

nnn

I was told by phone that there are three cabanas at the main pool, no charge, first come first serve. Not sure if there are other cabanas elsewhere, or if they come with a charge.

welch

And I was told, on property, that there's a $200.00 per day charge for the cabanas but that includes lunch "made in the cabana", whatever that means. It also included soft drinks.

Unless this policy has rapidly changed, it should be verified before you count on gratis cabana use. I'm guessing there's a reason no one was in them.

nnn

I'll say my cabana info above was given by the woman who answers the main hotel phone, so take what she said with a grain of salt.

jean9nine

Just checked in a few hours ago and the views are gorgeous. The pictures don't do it justice. All the staff we've come in contact with have been wonderful. Chose points for the diamond amenity at check in after finding out that the only other option for today's amenity is "pork rillettes with mango chutney" and no wine or other beverage included. When we got to our room we found the pork rillettes already waiting for us as a gift for my husband's birthday, and although the gesture was appreciated, after sampling it we were glad we had chosen the points amenity.
Late check out was not mentioned during check in so I called downstairs to confirm it. The woman who answered politely told me I would need to call back the evening before departure because the room we are occupying is already booked. Not at all surprising given the location that this place may be classified as a resort and thus late checkout is not guaranteed for Diamonds, but the property is not listed on http://www.hyattresorts.com and I don't know where else resort status can be verified.

jisaac

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.

FD1971

Unfortunately, most of the Andaz properties never made it to that point resulting in rather disappointing reviews and nothing more than solid 3-4 star properties and without any real chance to be more, e.g. being closer to the quality of service offered by a Park Hyatt.

salvag

Past performance of OTHER Andaz properties is certainly no guarantee of future results of THIS Andaz. Pessimistic much?

jisaac

That's a sad outlook you've chosen. I'll return next Summer and have little doubt this property will be a solid choice running very well. They have a great team and a lot riding on the success of this hotel.

m0hamed

We're checking in tomorrow and will do a full TR.

Meanwhile I look at it this way. I expect a W hotel with better service. This is not a Park Hyatt and is not a St Regis (where we currently are). It also means that with low expectations that I can be pleasantly surprised or even wowed.

We all know that Andaz's aren't great with the GP Program and generally have to educate them, but this is a new property, it looks stunning and we're rather excited!

Ancien Maestro

Sounds like no charge, no cabana YMMV

Its a cozy high end boutique hotel. Expect excellent service without a doubt on a part of the Hawaiian islands that's considered heaven on earth best location. Just remember with a smaller hotel comes limited amenities compared to larger hotels.

My wife to be honest didn't want me to book next year, although without a doubt I would definitely like to try it out. So we'll see if we tack on top of the 28 nights I've booked at GHK and HR Waikiki.

FD1971

If the international division of Hyatt does not manage to get the Andaz hotels running, I have serious doubts about the US, even if the US Andaz´ are managed by Hyatt International like their US Park Hyatt counterparts.

But maybe I did not understand the concept just yet.

What I have read so far, sounds like a 3 Diamond property with some design features priced like a 5 Diamond property.

Somebody has called that ´typical for Hawaii´.

I call it typical for Andaz properties.

Will be there next month, but probably just for a night or two, the former Hyatt, the Grand Wailea is a tough competitor.

Maybe they manage to have some cushions for the chairs on the balcony by then.

m0hamed

We checked in yesterday for a week. So far we've had a great time.

Check in agent Ben was spectacular. I left my credit card at the ABC store up the road, and when he went to check us in I realised I'd left it there. He rang them and I drove back up to get it where the manager held it in the safe (I figured it was quicker for me to drive our car that was still out the front).

He kept my husband company for 20 mins or so, and when I got back gave us every piece of information we wanted to know, including local gay venues. He gave us a tour of the resort and was extremely welcoming and cheerful.

We had 2 reservations, first night on GP points, other six nights on the WAILEA rate code with a suite upgrade. It appeared that they hadn't merged the reservations and when I told Ben that we had a room move he disappeared out the back and sorted out for us to have the suite for the whole week. Major plus.

The suite is on the top floor and has spectacular views. The hotel is stunning, and the feed of a very high standard.

As for the above post about the 'Andaz farm,' the property sources local fruits, vegetables and meats from a local farm. It is not an Andaz farm, but on the other side of Maui and another sign of the property supporting local businesses.

Will post more after we check out but the hotel takes the environment and supporting local suppliers and staff very seriously.

There are no issues with the lights or blinds for us at all. The music at the bar is live, acoustic and very good. It tends to quieten down around 9:15PM, however with the balcony doors shut it's not an issue.

The GM introduced himself on our second day and we met his delightful wife. I told him he should be very proud and he knows of FT!

Overall, I would not hesitate to stay here. For us it beats the St Regis Princeville by far.

RTW1

These comments really crack me up.... It's an island, where else do you think they get the majority of their fresh products if they can help it :-). But it's good PR.

m0hamed

Perhaps, but we're foodies and the food is gourmet and upscale.