CCIE_Flyer

I dunno. Unless this property has done some serious upgrading in the last handful of years, the on-site offerings were the single biggest disappointed for me - their cocktails were, shall we say, "corporate," their food was downright inedible, and that pretty much leaves the limited-option coffee shop to grab some light stuff in the mornings. After learning our lesson early on, we went to nearby hotels for meals or went out somewhere nearby - by day two, it wasn't even a consideration that we would dine or drink at any of the offerings on this otherwise beautiful (but quite mature) property.

Entirely possible they've undergone a major renovation since my last stay (2010, 2011?), but I didn't see anybody mentioning that in this thread, so I thought I'd speak up.

AJDem

Yep, they went through a pretty expensive renovation project since 2015. It's supposed to be finish up this December, which is another reason we are headed there! Going to check out how the new place is, we've heard good things from friends who went recently, and although they haven't finished, they said the new pool area/amenities and rooms were excellent!

BarryL

I was there last December. The main pool area was under heavy construction.

I've stayed here many times over the years. It's a decent resort. I agree the food is just okay. You'll never get upgraded, just count on that. Parking is no longer included in their bogus $30/day resort fee.

The infinity pool is nice.

escapefromphl

My feeling is it's pretty much on par with the Sheraton, Westin & Hyatt resorts on the island. +1 on the upgrade, expect the room you book will be the one you stay in.

Need

If you are a Costco member, you could also check Costco travel and see if they have a better deal on the hotel. Costco sometime have hotel package that includes room upgrade with breakfast which you cannot normally get at Hawaii even with hotel status.

VickiSoCal

I've booked the standard room 3 times and been upgraded to partial or full ocean view every time.

homeyG

Hi there,

I'm also staying at this resort in early January. It will be for our honeymoon, any tips on how to ask for upgrades? First time in Hawaii.

Marko123

What are you looking to get out of the cabana? I ask because I think they are all at the "family" pool and I'd rather spend my time at the "adult only" pool, which is the infinity pool. They have a few cabana-looking things there but I wouldn't pay that much just to have a roof.

We were there in June and there was still plenty of construction so if that is still going on maybe you can get a room close to it for a discount if you're ok with dealing with the raucous.

We really liked this nearby restaurant: http://www.monkeypodkitchen.com/wailea/
It seemed like a lot of locals were there so that was a nice change.

Skip the Starbucks breakfast one morning and go here instead: http://www.kiheicaffe.com/about.html
It's kind of a hole-in-the-wall breakfast place with a lot of outside seating.

windhund

The adult pool has a few cabanas. I think the cost was around $200 a day for those, and they include some fruit. They used to throw in two drinks with the cost of the reservation, but I don't think they do anymore. The loungers they have in the cabana have padded cushions, so they are much more comfortable than the regular loungers. The amount of shade or sun you get will vary, though, and you won't be in the shade all day. That said, I enjoyed it as a treat one day when the SO and I visited previously.

Island Gourmet (a separate building next to the Shops at Wailea) has breakfast and lunch/dinner available too, if you want to take something back to your room to eat:
https://www.abcstores.com/island-gou...rkets---wailea

BarryL

I find Costco has great rates on rentals (Avis), but never tried hotels.

Question- For Costco bookings at Marriott, do we get points / benefits? I'm not sure you do, as I recall Expedia bookings no longer offer points.

SkiAdcock

You would get points for incidental spend, but not points for the room nor night credit.

Cheers.

Need

I almost did the Costco booking when for my RC Aruba trip. Costco price was actually slightly better, but no points for the room. Don't need night credit. And since it is RC, no points incidental either way. If I did the Costco package, I will miss out about 45K points so I didn't. I think the Costco deal was like $200 cheaper.. but 45K points are worth more than $200 for me.

The only thing is that I read on tripadvisor that people on Costco vacation get upgraded often even without status. I wonder if Costco trumps Plat status.

CCIE_Flyer

Ah, good deal. Please be sure and give us a full report on your return - might put it back on the list of potential places to redeem points...

cmculp

They completed a nice grounds reno last winter adding a new infinity pool (1 of 3 pools) a new pool bar and some minor grounds refreshes. Currently in progress (though largely complete) is a refresh of the room furnishings, carpeting and decor.

It is no longer dated thou it retains the "old Hawaii" feel.

Disagree about the food comments- the food is excellent though resort level priced. Monkeypod and 808-Bistro help here.

Also, I have stayed here 20-30 times over the past decade. A short stay and non-full hotel always = upgrade, but recently enough rooms have been blocked for reno that you likely need to pay for what you really want.

Next stay in January...

CCIE_Flyer

I doubt a new property could be built so close to the water in modern times, so this will always be a real gem so long as they keep it up-to-date. I'm really looking forward to getting back and having a look for myself at some point soon...