My wife, daughter, and I spent a wonderful week in room 7123 and can’t wait to get back.
We arrived around midnight and were greeted with a welcome beverage and leis. The nice folks then loaded our luggage onto a golf cart and drove us to our room. We were pretty spent from a long travel day, and quite relieved to find a very comfortable bed waiting for us.
Our room was of the “partial ocean view” variety, but I’m pretty sure quite a few other resorts would have left off the “partial”. We had a great view from the first floor (pic included).
The next morning was our first experience with breakfast at Humble Market Kitchin (yes, that’s how it’s spelled). We were fortunate enough to have Kate as our server. She was so great we asked for her every morning. She learned our drink orders, took great care of us, and gave us great recommendations for cheap and free things to do around the island. In the off chance you read this, Kate, you’re a superstar!
The breakfast buffet was really good, with changing offerings each day. My daughter particularly liked the mochi waffles and pancakes, and the bacon was always perfectly crisp. We ended up eating there every day aside from one when we had a very early start.
That first full day was one of relaxing by the pool. Since our daughter (10) was with us, we spent essentially all of our time at the Nalu Adventure Pool. It has four water slides, including the longest one on Maui. There’s also a full service bar, plenty of shade, and poolside dining service from the nearby Mo Bettah food truck.
Near the Nalu pool is a pavilion with a ping pong table. My daughter dragged me over there several times for a game. She was determined to beat me on our last day there, but we arrived to find that somebody had lost the ball. I went to the bar to see if they had more. I’ve got to give a big shout out to Maliko (I sure hope I’m spelling that right) at the analysis pool bar. He got right on the phone and had somebody bring us some ping pong balls in a matter of minutes. Thanks to some creative scorekeeping, the kid was finally able to beat me.
We also had dinner from Luigi’s Andiamo Pizza one night. It was great, and bigger than we expected. We all got our own pie, but could have easily gone with just two of them.
Our last night there we ate at Kapa near the ‘Ohi Pools. The pan seared daily catch (blue marlin that particular night) was fantastic. It was perfectly cooked fish, tender gnocchi, and vegetables with a very well balanced lemon and caper sauce.
From check in to check out, everybody we encountered was friendly, helpful, and an embodiment of Aloha spirit. The grounds of the hotel are well kept, clean, and very user friendly. It is a large resort, but the buildings are spaced and angled in a way that make it feel much smaller and more intimate. That said, the abundant hills and stairs may present challenges from those with mobility issues. Given the number of golf carts on hand, though, I’d imagine they’d be happy to help shuttle folks around if necessary.
We kept ourselves pretty busy while on the island, so there were some things at the resort we didn’t get to check out. Whale’s Tale coffee is right down by the water. It looks like a great place to have a cup of coffee with a ln ocean view. We also didn’t get to go to the Te Au Moana luau. Our rom did have a view of the luau grounds, though, and it definitely looked like a good time. Since the kiddo was along for this trip, we didn’t get to take advantage of the Maluhia pool or Olakino Wellness experience. That just sounds like an excuse to go back!
I’d highly recommend Wailea Beach Resort if you’re heading to Maui. It’s in a great location for beach going, shopping (right next door) and relaxing. It’s the perfect home base for exploring the island. The people and property were fantastic, and I’d absolutely love to return.
In the interest of not sounding like an ad, I should probably issue a couple of very minor warnings. First, the air conditioning in the room was…adequate at best. It seemed to always be warmest at night in our room. I’m more sensitive to that that a lot of people, though. If you are too, I’d recommend bringing a fan.
Secondly, our building (Hale 7) was right next to the luau grounds. It looked and sounded like a great time. If you’re an early to bed type who’s sensitive to noise, though, it might be a good idea to request a different building. It was never an issue for us, but I can see how it might be for others. Neither of those things would impact my decision to stay again or to recommend it to others. This is a fantastic place to stay and play at a great value. If I have anything to say about it, we’ll be back in the future.
