Best Hotels in Wailea, Maui: I’ve Stayed at Every Resort in Wailea…Here’s How They All Rank
There’s a lot you can say about where to stay in Maui, which side of the island is best, which resorts are best for families, for honeymooners, for visitors on a budget, for luxury splurges, etc. and I’ve pretty much hashed it all out on this blog.
BUT…I’m going to go out on a limb and make a definitive statement here (at least in my PERSONAL opinion). If you can swing it, Wailea is THE place to stay on Maui.
And I’ve put my money where my mouth is, believe me. I’ve stayed at ALL of the big resorts in Wailea. So I’ve got the LOWDOWN on the best hotels in Wailea.
Located on the south side of Maui near Kihei, Wailea is home to several luxury and high end beachfront resorts, some nice condo complexes, good restaurants, an upscale outdoor mall, golf courses, tennis, and pretty much everything else you could ever want on vacation.
It’s definitely not “local,” but it’s the stuff Hawaii vacation dreams are made of.
Now, if you’ve just started researching where to stay on Maui and you’re stuck between whether Wailea (South Maui) or Ka’anapali (West Maui) is better, read this post.
But for now, let’s just talk about Wailea…
Best Hotels in Wailea
This post may contain some affiliate links, which means I’ll make a little money on anything you choose to purchase. But of course, I only recommend my absolute favorites to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that make HulaLand possible.
Here’s your warning: This post is going to get super nitty gritty. Lots of details, lots of comparisons to break down the best true luxury resorts, the best high end resorts, my favorite boutique hotel plus options for amazing condo resorts in the area.
And I’ll net it all out so you can decide which place is best depending on if you’re traveling with kids or it’s a honeymoon/adults only trip.
I’ve got pros and cons, critiques, things I love, things I don’t love…but let’s be clear…there’s not a BAD option when you’re looking at resorts in Wailea ; )
If you’re in a situation to be choosing ANY of these resorts, you’re going to have a GREAT vacation. Seriously, there’s not one place that I would say you should avoid or definitely not stay there. It’s just that some are better than others in certain ways (mostly depending on what’s important to you).
Okay, here are the parameters…in this post I’m talking about the six big resorts in Wailea:
- Grand Wailea
- Four Seasons Maui
- Andaz Maui
- Fairmont Kea Lani
- Wailea Beach Resort
- Hotel Wailea
The first five are more directly comparable. The Hotel Wailea is a bit of an outlier.
I’m not going to get into reviewing, comparing, or ranking any condo complexes here because that’s just a whole other topic. But I will list some good ones at the end of this post if that’s the direction you’re looking for.
Final Note (and a big favor to ask): If you find my blog and info AT ALL helpful, the absolute best thing you can do to help me out is to click through the links in this post. I make a small commission on your bookings and if you’re going to book a hotel anyways, it’s a WIN WIN. Thanks so much!
My Favorite Hotels in Wailea Ranked
Everybody has different opinions and things they like or don’t like, but having stayed at all the big resorts in Wailea, here is how I would rank them:
I think the Four Seasons is the gold standard, the cream of the crop, the yardstick which all other luxury resorts are measured against…especially in Wailea.
The whole place just has an “air” about it that’s hard to put your finger on but it’s the perfect intersection of over the top luxury and casual friendliness.
The adults only serenity pool is probably the best pool anywhere in Hawaii. I love a good infinity pool, but this one is over the top with the swim up bar and amazing view of Wailea Beach.
The service here is what really sets it apart. I’ve never experienced anything like it in my life.
This is also the only resort in Wailea that doesn’t charge a resort fee (or charge for cabanas around the pool-they’re first come first serve), but the overall price is $$$ and other amenities and the food options here are more of a premium than at other resorts.
Read my full review of the Four Seasons here.
You can book the Four Seasons Maui here.
The Andaz just might rank as #1 if we’re talking about the actual property, but their service isn’t quite up to par with the Four Seasons so I think that bumps it down to #2. But the style of these two resorts is so radically different that I would probably go with whichever one you’re more drawn to. The Andaz is very modern and the Four Seasons is much more traditional.
The Andaz feels a bit more out of the way since it’s down at the end of Wailea. If the beach is important to you, I think the Andaz is on the best beach in Wailea. The snorkeling is good, it’s not as crowded as others like Wailea Beach, and it’s a really long beach that’s perfect if you like to take walks.
For me, the pool set up also wins as overall best. There are three infinity pools plus a lagoon pool and a separate adults only pool over by the spa. One of the infinity pools even has a hot tub in it.
While the Four Seasons’ infinity pool is my top pool spot to be, it’s adults only and generally has limited seating for the number of people who want to be there. The Andaz infinity pools aren’t quite as good (mostly they don’t have prime views of the beach itself), but there are three of them and seating is a lot more plentiful. None of the main pool areas here are adults only but in general the Andaz attracts a lot fewer kids than the Four Seasons so it’s not super necessary.
Read my full review of the Andaz here.
You can book the Andaz here.
In my mind, while the Four Seasons and the Andaz are very comparable and within a stone’s throw of each other, there’s a lot more separation as we move down the list.
I would rank the Wailea Beach Resort as my #3 pick, but I just want to be clear that while I don’t think there’s a ton of separation between #1 and #2, there is a lot of separation between #2 and #3, if that makes sense.
Aesthetically, the Wailea Beach Resort has a modern vibe that’s more in line with the Andaz than the more traditional properties in Wailea (Four Seasons, Grand Wailea, Fairmont Kea Lani) and while it’s definitely a very high end resort, I wouldn’t call it luxury.
The property is beautiful and built on a very big scale, but it’s designed to be more of a self serve/fend for yourself set up instead of being service oriented which I think is what usually separates high end from true luxury.
I’ll be honest, what I love most about the Wailea Beach Resort is that it’s a Marriott property and since I have status with Marriott I can either cash in points to cover a very expensive stay, or at least get a nice chunk of points for my stay if I pay cash.
If the beach is of utmost importance to you, the Wailea Beach Resort isn’t directly on the beach (it stretches along a rocky bit of coastline) but it’s a short walk to two great beaches and they do chair setup at Wailea Beach.
Since it’s not “on” a beach though, they’ve got more oceanfront real estate than pretty much every other in Wailea. Pretty much every pool (except the Nalu Adventure Pool with the slides and waterfall) has ocean views which I LOVE.
The biggest draw back of this resort are the rooms. I’d rank them dead last in Wailea. They’re not bad, but they’re not good. Definitely not what you’d expect from a $1000/night resort on Maui.
Read my full review of the Wailea Beach Resort here.
You can book the Wailea Beach Resort here.
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In many ways, the Fairmont has a much stronger understated luxury vibe than the Wailea Beach Resort, but overall I’d still rank it below.
Let’s start with the strong points…I think the Fairmont Kea Lani has the best rooms in Wailea. That is, the best standard price, entry level rooms (I’m sure if you’re paying $$$ for a suite or a villa at the others they knock it out of the park). EVERY room at the Fairmont Kea Lani is actually a suite with a separate living area and that is a pretty big deal. They’ve also ALL been renovated in 2023 and they are NICE. AND pretty much every room has an ocean view or partial ocean view (except for low level rooms that aren’t going to be high enough for a view…basically, every room faces the ocean).
While I LOVE the rooms at the Fairmont, I don’t spend very much time in my room (even when I’m spending most of my time at the resort) so that doesn’t quite mean enough to me to bump it up higher on the list.
What I don’t love about the Fairmont is the pool situation. Yes, there are several pools including a water slide two of them, a swim up bar, and an adults only pool, but all of the pools are tucked up back into the resort and the resort grounds aren’t really terraced so when you’re at the pools, you’re just kind of looking up at the resort, not out at the ocean and beach.
You actually have to stroll down towards the beach pretty intentionally before you even see it.
It’s not awful, but just not my favorite. And while they’re doing a lot of renovations on the property, it’s just not quite up to the standards as some of the other places in the area. It’s definitely built in the same traditional style as the Four Seasons and the Grand Wailea, but it just doesn’t really compete with them in terms of luxury and service (Four Seasons) or scale and amenities (Grand Wailea).
But depending on the price and how much you value the room setup, it can be a very good option.
Read my full review of the Fairmont Kea Lani here.
You can book the Fairmont Kea Lani here.
I know so many people are going to be screaming at me for putting the Grand Wailea close to the bottom of my list when it’s usually talked about as “the” place to stay on Maui, but I’ve got opinions ; )
First of all, the Grand Wailea and I go waaaay back. Like, back to childhood. I used to watch this show on the Travel Channel with Samantha Brown called Great Hotels and she went to Hawaii (the most exotic place I could imagine at the time) and stayed at the fabulous Grand Wailea. I was sure it must be the nicest hotel anywhere in the world.
Fast forward to the present when I’ve made it my job to stay at luxury resorts all over Hawaii, and…I have more perspective.
So here’s the scoop…The Grand Wailea has a fiercely loyal clientele (this is the kind of place where a couple would spend their honeymoon then bring their children back years later and now their grandchildren…decades and generations of family memories!), so it’s become pretty legendary.
While it really is very Grand and impressive in scale, at its heart, the Grand Wailea is a kids hotel. It practically has its own waterpark, and it’s an absolute paradise for kids.
But here’s the deal…I don’t usually travel with kids so that’s not a huge selling point for me personally when I’m picking a place to stay.
I will be completely honest…I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this resort. I LOVE a big, comfy resort with a lot going on. But I’ve always found a stay here to fall a bit flat.
The service is lackluster (they need about 10 times as many people working here), the rooms are standard but not particularly special, it’s almost inconveniently large, and it’s usually priced as one of the most expensive hotels in Wailea.
So anyways, the Grand Wailea definitely has the “wow factor”, but for me, when I’m comparing this place to the Four Seasons next door or the Andaz (or even the Fairmont and Wailea Beach Resort), the customer services pales in comparison (but the price doesn’t ; )
So when I’m traveling without kids, this is not really an option that I’d consider in Wailea.
Read my full review of the Grand Wailea here.
You can book the Grand Wailea here.
Okay, I said earlier that the Hotel Wailea is an outlier, and it is. And that’s why I’ve put it at the bottom of this list. Also, full disclosure…I’ve been here for dinner and walked around the property but I haven’t stayed here yet.
Here’s the deal…the Hotel Wailea is a VERY upscale, small, boutique hotel on the slopes of Haleakala above Wailea.
It’s just in no way comparable to the big beach front resorts with THOUSANDS of people staying there. This feels more like a private villa estate tucked away from the prying eyes of the public haha.
It is sooooo nice, and I LOVE going there for drinks and dinner and someday I do want to do a short stay there (I can’t see wanting to stay for more than 2-3 nights) but I’m not really sure how I would insert it into this list.
It’s the only adults only hotel on Maui (16+) so if you’re honeymooning or just looking for a more intimate getaway, it’s perfect. And while it’s not on the beach (and not really within walking distance), there’s a private luxury shuttle that takes you to Wailea Beach where the hotel has chairs and umbrellas setup for guests.
In terms of luxury, it’s on par with the Four Seasons, but just a different experience. If you want a truly unique, highly personalized, design-centric experience, it fits the bill.
You can book the Hotel Wailea here.
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Best Hotels in Wailea WITH KIDS
While I don’t personally have kids, I do have a lot of kids in my life and often travel with them. So I get travel with kids. And here’s the deal…if you’re traveling with kids, my ranking pretty much flips on its ear.
You just cannot beat the Grand Wailea if you’ve got kids. This place is practically a waterpark. With nine different pools spread across different levels that are connected by a lazy river with rapids and currents, it’ll keep the kids busy for days. There’s a pretty serious water slide (must be 48” tall) plus a pool complex that includes smaller (but still pretty significant) slides, a rope swing, a white water rapid slide, a sandy beach, swim up bar, caves and so many waterfalls.
The scale of this place is just massive. Oh yeah, and it’s just steps away from a great sandy beach which usually has waves that are prime time for boogie boarding.
Everything about this place is kid friendly, and while there is an adults only pool it’s just all so kid-centric that I’m always surprised when I hear people recommend it as a honeymoon resort. It’s the #1 place to stay on Maui with kids, but close to the bottom of my list if you’re on a honeymoon.
You can book the Grand Wailea here.
I think the Wailea Beach Resort has the most low key “accessible” vibe in Wailea (i.e. people who don’t regularly stay at luxury resorts or might feel uncomfortable at a place like the Four Seasons are going to feel right at home here) and that translates well to traveling with children.
They’ve got a great kids pool area with the biggest/tallest/fastest slides on Maui plus a whole water play area and other “normal” pools besides the kids pool and the adults only pool.
The location is great and I think they’ve also got the best grab and go food options. Besides pool service, there’s a food truck by the kid’s pool plus a Starbucks in the lobby and a mini ABC Store (quick place where you can grab bottled drinks, snacks, etc.) plus you’re within walking distance to the Shops at Wailea where there’s a full ABC Store and the Island Gourmet Market which is basically a small grocery store and has a large prepared food section and even a grill where you can get breakfast, burgers, pizza, etc.
I know you don’t always want to have to order $20 grilled cheese sandwiches for kids at the pool and wait 30+ minutes for them to arrive so it’s good to have quick options.
The Wailea Beach Resort also has a really nice game room right off the lobby that’s got arcade games, air hockey, pool, foosball, etc plus things like nightly movies.
You can book the Wailea Beach Resort here.
Every room at the Fairmont is actually a suite with a separate living area which is GREAT if you have kids.
There’s a large pool area with a pretty good waterslide and a small market near the pool with grab and go snacks, drinks, breakfast, sandwiches, etc.
You can book the Fairmont Kea Lani here.
The Andaz isn’t necessarily kid friendly but it’s not not kid friendly. I’ve noticed mostly people with younger kids staying here (let’s say under 3 or 4) that are content to splash in the pool (the lagoon pool has a zero entry side) but don’t necessarily need a whole waterpark to keep them entertained.
If you’ve got smaller kids or older kids (who’ve maybe grown out of the waterpark), I think the Andaz has better overall pool options than the Four Seasons that will suit the whole family (the Four Seasons’ best pool is adults only).
Also, the snorkeling off the beach at the Andaz is really good and they have free snorkel rentals for resort guests which is great for older kids. Plus they do complimentary outrigger canoe rides (sign up in advance) and have pretty good water recreation options (SUP rentals, snorkel tours, etc.).
You can book the Andaz here.
#5 Four Seasons
Generally speaking, the Four Seasons is a very family friendly brand and the resort in Maui is no exception, but I’ve still ranked it at the bottom of the list just because they don’t offer a lot of the same amenities that appeal to kids that other places in the area do.
There’s only a small waterslide (like, for babies) and the main family pool is just a little dull compared to what they’ve got going on over at the Grand Wailea and the Wailea Beach Resort.
If your kids are small (toddler age), they’ve got a great setup, but it’s definitely not the waterpark vibes they’ve got going on next door. But that can also be a plus.
They do have a GREAT open air family game room setup with a pool table, foosball, video game room, etc. though.
You can book the Four Seasons here.
A Few More Random Things
I’ve covered a lot here, but here are a few loose ends that might be good to know:
The Four Seasons is the only resort in Wailea with on property tennis courts. They’re artificial turf and the program is run by a third party company and anyone can go to drills, clinics, and lessons but obviously it’s most convenient if you’re staying there. The Wailea Tennis Club is also in the area and is open to day guests. It’s closest to the Wailea Beach Resort, but you’d probably want to drive.
There’s great golf in Wailea, but none of it’s based at a resort so you’ll still have to drive no matter where you’re staying.
As far as spas go, the Grand Wailea has always had far and away the best spa facilities, but they’re undergoing a MASSIVE renovation and currently what you can book are these little spa bubbles (you just get access to one private room). I assume once the renovation is complete it’s still going to be the place to go. I have a lot of feedback (including people who used to work in spas in Wailea) that the Willow Stream spa at the Fairmont is the best place to go as far as actual treatments are concerned but their facilities don’t have all the bells and whistles. I wasn’t super impressed with the spa at the Four Seasons (facility or treatment), and I wanted to try the Andaz on my last trip but they were booked up. They seem to maybe be a sweet spot of super nice facilities and good treatments though.
And I’ve mentioned loyalty programs a bit, but here’s the full rundown:
Wailea Beach Resort = Marriott
Andaz = Hyatt
Grand Wailea (Waldorf Astoria) = Hilton
Want to read more posts about Maui? I’ve got plenty!
Things You Can ONLY Do on Maui // 4 Day Maui Itinerary // My Favorite Road to Hana Itinerary // Things to Do Upcountry // Tips for Sunrise at Haleakala National Park // Snorkeling Molokini Crater // Whale Watching
My Favorite Hotels on Maui // Where to Find Condos on Maui // Wailea vs Kaanapali // Every Resort in Wailea Ranked // Four Seasons Maui Review // Andaz Maui Review // Fairmont Kea Lani Review // Wailea Beach Resort Review // Four Seasons vs Andaz Maui // Andaz Maui vs Wailea Beach Resort
Best Restaurants in Wailea // Best Breakfast in Wailea & Kihei // Mama’s Fish House // Best Luaus in Wailea
My Favorite Things to Do in South Maui // Best Beaches in Wailea & Kihei // Road to Hana Tips // Driving the Backside of the Road to Hana // Where to See Turtles on Maui
Maui vs Kauai // Everything You Need to Know BEFORE you go to Maui
P.S. One of the reasons I’m able to travel to Hawaii so often is by using credit card points. And right now my go to travel card has a GREAT limited time sign up offer.
If you sign up for this Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you’ll get 100K bonus points to use on travel.
These are my favorite kind of travel points because they’re so flexible. You could…
Transfer them to Southwest or United to book round trip tickets to Hawaii.
Transfer them to Hyatt to book a stay at the Andaz Maui (such a great luxury resort!)
Transfer them to Marriott for a stay at one of my favorites like the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Royal Hawaiian, or Ritz Carlton Turtle Bay.
Or book a hotel through the Chase travel portal with a cash value of $1250.
The 100K bonus point offer is just for a limited time, so if you’re looking for the best travel card, sign up >> here.
P.P.S. Here’s one more really important thing you need to know before your Hawaii trip…
You’ve got your airfare, hotel, rental car and your big activities booked, so you should be good to go, right? Wrong!
Travel is BOOMING in Hawaii and a lot of state and national parks have instituted reservation systems at some of the island’s most popular spots to help manage the crowds and make things a little more sustainable.
That means that there are now over half a dozen sites (beaches, trailheads, etc.) that require advance reservations. And some sell out well before you arrive on the island so you really need to have some sort of a plan.
I recently saw somebody in a Hawaii travel group post in a panic that they didn’t know they had to make reservations for things in advance…they thought they could just show up and “go with the flow.” I was tempted to say, well, “as long as the flow doesn’t take you somewhere that requires reservations, you can!” ; )
But I don’t want YOU to be that person, so I’ve pulled together a list of all the places you need to reserve entry in advance (plus all the details on booking windows, price, links, etc.) and a handful of popular tourist hotspots that book out really far in advance too.
Get that info >> HERE