We have been to this hotel many times over the years, and it is always nice to return. While covid has ruined most things, the ocean and the whales don't care. We had an ocean view room up off the ground, which was fine. You don't spend much time in the room so the view is not that big of a deal. We did have a great spot for the New Year's Eve fireworks, which were great once again. Our room was quiet (not a tower room) despite being next to the kid pool, so we were happy with that. Note that by six in the morning the pool chairs all had towels on them being saved, without one person actually being there. Not much the hotel can really do, except they do move stuff off chairs if you are gone too long. Look for breakfast at the whale tale, as the hotel's buffet is ridiculously over priced (as is dinner there). Lunch next to the adult pool is worthwhile, especially since everything else is in Kihei.

My partner and I had the best experience with Blinnk Photography. Our photographer, Rene, was the best. Our photos came our beautiful! Vincente helped us find the perfect photos and select the perfect package. Thank you so much for the incredible experience!

I’m a lifetime titanium elite member and used points for the 7 night stay for 3 adults. Decided to pay for an upgrade to ocean view and we were very pleased by the top floor Hale 4 2-queen-bed room offered to us. Greatly enjoyed the view from the balcony overlooking the Serenity pool and ocean, and were able to spot whale plumes from there frequently. Bring binoculars during humpback migration season! Microwave oven was provided upon request, and room had mini fridge and Nespresso. We especially want to applaud the hotel for providing reusable metal water bottles (which you can take with you or leave behind for the hotel to recycle) and convenient ice machines and water refill stations. Comfy bedding, good temperature control, good shower-bathtub. Two convenient laundry rooms using coin (change machine available) or credit card. We used the one on the main tower ground floor (the other would be in Hale 7), it had 2 washers (30 minutes) and dryers (55 minutes), each $3.50 and detergent was $2. We thought the prices were reasonable as the machines took full loads.

Service throughout our stay was excellent, from check in to daily room service to check out. Loved the waterproof wristlet room keys that worked for parking exit! Note that they wouldn’t work for parking entry so just take a ticket and discard it. Self parking ($30 daily + tax) was convenient, lots were tiny so most ended up using 3 lots for 2 bigger cars, but there were enough spots outdoors. Very pleased by seeing recycle bins conveniently co-located with trash bins at the car park.

We had the complimentary continental breakfasts (a drink, pastry of the day and a fruit cup) at Starbucks or Whales Tale most mornings. Starbucks had better fruit cups and included all their specialty drinks in the free breakfast, you could pay $2 or $3 to upgrade to the savory breakfast offerings; Whales Tale better pastry of the day (loved the almond bear claws and guava turnovers) and excellent unsweetened ice tea, and also included lattes in the free breakfast. We skipped the fruit cups for extra pastry. Whales Tales had nice outside tables while Starbucks was takeout only. Lines started after 7:45 am or so but minimal wait before that.

Hotel was very conveniently located. It was only a 5-minute walk to The Shops at Wailea with many retail shops and the Island Gourmet Market, excellent for snacks - the cut papaya and the ube (purple sweet potato) were particularly good; also try the Halo Halo at the drink counter. Ulua beach to the north and Wailea beach to the south were each reached on foot 5 minutes on the ocean front beach path. We enjoyed the beaches but snorkeling off the beaches were not ideal (too murky) compared to Molokini. Tip: snorkeling tours using rafts, leaving from Kihei 5 minutes north by car, had short 15-minute travel time to the crater if all you want is snorkeling and don’t care about sailing or food/alcohol. Please use reef safe (mineral) sunblocks (titanium or zinc dioxide)! We saw that much of the shore corals were dead and chemical sunblocks (oxybenxone/octinoxate) are a big part of the problem. Molokini thankfully was still wonderful. You can see it from the beach path and Whales Tale.

We only experienced 2 of the 5 pools - the adult-only infinity pool (Maluhia/Serenity) and the adventure pool (Nalu) with the awesome water slides, said to be the highest in Maui! Really fun. Pool attendants were very careful with guest safety at the 2 tall slides (48” minimum height was strictly enforced and the attendant watched every exit before allowing a new entry). There were 2 smaller slides with no height requirement that were good too, in case you have disappointed young ones. Hotel provided unlimited towels conveniently at the pools - never seen them run out. There were water stations at the pools, and at the Serenity pool, we also saw attendants walked around giving out complimentary cold water bottles, and sunblock upon request. The Serenity pool was particularly great for sunset viewing at the infinity edge. Hotel gave us complimentary Mai Tai vouchers and we enjoyed one each at the 2 pools we tried and took one out from Kapa Grill - they were properly made (not weak). We also had dinner twice at the Humble Market Kitchin (will review separately). While the pools were not empty, they were not horribly packed, given that this was the new year week. The beach path and ocean front were perfect sites (5-minute walk towards Wailea beach) for the fantastic New Year’s Eve fireworks; absolutely gorgeous unobstructed views.

The daily resort fee had increased from $38 (2021) to $45 (2022) - a small surprise upon checkout as even our receptionist didn’t know about the increase. We didn’t try any of the many services the fee covered, but that’s our choice. Maui (and Hawaii in general) was expensive, but understandable given that the islands are relatively far away from the mainland and most things (including seasonal workers) have to be brought in at a higher cost. Everyone we met in and outside of the hotel had been helpful and welcoming, and we appreciated it!

Last but not least, we want to applaud the hotel for the beautiful landscaping and immaculate grounds maintenance. Loved the koi pond! It had one of the biggest koi we’ve seen. And a mad heron (because many of the koi was larger than it) actually trying its luck (no success while we watched). Oh, and not to forget the resident cats around the hotel. While not ostentatiously “luxurious”, the overall appearance of the hotel was low key and soothing, in keeping with the relaxation and island vibes. Again, every hotel personnel we met was friendly and helpful without exception. Overall a perfectly wonderful stay!