One Day in Maui, I Slept Here…
It’s all about the little things — and an amazing location — at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
I’ve been fortunate to stay at some pretty spectacular hotels and resorts thanks to my job, and let me tell you — the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea is hands down one of the best hotels I have ever stayed at.
The adult pool is utter bliss and relaxation. Oh my goodness, Tom and I never wanted to leave. You check in at the front desk of the pool upon arriving and the friendly attendant gets you all set up on chairs with towels, water and whatever else you might need. Food and drink servers come by to take your order. Throughout the day little cold treats are delivered and in the late afternoon a small cup of after-sun gel is handed out. You never have to leave your chair of tropical bliss except that — oh yeah — you’ll want to in order to experience this:
The Four Season’s Incredible Infinity Pool
The infinity pool at Four Seasons Maui at Wailea not only has an insane ocean view thanks to its elevated position, it also has a fun swim-up bar and plays music underwater. I’m not kidding. Float in the water with your ears under the surface and you’ll hear relaxing melodies drifting from the underwater surround system. There is also a swim-up bar.
This adult-only pool is stylish too. You can reserve (for a fee) Serenity cabanas by the pool for the day that have furniture in them designed by Missoni Home. The Four Seasons Maui adult pool doesn’t mess around. It may very well be the best pool in Maui — or all of Hawaii for that matter.
Tom and I did manage to tear ourselves away from the adult pool in order to check out the rest of the resort.
Lush Grounds and Amenities for All Ages
There’s another pool that isn’t age restricted and which has free cabanas to use.
This all-ages pool is also adjacent to the best kid pool I’ve ever seen.
Speaking of children, the Four Seasons may seem like a place that wouldn’t be family friendly but it actually caters to children quite a bit and is great for families. There is a free kids club and nannies can be booked for you through the concierge. There are also special kids nights at the restaurants and a video game room. Each night during the lighting ceremony, kids are also more than welcome to follow the torch bearer around as he makes his rounds lighting each tiki torch.
Beyond the pools, the Four Seasons also has a sloping hill with lounge chairs set up, some of which offer quite a bit of privacy while still being in close proximity to the ocean.
The Beach at Four Seasons Maui
Tom and I also loved the beach by the Four Seasons. All beaches in Hawaii are public, but Four Seasons Resort Maui still goes above and beyond by carrying beach chair loungers down for you so you can sit in close proximity to the surf and removing them from the sand when you’re done. Now that is service. There are also a variety of beach rentals like surfing and stand up paddleboarding, plus you can rent an hour of free snorkel equipment to use.
Need some pampering? There are Hawaiian halays for beachside massages. Tom and I unfortunately didn’t have time to do this.
5-Star Dining From Morning to Night
The food at the Four Seasons is incredible. Let’s start with breakfast because I was quite judgmental of the breakfast at first as it was nearly $50 per person. I still think that’s a bit insane to pay for breakfast food, but I will also tell you if you’re going to ever spend that much on breakfast this is the place to do it. It was the best buffet breakfast I have ever had. (Disclaimer: our breakfast was comped.)
At the Four Seasons Maui breakfast buffet, there was a table of breads and muffins. And a table of fruit. And one for meats. Plus, an omelet station with a plethora of filling choices and which produced fluffy, perfectly cooked and well-sized omelettes. For an extra charge (of course) there was also a smoothie station.
For lunch and dinner, Four Seasons Maui has an array of onsite options. You can dine at Ferraro’s on wood stove cooked pizza or go to Spago’s for some regional cuisine. We opted to eat at DUO, since they were having a farm to table themed dinner the night we were at the resort. It was a wise choice.
Not only was the food amazing at DUO, the service was also impeccable. Our server, Beau, was so friendly and nice and smiley that Tom and I actually started to doubt if it was all for show. I mean, normally you assume servers are nice to you because it’s their job and they want tips. But Beau had us wondering — maybe he really was that nice and happy to be there waiting on us so pleasantly? But no, I’m sure that’s just the caliber of employees a place like Four Seasons Maui gets. (Ok, and I’m sure he is a genuinely nice person, but the level of service went above and beyond expectations).
The Rooms at Four Seasons Maui
I barely wanted to spend anytime in our room due to the above reasons, namely the pool and beach, but when we were in it, the room was modern, comfortable, clean, and had a great view. The bathroom was also marvelously massive.
Four Seasons Maui is Worth the Splurge
The Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea is a total splurge. It’s where celebrities and stockbrokers vacation. Us normal folk who are there are probably there because it’s a once in a lifetime honeymoon, Maui babymoon, or anniversary trip (and oh my gosh, go on your honeymoon there, you’ll love it) or — in Tom’s and my case — you have a job that means getting to experience such a spectacular place. I reached out to Maui Four Seasons after winning a trip at a Maui press junction in San Diego. Though Four Seasons wasn’t part of the prize package, we were offered a couple nights to check it out.
The lovely Crissa at Four Seasons Maui gave us a tour upon arrival. After hearing we were evacuated from our home just a couple days earlier due to fires in San Diego and that we had to do some quick shopping at Kohl’s because we weren’t able to go back to our house before flying to Maui, she had a trendy t-shirt and pretty bracelet delivered to our room so we had a couple more things to wear during our vacation since we mentioned we had purchased and packed the bare minimum. It’s the little things that makes a property stand out and the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea has that in spades. (The evacuation also meant postponing our trip one day, which meant we had one night at the Four Seasons instead of two. Tom and I may be bitter about that forever.)
If you can’t afford the splurge, you can still lounge on the beach at the Four Seasons (remember — all beaches in Maui in public) or enjoy the property while taking the self-guided iPod art tour — even if you’re not a guest of the resort’s, you can check out an iPad at the front desk and do a self-guided tour of the property’s art collection, much of which is inspired by Hawaii.
Four Seasons Maui at Wailea Quick Tips
Address: 3900 Wailea Alanui Drive, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii
Phone: 808-874-8000
Website: www.fourseasons.com/maui
Rates: From $579 per night
Note: My stay was hosted by Four Season Maui at Wailea, but — as always — all opinions are completely my own.
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