Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria By Hilton Resort in Wailea, HI

We spent some time in the concerge lounge and met Armi and she was so knowledgeable, friendly and just made our experience a real VIP experience. Been lots of places around the world and we know that the employees can make all the difference. Joesph at front desk and Armi in Concerge lounge were so helpful and kind and should be rewarded for all their efforts.

I’m a Diamond member and appreciated the room upgrade and $50 food credit. This hotel is in the perfect location to enjoy all that Maui has to offer. The grounds are lush and well groomed. The staff that we came in contact with were friendly and helpful—especially Tess in Loulous and the many beleaguered towel attendants who continually and patiently absorb guests’ frustration with the poolside issues. As other guests have detailed, this hotel has inadequate lounger chairs around each of its pools for the amount of guests. The result is roaming couples and families hunting for, and attempting to pounce on any chair they see. The hotel has zip tied their loungers so that you are forced to climb across dozens of people to get to a lounger if you’re lucky enough to find one. Apparently families get down there at the crack of dawn and save chairs? The other issue is that at least a third of all possible seating is in cabanas which must be rented separately for hundreds of dollars and these take up SOOO much real estate around the pools, making everyone in regular loungers feel like they are crammed in economy class…and the worst part is most cabanas are vacant! It’s one of the worst pool management systems I have ever seen. I’m sorry Grand Wailea, as beautiful as you are, I won’t be back.

This was my second time staying at the Grand Wailea. My last stay was in 2022, and it was such a memorable experience that I couldn’t wait to return. The location is unbeatable—right on a beautiful beach, with an upscale mall and restaurants just a short walk away. And with whales in season, it truly felt like Hawaii in all its glory. I’m a Hilton Honors Diamond member, so our room was upgraded, which was very much appreciated. Included in the resort fee are daily fitness classes like sunrise yoga on the beach and other workout sessions. Most of the staff was very friendly and hardworking, but some seemed disengaged and lacking the Aloha spirit. Overall, the resort was not being maintained as it should. A discarded coffee cup sat on a table by the elevator for over a day. Used towels were left in random places around the resort and not picked up for hours. Garbage cans were overflowing with pizza boxes. It felt annoyingly “nickel-and-dime-ish,” with added charges for things that used to be complimentary, such as beach chairs and umbrellas. In 2022, these were free. Now, they cost $150 per chair per day, which is unreasonable for families. Pool chairs with umbrellas were available if you lined up before dawn, but even arriving by 7 AM, they were often taken. Our room had coffee pods, but I’m a tea drinker. I requested tea pods but received tea bags instead. Unsure how to use tea bags with the pod machine, I called back and was told I’d need a water kettle (none in the room). When I asked for a kettle, I was told they were out. Then I asked for a microwave and was quoted a $50 fee. After complaining, they eventually found me a kettle. One of two elevators was out of service for our entire 10-night stay, leading to long wait times. We often had to use the stairs (we were on the 7th floor). There were also long lines for towels and food at Lulu’s. We tried to order pizza for carry-out at Olivine but were told no carry-out was allowed. We literally had to sit at a table, order our pizza, eat one piece, then ask for a box so we could leave with it. Food is expensive, and parking is a joke—we opted for Uber instead of paying $75 per night for parking. Gift shop snacks used to count toward the $50 meal credit but are no longer included. When I asked why my snacks weren’t included, I was told it isn’t considered a restaurant, even though they sell food and drinks. It was only $5, but surprising they didn’t offer a courtesy credit. Despite the issues, it’s still a beautiful hotel with a location that can’t be beat.

I spent 4 nights here with family at the end of Dec/beginning of January. The property is beautiful, and the staff were all very friendly! We stayed in the Molokini Tower. My daughter and I had a great time at the lei-making class. My spouse and son enjoyed running the path along the beach each morning, and the gym was never too crowded. Pros: Beautiful grounds, beach-front location, fantastic Luau on property, housekeeping did an excellent job keeping our room clean, staff very friendly, short walk to other shopping areas with restaurants. Cons: Definitely not enough pool chairs! Long lines for breakfast buffet and to order to-go items at the Loulu. One of the two elevators in the Molokini Tower was out of service (and not being worked on) for the duration of our stay. Good thing we didn’t mind taking the stairs when the elevator wait got too long.

It’s not inexpensive to stay in Wailea, but it’s a wonderful part of the island, and at the Grand Wailea you are right along the beach, have a large water area for kids (which is why you would want to come here v other hotels in in the area), and good access to other resorts (to visit, dine, consider staying in the future…) and the mall. The service is very much hit or miss, and is about what one could expect for a massive hotel. Downsides are with this Hilton (ok, Waldorf), you may have to wait in line to do basic things like get towels, where you are limited to the number you can get (one morning we waited 15 minutes in line just to get our limit of 4 towels), depending on when you arrive in the morning (we would arrive at 9…they had just 1 employee helping everyone arriving at that desk). You can’t simply grab a couple towels and go - as nice as that would be (it’s like the valet parking…would be nice to just get my car myself...more on that below). If you are staying less than four days, you need to check in for kids every day to get them a new wristband to use at the pool. So no jumping right in and playing. And what we would rather disappointing - the water slides and lazy river don’t turn on until 10:30…that’s HI time, so do you are coming from CA (or farther east), your kids will have to wait until after noon PT to enjoy those. The pools are open earlier, but no water slides, lazy water flow, or rope swing. Most of the lounge chairs are zip-tied together, so you won’t be spaced out from others around the water park. Again, not surprising at a resort of this size. A number of dining options which is useful, and other hotels nearby as well with additional options. Our room was fairly updated, though parts of the exterior overall look tired. Bring your earplugs if you are a light sleeper - we could clearly hear people in the room next to us through the adjoining doors (that setup allows for families to book connecting rooms). Overall, it is an experience that is much in line with an extremely large hotel and you lose a lot of of the flexibility that you would have if staying somewhere else. At the snack store there was one person who is taking and making orders at 9AM, so the line took nearly 30 minutes to get food. Why Hilton has allocated just one person to the task I can't say, but they were working as fast as they could. Let's talk about extra fee$ Offensive nightly fee for parking - no self park, so it’s $75/nt. After calling the valet in advance of leaving the room to ask for our car, it took 21 minutes to get the car the first night and 24 minutes the second (yup…I even timed it…everything takes so long I wanted to see exactly). it may or may not help to even call in advance for your car. I advise going down to ask for your car, then going and getting ready back in your room, and then coming back to get your car. I can’t think of another way that doesn’t involve waiting a while. Yes, you could skip renting a car and grab a cab from the hotel and then keep grabbing cabs all over the island if you explore, but if you’re someone who would like the flexibility of going on a hike, visiting some of the towns whenever you like, out for meals in different locations, then you suffer at the con$equences. It's beyond me why they can't offer the ability for customers to self-park - the lot is just steps from the front door to the hotel, and would offer (presumably) cost savings as well as the ability to get the car without waiting. Comparison parking prices at other hotels as reference (the Grand Wailea is the highest, more than the Four Seasons, Hyatt and Marriott by a wide margin): Marriott: $59 valet/$45 self-park Hyatt Andaz: $59 (valet only) Four Seasons $55 (valet only) Then there is the required “resort fee” which is another $55/nt. And doesn’t matter if you are a Hilton Honors member. Plus the pleasure of faster (streaming) internet access will run you another fee (can’t recall the amount, I declined and just went with the free version - I recall the faster internet being offered at a very high price, but only saw the screen once upon logging in...it might have been $29?). Other hotel resort fees as reference: Marriott unknown resort fees/$19 high speed internet. Hyatt Andaz $50 Four Seasons $0 If you’re considering here, the decision will probably rest of if you are OK paying all the fees in exchange for a hotel with a water “park” in Wailea.