Wailea Beach Resort- Maui
Stayed December 8-15,2018
Used the "old version" Marriott nights and Flights certificate for 7 night stay. So this was a category 8 on the old award chart-which meant that the 'cost' for 7 nights stay+ 70,000 SWA Rapid Reward points was 310,000 Marriott points.(!!!) This was fairly simple,as I had about 100k SPG points to transfer at a 3:1 rate. (used the SWA for other trips)
Hotel charges a nightly $35 resort fee,and a $30 daily parking charge.(plus taxes on those charges) so total was approx. $474.00
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1st trip to Hawaii...and Maui. C'mon....it was AMAZING! This resort sits on lava rocks and coral,with soft sand beaches on either side of it. Also a fantastic paved beach pathe runs right in front of it,linking various resort and condo areas. So easy walking access to either side.
The pools are quite lovely- the serenity adults only pool wad the prettiest, but also too quiet and (dare I say it) 'stuffy' for our tastes. We always felt like we had to whisper while lounging here,I have no idea why. But it's a beautiful infinity pool.
We also enjoyed the 'kids pool' with the big waterslides,waterfalls and play areas. Lots more fun(no I don't have small kids) and more relaxing to lounge and hang out.
We spent most of our time at the central pool area,which has two pools(one is infinity) and two hot tubs. (one wasn't bubbling at the time) I feel like they need more hot tubs in this resort since it's quite large,but that's a minor quibble)
The views of the ocean while lounging around this pool area are wonderful,and there are a variety of comfortable choices for seating.
We enjoyed walking the beach path, swimming and snorkeling on Ulua beach (to the right of the resort) every day,along with just sitting and relaxing,either by the pool areas, in the gorgeous open air lobby,or sitting out by the beautiful lava rock shoreline. From the shore we could see turtles aplenty,and one day the whales came,it was breathtaking and wonderful! (swam with turtles on on Ulua beach numerous times)
So it's safe to say we loved it here!
The checkin was relaxing and easy(thanks for the lei's!)
We got a room right off the lobby,and I suspect it was a 'bargain' room due to the certificate booking,but I can't be sure. It was lobby level,so mere steps from convenience,which we liked a lot. It was also right over a loading area for the hotel,which we were right above while sitting on our large and lovely balcony. This only became a problem when a noisy truck showed up. We tended to overlook this issue,as the rest of our stay and room was wonderful. Our balcony view was basically a lovely treeline(so many flowers and birds) and if you peeked around the corner,the ocean thru palm trees.
I really liked the room layout, it was spacious,2 double beds, and I like that the bathroom was away around the closet area, where the sink was located,and bathroom door. This provided a sort of break,when in hotel rooms sometimes it feels like the beds and bathroom are right on top on each other.(makes a big difference when you're rooming with 3 guys lol)
I like the easily cleaned tile floors,and the table and chairs provided. We ate in our room about 1/2 the time (sooooo lazy) - it was a great place to relax!
The nespresso machine is hiding in a cabinet,we found it after 3 days,and discovered that we hate nespresso coffee drinks.... fortunately the Starbucks was right out in the open air lobby,so an short walk for morning tea or coffee,and then I tended to relax in a soft chair on the lobby to drink and wake up....(oh,the views!) while gentle Hawaiian style music played in the background.
The grounds are lovely,the walking is lovely,we spent a lot of time walking up to Shops at Wailea to Island Gourmet market for meals,or snacks to bring back and enjoy picnics at the pool or beach. Also a great place for souvenirs- their kitchen had some basic,decent food choices daily. The sushi was pretty good,and not expensive!
I wish I could live here! This was a FANTASTIC bargain using the certificate,and I'd do it again if I could!