Hawaiian high life: for pampering in paradise, check into Maui's Grand Wailea Resort Hotel - Resort Of The Month - Review

Travel America, Nov-Dec, 2001 by Jack McGuire

Like graceful hula dancers, stately coconut palms sway gently in the tradewinds, forming the backdrop to the beachfront hotels strung out along Maui's southwestern coast. Surrounding them are banana, mango, papaya, and scarlet poinciana trees cushioned by emerald ferns, hibiscus, orchids, and swaths of bougainvillea in a giant outdoor terrarium of blazing tropical blossoms.

What nature's deft hand has designed to perfection in this idyllic setting, local developers have embellished. Or as one visitor so aptly described it--"paradise with an ocean view."

Rising out of this Hawaiian Garden of Eden is the Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa, an elegant enclave of courtyards, terraces, gardens, waterfalls, and fountains. Situated on 40 acres, the resort offers 780 guest rooms, 70 percent of them overlooking Wailea Beach.

The centerpiece, Napua Tower, is an exclusive 100-room "small hotel within a hotel." Napua and five guest wings are surrounded by six art gardens of sculptures and paintings, part of a $30-million permanent collection in the resort's "outdoor museum" featuring such artists as Pablo Picasso, Fernando Botero, Fernand Leger, and Andy Warhol.

Among Grand Wailea's architectural highlights is a 15,000-square-foot pool of inlaid glass mosaic tile, bordered by 60-foot high regal palms. A 2,000-foot-long river-pool features a 10-minute swim/ride through simulated mountains and grottos with a 35-foot drop to a series of pools with waterfalls, caves, a rope swing, whitewater rapids, a sand beach, and scuba diving pool.

The opulent Spa Grande, Hawaii's largest spa, combines traditional Hawaiian with American, European, Japanese, and Indian spa treatments and therapies. The two-story facility is designed with inlaid Italian marble, original artwork, mahogany millwork, and Venetian chandeliers. Included are sauna and steam rooms, 42 treatment/massage rooms, a huge Roman bath-style Jacuzzi, hot and cold plunge pools, a beauty salon, exercise and weight rooms, and racquetball courts.

Terme Wailea Hydrotherapy Circuit, the ultimate relaxer, is the spa's signature experience. It starts with a Roman Tub, followed by a steam, sauna, and plunge in a cool pool. After a Loofah scrub, a waterfall cascading from a height of 10 feet massages neck and shoulders. The pampered guest then moves on to a choice of specialty baths, including moor mud, limu (seaweed), aromatherapy, tropical enzyme, or mineral salt. Finally, invigorating needlepoint jets of water massage the body in a private shower, prelude to a Wide array of soothing massage treatments offered.

Dining options are extensive, starting with a "floating" seafood restaurant sporting the tongue twisting moniker, Humuhumunukunukuapua'a (the name of Hawaii's official state fish) but known simply as Humu Humu. In this cluster of thatch-roofed Polynesian huts, the featured cuisine reflects the styles and flavors of the Hawaiian islands, the South Pacific, and Asia.

A lovely way to greet the day is at the Grand Dining Room, with stunning views of Molokini, Lanai, and the West Maui Mountains. Breakfast is a bountiful buffet affair, with a la carte selections also available. Casual dining at Cafe Kula features espresso/cappuccino, freshly baked pastries, gourmet sandwiches, quiche, salads, and desserts served in a terrace dining room setting.

Creative Japanese and Asian Pacific selections and a sushi bar can be found at Kincha, a tranquil Japanese restaurant. An open-air facility with an exhibition kitchen and wood-burning oven, Bistro Molokini offers Mediterranean cuisine infused with Hawaiian flavors.

Lighter fare, including sandwiches, salads, and exotic drinks, is served poolside at the Volcano Snack Bar. And finally, Grotto Bar, in the Wailea Canyon Activity Pool, serves drinks to guests who don't want to leave the water.

For after-dark fun, the $4-million Game in the Bar is a swinging nightclub with high-tech, state-of-the-art music, video, and lighting systems. A 14-footwide karaoke and music video screen completes the picture.

Especially for kids ages 5 to 12, the "Children's Resort" is staffed with qualified personnel also on hand for nighttime supervision. Camp Grande is equipped with a craft room, theater, game room, outside play area, and restaurant. Nature walks and workshops with lei making, ukulele lessons, and T-shirt dying keep little hands active. The Nanny Connection offers private baby sitting services.

Quality products and service can be found in the Grand Wailea shops on the lobby level. Among the offerings: Hawaiian-made crafts in the Hemolele Crafts Gallery, souvenirs at Richters of Hawaii, and men's and women's wear at the Sandal Tree. At Upscale Shop at Wailea, you'll find luxury retailers such as Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, and Martin & McArthur as well as the ubiquitous Gap and Banana Republic.

Passionate golfers will think they've arrived at golfdom's golden gates when they tee off at Wailea Golf Club, one of the largest and most acclaimed golf facilities in the islands. Spectacular mountain and ocean views surround the trio of 18-hole championship courses. Of particular note is the classic Golf Course designed with a rugged, natural look.