We have just returned from the Grand Wailea and had a lovely time. The service was beautiful, the hotel truly incredible. The pool was awesome, though I have to say I agree with another reviewer who said to be aware that it is actually a waterpark. It also was a bit deeper than an average pool, (even in the shallow parts), so taking my young children who do not yet swim alone in was a workout for me, as I was on my absolute tip toes as I toted them around the pool. My kids loved the slides, but again, they are intense...I am actually surprised that they allow very small children on them at all. The pool area is intensely crowded and there is outright competition for seats. The prices of the poolside services were downright laughable...we expected the hotel to be pricey but 150.00 poolside hair braiding for CHILDREN and 85.00 pedicures gave us a giggle! The views from the rooms were lovely and the food was very good in the restaurants, although we enjoyed going over the The Shops at Wailea for dinner because there was more variety. (Tommy Bahama Cafe was awesome!) Overall, the stay was a delight. We broke the trip up and went over to Kanapaali for the second half, and I think it was a good plan. The experience at the Grand Wailea is wonderful, but also a bit overstimulating. We found ourself more able to relax when we got away from the crowds and the amusement park atmosphere.

My wife and I stayed at the Grand Wailea for our Honeymoon in July 2004. The property is large and beautiful, the rooms were very nice. We were originally in a deluxe oceanview room, which was beautiful, with a HUGE bathroom. Unfortunately, the room was all the way at the end (the right, if you're facing the ocean), and was right next to a huge construction site; starting at 7am, the trucks roll in, and no more sleeping is possible. We complained, and the manager moved us to a HUGE suite with master bedroom, living room, wrap around balcony, and 1.5 baths. This was a great room.

The grounds are very nice. Wailea beach is nice, though not as perfect as we had imagined. The river pools/slides/water elevator were much fun, though there were lots of kids. However, the resort also has a separate adults only pool with its own sitting area; we sat there, and it was nice and quiet.

Here's my biggest complaint. There is virtually no shade anywhere near the pools. NONE. So if you have a fair complexion, you're in trouble. The only option that you have, which seems like a bit of a scam, is to hope that you can rent a cabana for like $140 a day. After the immense price of a room, charging for shade seemed unreasonable.

We did breakfast and lunches in the resort, but went elsewhere around Maui for our dinners. We were given a coupon for a bottle of champagne if we went to one of the restaurants for dinner, but passed it up.

Overall, I still recommend, but be careful of what room you end up in, and take LOTS of suntan lotion...

We just spent two nights here and it was everything we had heard it was: great fun-extremely crowded. My kids really enjoyed the pools and I'll admit that I did as well. The rooms are spacious and nicely decorated. The bad news is the crowds. Get to the pools early because the chairs will be gone by mid morning. The crowds on the beach are nearly as bad. Loungers and umbrellas the width of the beach and 100 yards long make a ghastly sight on such a beautiful beach. I advise getting your own umbrella and making your way to the far left side of the beach where it is less crowded and far prettier. Be prepared for the $15 a day resort fee and the $12 a day valet parking fee; there is no self parking.
Great fun and beautiful, but if you're looking for a Hawaiian experience, you may want to look elsewhere.

We stayed in Dec 03 and found it to be quite nice. There were, however, a LOT of children! The room was very nice and we were upgraded upon arrival to an oceanview room. The beach is nice, but the pool area is the star attraction here.

Because it is crowded, we had some problems - such as: waiting over 20 minutes for the valet to bring our rental car, and waiting about an hour for our room to be ready upon arrival (although to be fair, they did upgrade us for free and we were earlier than the posted check-in time).

I think I would stay at the next-door Four Seasons next time to see if the experience is different, but this hotel is definitely worth the $300 a night.