1. Overview of Grand Wailea Renovation
2. Amenities and Attractions
3. Culinary Experiences
4. Wellness and Activities
5. Cultural Engagement
Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, is undergoing its first major renovation since opening 30 years ago — here’s what it’s like inside.
The Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, has been one of Maui’s elite hotel addresses since it opened more than 30 years ago under developer Takeshi Sekiguchi. Located in the posh Wailea neighborhood on the south shore, the oceanfront resort was originally inspired by six cultural and environmental influences of Maui: water, light, sound, flowers, trees, and art. The stunning property sprawls across 40 lush acres, complete with 900 world-class pieces of art, miles of manicured gardens, nine pools, seven dining outlets and five bars, several upscale retail outlets, and a spa.
Now, for the first time since opening in 1991, Grand Wailea is undergoing a property-wide revamp. Phase one, which includes refreshes to several dining outlets and the Napua Tower rooms and private club, is complete. Phase two, which includes a top-to-bottom spa renovation, will debut next year.
“We are thrilled to update the classic charm of Grand Wailea, while enhancing the luxury and heritage for which it is known, and to commemorate this new chapter with so many exciting activations and partnerships,” says JP Oliver, managing director of Grand Wailea.
This summer, I visited the newly refreshed resort with my family, and at first, the sheer size of it (there are 776 rooms) was intimidating. However, warm smiles and offers to help from the staff at every turn made us feel right at home. The large white-sand beach and ubiquitous mai tais made the experience even more delightful.
2. Amenities and Attractions
In between stints at the beach and pool, we sampled food and drinks from the many dining outlets. My favorite evening was at the revitalized Botero Lounge. I never imagined that I would get to dine among nine voluptuous sculptures by the Colombian artist Fernando Botero in Maui, but that is the case at Botero Lounge, where they create the essence of an outdoor art museum that surrounds a chic central bar. Sekiguchi is a renowned art collector, who has amassed hundreds of impressive artworks around the hotel, including these curvy bronze sculptures of men and women that make up the largest private collection of Boteros in the world. The sculptures were flown in from Italy more than 30 years ago and were recently restored to their original form.
3. Culinary Experiences
Foodwise, the lounge has new menus featuring locally caught and flown-in fish prepared fresh by chef Moony alongside other izakaya specialties, plus cocktails that draw inspiration from Japan. We cleansed our palettes with a refreshing local hearts of palm salad with cucumber and endive before indulging in the ocean roll filled with tuna, salmon, hamachi, crab, and avocado wrapped in soy paper, the tuna tataki with crispy fried garlic, a juicy wagyu burger, and more. Additionally, Botero Lounge will host the resort’s new “The Art of…” series, launching this fall, featuring workshops such as The Art of Sushi Making, The Art of Whiskey, and The Art of Cocktail Mixing.
The hotel’s newly designed Napua Tower houses an exclusive set of rooms and suites, along with a private club lounge that debuted in June. Rooms have been reimagined by Nina Chiappa Interiors, utilizing design elements that reflect a contemporary and abstracted Hawaiian theme that revolves around land and water. Luxurious textiles and bronze finishes against a white, beige, and dark wood palette highlight the ocean views. The private lounge features bright blue accents and is filled with a selection of food and drinks all day, along with daily activations like live entertainment, spa, and wellness sessions, and chef tastings.
In the morning, we had brunch at the recently unveiled ‘Ikena, which offers a massive buffet with various stations, including everything from pancakes and waffles with endless add-ins and toppings to an omelet station to mountains of fresh tropical fruit. The best part, however, was taking in the stunning ocean views from the light-filled room and marveling at the stunning Yvonne Cheng mosaic “Crossroads” along the back wall, along with the massive paintings depicting Hawaiian gods on either end of the wondrous room. Recently launched on Saturdays, ‘Ikena hosts a rosé brunch in partnership with the premium rosé label La Fête du Rosé, offering dishes like Maui honey fried chicken and waffles, Hawaiian sweet bread French toast, and crab cake eggs Benedict.
4. Wellness and Activities
Later, we stopped by the redesigned brightly colored market café called Loulu (loulu is the name of Hawai’i’s only native palm tree) for grab-and-go snacks, freshly made pizza and flatbreads, smoothies, and açaí bowls for the kids, alongside freshly brewed Hawaiian iced coffee for myself. Loulu is also now the only venue on the island to offer items from beloved organic Los Angeles-based grocer Erewhon, including dried chili lime mango, spirulina popcorn, and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.
The next day, I made time in my busy schedule of pool hopping to indulge in a spa treatment. Although Spa Grande is currently undergoing a major transformation to its 50,000-square-foot space, which will be unveiled in 2023, the more intimate Mōhalu by Spa Grande is offering a selection of Hawaiian and international treatments. My booking included the 90-minute Ho’omalie treatment, which blends the rhythmic Hawaiian lomilomi massage technique with pohaku (hot stone) massage. I was slathered in a silky mango and cocoa butter infusion that melted into my skin under the hot stones, culminating in a volcanic pumice foot scrub and coconut scalp massage.
5. Cultural Engagement
That afternoon, my son and husband made kukui nut bracelets, a popular Hawaiian craft, while I engaged in conversation with Kalei Uwekoolani, the cultural programming manager. She leads a cultural tour of the property once a week, which is always fully booked.
“Our most popular activity is the kukui nut bracelet making activity,” says Uwekoolani. “It’s something tangible that guests can take with them while creating a memory. But within that experience, we also educate guests about our Hawaiian traditions. I always say, I educate, not entertain.”
Our final activity at Grand Wailea was an early morning outrigger canoe ride before we caught our flight home. As we set out on the serene water, our guide blew a large pink conch shell, awakening a large sea turtle who gracefully swam alongside our canoe as the sun rose in front of us.
