Maui hotels are a dime a dozen. There are so many great places to stay it is hard to choose. But picking the right one can set your vacation apart from fun to amazing. So how do you narrow it down? Well, with three little words: Wailea Beach Villas. Staying at the villas on the east side of the island on my Maui Visitor Bureau trip truly redefined what I hoped for out of a hotel experience, or rather an ultra-luxury villa experience.
“Oh wow” was about all I could say while I was given a tour of the top floor villa I’d stay in for three nights. It was huge at three times the size of my place back home in Colorado with over 3,000 square feet. There were three full en suite bedrooms, all of which offer something different and special. My room, for instance, was the largest as the master suite. Another had a balcony, and a third had a view of the Pacific Ocean.
There was also an additional half bath, a laundry room, a full kitchen, and an amazing living and dining area that opens to the balcony. A giant sliding glass door pushed back into the walls thus connecting the living room to the balcony and a stunning view of the ocean and the nearby beach. With lounge chairs, a dinner table, and a full grill, it would also be an ideal spot to relax at night with a few beers or a nice meal. Our group enjoyed one such meal from a private chef who was arranged by the Wailea Beach Villas staff to stop in and cook for us for the evening.
If you’re in the mood to cook, though, no problem; the villas are stocked with all of the equipment you need to make an amazing dinner. All you need to get are the groceries. And if you don’t want to, the staff will run out to the store for you and get whatever you may need. I really loved that idea. After all, I like to cook. But did I want to waste my limited time on Maui grocery shopping? No way. So they would do it for me while I was out enjoying the day.
The balcony in my villa was also a great place to catch a free luau show several nights a week. A neighboring hotel holds the show on a lawn just below our balcony. So while you relax up above with a private meal, a few drinks, and a beautiful sunset, you can catch the sights and sounds of one of Hawaii’s best attractions, the luau. But if the luau isn’t for you, no problem; several of the 270 available villas (one, two, and three bedroom suites) are away from the show so you can enjoy the peace and quiet of the night.
The Wailea Beach Villas offer private kiddie and separate adult pool areas. Both looked fun and comfortable. But I didn’t go all the way to Maui not to hit the beach, which starts right at the gate leading into the Wailea Beach Villas from the ocean. From there, what has been voted as the Best Beach in America, or so they told me, spreads down past several other hotels, which are all open for visitors to stop in and grab a bite to eat or a quick drink.
Wailea Beach can also be a good for a bit of a pub crawl – Hawaiian-style, mind you – which I did with Cam from the Traveling Canucks. When we finished our sailing canoe expedition we decided to grab a few drinks at The Fairmont Kea Lani, as well as an awesome pork quesadillas, before heading down the beach for stops at a few different neighboring hotel bars overlooking the beach, later ending it with a stop in a small mall with several high-end stores and additional dining options.
I’d be stretching the truth if I found something to gripe about while staying at the Wailea Beach Villas. They’re close to so many attractions, yet secluded enough as a private resort, that it is really an excellent spot for a lot of what Maui has to offer whether it be for a couple’s getaway or a family vacation. So when I pulled out from the private driveway back onto the road to leave, my only complaint was that I was doing just that – leaving. It would have been nice to have a few more days to kick back, relax, and enjoy a little more of Maui Wailea Beach Villas-style.
Jason's Travels 
Leave a Reply