I didn't want to leave the Renaissance Wailea in Maui!
Written: Mar 23 '01 (Updated Jan 13 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Large, comfortable rooms, beautiful beach location, and a great luau! Makes you feel sinfully rich!
Cons: Yes, it's expensive! But aren't you worth it?
The Bottom Line: This luxurious hotel provides many extras in a very beautiful beachfront setting. Although expensive, it is a wonderful place to spend a few days in paradise.
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| diverpam's Full Review: Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort |
What a perfect location for the "wannabe" rich and famous. That's me! The Renaissance Wailea made me feel sinfully rich (even though I am far from it!) The hotel is very beautiful and provides many extras for its pampered guests.
Large Rooms
Our king size room had a very cozy bed with tropical, white linens. Cotton robes lay awaiting us on the stool at the foot of the bed. Even with a loveseat, chair and coffee table, there was still ample space in this large room. Sliding glass doors opened onto a big lanai with two padded chairs and lounger. It also included a handy drying rack. This proved to be a great place for us to dry our dive gear and to relax and listen to the birds.
We saved quite a bit of money by choosing the "garden view" room over the ocean view, but it still cost us $229 per night. Plus, the hotel charged $5 per day to park a car (regardless of valet or self-park). We chose to use the valet service.
Great Bathroom Amenities
The bathroom was large, with a double vanity, stool, extra deep tub and large mirror. It had a coffee maker with Earl Grey tea and Kona coffee. Bath and Body Works toileteries included two kinds of soap, shampoo, conditioner and lotion. There was also an extra-large shower cap, as well. I appreciated the jar of cotton balls and Q-Tips and the hair dryer.
There were plenty of fluffy towels and wash cloths, as well as an iron and ironing board and a free in-room safe. A small refrigerator was tucked away under the desk. Perfect for storing the Macadamia nut pie we brought from the Big Island.
The entertainment center included a television and VCR. Movies were available at no charge from the Concierge Desk. There were about 4 pages of movie titles available for selection. We checked out the list, but decided we probably would never get around to watching one. There are just too many things to do and beautiful sights to see on Maui.
Nice Lobby Area
The hotel has a very large gift shop (but doesn't sell anti-fog for your dive masks) and a large Sunset Terrace bar in the lovely, open lobby area.
Restaurants
Down a beautiful, winding staircase you'll find the Palm Restaurant. It featured a Prime Rib Buffet for $32 the evening we tried it, but we opted for the Grilled Chicken Caesar Salads and Crab/Mushroom Dip. Everything was very tasty and it came with a large basket of fresh bread. Dinner cost us about $55 with tip.
We had lunch one day at the Onion (poolside restaurant). A cheeseburger cost $10.50 and a huge basket of onion rings was $6.50. The food was very good -- especially the incredible onion rings. However, service was very slow and I thought I would pass out before the food arrived. We had gone diving early in the morning and I was starving!
Since we had an afternoon tee time at the Wailea course down the street we thought it would be a good opportunity to grab a quick bite at the hotel. We made it to the golf course on time, but just barely!
Free Shuttle
There was a free shuttle that ran to the Wailea golf courses, as well as the Wailea Shops and other nearby resorts.
Less Than Perfect Check-In
We got off to a rocky start upon arrival at the hotel. They sent us and all our luggage up to a smoking room without telling us they didn't have a non-smoking room available. I found that to be exceedingly rude and annoying.
When we came back down to the desk, the clerk had the nerve to ask, "Did it smell bad?" My response was, "It is a SMOKING room. We reserved a non-smoking room."
She then offered to put us in a non-smoking room with two queen size beds. Once again I reminded her we had reserved, "A KING, non-smoking room." I was neither prepared nor willing to accept anything less than what we had reserved.
Finally, she called housekeeping to locate an appropriate room and determine it would be ready in about 15 minutes. She did, however, make it sound to housekeeping that it was somehow our fault that we didn't like the room. I was just about a heartbeat away from asking for the manager (or jumping over the desk) when she offered to send us down to the bar for a complimentary drink while we waited.
We had a couple of Chi-Chi's as we waited for our room to be ready and, thankfully, I didn't have to meet the manager. A vacation is supposed to be relaxing and I was getting very tense by this time.
I am happy to say that, despite the bumpy start, we ended up having a very nice room and a great time. Everyone we encountered throughout the remainder of our stay was extremely polite and helpful.
Luau
The Renaissance Luau was a real treat. (At $68 a head, it should be, huh?) Be sure to book your tickets in advance through the concierge and be advised it is held on on certain days. We planned our schedule around the Luau evening because we had heard so many good things about it.
We started lining up at 5:30pm where we were greeted with a shell lei and a tray of Mai-Tai's and Chi-Chi's from which to choose. There was also non-alcoholic fruit punch. (I suspect there was very little difference in the the alcoholic and non-alcoholic, because I never felt the slightest buzz after 4 Chi-Chi's.) At least they tasted good.
There was pre-dinner entertainment before dinner and lots of hula and fire twirling afterward. The performers were young and talented and put on quite a nice show. There were several costume changes for the 8 dancers and the live band was pretty good. The emcee was pretty good, but I think he would have been better suited for a smoky Vegas lounge. He entertained us with a couple of songs, as well.
Dinner was served on two large tables with lines on each side, so it moved fairly quickly. They brought us to the serving tables a few groups at a time to keep things from getting too backed up. The hostesses for each table were friendly and came by with pitchers of Mai-Tai's and Chi-Chi's. The full bar remained throughout the evening, as well.
The food was plentiful with fresh salad and crudites, fresh fruit, chow mein salad, potato salad,and salmon/tomato salad. The roast pork was outstanding, along with the teriaki steak and roasted potatoes. There was also sesame chicken and fresh grilled fish, along with an ample dessert table. The coconut pie was my favorite, along with the pineapple upside down cake.
Beautiful Sunset View
We were treated to a spectacular burst of color as the sun began to set. People deserted the food tables to line up along the crest of the beach to watch the sunset. Then, as a bonus, a large humpback whale breached fully from the water.
Those lucky few who happened to be snapping their cameras in time to catch the silhouette of the magnificent whale in front of the setting sun must have run to the one-hour photo to get their film developed.
Luau portraits were available for purchase for $15. We bought ours just so no one else could walk by and see it! (The whales are much more photogenic than my husband and I.)
Nice Beach and Pool Area
The Renaissance Beach is a great place for whale watching. We spent a couple of hours one morning watching three whales playing about 300 yards directly in front of us. There was a mother and calf, as well as their presumably escort.
It was an incredible view from the beach to watch the whales in front of us, see the mountain to the right and Molokini Crater to the left. (I hope at least some of my pictures turn out well!)
There were plenty of swimmers enjoying the waves (it was a bit windy that day) and we could see several snorkelers over at the nearby reef. We also passed by a group of divers that were getting their final briefing before a reef dive.
Kayaks were available for rent for those wanting to venture further out into the ocean. One man and his son went far enough out that they actually got within spraying distance of the whales! That was a lot of fun to watch.
The large pool had lots of lounges and a sign warning patrons that any lounger not in use for 30 minutes could be reclaimed.
There was an ice and water dispenser located near the pool and the towel dispensing area. There was also a massage area nearby and a full salon available. There were plenty of attendants available to cater to guests' needs.
Beautiful Gardens
The gardens behind the hotel have beautiful flowers, winding paths, wooden bridges, lovely fish ponds, and a picturesque spot where we saw a couple getting married. It was a perfect walk back to our room through the gardens, watching the brilliant stars in the clear Hawaiian night.
There are some interesting statues that depict the Hawaiian culture and any number of great photo opportunities in the garden area.
Such a beautiful, tranquil setting is sure you make you feel like a million dollars!
Recommendation
There was a wonderful place to stay and do recommend it for anyone going to Maui. The Wailea area is the perfect spot to be and the Renaissance is a wonderful hotel.
Recommended:
Yes
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diverpam
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Member: Pam
Location: Collierville, TN
Reviews written: 263
Trusted by: 350 members
About Me:
~~~~So many oceans...so little time!~~~~
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