Indulge yourself at Wailea -- Maui at its finest!
Written: Jun 03 '01
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Pros: Wailea is Maui's crown jewel ... beautiful beaches, great golf, fabulous shopping. Perfect vacation spot!
Cons: It's a bit expensive, but worth every penny!
The Bottom Line: Posh Wailea is located on the sun-drenched south of Maui, replete with fabulous resorts, beautiful beaches, and world-class golfing. Indulge your senses and leave your cares at home!
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| diverpam's Full Review: Maui |
Maui is a beautiful island filled gorgeous beaches, impressive mountains, and breathtaking vistas. If you’re lucky enough to visit during whale season, you’ll also see the Humpback Whales that venture to Hawaii for the winter.
You’ll also find plenty of opportunities to take awesome photographs and shop for unique souvenirs in Maui. There are more than enough activities and water sports to keep you on the go during your entire visit!
Wailea Area
The Wailea area, located on the leeward side of South Maui, is sun-drenched and wonderful. Wailea, a posh area 30 minutes from the Hakului Airport, is lined with beautiful hotels and resorts. It makes an ideal vacation destination.
Some of the hotels in Wailea area include:
* Westin Maui Prince Hotel (lush tropical gardens)
* Four Seasons Resort (features reproductions of early Hawaiian furniture)
* Grand Wailea Resort (has a luxurious spa)
* Outrigger Wailea Resort (recent 25 million dollar renovation)
* Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort (offers a wonderful Luau)
You’ll find beautiful landscaping with fountains, streams, statues, lush foliage and sparkling swimming pools throughout these hotels. I recommend Wailea as a great place to stay during your visit to Maui. We stayed at the Renaissance Wailea and loved both the hotel and the Wailea area.
There is a complimentary shuttle bus that runs from the Wailea hotels to the Wailea Golf Club and the Shops of Wailea. I almost felt like I was living in a private community during my stay at Wailea.
Beaches
Sapphire blue waters with good visibility and soft, beautiful sand, make Wailea’s beaches – Polo, Wailea, Mokapu, and Ulua – among the most beautiful in the islands. In fact, Wailea Beach was dubbed "America’s Best Beach in 1999” by Dr. Beach (Stephen Leatherman), a geologist who rates beaches around the world.
Dr. Leatherman, a professor at Florida International University, stated in his May 27, 1999 announcement: “Wailea Beach on the west side of Maui always has the great sunny beach weather. This pocket beach of white coral sand is defined by two points of black lava rock and the trademark hotels in a beautiful tropical setting. Wailea is excellent for swimming and snorkeling during the usually calm days; divers and snorkelers often encounter large sea turtles and sometimes manta rays just offshore.” You heard it from Dr. Beach himself.
I may not be Dr. Beach but I can tell you that Wailea, protected from the wind by Mt. Haleakala and warmed by the South Maui sun, provides a perfect location for swimming, lying in the sun, or whale watching. Swimming is best from 6am-9am before the winds start up in the afternoon. You’ll find equipment rentals for snorkeling gear, kayaks, and windsurfing. Don’t forget your sunscreen!
Golf
The Wailea Golf Club is literally across the street from many of the resorts, has three courses – Gold, Emerald, and Blue. Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed the Gold and Emerald courses and the Blue course was designed by Arthur Jack Snyder. We played the Blue Course one afternoon. There are some incredible views from the Blue Course – be sure to take your camera as well as your clubs.
Guests in the Wailea hotels receive discounted prices on the courses. The Blue Course offers an additional discount in the afternoon. However, be advised that it gets very windy in the afternoon and it can make golfing these courses even more challenging.
Wailea Blue
Par 72, Opened 1972
Yardage: Blue – 6,758 White – 6,152 Red – 5,291
Slope: Blue 130 White: 125 Red: 118
Rating: Blue 71.6 White: 68.9 Red: 70.3
Fairways: Bermuda
Greens: Tifton 328
Wailea Gold
Par 72, Opened 1994
Yardage: Black – 7,078/7,067 Blue – 6,653 White – 6,152/6,060 Red – 5,422/5,317
Slope: Black: 139 Blue 136 White: 131 Red: 121/124
Rating: Black:73.0 Blue 71.4 White: 69.0 Red: 70.3/71.0
Fairways: Tifton 328a
Greens: Tifdwarf
Wailea Emerald
Par 72, Opened 1994
Yardage: Black – 6,825 Blue – 6,407/6,351 White – 5,873/5,785 Red – 5,22268/5,256
Slope: Black: 130 Blue 126 White: 121 Red: 115
Rating: Black: 71.7 Blue 69.8 White: 67.4 Red: 69.6
Fairways: Tifton 328a
Greens: Tifdwarf
Tee Times: 1-888-328-MAUI (toll-free from US and Canada)
1-808-875-7450 (Local) Reservations may be made up to 30 days in advance.
http://www.waileagolf.com
Molokini Crater
The crescent-shaped Molokini is actually the tip of an ancient volcanic crater. It is a marine preserve and bird sanctuary that boasts more than 300 species of marine life. The cove area is protected from the wind and breaking ocean waves, making it an excellent spot for snorkeling and diving. When we were in Maui it was very windy, making the ocean fairly rough and visibility too low for good diving, except in the Molokini Crater. Here you may see turtles, manta rays, and a wide variety of fish. We were lucky enough to hear the singing of the whales while we were diving here.
You’ll find several companies ready to accommodate your diving or snorkeling trips.
I recommend Mike Stearns Diving. We were very pleased with this professional operation, located in Kihei. We met them at Kihei Boat Dock (very close to our hotel) for an early start where they loaded our gear and offered us coffee and breakfast pastries.
We dove the outer wall of Molokini Crater first then took a rest stop and had a variety of snacks and soft drinks. We then dove in the cove. We saw a variety of fish and some nice coral during our dives.
The crew was friendly and knowledgeable and took care of gear setup and changed out the tanks between dives. One of the divemasters had a degree in marine biology and gave us wonderful briefings that alerted us of what types of marine life to expect. She pointed out several things during the dive we would have otherwise overlooked.
Tennis
For those of you more energetic than I, you have several locations for tennis in the Wailea area. Wailea Tennis Club is open from 7am to 7pm daily. Wailea resort guests pay $25 per hour for a court. For more information call 800-332-1614.
You can also play tennis at Four Seasons (free to guests), Maui Prince ($18 per hour for guests) and Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort (free for guests)
Shopping
A vacation wouldn't be a vacation for me without shopping. The Shops at Wailea include world-famous stores, such as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Fendi, Boach, Dunhill, Cartier, Banana Republic, and Gap.
This open-air shopping with fountains, beautifully maintained foliage, and ritzy shops reminded me a bit of when I visited Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
There are several places to buy beautiful, unique Hawaiian souvenirs, as well as galleries to delight your soul with their incredible treasures. You can grab a quick snack at Lapperts Ice Cream or have a wonderful dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.
We spent a couple of hours wandering around this lovely shopping center, marveling at beautiful custom jewelry, Hawaiian treasures, and paintings and sculptures that made me want to run my credit card to the limit! (It’s probably a good thing my husband was there.)
I was delighted at how friendly everyone was in all the stores – Tiffany and Cartier included! As soon as I walked into the Coach store, the clerk offered to clean and condition my Coach bag for me while I browsed. I was half expecting to find snooty store clerks after reading through the list of stores in the shopping center. However, that was not the case in any store we visited (and we dropped into most of them).
Getting Around on the Island
You should plan on renting a car to fully explore the island. Be sure to look closely at the rental car maps that detail the areas that are off-limits and will violate your rental car agreement. We found a couple of roads that virtually disintegrated to narrow, winding one lane passages. Sure enough – they were “out of bounds” for our rental car.
Must-See's
Lahaina
The winding drive to Lahaina provides several scenic overlooks. We were fortunate enough to see breaching whales during our drive. Lahaina is a fun, interesting place to visit. This former whaling village is filled with interesting shops and a multitude of restaurants and galleries. It’s a treat to walk along the ocean front business area and explore the shops. You can also find museums and a replica of a 19th century ship.
Maui Ocean Center
The Maui Ocean Center contains the largest tropical aquarium in the Western Hemisphere. It is located in Ma’alaea Harbor Village (along the way from Wailea to Lahaina). Visit the 750,000-gallon exhibit and learn more about whales in the Whale Discovery Center.
The Road to Hana
Everyone tells you it’s not the destination to Hana, but the journey. When you start out on your adventure you will quickly understand what they mean.
Our first stop on the road towards Hana was Hookipa Bay Lookout at Crescent Beach. The rolling waves lured dozens of surfers into the water for our enjoyment. What a beautiful sight with the mountains in the distance as we watched the few lucky surfers who caught a good wave. We saw more than a few wipe out!
Then we drove past sugar cane fields and wound our way though palm trees and pineapple fields. The progress is slow on the narrow, winding road. There are some one lane bridges and the road winds around hairpin curves overlooking the ocean. We saw bamboo growing along the road, passed beautiful waterfalls, and saw a black sand beach. Sure enough there were a couple of surfers there, as well.
At one point we pulled off the road and walked to a bridge where a waterfall opened up just below the bridge. It was amazing to stand over the top of the waterfall and watch the water cascading down. At another point we stopped to look over a valley and saw a beautiful rainbow. The scenery was incredibly beautiful throughout our 26-mile journey. We had made it more than halfway to Hana, but had to turn back to catch our flight home.
We knew when we set out that we wouldn’t have time to reach Hana, but we had no idea of the incredible beauty that awaited us on our drive. Don’t think you have to drive all the way to Hana to enjoy the scenery. Even if you only go a few miles you will see some incredible sights.
Almost every mile along the way revealed a new treasure and photo opportunity. You could easily spend an entire day exploring the waterfalls and trails along this road. (In case you’re wondering, there are some porta-potties at a couple of spots and a small park with real bathrooms that will keep you from venturing into the jungle with tissues in hand.)
Whale Watching
Whale watching is in full force from November through March, when hundreds of Humpback Whales swim to Hawaii from Alaska to give birth and nurse their babies. Bring your binoculars if you come to Maui during this time. Watching these majestic creatures frolic in the ocean is an incomparable treat!
We were sitting on the beach at the Renaissance when we saw three whales at a distance of about 300 yards. They stayed in virtually the same area for almost three hours. There was a mother and calf and another adult whale. We had our binoculars trained on them in fascination for almost the entire time.
At one point a man and his son rented a kayak and paddled out to the area. During one of the periodic dives when the whales disappear underwater, the kayak drifted into precisely the area where the baby whale would surface first.
There was a small spray and then a tail visible about 10 yards from the kayak. Then a larger spray and larger tail. Then, incredibly, on the other side of the kayak the other whale surfaced. The father and son in the kayak were close enough to feel their spray and look into the eyes of these gentle creatures of the deep. What I would have given to have traded places with them at that time! (Unfortunately my pictures showed no more than three black spots and a yellow kayak dot.)
We spotted many whales throughout our visit to Maui. We saw several while on our dive boat, a few while playing golf at Wailea Blue, and more on our drive to Lahaina.
You can book whale watching tours through several companies, including the Pacific Whale Foundation, a non-profit research group. They can be reached 808-879-8811 – this is not a toll-free number.
Restaurants
There are a wide variety of restaurants from which to chose. We were so busy seeing the sights and playing golf and diving that we were happy to sit in the restaurant at the Renaissance and watch the sunset over the ocean.
We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Lahaina one night and found it crowded and loud. We had a nice table outside in the patio area where we enjoy the beautiful weather and watched the crowds pass by.
Our favorite meal was the Renaissance Luau. There was plenty of food and an open bar, complete with live entertainment.
There are several restaurants in the Wailea area, including Carelli's on the Beach which features Italian specialties and has catered to a number of famous people, including Harrison Ford, Eddie Murphy, Billy Graham, Michael Jordan, and Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Grand Wailea Resort features Humuhumunukunukuapua'a, a stunning floating restaurant where guests dine in thatched huts. The Polynesian seafood restaurant boasts the freshest Hawaiian ingredients possible.
Recommendation
If you love the ocean, beautiful scenery, and enjoy water sports, golf or tennis, then you will find the Wailea area of Maui to be a wonderful vacation destination. It's worth it to plan your visit during the November-April timeframe to ensure you get to see the Humpback Whales, as well.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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diverpam
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Member: Pam
Location: Collierville, TN
Reviews written: 263
Trusted by: 351 members
About Me:
~~~~So many oceans...so little time!~~~~
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