28
Jan
Style Abounds At The Andaz Maui
Perched along the beautiful Hawaiian crescent-shaped shores of Wailea, the Andaz in Wailea radiates luxurious vibes. From the first steps into their lobby, you’ll certainly feel like you are a step away from heaven itself. The Hyatt owned resort has 290 guest rooms and suites and seven residential villas blended right in the essence of the Maui lifestyle with a touch of sophisticated luxury. Now featuring a luau on the property as well.
If you take a look around this place, you’ll realize that the accommodations are curated across every detail. For example, there are private lanais for enjoying the beautiful sights of sunset and sunrise, baths with ocean views, and garden view showers.
You can dip your toes in the sand while enjoying the marvelous sights of the south Maui coastline. The variety of on-property amenities including fine dining at three restaurants, artisanal coffee, and a host of other luxury features.
This article is divided into the following parts:
- -The things we love about the Andaz Maui.
- -A couple of small critiques.
- -Best time to visit.
- -How to get here.
- -Overall impression of the resort.
- -Activities you can be a part of while staying at Andaz Maui.
So, without any further as let’s dig into it!
Things We Love About The Andaz Maui
1. Location
The location of Andaz Maui is certainly one of the biggest pros when it comes to this hotel. This place enjoys an oceanfront location at Wailea, on the southern coast of Maui, nestled right beneath the world’s largest dormant volcano, Haleakala. This place will give you a very beautiful coastal ambiance with gorgeously designed gardens with a beautiful view of the ocean.
This area is home to several high-end restaurants. The biggest draws of Wailea are the golden beaches, a big golf course, mostly sunny skies, a beautiful shopping destination and only a 30-minute drive from Maui’s main Airport.
2. The Architecture of the Place
This hotel has some of the best decor and architecture we have ever encountered, compared to many other hotels in Hawaii and the world. This beautiful property was inaugurated in the year 2014 by remodeling the old Renaissance hotel, which was vacant for many years before the renovation of Andaz Maui started.
The architecture of this place is designed by the award-winning architecture firm the Rockwell group. This place has a clean and modern, yet minimalist look, which enhances the beauty of this whole experience. The tiered infinity pools with waterfalls are a special feature.
Even with its modern touch, this hotel still gives the familiar, homely, and warm vibes of Hawaii due to the palette of colors used by the architecture firm.
3. The Walk to the Lobby
It seems like a very weird reason to love this hotel, but it’s true. The walk to this lobby has a beautiful entryway bridge with a glowing Ambrato stone framed in mahogany and floating over a gorgeous Koi pond.
After entering the lobby, you will find yourself in an airy lounge filled with light and light wooden furniture and, to give it a Hawaiian touch, it is adorned with various floral decorations and a stunning view of the ocean.
One wall of the lobby is completely open which will give you a beautiful view of pools, gardens, and the Pacific Ocean. This opening also allows the warm breeze to make its way inside the lobby.
4. Easy Booking
Checking in at the hotel is a very simple process. You don’t have to line up for making the reservations but the hotel staff who circulate around the whole lobby will help you with the registration process.
They will also offer guests with the traditional Hawaiian accessories, which is a floral Lei for ladies and shell necklace for men.
After that, you are invited to sit down and enjoy a glass of wine or a cup of coffee according to your preference while the staff member completes the check-in process. There is also a help desk in front of the lobby to help guests with their queries.
5. Accommodation Facilities
There are a total of 297 rooms specially designed for your stay with 7 villas having 2-4 bedrooms. The best part, every single room has a beautiful modern interior and an impeccable view.
There is custom-designed furniture in rooms, which completes the look of the room. But the real beauty lies once you open the windows. The beautiful Pacific Ocean sitting right in front of your eyes is certainly a sight you want to experience.
6. A Minibar in Your Hotel Room
Once you enter the hotel room, you will be greeted by a minibar having non-alcoholic drinks and local snacks that will be replenished on a daily basis. The complimentary snacks mostly consist of Maui potato chips and delicious Hawaiian cookies.
There are various free beverage options, like local root beer, Coca Cola, and POG juice. Alcohol is also available in the minibar, but the resort will charge you for that.
7. Tranquil Ambience
Having 297 rooms in the hotel is intimate according to the Hawaiian standards where most large resorts have more than 500 rooms. Due to the small number of rooms and smart architecture, this resort has a tranquil ambiance, something which is not found at the other properties in the area.
The resort caters to both families looking for an escape through their day-to-day life and adults who are in Hawaii to enjoy their honeymoon.
A Few Critiques
Andaz Maui is one of the most sophisticated restaurants in all of Hawaii, but still, it has a few things which could be a little inconvenient.
- The resort charges a daily resort fee of 40 USD, a common practice among the Hawaiian restaurants. But they advertise this value as “worth celebrating for”. This price might come as a shock to you if you are not properly informed about it. It is not that bad with all the facilities that the restaurant is providing you with, but still, it can be displeasing for some people. But in this $40 per day stay, you can get various things such as GoPro Hero camera rental, guided kayak tour, snorkeling lessons, hula lessons, bodyboard rental, and an exclusive photo session with professional photographers. This all makes your money worth spending.
- If you want to book a room at Andaz Maui using your World of Hyatt points, best of luck! This is one of the worst Hyatt properties in the entire world when it comes to releasing standard rooms for the award. In addition, the hotel only makes these rooms available for an extended stay.
- Although the breakfast hereat Ka’ana Kitchen is superb, the buffet costs around $45 per person including all the taxes, which may seem like a lot, but wait until you try it. However, the buffet stays open till 11 o’clock which means this can serve both breakfast and lunch. Also, if you are a Globalist Tier Member of World of Hyatt, this breakfast is complimentary.
Best Time to Visit Wailea
If I have to give a season, I’ll say visit this place in Hawaii’s offseason. You’ll get the best deals at restaurants and the island is less crowded. This time will be somewhere between April to June and September to November, which is a paradox since these are the best times to visit Hawaii weather-wise. There are things to do in Maui year-round, but whale season is certainly a great time to come with the weather being a little cooler and the whales making their presence known.
How To Get Here
This hotel is located around 20 minutes from Kahului Airport, Maui. Many large airlines offer direct flights to this airport so it should be no problem getting to Maui.
Activities in Wailea
1. Enjoy Private Access to Mokapu Beach
Staying at the Andaz Maui will provide you with private access to Mokapu beach situated right in front of the hotel. This beach is around 1,200 feet long with a beautiful golden hue reflecting because of the sunlight.
Mokapu means “Sacred Island”. This word was derived referring to a small offshore rock island which was blown during WWII. Although this beach is public, Andaz Maui has a private beach club with several loungers and umbrellas which can be enjoyed free of charge if you are a hotel guest.
2. Taste the Food
The hotel has two award-winning restaurants. A spiral staircase down from the lobby will lead the guests into the restaurant – Ka’ana Kitchen. The food served in the restaurant is delicious and you’ll be able to experience the authentic farm-to-table cuisine served in a family-style. They also offer a delicious breakfast buffet in the morning.
3. Visit the 24-Hour Market
The Andaz Maui has an in-house 24-hour market which is fully stocked with local snacks and beverages from the Hawaiian island. You can also get various kinds of alcohol right from the local ones to luxurious wines.
If you are roaming around in the market of Wailea you’ll find different local items for sale like flatbreads, prepared food, and locally served food, a selection of handcrafted drinks, local style clothes and much more. You will certainly enjoy shopping here.
4. Golfing at the Three Wailea Golf Courses
If you are a golf lover, this place will be a paradise for you. You will never find the environment as suitable for golfing as it is in Wailea.
The Wailea golf courses are some of the best in the state. As said earlier, the climate in this area is beautiful and the golf courses are thoughtfully integrated into the landscape of Wailea.
5. Enjoy the Thrill of Watersports
Being in Maui and not enjoying the watersports is a crime. If you are staying at the Andaz Maui hotel, you can get snorkel and kayak from the resort.
You’ll be able to look at some of the most wonderful creatures deep down in the sea. The beauty of nature will certainly freshen you up and will help you escape from the reality of your routine.
Of course, whale watching on Maui is one of the absolute best activities. It’s amazing to see the biggest mammals on the planet earth in their full glory right from the resort. It’s an amazing view and you have to at least experience it once.
6. Enjoy The Swimming Pools
Guests staying at the hotel can choose from five different pools to relax and enjoy a beautiful and sunny day. The main pool area is located right below the lobby and consists of three staggered levels of pools. All these levels feature a magnificent view of the ocean. It then cascades down to the property towards the lagoon pool.
Due to the shallow water and a slopestyle entry, this pool is extremely popular because it has a place for the little guests to play in as well as a beautiful hot-tub inside.
The 5th pool is located near the spa entrance and is only accessible to adults. You can go to this pool and enjoy a drink of your choice while relaxing.
7. Enjoy the Sunset and Sunrise
Maui has some of the most glorious sunsets in the whole world. The beautiful orange color of the sky when the sun is rising and setting and the marvelous golden hue of the sand, a reflection of the sun from the sea is something that can not be explained in words.
You have to visit Hawaii to experience it. This experience will give your life a break from the day-to-day hassle and will freshen you up and fill you with enthusiasm.
Finally, like every other place, this place also has its own pros and cons. There are going to be things you don’t like and things which you won’t like.. But, according to our opinion, even with the high entry-level price point, the Andaz is still one of the best places to stay if you’re visiting Wailea. It has marvelous views with a beautiful combination of modern hospitality and traditional Hawaiian warmth.
