Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii
Andaz is a lifestyle brand under the Hyatt family and it introduced a new beach resort in Wailea, Maui 2013. The hotel is rebuilt on the former grounds of the AAA five diamond Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort from 1978-2007. It closed due to the financial crisis. Andaz Maui has received many awards including 2017 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards – Top 10 Best Resorts in Hawaii
Great location
The resort is located right off the highway and is in the prime area in Maui. There are beautiful roads with overarching Banyan trees along the roads and gorgeous multi million dollar homes. The Four Seasons is also down the street. It takes around 40 minutes to drive to the airport.
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii view
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii welcome Lei
Breathtaking lobby + Check in
Once you alight from your car you are invited into the hotel with a long and dramatic entrance way with water on both sides. At the end of the entrance is the view of coconut trees, the oceans and the mountain range from northern Maui.
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii entrance
There is also no Check-in process, you will be ushered to the lobby lounge area to be seated and served a drink of the day and a staff will check you in at the couch and give you an overview of the hotel.
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii lobby
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii open lobby with sand
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii lobby orchids
Small rooms
Small. Way smaller than expected and the low 7 ft ceiling ( to save on construction cost or height limitation) made it feel even smaller. The bar is stocked with complimentary local drinks and snacks which is a nice touch. The Maile amenities are locally sourced.
The furniture is modern but uncomfortable.
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii uncomfortable furniture
The bed sheets are soft and luxurious.
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii king bed
The light in the mirror at bathroom beside the door is also not functional.
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii broken mirror ring light
There are two bathrooms in the suite. A half bathroom at the entrance of the room and a full shower/tub in the master bedroom.
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii view from room
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii view from the room
Impossible points redemption
Almost impossible to redeem unless staying for over 7 nights. The points guy blog https://thepointsguy.com/2016/05/andaz-maui-makes-it-difficult-to-redeem-points-for-free-stays/ talks about the reason behind it and how to actually get point redemption. We ended up paying cash for the mountain view hotel room and my bestie used suite upgrade voucher from Hyatt to lock in the suite.
Sub par service
Not what you would expect from a five star resort. The hallmark of great hotels like Mandarin Oriental, St Regis, Ritz and Four Seasons is the service. The staff is much younger at this hotel and the service is minimal. There are lots to learn from the older generation of staff and the famed Peninsula hotel in HK has the same doorman for 30 years. The younger staff brings a ‘cooler’ vibe and a why should I care attitude. If you ask for beach towels/directions they will give to you but out of all the interactions they did not go above and beyond.
3 issues on inferior service
We called to confirm at 9 am that early check in is available for the suite so we arrived at the hotel at 1 pm. Upon check in, they notified us that the room will not be ready until 5. This is annoying as we already made plans for snorkelling tour in the afternoon. The staff should not have promised in the first place.
Ryan, the valet, spilled the box of macadamia nut cookies while unloading from the car and he apologized and offered champagne or beer as a token of appreciation. We waited and waited for Ryan but he never showed up. Never over promise and under deliver.
The next morning, the busser at the Ka’ana kitchen rolled her eyes when we mentioned we are here for the Hyatt Globalist breakfast. The service at the Hyatt Regency is much better than the Andaz.
In fact, this blogger also encountered less than stellar service at the Andaz Maui. This hotel needs to improve.
Spa facilities
Another pet peeve of mine. If you stay at any Four Seasons hotel or any Grand/Park Hyatt, you are given access to the spa facilities. This spa only allows “spa guests” to use the sauna/hot tubs inside. Not a gracious policy. Given the price of this hotel, the value is lacking.
Food
Convenience store is horrifyingly expensive though the saving grace is the farm to table Ka’ana kitchen which served the best breakfast buffet I ever had but at 52 USD per person, it is pricey.
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii staircase to the Ka'ana kitchen below
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii Ka'ana kitchen one floor beneath the lobby
Pools
There is an adult only pool under the stairs towards the spa and there are three infinity pools tiered on top of each other and all overlooking the ocean and the northern part of Maui. At any pool, the view is stunning and the pool and hot tub closest to the beach is opened 24/7. We got a chance to swim and stargaze late at night.
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii 24hour pool and hottub
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii self serve after hours towels
Beach & Snorkelling
The beach is secluded as the it is blocked off my the Mokapu beach park in the south. It almost feels like a private beach. The Mokapu beach park also has extensive reefs to snorkel through and this was the only place in Maui that we saw eels in the corals. Through the Google Earth satellite imagery, you can see the big reefs close to Mokapu beach park as well as further north. We spotted several scuba divers and turtles underneath as we swarm from the southern reef to the north.
From the satellite view you can see the reefs right below the Andaz, there are also good snorkeling spots on the north side of the hotel.
What are you waiting for? Book your stay at Andaz Maui through Priceline or Booking.com. Travel insurance is always recommended when traveling abroad.
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