Review: Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott, Maui

The “aah” factor kicked in the moment I stepped into the expansive open-air lobby of Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott, Maui. Straight ahead was a spectacular panorama encompassing the ocean, West Maui and, in the distance, the island of Lanai. I was so mesmerized that I just stood there for a few minutes, drinking in that dramatic view before I checked in.

A short while later, strolling to my room on paths bordered by dozens of types of beautiful plants — including palms, ginger plants, hibiscus flowers and banana trees — I slipped deeper into that state of “aah.” We all know that feeling: when stress and worries melt away, and we enter a state of peace, relaxation, contentment and discovery.

And Wailea Beach Resort is all about the “aah.” Its 547 rooms and suites sit on 22 acres between two crescent beaches, closer to the ocean than any other hotel in the master-planned resort community of Wailea. Among the accommodations are 43 ground-floor rooms in the coveted Sundeck Collection, each of which features a 150-square-foot lanai that’s perfect for reading, napping, picnicking and toasting over gorgeous sunsets.

Olakino Wellness Offerings

Olakino is the resort’s newest wellness experience (fittingly, the Hawaiian “ola" translates to “health,” and “kino” to “body”). At this adults-only oasis, guests will find cabanas, in-water chaises, mini spa treatments, guided wellness practices and a waterfall-fed, infinity-edge pool overlooking the ocean — all of which can shape their journey to rejuvenate body, mind and spirit.

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I attended a yin yoga class, enjoyed a scalp massage and — for the first time — participated in sound meditation. As my group laid on yoga mats beside the pool, the therapist used a drum, a rain stick, a tuning fork, chimes and singing bowls to immerse us in gentle tonal vibrations intended to increase our awareness, reduce stress and anxiety and help regulate our nervous systems. Periodically, she walked around, pausing by each of us to play instruments over our head and body. The hourlong session was so soothing and calming that I dozed in the middle of it.

Olakino’s other options (available on a rotating basis) include acupuncture, Ayurvedic tea ceremonies and mandala-making, which uses ferns, flowers, leaves and other natural materials. Prices for a day pass begin at $200 and include programming, use of a lounge chair and the care of attendants who move about unobtrusively, responding to requests and ensuring that everything is in order. Use of a daybed or cabana, beverages (aside from water) and tasty tidbits (think: wagyu yakitori, kanpachi poisson cru, ube tapioca and peanut butter dark chocolate oat bars) are additional.

Activities Around the Property

Many great diversions that also encourage guests to linger on the property are included in the $50 resort fee (per room, per night). The list is long, from introductory scuba lessons, Pilates, yoga and pool aerobics to evening s’mores and conversation with other guests around a seaside fire pit. There's also admission to the fitness center (open 24/7), Movie House (family flicks are screened there twice daily) and GameSpace, a lounge equipped with foosball, billiards, shuffleboard and arcade and board games.

Lyndra Okamoto is the resort’s delightful, knowledgeable supervisor of recreation, who leads a full slate of complimentary cultural activities. In addition to the usual hula and lei-making, she teaches classes seldom offered at hotels, including Hawaiian language, poi pounding, traditional games and kukui nut kupee-making (bracelets).

I had always wanted to learn how to play konane (Hawaiian checkers) and ulu maika (Hawaiian bowling), and I finally did, thanks to Okamoto — although I wound up being soundly beaten at both by a second-grader from Vancouver named Ruby. During Okamoto’s Hawaiian quilting class, I watched visitors carefully hand-stitch patterns on squares of fabric that will one day be sewn into a lap quilt and donated to a local hospice facility.

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One morning shortly after sunrise, I was on the beach with several others, looking forward to paddling an outrigger canoe — also free of charge for guests. Before embarking, our guide told us that canoes were essential in Hawaii long ago for fishing and interisland transportation, and that Hawaii’s first settlers sailed to the islands from Tahiti and the Marquesas in double-hulled canoes more than 1,500 years ago.

Four of us then pushed a canoe into the ocean and boarded it with our guide, knowing this would not be a canoe “ride.” We were the crew, expected to paddle together to propel the vessel. Being outside in the fresh air was exhilarating, and it didn’t take us long to establish a rhythm and stroke in sync. The water was so clear in some areas that we were able to see small fish darting here and there below us; during one break, we spotted a honu (green sea turtle) popping its head out of the water to breathe.

Restaurants, Luau and Other Hotel Highlights

Highlights of a Wailea Beach Resort stay could also include spa treatments, an oceanfront luau, a 325-foot waterslide (the longest on Maui), a private candlelit supper by the sea and dinner at Humble Market Kitchin, where the menu was inspired by the hearty comfort food that its owner, celebrated chef Roy Yamaguchi, remembers his grandfather cooking whenever he visited him on Maui.

One of my favorite memories of my stay was arriving at the Whale’s Tale beach bar soon after its 6:30 a.m. opening. A dozen other early risers were already there. Before joining the line to order a bacon, egg, spinach and tomato panini for breakfast, I walked to the shore to admire the tranquil scene. There were no waves in the ocean or clouds in the sky, and Kahoolawe island and Molokini islet were bathed in the soft light of a brand-new day.

It was an “aah” moment indeed.