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Hotel overview
Indulge in complete pampering and service during stays at this unforgettable Hawaiian gem. A honeymooner’s dream, it offers gourmet cuisine at the diverse offering of restaurants, exciting bars and a grandiose spa recognized as one of the world’s best, while families will enjoy the exciting activities pool where thrilling water slides, lazy rivers, white water rapids and the only water elevator in the world will keep little ones entertained throughout their stay.
Location
Wailea - BeachProperty information
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Hotel details
Hotel advisories
General policies & fine print
Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy:
Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
General Information:
Room taxes are included in vacation price.
Minimum night stay restrictions may apply.
Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
Ratings & reviews
TripAdvisor traveler rating
9052 reviews
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Aug 05, 2025Grad wailea review
This place is run down, they wouldn’t give me specific pillows for my child allergies. The food is so expensive. No adult pools. Will never visit here again. Some of staff was rude to me. Very little activities in terms of kayaks etc. Beach was over crowded. You get the point. Poor staffing
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Aug 05, 2025Not a good value- Everything is an up charge and it's not worth it
We've been coming to this resort for years and this last time it felt like they were trying to milk us for every penny without providing value. We used to get leis when we checked in. We got nothing this last time. It must be another cost saving measure. The wait to check was 45 minutes (which was frustrating after 8 hours of flying) because two front desk agents were monopolized by two upset guests. Our "ocean view" room had a distant view of the ocean but mostly looked over a retention pond and another building's roof. (See photo below) There used to be lots of chairs to sit in by the pool. Now they're replacing those with cabanas that rent for $2k/day. And as of last October, they've also started charging for beach chair rentals. Just more ways to nickel and dime guests. Arguably the #1 reason to stay at the resort is to use the pool and go on the water slides. But two of the slides were closed during our stay and one was unusable and ripped up our bathing suits. The bathroom next to the pool was filthy. There was feces on the toilet and wall in one stall I tried to use and there was regularly no toilet paper. Food prices, as you would expect, are obscene. $40 for small pasta plates, $5 for a half a piece of pita bread in Bolero, $24 drinks, etc. If you want to set by the pool, you have to order from their limited menu because outside food is not allowed. Another way to capture your money. I talked to some staff about the prices and chair rentals and one admitted that since people pay so much to stay at the resort, they figure that they can charge more for every small thing and people will just pay it. But it's frustrating to constantly feel like you're being nickel and dimed, especially after paying so much. The highlight of our stay was going to Humuhumunukunukuapua'a. It's worth a trip there whether or not you're staying at the resort. We've had some fun times at this resort over the years but don't plan on returning. We're going to look at maybe going to Costa Rica instead for beach time. If you want to check it out, I'd recommend staying 2 nights to spend time in the pool (which is pretty even without the water slides). 2 days there is enough, though. Then get a cheaper place to stay and a car rental and go check out some of the amazing beaches on the island. You don't have to stay at an overpriced resort with mediocre rooms and views to do that.
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Aug 04, 2025Sad Wailea Instead of Grand Wailea
No longer a luxury hotel and it now feels more like a Hilton than a Waldorf Astoria. After returning nearly every year for the last 15 years, we left after our last stay heartbroken and disappointed. The hotel has made some changes over the years, including remodeling the soa and some upgrades, but the newest changes make the hotel feel common, overpriced and sad. Unlike the previous GM, the new executive manager does not understand what it means to deliver a luxury hotel experience. Pool towels are now limited to one per person and the pool staff is very strict about not providing more upon request. The towels are not big enough to cover the lounge chairs so we were forced to lay on chairs with our bodies touching bird poop or fabric that had other people’s sweat on it. With our single towel, we also had to dry ourselves with the same towels that were previously laying in bird poop. That felt unclean and made the pool experience unpleasant and cheap. Excuses were made such as, “one of our washing machines is broken”, but it was hard to believe that it was still broken or could not be replaced since our friend’s stay in February. They experienced the same thing. They had heard about our stays over the years and decided to try it. They returned from their stay unimpressed and complaining of the same problems. Clearly, the washing machine was just an excuse for cost-cutting. We thought that maybe it was to save water on the island, but we checked out the lounge chairs at the other Wailea hotels off the beac walk. Their lounge chairs had three towels- two towels to fully cover the chairs, and one for drying after pool use. Gone now too are the grand flower bouquets in the hotel entry and lobby. Also absent are all the little touches that made the hotel previously feel like a luxury stay. No more little welcome gifts and nightly turn-down service. It’s hard to know if this is a cost-cutting measure from the Hilton corporate, but if it is, Hilton, needs to determine if they want to be in the luxury hotel business going forward. Are other Waldorf Astorias experiencing the same complaints? Upon researching the hotel ourselves, we learned that this hotel’s new GM was promoted from within the Hilton system, and we respected that. Unfortunately, this was still probably the wrong hire. Does Hilton not have any GMs trained at their other luxury brands? (The previous GM was from one of a competitive hotel and resort corporation’s luxury brand concepts). Perhaps, Hiltom can send this GM out to stay at and experience their other luxury hotels around the world to better learn how to maintain this property’s grand image. At the very least, this GM should leave the property and take a walk down the Wailea beach walk to the neighboring luxury hotels to see and feel what luxury hotel guests expect. It was a stay full of lowlights with two exceptions. We loved talking with the tenured staff members who we have seen many times over the years and who are still just as kind, professional and hospitality-minded as always. The addition of Nobu to the restaurant offerings its venue are brilliant. Next time, we may stay at a nearby hotel, but we will make a Nobu reservation for a dinner.
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Aug 04, 2025
Prison With A View!
Upon arrival, our first impression was a lengthy queue at check-in, filled with guests either waiting to register or dealing with issues. Unfortunately, this initial experience set the tone for our entire stay. During check-in, I mentioned we had just come from the Disney Resort in Honolulu. The staff member replied, "Oh, we’re very similar," and she wasn’t wrong. Guests are required to wear wristbands constantly to access pool facilities. The restaurants were decidedly average, although Nobu and HumuHumu were okay. Only one restaurant served breakfast, leading again to another frustrating queue. The pool area felt overcrowded, with sunbeds crammed so closely together that we found ourselves mere centimeters from other families. Additionally, some of the slides weren’t even operational. Staff attitudes largely felt dismissive, emphasizing strict adherence to policies rather than guest comfort. For instance, enjoying more than an hour in the pool with our kids wasn’t possible without staff clearing our belongings from our sunbeds. This happened twice, resulting in the loss of some personal items—nothing expensive, but still unacceptable. They also offer a games room featuring VR, pool, and board games for a $25 entry fee, which initially seemed like good value. Unfortunately, once inside, we discovered many board games were broken or missing pieces, and the VR games were an additional $10 each and extremely disappointing. Essentially, we paid $25 just to use a ping pong table. On a positive note, our room on the 9th floor offered an excellent view, and the pool staff did handle the tsunami warnings efficiently. Additionally, a concierge team member named Takataho was particularly helpful. However, aside from these few bright spots, I genuinely wouldn’t return here, even if paid to do so. As residents of Dubai, we can confidently say this resort wouldn’t hold up as a five-star establishment back home. My advice: avoid this place entirely.
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Aug 04, 2025
Never again....
We've been to the Grand Wailea a few times over the past few years and I think this trip was our last. This place seems to be living off of former glory and the fact that it has the best pool for kids. The prices keep increasing (now $75 to valet park your car, no self parking available) and the benefits reducing. They've taken away the lei greeting and complimentary beach loungers and, the last time we were there, there was no kids activity gift either (apparently who ever was in charge forgot to order more, oh well). The view was lovely from our room, but the room was slightly dirty and, despite the room being recently renovated, the slider old and gross. I didn't find that I had to be at the pool by 6:30, around 8:00 was good enough to find decent chairs. But then the slides don't open until 10:30AM! A daily wait for wristbands and your allotted 2 towels per wristband. Each time we've gone, some of the slides or a significant portion of the pool hasn't been open. Water elevator has been closed for years. The fountains at the entrance are dry. It's pathetic.