96753 Travel Guide
Hotel Design / Design Thursdays / Hawaii Hotels / Andaz Hotels / Hotel Openings / Hotel Hype / Photo Gallery / → All Tags
The New Andaz Maui Will Make You Go Wowie
A traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony was all it took to ensure that the much-anticipated Andaz Maui at Wailea actually opened on time, unlike so many of its peers.
The 297-room paradisiacal hotel, which will debut in late Summer, is well on its way to becoming our most anticipated hotel opening of the year (literally), for its private beach, free WiFi, and signature restaurant, Morimoto Maui. Sure, that's a big statement. But we dare you to disagree after taking a look at these images, straight from the offices of the property's designer, David Rockwell:
Celebrity Chefs / Hotel News / Andaz Hotels / Maui Hotels / Hawaii Hotels / → All Tags
Andaz Maui Says “Aloha” to Morimoto
We’re stoked to hear today's news--the upcoming Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort & Spa is pairing with celebrity-chef Masaharu Morimoto to create Morimoto Maui in time for the hotel's opening next summer.
The Iron Chef star will take advantage of the island’s direct access to fresh produce and pay homage to Hawaii by incorporating local ingredients to his traditional Japanese menu.
Hotel Amenities / Luxury Hotels / Four Seasons Hotels / Fairmont Hotels / Maui Hotels / → All Tags
Are Maui Hotels' 'Free' Amenities a Real Value?
A Hawaiian vacation is notoriously expensive, especially at the tony resort town of Wailea in Maui. So when we heard about all the free amenities at the five-star Four Seasons Maui, we were impressed, but skeptical. Had they just built the cost of all their freebies into the hotel rate? And how do other Maui hotels rate in comparison? We broke down the amenities to analyze the savings, if any.
First, the Four Seasons Resort, which costs around $465 per night, doesn't charge a resort fee and tells their guests to “put away your wallet” and enjoy their extensive complimentary services and amenities.
Here's a sample of what they're giving away gratis:
· Fitness classes including Pilates mat class and yoga
·Internet access throughout resort
·Kids for All Seasons Club (5-12 years) 9am - 5 pm daily (nominal fee charged for lunch)
·One-hour use of snorkel equipment
·Cabanas at Fountain Pool and Waterfall Pool (limited inventory)
·Introductory scuba clinic twice daily
Fairmont Hotels / Hotel Restaurants / Luxury Hotels / Maui Hotels / Revamped Restaurants / Ko / → All Tags
Kō at The Fairmont Kea Lani Gives You a Taste of Maui's History
With most of the culinary attention in the Hawaiian islands drawn to "Hawaii Regional Cuisine," we were fascinated to learn that Kō, the newly renovated signature restaurant at The Fairmont Kea Lani derives its flavorful dishes from humble beginnings--the food of the various ethnic groups that came to work Maui's sugar cane plantations.
The Hawaiian word Kō means sugar cane, a large un-branched grass brought to the islands by the early Polynesian settlers, later hybridized to increase variety and yield and forming at one time Hawaii's largest industry. Native Hawaiians for the most part did not work the cane fields. So the Portuguese were sent from the Azores, the Chinese, Japanese and later Filipinos, Puerto Ricans and Koreans came.
Everyday in the midday sun they'd break for lunch, sometimes sharing a dish and teaching the other nationality about a new vegetable or method of preparation.
Andaz Hotels / Wailea Hotels / Maui Hotels / Hotel Hype / → All Tags
Andaz Wailea Blesses The Ground They're About to Andazzle
Fa la la la, we've got some concrete proof that the Andaz Hotel brand is coming to paradise aka Wailea, Maui, thanks to this traditional Hawaiian Blessing ceremony photo op from Wednesday. And there's another little surprise in our hotel news stocking as the Andaz Wailea Resort and Residences will open in the Spring of 2013, not 2014 as we first heard.
The hotel will have 255-rooms, 35 suites and 19 villas located along Mokapu Beach which is a little bit further north from the Grand Wailea-Four Seasons-Marriott hotel cluster that most people frequent in Wailea.
Hotel Restaurants / Hawaii Hotels / Waldorf Astoria Hotels / Hotel Chefs / → All Tags
Somewhere Between Japan and California, You'll Find Amasia
Japanese-born chef Alan Wong has spent years building a legacy as one of the most talented and innovative chefs in Hawaii. His Oahu restaurant, Alan Wong's, was ranked twice by Gourmet magazine as one of the top ten best restaurants in America. Now, the master will be turning his attention to the Grand Wailea Resort for a new "Asian street food"-inspired upscale restaurant—to be named, awesomely, Amasia.
The name refers to the possible future merging of the Asian and North American continents. Which is actually fitting for Wong's style, which likes to borrow a little from both cultures. Wong recently entered into an agreement with Grand Wailea to take over their Japanese kaiseki restaurant Kincha, which closed in 2009. Currently undergoing a $2 million renovation, and with Wong's team set to arrive in January to start experimenting in the kitchen, the restaurant will re-open as Amasia in February.
Hotel Spas / Maui Hotels / Hotel Massages / → All Tags
Get a 20-Handed 'Hula Wave' at the Grand Wailea
We thought the unsettling news about NASA's rogue satellite might be cause for a quick spa getaway to Maui—you know, to ease your mind. After all, if you're going to be pummeled by a 6.5 ton defunct spacecraft, you might as well be enjoying your last few moments in style. Even if your pampering session becomes a twenty-man operation.
It turns out that the Spa Grande at Grand Wailea Resort is experimenting with a "20 Hands Duo Massage," meaning (you guessed it) a two-and-a-half hour massage treatment for couples by ten people, twenty hands, and 100 fingers. We're not sure if this should be considered relaxing or merciless, but we're curious nonetheless.
Hotels Doing Good / Waldorf-Astoria Hotels / Maui Hotels / Hawaii Hotels / → All Tags
This Hotel GM Shaved His Head for Charity, What Has Yours Done?
While some people raise money with bikini car washes, like Octomom and some fame-hungry celebrity mistresses, Grand Wailea's Managing Director Matt Bailey really gave something of himself for charity—his hair.
To inspire the Maui resort workers to donate money to the annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk, which aids Hawaii nonprofits, he vowed in the beginning of the year to shave his hair if they hit a fund-raising goal of $32,000. Not only did they raise the money, they exceeded it, with donations totaling $50,000—the most raised in the state.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Hotels / Sexy Hotels / Island Hotels / Waldorf-Astoria Hotels / Maui Hotels / Hawaii Hotels / Hotel News / Irina Shayk / → All Tags
Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition Models Shacked Up at Maui's Grand Wailea
The Grand Wailea Resort in Maui is having quite the turbulent February. First, it filed bankruptcy and was bought by new owners, despite its almost $2 billion in debts, and then it was featured in the movie Just Go With It. There's even a contest open now to win a good vacation stay at the resort as a tie-in with the movie.
Finally, the Grand Wailea is again the center of attention, as today it was announced that it was the temporary Hawaii home of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue's bevy of models, stylists and photographers when they stayed in Maui to shoot the 2011 issue, hitting newsstands today. We've visited the Grand Wailea before and found it a bit too family-oriented for our luxury tropical relaxation tastes, but all those models and famous photogs could've shifted the balance for at least a weekend.
Insane Hotel Packages / Tennis Hotels / Four Seasons Hotels / Hotel Fitness / Maui Hotels / → All Tags
Learn From the Pros at The Four Seasons Maui's Fantasy Tennis Camp
Need an excuse for a vacation some place warm but don't want to feel like a slacker? If you've got a spare few grand, why not hit up the Wailea Fantasy Tennis Camp at the Four Seasons Maui?
The four-day tennis bootcamp will give guests/students the chance to train with pros including Tom Gullikson, Lindsay Davenport, Michael Russell and Corina Morariu--and then forget everything they learned at the end-of-camp Awards Luau.
Hotel of The Week / Four Season Hotels / Britney Spears / Hotel Pools / Hawaii Hotels / Maui Hotels / Wellness Retreats / Hotel Packages / → All Tags
Four Seasons Maui Gets Dissed by Brit, Offers Spa and Tennis Programs
In our new "Hotel of the Week" feature, we look at a property that everyone is talking about and give you the lowdown of what's going on at the hot spot hotel.
This week, we're seeing a lot of buzz on the hotel page for Four Seasons Maui, so we decided to take a look at what’s happening at the property.
Hotel Closings / Hotel Woes / Maui Hotels / Hotel Foreclosures / → All Tags
Maui Owie: The Maui Prince to Close Next Month
The first Hawaiian hotel casualty of the recession has been claimed--The Maui Prince Hotel and Makena Golf Course will close on September 16, according to news reports. The hotel's management company, Prince Resorts Hawaii, was forced to close the hotel after the owners defaulted on a mortgage of $192.5 million. And it wasn't just the mortgage the owners couldn't keep up with--they couldn't keep up with their end of the operation contract either.
So while a hotel in foreclosure usually doesn't affect the guest experience during their stay, once the hotel owners are unable to meet the demands of their contract with the hotel management company, then things really start to go south.
