Where to Stay in Wailea: Hotel Wailea Maui Review
Is it worth it? A review of Hotel Wailea, a luxury Relais & Chateaux hotel in South Maui for adults only.
This reporter was hosted by Hotel Wailea, for the purposes of this review.
When I pulled up to Hotel Wailea, the first thing I noticed was the 1963 Jeep Surrey Gala parked out front. I would later find out it was the same Jeep used in the show "Fantasy Island," brought to the hotel with its new owners, Jonathan McManus and Jerry Lynch, when they took over the hotel in 2008.
In 2026, Hotel Wailea was named the No. 1 hotel in Hawaiʻi and one of the top 500 hotels in the world by Travel + Leisure. It is not hard to see why. It is a sanctuary, an adults-only retreat from the real world, complete with waterfalls, a tree house and one of the largest wine lists in the state.
Hotel Wailea dates back to the 1980s, when it was a private club for Japanese members only. Designed by Japanese architect Takashi Okamoto, the property features a teakwood-beamed open-air lobby and restaurant and 18 townhouse-like structures sprawled across 15 acres, making its 72 suites feel more like a gated community than a hotel. Located on a bluff, several rooms overlook the ocean and all three neighbor islands.
When McManus and Lynch took over, they kept the Japanese architecture and refined it to the point that, in 2015, Hotel Wailea was hand-selected to become part of the Relais & Châteaux collection — the only one in Hawaiʻi. The attention to detail is immaculate. A jute beach bag hangs in your closet next to luxurious robes and slippers. Your soaking tub comes with bath salt and an exfoliating pad. The bottled water in your kitchen is sparkling, but the water by your bed at night — along with local Kuʻia Chocolates — is still. Free Wi-Fi turns on automatically, sans password. Your TV offers free movies. Your fridge is stocked with cold beverages. You have everything you need and more in this home away from home. McManus and Lynch have truly built their version of Fantasy Island on one of the most fantastic islands on earth.
A Quick Overview
- Star Rating: 4.8 out of 5 on TripAdvisor (2,100 reviews)
- Price Range: From $1099 per night (shoulder season) to $1899 per night (peak season)
- Best for: Solo travelers and couples looking for relaxation
- Pros: Quiet, luxury furnishings, studio-style rooms, wine and dining
- Cons: Not walking distance from beaches or shopping
- Location: Wailea, Maui. Near some of Maui's best beaches, restaurants and shopping.
Room & Accommodation
Rooms at Hotel Wailea are more like one-bedroom apartments with a kitchen, living room, spacious bathroom with deep soaking tub, bedroom and lanai. All linens, furniture, textures and touches are of the utmost quality. Marble countertops, hardwood floors and soft lighting. Soft plush couches and beds to bury your body into. A loveseat and table built for two for morning breakfast delivered to your lanai. It’s the type of room you don’t ever want to leave.
In-room amenities:
- Safe
- Refrigerator and freezer
- Flat-screen TV
- Soaking tub
- Nespresso Coffee Maker
Amenities
Daily housekeeping and turn-down service
Concierge
Pool and hot tub — Open 24 hours
Complimentary cabanas — First-come-first-serve or by reservation ($250 to reserve ahead of time). These are super spacious and provide shade, comfy couches and lounge chairs and full service all afternoon long.
Wellness — Young Goose Biohacking Skin Care kit, Red Light Therapy, Supplements, Makena Health IV Therapy, Lymphatic Drainage, Percussive Therapy
Complimentary shuttle — Luxury house cars are available to take guests anywhere in Wailea, daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. This includes neighboring resorts, local beaches and The Shops at Wailea.
Fitness Center — Open 24 hours, open-air, includes Peloton stationary cycles, free weights, yoga mats and Pent Fitness exercise equipment
Yoga Studio — Includes aerial yoga, meditation and a variety of movement classes
Anuhea — Hotel Wailea’s elegant private venue can accommodate up to 100 guests. The tall ceilings and extravagant light fixtures, with open-air terrace and views of waterfalls and lush tropical landscaping, make it ideal for weddings or other large special events. Guests are encouraged to book as far in advance as possible (there are already bookings for 2028 and 2029). Contact events@hotelwailea.com for more information.
BOOK A ROOM AT HOTEL WAILEA
Beach Safari — Complete beach day set-up with tent, chairs, towels, cooler, snacks and drinks at your choice of beach (Keawakapu, Ulua, Wailea, Polo, Palauea (White Rock), Poʻolenalena (Changʻs) or Makena Landing Park).
Dining & Drinks
The Cabanas
Pool bar serving cocktails, wine, beer, healthy elixirs and lunch.
The Birdcage
The towering teakwood rooftop that acts as a home to hundreds of singing birds soars above you as you dine on Japanese fare in this open-air restaurant. What I like to do is come here for an Old Fashioned cocktail just before sunset, followed by dinner at The Restaurant at Hotel Wailea next door.
“During COVID, the birds made this their home and never left,” said Managing Director Markus Schale. “Every evening after the sun goes down they go to sleep and are quiet until the sun comes up in the morning.”
The Restaurant at Hotel Wailea
Rated amongst the Top 10 Restaurants in Hawaiʻi by Open Table every year from 2018 to 2026, The Restaurant is everything you’d expect from a fine dining establishment. Ceramic plateware is handpicked from Japan. Glassware is of the finest quality — thin, elegant and always the perfect size and shape for what’s inside. Ingredients are both locally grown and sourced from the finest producers in the world. Steaks are served with hand-hammered Damascus steel steak knives. The kitchen loves bringing the garden into the kitchen, often building tiny flower arrangements around cold dishes.
- Breakfast: Every morning on the lanai
- Dinner: Exceptional fine dining fare and service
- Chefʻs Table: Dinner for two inside the kitchen amidst all the action. This is a stand-out experience I’d invite anyone to do at least once in their lives. You truly get doted on by the kitchen. It’s very fun.
- Chefʻs Garden Table: 5-course dinner in the garden. This is where the hotel also hosts its quarterly guest chef collaboration dinners.
Wine
Hotel Wailea’s wine list is something to be admired by connoisseurs. It features approximately 2,700 wine selections from the world’s premier wine-making regions, with an emphasis on producers who express a strong sense of place. Roughly 60% of the list is made up of wines considered rare, allocated or difficult to find. This could be due to limited production, mature vintages or longstanding relationships with importers and producers. About 40% comes from producers practicing organic, biodynamic or low-intervention viticulture and winemaking.
While the collection spans all major wine regions, the hotel pays particular attention to the wines of Champagne, Burgundy, California, Italy, the Loire Valley and Alsace — Champagne, especially, with producers including Jacques Selosse, Egly-Ouriet, Agrapart, Bérêche, Vilmart, Pierre Péters and Krug. Burgundy lovers will enjoy their extensive selection, from Chablis through the Côte de Beaune, including Coche-Dury, Domaine Leflaive, Domaine Roulot, Raveneau and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
The Treehouse
An open-air structure built within the propertyʻs mango and avocado orchard. This is where you can book an exclusive 7-course dinner with wine pairing for you and your guests.
Room Service
Available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Menu and ordering are provided via QR code in each room. I highly recommend this for breakfast. They bring up a beautiful spread and lay it out on a table outside on the lanai for you to enjoy in your robe.
- Address: 555 Kaukahi Street, Wailea, Maui
- Check-in: 3 p.m.
- Check-out: Noon
- Pet policy: No pets, ADA-compliant service animals only.
- Parking fees: $35 per night for self-parking, $50 per night for valet parking
- Airport shuttle service: Hotel Wailea does not offer a direct airport shuttle service to or from Kahului Airport (OGG).