Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott, Maui: A People-Pleaser With Plenty of Pools
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Close your eyes and imagine what a turnkey Hawaiian vacation might look like. Do you see big, breezy lobbies, plenty of pools and easy access to the ocean, via two golden-sand beaches? How about an abundant breakfast buffet, well-manicured grounds and fellow guests who don’t break the no-cellphone rule by the adults-only pool? Now open them: You’re at Wailea Beach Resort.
You need a vacation. Between a full-time job and your family life, you’ve been burning the candle at both ends—and you’re starting to fray. Sunshine and warm weather are a given, and there should be plenty for you (and your kids, and you and your kids) to do all day long. You want pools, not parties, and it shouldn’t take too much effort or time to get there.
Enter Wailea Beach Resort. The 547-room complex, which sits on a choice strip of oceanfront—in fact, it claims to be the resort closest to the ocean’s edge on all of Maui—in the Wailea resort area, is the just-right porridge of Hawaiian escapes. There are airy, bright common spaces (plus a turf lawn called Mei Court with pod-like tree swings, a life-size chess board and cornhole set-ups); comfortable rooms and suites, each with a lanai or a patio; and a healthy handful of dining options.
After all, you’re either past the party-on-vacation stage of your life, or it was never your style to begin with. Who needs any of that stuff when you have six pools to choose from (some of which are adults-only), a robust breakfast buffet (the mochi pancakes are fire emoji) and the only Starbucks in Wailea right outside your door, plus resorts on either side of you where you can book a meal or two?
Start your day with breakfast at Humble Market Kitchin, with everything from mochi pancakes to scrambled eggs and fresh fruit.
Back to the six different pools, because they’re the real reason you’re here. You love being able to splash around with your kids at Nalu, but you don’t want to be on waterslide watch every day—which is when you migrate over to the fun-for-everyone ‘Ohi pools. You can keep an eye on the little ones while you laze in one of the two hot tubs, or enjoy an Ahi tuna sandwich at Kapa, the poolside bar and grill, and breathe easy knowing their antics aren’t bothering anyone here.
When you want quiet, you go to Maluhia, the adults-only pool, where no one’s taking phone calls (which is verboten) or blasting YouTube videos. It’s just a series of top-knots gliding calmly across an infinity pool. And while entry to Olakino, the adults-only wellness pool, might cost a little extra (single-use lounge chairs start from $150 per day), it’s nice to treat yourself to an afternoon of unfettered pampering in the form of spot massages and a mister that the staff can load up with lavender-infused water.
If you wake up one morning and decide you need a break from pool-flopping, though, you’re covered. There’s the Outrigger experience over at Wailea Beach, and a stand where you can rent snorkeling gear or kayaks. The resort’s friendly concierge counter can also book you a brochure’s worth of off-property activities, from a sunrise excursion to Haleakalā to a helicopter tour over West Maui and Molokai. The arcade is a rainy-day lifesaver (you’ll just have to referee who gets to play Space Invader II), and so is the cinema, which you’ll be tempted to sneak into just to visit the free popcorn machine.
It all adds up to plenty of unfussy, unfettered fun.
Cardmember Benefits
Wailea Beach Resort is a member of The Edit by Chase Travel℠, a collection of hand-picked hotels with premium benefits for Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers. Customers who book a stay at Wailea Beach Resort through The Edit will earn 3 points per dollar and receive special benefits, outlined below.
Daily Breakfast for Two
You can use the credit exclusively for Humble Market Kitchin’s breakfast buffet (the à la carte menu, specialty coffee and alcoholic drinks are not included).
Room Upgrade if Available
You can expect a single-category room upgrade, based on availability, to be confirmed at check-in. (Keep in mind: some room categories may not be eligible for an upgrade.)
Welcome Amenity
The Edit guests receive a gift at check-in, such as the Banana Jam Jam (banana bread baked using a recipe crafted by a former staff member).
A $100 Property Credit
You can use your $100 resort credit in a number of ways: for room service; at Kapa Bar & Grill, Whale’s Tale, Starbucks and Mo’Bettah Food Truck; and to book poolside cabanas and Olakino lounge chairs.
The Room
From the rooms to the suites, the accommodations scattered through the resort’s eight buildings are generally white-walled units with light tile flooring and a piece or two of beach-themed artwork. (Except for the tippy-top suites, which have glossy wooden flooring and glass dining tables.) But they’re comfortable and impressively sound-proofed, the air conditioning and blackout curtains work perfectly and each one has a generously sized lanai or patio. Just note that the bathroom arrangements change depending on your room or suite selection: Usually, two-queen rooms have a bathtub; king rooms have standing showers; and some categories, like suites, may have both. Rooms in the new Sundeck Oasis category have the best of all worlds, guaranteed, with both indoor and outdoor showers and tubs.
If you’ll have kids in tow, make your life easier by requesting a room (or two) in one of the hales (Hawaiian for “home”) bordering Nalu, including 4, 5 and 7, where there are two tot-friendly pools. You know they’ll want to ride the four waterslides over and over, so why spend each morning schlepping your stuff across the resort? Couples should snag a room in Hale 4, above the adults-only Maluhia pool (Hales 3 and 6 are also adjacent) for maximum quiet. Unlike the hales near Kapa Bar & Grill, you won’t have to contend with loud music right below your lanai.
One more pro tip: Stock your minifridge with wine and beer from Holoholo Market—that way, you can pop a cold one when you’re hankering for a sunset beverage on your lanai or patio.
The Features
Mei Court is a great hangout space where you’ll find much to entertain you, including swinging chairs and games like cornhole.
Don’t miss: The Te Au Moana lū’au, which takes place on the lawn below the Kula pool at least four times per week. (This is upped to five times per week during peak season, with special additional showings during the holidays.) The performance is superbly choreographed, and the family-style dinner offers some of the best food you’ll have while here. Be sure to try the juicy, perfectly marinated grilled kalbi short ribs and the Imu Kalua pork with cabbage, a classic Hawaiian dish.
Favorite features: It’s a toss-up between the spacious-enough room lanais or patios and the variety of pools, each one serving a different audience, need and desire.
On the latter, it’s just a joy to have options that please everyone: People with kids who don’t necessarily want (or need) to be hanging around a kiddie pool with a slide; couples who are on vacation alone and don’t want to be splashed to oblivion; adults who crave a more exclusive, pampered experience. Everyone can find something to love here.
Can’t stop thinking about: Mei Court, or what you might consider the resort’s “front lawn,” which feels like a big outdoor living room. There are swinging pods hanging from massive gnarled tree branches, conical day beds that you can flop down on, games like cornhole and a life-size chess board, and plenty of rocking armchairs where you can sit and take it all in—especially if you’re a parent watching your kids pal around. The area is nice and spread out, comprising the lawn and the open arcade next to it, and is propped up by huge white rectangular pillars and the occasional wooden sculpture. It’s like a modern Greek temple, if it were designed by Joanna Gaines.
The Lowdown
The Outrigger canoe experience departs from Wailea Beach, just steps from the resort.
The highly specific reason you’d come here: You promised your kids a proper family vacation, and you want to make sure there’s plenty to keep them occupied while you laze by the pool.
The movie most likely to be filmed here: A wholesome Hallmark romance or a Disney Channel movie—think, “Zach and Cody’s Great Vacation.” Or better yet, “Modern Family: The Movie.”
What’s on the speakers? It depends where you are in the resort. The ‘Ohi pools, which are next to Kapa Bar & Grill, share the restaurant’s classic rock soundtrack, with the occasional live music or DJ sets thrown in, while Olakino’s tunes are more mellow and chilled out.
What are people drinking? Fruity cocktails and beer—bottled, canned and tapped.
Are guests staying in or going out? Both. There are a grand total of 10 dining venues on property, and with so many resorts in the surrounding area, you aren’t short on choices. Just make sure to call ahead.
The celebrity you’d see here: A social media influencer who’s actually on vacation.
The Perfect Stay
Rise and Shine
Get up and put your Nespresso machine to work; have coffee on your balcony while you watch the sunrise and plot out your day. If it’s early, mosey over to the yoga class down by the ocean. Or, head to Wailea Beach for an Outrigger canoe experience (which starts at $130 per guest, ages 5-plus). If you opt for the latter, just remember to register in advance. If you’re a walker, get excited; the oceanfront path that stretches across many of the Wailea resorts is easy, beautiful and just long enough (about an hour, to and fro).
Morning
Workout now logged, you’re ready to eat. If you’re on your way back from the Outrigger experience or the oceanfront walk, grab a smoothie or an açai bowl at Whale’s Tale; for something more substantial, hit the breakfast buffet at Humble Market Kitchin. Consider springing for at least one à la carte item (which isn’t included in your breakfast credit)—the gluten-free macadamia nut pancakes, for example, are a house specialty.
Afternoon
Afternoons here are all about the pool hang. If you’re flying solo and willing to drop some extra cash, spend the day at Olakino, the adults-only wellness pool. There's superb food (think: freshly smashed avocado toast, poke bowls that are almost too pretty to eat). Families should make their way over to the Nalu pools for some quality hang time, including riding the longest resort waterslide in Hawaii. Grab some light grub from the Mo’Bettah food truck (and, yes, a drink from the Nalu Bar).
Evening
Freshen up before heading to the Te Au Moana luau. Check-in starts at 5 p.m., but that’s because it’s dinner and a show—so make sure to come hungry. (Those still-warm, purple-y taro rolls smeared with mango butter aren’t going to eat themselves.) You can opt for premium seating, which gives you front-row views and a quicker admission process, but it isn’t necessary; they don’t seat the tables all the way around, meaning no one has their back to the performance—and you’re never going to be so far away that you can’t see.
Late Night
This isn’t really that kind of place; even Humble Market Kitchin shutters at 9:30 p.m. You can grab a drink in the lobby at Makani Bar, which pops up every night, or take a stroll along the waterfront walkway (and pop in at another resort, if something’s open), but more likely, you’re crashing early-ish and waking early-ish, too.
Know Before You Go
Getting There
You can use a ride-hailing service to or from the Kahului (OGG) airport or coordinate a taxi pick-up or drop-off through the hotel’s Guest Services.
Tech Specs
The tech is above average: The QR code by your bedside allows you access to room service, restaurant information, activities booking and more, and there are sufficient outlets throughout the hotel, particularly in your room and in the lobby, to charge up. But you still have to manually close your blinds, get out of bed to turn off most of the lights and use a good old-fashioned remote (rather than an all-purpose iPad, say) to work your TV.
When To Go
The weather is pleasant all year-round, so expect the level of occupancy to be roughly proportional to certain times of year in the U.S.—busy when kids (and their parents) are on holiday, and quieter when they’re not. In general, you should book during shoulder season (April, May, September, October) to score better rates and, relatedly, to encounter thinner crowds. NB: The Hawaii Food and Wine Festival swings through the islands every year—usually during October in Maui—so you may clock a corresponding uptick in rates.
What’s Included
You’ll receive two refillable bottles of water on arrival (there’s an ice and water machine in every hale, on pretty much every floor); a Nespresso machine with pods (caffeinated and decaf), plus creamer and sugar; Wi-Fi.
What’s Around
There are a string of neighboring resorts along the oceanfront beach path, plus the Shops at Wailea are just behind the property. The resort also offers a shuttle service that’ll take you anywhere you want within a three-mile radius of the property, in and around Wailea itself.
You won’t want for pools at Wailea Beach Resort, which has six to splash around in.
Fast Facts
- Number of rooms: 547
- Number of pools: 6
- Fitness center? Yes
- Spa? Yes
- Salon? No
- Number of bars/restaurants: 10
- 24-hour room service? No
- Childcare and kids club? There’s a kids’ club, and Guest Services can provide recommendations.
Booking With Chase Travel
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