We weren’t at Ali’i Kula Lavender long before I received a call from the Andaz Maui. Our room had become available, so after looking around for a few more minutes, we headed back to Wailea. It took us nearly an hour to get back to the Andaz Maui, which seemed like an eternity. Having been teased with the promise of a “special room,” I was eager to see what exactly that meant. The Andaz is valet only, so after a short queue, are car taken and we were off!
From the porte cochere you’ll need to take a set of steps up to the above walkway. This walkway is really a signature of the property. And while impressive during the day, the walkway looks best at night.
From there, you’ll step down into the expansive open air lobby.
Another unique feature of this property is the sandpit in the center of the lobby. There’s actually chairs in it and kids are welcome to play in it. The lobby also boasts some fantastic views of the pools and ocean, with ample seating to take it all in.
Like a traditional resort, the Andaz Maui does have a formal front desk.
However, when entering with bags, guests are often greeted by a receptionist and invited to sit. Once seated, guests are offered beverages (lavender lemonade this time around) and cool towels.
And while you enjoy your drink, the receptionist takes your ID and credit card to handle check-in. Once completed, you’re then presented your information and you’re all set. This process, of course, is common now days, but in Hawaii it’s still rare. I should note that my mid-tier Platinum status was recognized sincerely and all benefits were explained to me. It’s also worth noting that Gold Passport Elites of any tier don’t normally receive suite upgrades. From what I understand this is due to the extreme popularity of the resort. And, in fact, the suite upgrade certificates only get you into the Andaz Pool Suite, which are all on the ground floor. For whatever reason (and I’m super grateful), for this stay, we were upgraded to a 800 sq/ft Andaz Partial Ocean suite. As a Gold Passport Platinum.
We were assigned room 240 in the resort’s makai (meaning ocean) wing. As you may imagine, our room was on the 2nd floor of this wing. Our room was also one of the furthest from the elevators, but for a good reason.
Upon entering the room you find yourself in a nice little foyer. Immediately next to the door was a set of light controls and a coat rack.
As you can see, besides controlling the room lights, the control also had options to turn on the exterior privacy or room servicing (cleaning) indicators. Right next to this control is a half/guest bath.
From the foyer, the room opens up into the nicely sized living area.
The living area has more than ample seating for the two of us. There’s a bench-like sofa, a chair, a love seat, a desk + chair, and a dining table. The love seat was super comfortable and is where we spent the majority of our time when in the room. The desk is where you’ll find controls for the lighting, a/c, and the shades.
The desk also has a Bluetooth Bose speaker, power ports, a/v ports for the TV, a notepad, phone, and resort dining guide/room service menu.
Near the dining table is a large armor. Open it up and you’ll find a wet bar, Keurig, fridge, the ice bucket, and some snacks.
This being an Andaz, all the goodies including non-alcoholic drinks are included with your room.
While the assortment was small, it was nice and good in quality. Aside from the K-Cups there were some Starbuck VIA packs, some Tazo Tea, and even some local treats including Anahola granola bars (Kauai), Maui Chips, and Maui Brewing Co. Root Beer.
The living area also has a balcony with a couple of chairs, a table, and a suspended chair. That suspended chair wasn’t particularly comfortable, but was fun to sit in! And the views of the ocean with the West Maui Mountains off in the distance is nice. Heck, the balcony is a soothing place to hang out thanks to the sounds of the waves, birds, and dripping water (infinity pool).
Through a single door is the bedroom.
The bedroom contained yet another love seat with an ottoman, a TV, a king bed, room controls, and another phone.
The entrance to the bathroom is located to the right of the bed. Those sliding doors behind the bed? Peekaboo shower! Seriously. The bedroom has a lot of power outlets along the floor, but none by the bed. That is, until you look behind it.
On the headboard was a single outlet and two USB ports. I think these should be mandatory in all rooms now because who doesn’t sleep with their phone by the bed? This was also the perfect place to leave the phones.
The bedroom has its own, smaller balcony with a lounging chair. The view is slightly worst than from the living room, but was still nice.
Another great place to spend time in the room? The fantastic master bathroom!
The very spacious shower has both a rain head and a handheld sprayer. The controls, unfortunately, aren’t that intuitive. Maybe I’m just stupid, but it took me literally 10 minutes to figure out the temperature control. After that initial struggle, though, it was relatively simple. I doubt I’ll remember how to do it for next time.
Around the wall from the shower is a deep soaking tub and a large dual vanity. To the right of the vanity is the closet and the toilet. Both are concealed by doors that blend into the wall.
The room containing the toilet is laughably large.
Aside from the bidet (Japanese style) toilet, this room contains a digital scale and this sculpture.
The closet contains shoe storage, the safe, iron, extra bedding, and a shoe shining kit.
Toiletries at the Andaz Maui are from Malie, a Kauai-brand. Malie’s fragrances are really clean and refreshing, meant to evoke different environments around Hawaii. Beyond the toiletries in the shower, however, you also receive a kits on the vanity.
The kit contains a vanity kit, shower cap, mouthwash, makeup removing wipes, and toothbrushes with toothpaste.
Under the vanity is a stool, some extra towels, a non-slip matt, blowdryer, and extra roll of toilet paper.
The rooms at the Andaz Maui really are top notch. If it weren’t for our goal of hiking the Pipiwai Trail, the wife and I probably would have stayed on property the entire 3 days. We really could have just sat around in the room and/or on the balconies and just relaxed. But beyond the rooms, the property does have a decent amount of things to do. There are, of course, the pools shown earlier from the lobby. There’s also an adult-only serenity pool, which could be seen from our room.
The serenity pools have cabanas and ample deck chairs. But, if you want to spend most of your time at the serenity pool, then consider booking one of the above pool suites. You get easy access to the pool after all.
The property does have a dedicated keiki pool, too.
At the Andaz maui, the Keiki Pool is a zero entry beach-like pool surrounded by grass and cabanas. Unfortunately the keiki pool doesn’t have slides like other properties on the island. But really, if you want a kid-centric stay, you should probably consider the waterpark Grand Wailea with its extensive pool system.
If you’re a fitness nut, the Andaz Maui has a great workout room with a large variety of modern equipment. There’s also some pretty great amenities there like free earbud earphones.
The Andaz Maui also has it’s own spa with apothecary, and a 24/7 sundries called Mokapu Market. Mokapu has a variety of sundries, clothing, grab-n-go foods, foods for order, and even a gelato bar.
Fronting the Andaz Maui is Mokapu Beach, a gorgeous stretch of golden sand with superb views.
The Wailea Boardwalk, which connects all of the Wailea properties also snakes its way past the beach.
Sunset walks are particularly great to do along either Mokapu Beach or the boardwalk.
If you want to get off property and can’t figure out what to do, you can always visit the concierge too. I almost forgot to mention this earlier, but the concierge desk is so beautiful that I had to include it! It’s located right behind the front desk.
While I always advocate getting out and exploring wherever you’re visiting, the Andaz Maui is one of those places that you should dedicate time to hanging out at. Like I said earlier, we didn’t spend much time on property, and I regret that. I love to go out and explore around Maui, but you really should spend a little time here just relaxing.
If you are planning on staying at the Andaz Maui, there are a couple of things that you should know. As I mentioned earlier, upgrades for any tier of Gold Passport Elites are not common here. Heck, getting an award room is difficult enough. I was only able to book my room a few months prior to our travel date, and only in an accessible no-view room. And to show how crazy demand is, just a few days after availability opened, up, it was gone. Thankfully we did secure an epic rare suite upgrade. Further, if you don’t stay on an award, you will have to pay the resort fee. That’s $40 a day and doesn’t include valet parking. That’s an additional $30/night.
Gold Passport Elites do receive space available late checkout, though. 2p.m. for Platinum and 4p.m. for Diamonds confirmed the night before. Diamonds receive complimentary breakfast in Ka’ana Kitchen and a check-in amenity of your choice. Wifi included with the resort fee, and the resort does provide complimentary reusable water bottles with refill stations throughout the resort. If you’re hoping to stay on cash + points, good luck. Those are even harder to come by than award nights.
But even with all the pitfalls, the Andaz Maui is a resort I look forward to returning to in the future. I will not receive the same outstanding room once again, but the wife and I love this property.
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- Review: Andaz Maui