DESTINATION: WAILEA (SOUTH MAUI)

Wailea is at least three times the size of Waikiki and even larger than Kaanapali but it doesn’t seem that way when you drive through this beautiful community. The reason it seems so small is that construction in the area has been planned out in every detail from the very beginning. Wailea is a perfect example of how to best use growth to satisfy visitors. The Wailea resort has blossomed along five of South Maui’s most beautiful beaches.

This 1500-acre resort community hosts five luxury hotels, elegant condominium complexes, three championship golf courses, tennis complexes, restaurants, a shopping village, and private homes among manicured lawns surrounded by mature tropical flowering trees. Everything is clean from the golden beaches to the green grass. Nothing less is expected in Wailea.

Wailea was home to several ancient villages. A heiau can be seen on the golf courses: the designer preserved it and worked it into the design of the courses, providing what has to be the most interesting hazard on any golf course. A few other historical sites are located in Wailea, but they are on private land and not accessible to the general public.

BEACHES OF WAILEA

Each of the five crescent-shaped beaches that Wailea offers has a unique charm. These little beauties are crescent shaped oasis of white sand that usually end in lava outcroppings at both ends. This makes for sheltered swimmable waters and good snorkeling. Since most of the hotel guests seem to prefer to remain near the hotel pools these beaches are surprisingly uncrowded.

Keawakapu Beach just past the Mana Kai Resort is accessible where South Kihei Road dead-ends, and has plenty of parking but no amenities. Interesting relics in the water about 400 yards off shore include a hundred and fifty junked cars dumped there by the State Department of Fish and Game in 1957, in the hope that nearby ocean life would use the cars to create an artificial reef that would attract the big fish that fishermen look for. The plan didn’t work as intended, but the beach is still beautiful, and the cars provide a unique location for scuba divers in about eighty feet of water.

Mokapu and Ulua Beaches, the protected expanse before the Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort, has plenty of parking, showers and restrooms and being a hotel beach is well maintained with excellent snorkeling out by the first reef.

Wailea Beach, a short but wide expanse with excellent swimming, was once very secluded, and now showcases the Grand Wailea Resort.

Polo Beach provides excellent swimming, facilities, and an underwater view of large numbers of fish among the large rocks separating Polo from Wailea Beach.

GOLF

Wailea’s condominiums and private residents are discreetly screened from public view by creative landscaping, and the fairways of the three golf courses provide expanses of lush greenery that are markedly different from the areas of dry terrain. The area is a natural desert. The water supply, the most pure on the island, is piped in from the Iao Valley aquifer in a underground aqueduct across the Maui isthmus.

Wailea’s Blue, Emerald and Gold Courses are among the top-rated golf links in the United States. These three 18-hole championship courses wind along the lower slopes of Haleakala, overlooking crystal-clear ocean and white sand beaches. The courses change tee and pin placements daily to provide a constant challenge for the golfer.

Set on a hillside above the new Gold/Emerald clubhouse, the Wailea Gold training facility simulates the gameplay of the Emerald and Gold courses with several putting, chipping, and target greens, including traps and flags, a driving range that features video instruction, and private lessons and group clinics with Wailea’s resident pros.

Both Wailea clubhouses have restaurants, locker rooms, full-service pro shops and preferred rates for guest staying in Wailea. For tee times call Wailea Golf Club (808) 875-7450.

TENNIS

Consistently ranked among the country’s top tennis resorts by Tennis Magazine the fourteen courts include eleven plexipaved, three of which are lighted for night. One is a stadium court accommodating 1000 spectators on terraced seating.

The Wailea Tennis Club’s staff pros offer a daily range of activities and clinics devoted to various aspects of the game including doubles strategy, ground strokes, volleys, serves, overhead strokes and more. Clinics are limited to six students although one-on-one private lessons are also available. Reservation are a must. (808) 879-1958.

Need a partner? No problem. One of the clubs most popular free services is game arranging. With a pool of over 100 able and willing players and twenty four hours notice the Wailea Tennis Club guarantees a partner to match your skill level.

Above the pro shop is Joe’s Bar & Grill, a casual but elegant restaurant that dishes out “good old American cooking”

Various competitive events are hosted throughout the year, including the Wailea Open Championships, one of Hawaii’s largest local events. Competitive action is available in one of Wailea’s many informal leagues.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Five ocean front hotels: The Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa, Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Wailea Marriott Resort, and The Fairmont Kea Lani Maui provide elegant accommodations with full entertainment and amenities.
The Grand Wailea Resort is a feast for the senses with a grand entrance of cascading waterfalls and sculpted landscapes featuring six independent guest room wings in which most rooms have an ocean view. The pool area features a 2,000 foot long river with waterfalls, grottos, slides and rapids.

Six restaurants offer a wide selection of distinctive cuisine including fresh Island fish with Polynesian and Hawaiian influences at Humuhumu­nukunuku­apua’a; contemporary Japanese cuisine and sushi at Kincha; delightful blend of California and Island cuisine at Bistro Molokini; and daily breakfast buffet on the terrace of the Grand Dining Room with spectacular fountain and ocean views.

A variety of hotel lounges include the swim-up Grotto Bar, the poolside Volcano Bar, the Botero Gallery Bar featuring nightly entertainment, and Tsunami Night Club. The 50,000 square foot Spa Grande is one of the most luxurious spas in the world. The Grand Activity Center offers exciting activities and workshops for the whole family including the Camp Grande program for children ages 5-12.