Located on 42 acres just north of the Four Seasons, in the heart of tony Wailea, this is one of Hawaii's most extravagant resorts. Excess seems a religion here: priceless art, thousands of flowers in the lobby, the largest ballroom in Hawaii (with laser-show capability, to boot) and a river pool complete with locks to rival the Panama Canal's.
Since August 2007, the hotel has slipped under the aegis of Hilton Hotels—they claim it as their first franchised offshoot of the new Waldorf-Astoria brand. Maintenance keeps this place looking good, but a major overhaul of the accommodations and public areas, including dining venues, has begun. Once completed, the rooms will display a new tropo-contemporary look. The look appears to be sweeping though the majority of Hawaii's top luxury hotels. The new rooms at the Four Seasons Maui are postcards of this delightful new genre.
Despite the fantasyland personality, Grand Wailea professes to be "The Center of Culture for the Region." Its authenticity is often misguided. For example, it blasted 800 tons from Fujiyama to build its Japanese restaurant. Cascading water—"symbolic of the water that flows from sacred Mount Haleakala"—thunders down a magnificent waterfall at the entrance and then reappears in the lobby within the gigantic nine-story atrium. Indeed, rushing waters, magnifying the feel of constant motion here, course through a network of pools and streams,
down waterfalls and into ponds. Exotic hardwoods and imported stone cloak all surfaces in artistic patterns.
Nearly a dozen dining outlets are on-site, ranging from a kiosk selling fresh carrot juice to an elaborate seafood venue. The main one displays a vast oceanic sweep under 40-ft ceilings. An open-air bistro with an exhibition kitchen serves lunch and dinner between two of the many pools. The Japanese restaurant is built like a traditional Kyoto inn, with a stage designed for Noh dramas and other cultural performances. The lobsters tethered in the lagoon are soon converted into Polynesian dishes in the seafood restaurant. The Botero Gallery Bar is set amid nine bulbous bronze sculptures by the Colombian artist, part of a multimillion-dollar collection that also includes works by Picasso and Warhol.
The spa, easily one of the nation's most luxurious, extensive and expensive, offers a wide range of treatments in a retro-Roman Empire setting. Its only competition is the equally sublime Mandara Spa at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. Three 18-hole golf courses and 14 tennis courts (three grass) round out the magnificent offerings. After dark, Maui's largest disco lures revelers with laser shows. The hotel's popularity with groups and incentives is understandable, and the ocean-view chapel, replete with a clock tower, draws hundreds of weddings each year. Parking is included in the 
resort fee that includes free local calls, complimentary Internet access, coffee and tea in the room, and free access to the 24-hour gym.
Children indulge themselves in the cinema, computer room and soda fountain. A current in the river pool propels floaters on a half-mile journey through swift water, past a Tarzan rope swing, a swim-in cave with bubbling hot springs, a hidden sauna and a swim-up bar, eventually reaching a hydraulic elevator that rises up to the starting point, where one can begin the odyssey again. The pool also includes a 10-ft scuba plunge and a sandy beach. For tranquil swimming, the formal pool with the Halekulani-like mosaic on the bottom (hibiscus instead of orchid) is off-limits to children. There is a genuine beach here, too, with good swimming offshore, but many guests never make it that far.
The posh accommodations are in six wings positioned for maximal ocean exposures. The long walks between public areas and guest quarters can make some feel like they are living in a mall, albeit a glamorous one. For instance, the walk from the lobby to the far end of the Molokini Wing can take up to 20 minutes. Guests should make a survival check list so as not to get distracted and forget daily supplies, therefore making a return trip necessary.
The rooms, 
even larger than the Four Seasons', have a Hawaiian plantation look derived from traditional jalousies, ceiling fans, island colors and tropical plants. Thanks to the no-smoking policy, all of the guest rooms smell fresh. Entered through double doors, all have area rugs on tile or marble floors, desks, three phones, armoires with TVs, large baths with glassed-in showers and ocean-view lanais. Cable and wireless Internet access are now available in all rooms, and use of wireless Internet throughout the public areas and guest rooms is free of charge. Rates vary by exposure. While the most luxurious and expensive digs dwell within Napua Tower, rooms in Wailea Wing are perhaps the nicest.
Room service is available around the clock, but waits are common and understandable. The size of the hotel tends to dilute service standards, which fall a half-step below the Four Seasons'.
This remains the most expensive hotel ever built in Hawaii, and chances are that statistic will hold for a very long time to come. Although the size screams conventions, families and individuals will find the atmosphere here engaging, and the beach is one of the best in Hawaii. Like its sibling Hilton Waikoloa, guests here should bring good walking shoes and have a resort map handy at all times.
