Located in the heart of Wailea, connected by a walking path (200 feet) to the island's toniest mall, The Shops at Waliea, this hotel has followed the same path as is its Big Island sibling, Waikoloa Beach Marriott, and undergone a major overhaul of its facilities. This property has stepped into the limelight with its striking new contemporary design, remodeled accommodations and impressive new roster of recreational facilities.
The location here has always been world class. The views from its lushly landscaped plot take in Haleakela's volcanic slopes and summit (10,023 feet), as well as the neighboring isles of Molokini, Kohoolawee and Lanai. Below the surface, the deep warm Pacific waters offshore are home to an abundance of colorful coral and tropical fishes. From December through March, Wailea's warm waters are a winter home for hundreds of humpback whales, which spout and breach well within view of the bar's poolside terrace.
This is one of the oldest full-service hotels on the island, and work was warranted, but returning guests will appreciate the changes. Predating setback laws, the accommodations in the oceanfront wings are closer to the water than almost any other guest quarters on the island. Guests in hotels such as the newer Ritz-Carlton Kapalua need binoculars to achieve similar views.
The 22 verdant acres, set on a rocky point flanked by two crescent-shaped beaches, envelop a central building, an accommodations tower, seven three-story wings, impressive convention facilities and four pools for the kids—the fifth pool is for adults only. Mature landscaping softens the commercial architecture, which itself has improved thanks to the removal of the dated brick
accents. In fact, the reworked exterior, with its sleek new glass balcony railing and warm muted paint job, has been transformed to meet modern aesthetics.
The new lobby, open on three sides, displays an attractive contemporary-plantation mien interspersed with the hotel's impressive, museum-quality Hawaiian artifacts and new collection of tasteful modern art. Set around a new glass-tiled reflecting pool, comfortable armchairs and sofas piled with pillows encourage guests to relax while taking in the mesmerizing ocean views. Despite the large scale of the hotel, designers managed to create a pinch of residential warmth. The hotel's extensive use of koa wood adds an exotic flair to the public rooms, most of which have ocean vistas.
Riding high on the wave of notoriety derived from Mala Lahaina, chef Mark Ellman and celebrity investors Clint Eastwood and Alice Cooper have opened Mala Waliea. With its high quotient of glamour and global accolades, this new dining room provides the necessary buzz that is now expected of Wailea's premier hotels. Lustrous wood floors and an ocean-view lanai provide the setting for romantic dinners. Other dining options include the poolside grill and a delightful terrace restaurant with a Continental and regional menu and striking sunset vistas over the Pacific, as well as a new Starbucks franchise.
The hotel prides itself on its cultural programs, offering one of the island's few dedicated directors of culture. At night, hula often accompanies torch-lighting ceremonies, and four times a week the hotel attracts visitors and guests alike with the island's most popular luau. It begins with an open bar and ends with the antics of a legendary, 
three-time world champion fire-knife dancer. More Hawaiian-oriented and less Disney, the new luaus are artistic rather than kitschy, with engaging traditional Hawaiian chants and music. The annual lei-making contest is gaining in popularity.
The excellent recreational activities include five pools and two whirlpools, a trio of waterslides and a watery playground for the kids. The hotel's new Serenity Pool is a kid-free zone with a separate bar and six exclusive and expensive cabanas. The new Mandara Spa boasts 11 treatment rooms, and the new gym offers free weights and anaerobic machines. A poolside kiosk provides watersports rental, and kayaks and sunfish are available next door at the Grand Wailea Resort. A jogging trail follows the shapely contours of the convoluted coastline. Preferred tee times at two Wailea golf courses lure duffers.
Three ballrooms and 29 meeting rooms, all of which have been renovated over the past three years, make this one of the most popular meeting venues on the island; the extraordinary rooftop venue holds 500, with views of Haleakela's summit and the surrounding islands and Pacific. The new full-service, 24-hour business center provides back-up. Self-parking is free. The mandatory US$20 resort fee includes parking, daily complimentary cocktails, Internet access and use of the gym. This is more of a value than the standard resort fee.
The refurbished guest rooms have all new fixtures, fabrics and fittings that reflect the hotel's sophisticated new contemporary island bent. The updated wicker loveseats and armchairs are whimsical and pair well with the mahogany-trimmed consoles that harbor desks, minibars, plenty of storage and TVs. Colorful abstract 
art and imaginative lighting, muted fabrics, hardwood molding, jalousies and louvered doors, and oversized tile floors further the rooms' refined tropical decor. Dimmer switches bolster the residential elements. The new Revive Beds are topped with excellent bedding and throw pillows. Amenities include two phones, (one a cordless model with voice mail and a dataport) TVs, refrigerators and roomy closets with new laptop safes and irons and ironing boards.
The glamorous baths are divided in two, with lovely marble-topped vanities adjoining dressing areas, while the toilets and combination deep soaking tubs/showers are set behind opaque glass doors. Guests can enjoy glimpses of the ocean from generously furnished lanais in 80% of the units. Avoid Mountain View rooms or risk eyeing the parking lot. Those lucky enough to snag one of the Oceanfront digs in Hale Two or Hale Three will find themselves in lodgings that win the prize for "closest to the ocean." Ocean-view rooms capping the Haleakela Wing have superb panoramas of the neighboring isles and unimpeded water vistas.
Room service now operates around the clock. The establishment is smoke-free. Pets are not permitted.
Like its sibling in Waikoloa, this hotel has made a Cinderella-like transformation with the help of its Fairy Godmother (Blackstone Investments). This operation is at the top of the second tier, easily surpassing the aging interiors of the Maui Prince Hotel in Makena, though a big notch below the bodacious Grand Wailea Resort, Four Seasons Maui and Fairmont Mauna Kea.
