Which is best? Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, and Wailea Beach Resort by Marriott are more or less next to each other on Wailea Beach. Both have amazing pools with wiggly slides, both are huge resorts and both have a very similar location.
We have already compared the Four Seasons vs. Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort and Andaz vs. Grand Wailea. Now we compare all aspects of the Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, vs. Wailea Beach Resort by Marriott.
We think the Grand Wailea is a better choice for those with mobility issues or small children as many of the rooms at the Wailea Beach Resort By Marriott are situated up a steep slope, so the pools and beach can be a considerable walk from your room. This is particularly difficult if you are returning to your room in the heat of the afternoon and having to struggle uphill.
In most other aspects, we prefer the newly refurbished Wailea Beach Resort by Marriott, although each hotel has different benefits, so read on to find out which hotel will suit your stay more.
Hilton stays accrue Hilton Honors points, and Marriott stays accrue Marriott Bonvoy points. Both of these loyalty schemes are excellent. It’s worth mentioning that these loyalty benefits are nowhere near as good as the benefits you get by booking your next Four Seasons, Marriott, or Hilton stay with our luxury travel concierge. If you book with our concierge, you will get free breakfast, prioritized room upgrades, hotel credit, and more, as well as all your usual World of Hyatt or Hilton Honors points during your stay.
This is how these two hotels compare:
1. Style
If you’re traveling with kids, the Grand Wailea, a Hilton subsidiary, has incredible tropical pools, but this hotel is large and impersonal, with disappointing rooms compared to the Four Seasons next door. The Wailea Beach Resort By Marriott has been recently refurbished, and rooms are fresh and spread out in lovely 2 storey blocks, so the hotel feels more intimate than the Grand Wailea and has more space to breathe.
The Grand Wailea’s rooms can be disappointing and set quite far from the beach. The base rooms are fairly dark and dismal compared to the newly refurbished Wailea Beach Resort.
The Grand Wailea has a gorgeous open-air foyer, extensive lawned grounds, beautifully refurbished rooms with their own lanai or terraces in low-rise blocks set out with plenty of space to breathe, and a pirate pool with big, wiggly slides. Since the refurbishment, we prefer the style of the Wailea Beach Resort By Marriott as the Grand Wailea can feel tired in places.
Of course, Four Seasons Maui is our number one choice in the Wailea area. If your budget can stretch to it, this is a very special hotel and one of the best Four Seasons in Hawaii.
2. Location
The Waldorf Astoria is more or less next door to the Wailea Beach Resort By Marriott. The Wailea Beach Resort By Marriott benefits more from ocean breezes because it is on a headland, but because it is so spread out, your room might be quite a walk from the pools, beach, and Wailea Mall.
As we mentioned above, the uphill walk back from the beach in the heat of the afternoon can be exhausting because it is uphill.
The Grand Wailea rooms and the main part of the hotel is located slightly better than the Wailea Beach Resort By Marriott. Everything is closer and more convenient, but because the rooms are in higher towers, the hotel feels larger and less intimate, so there is no clear winner here.
Both hotels sit at one end of the oceanfront boardwalk, so if you like an evening stroll along the beachfront to experience one of the best sunsets in Maui, this is a great place to walk from. You can walk around the headlands and right over to the Fairmont, which is further South.
3. Size
Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, has 776 spacious rooms and secluded villas with private lanais, breathtaking views, and subtle Hawaiian décor.
Wailea Beach Resort has 547 spacious guest rooms, so while this hotel is far from boutique in size, because it is so spread out across a large peninsula covered in lawns, it feels much smaller and more intimate than the mamouth Grand Wailea.
4. Grounds
Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, wins here as their grounds are huge, with a pond, numerous tropical-themed pools, numerous wiggly slides, waterfalls, and more. This is a tropical paradise for children and teens, as the slides are brilliant. The more impersonal feel of the hotel and the sheer volume of rooms are the downsides here. However, for grounds and facilities, this hotel is envied by pretty much every other hotel in Hawaii.
It’s worth mentioning that the Wailea Beach Resort by Marriott also offers great slides, which are nearly as fun as those at the Grand Wailea, along with a pirate pool. The Wailea Beach Resort is spread out over a beautiful grassy peninsula, so the setting is magical and particularly spectacular at sunset.
5. Beach
Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, and the Wailea Beach Resort are both on Wailea Beach. It is usually a shorter walk from your room to the beach if you stay at the Grand Wailea vs. Wailea Beach Resort.
6. Rooms
The base rooms at the Grand Wailea are large and start at 640 sq. ft. The decor is fairly generic, and they can be located quite far away from the waterfront without much of a view. The rooms at the Grand Wailea are a little tired, and because the blocks are set behind the pools, you are too far from the beach to hear the sea, even from an ocean-view room.
The rooms at the Wailea Beach Resort have been newly refurbished are newly refurbished and are superb. Rooms at the Wailea Beach Resort are around 450 to 550 sq. ft. If you book an oceanfront room at the Wailea Beach Resort, it really is oceanfront, as the hotel juts out on a rocky peninsula with the beach to the side. This means you can relax on your peaceful balcony or terrace and be lulled by the crashing waves.
8. Family Facilities
Both the Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, and Wailea Beach Resort By Marriott have brilliant adventure pools and waterparks with wiggly slides, and the Grand Wailea pool has waterfalls too. The pools are slightly better at the Grand Wailea.
9. Club Lounge
The Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, has a club lounge, but it doesn’t have a great reputation and is the kind of place you rish into for a snack and drink and then rush out again as it’s the pool and beach you’re staying here for.
The Wailea Beach Resort by Marriott doesn’t have a club lounge. The Four Seasons, next door to the Grand Wailea, has one of the best club lounges in Hawaii.
10. Price
Usually, the Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, is more expensive than the Wailea Beach Resort by Marriott. You might expect rates of $1,000 vs $700 for the standard room at each. Both hotels are great for families. The pool at the Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, is slightly better, but the Wailea Beach Resort by Marriott has nicer rooms.
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