Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
Photo Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels Limited
There’s no better spot at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea than its Serenity Pool, an adults-only oasis where you can lean on the infinity edge and gaze out over the swaying palms, the well-manicured beachfront lawn, the glistening Pacific and the rocky peaks of Lanai island and the West Maui Mountains that appear to be within your grasp. But the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star hotel refuses to rest on its surrounding natural beauty — it just emerged from a floor-to-ceiling renovation that will pry you from the pool and into one of the inviting rooms.
While the Four Seasons will officially wrap up its transformation on November 7, we got a sneak peek at the new offerings. All 383 guest rooms and 72 suites, which are the most spacious in Maui, were overhauled, and now boast a chic and contemporary look.
The New-Look Guest Room, Photo Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels Limited
The suites have lanais that run the width of the accommodations, complete with a daybed, table and chairs; hardwood floors; a sectional sofa that converts into a queen-sized bed; a round table and two leather chairs in burnt sienna; and the supremely comfortable Four Seasons bed, which gives you three choices of mattress toppers (plush, signature or firm) and a pillow menu.
Opposite the bed, a striking wood accent wall holds a 65-inch, ultra-high-definition LED television. Other tech touches include reading lamps built into the wooden headboard, tablets readily accessible on the bedside tables and a wall dial in the bathroom that lets you pipe in music, everything from Hawaiian to R&B.
Lovely Local Art, Photo Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels Limited
To give the spaces an island touch, the Wailea hotel brought in fine art curator Julie Cline to add contemporary pieces that draw on the islands. Cline also curated the Hawaiian-influenced art throughout the hotel’s public spaces as well (the Four Seasons has one of the state’s most extensive collection of contemporary Hawaiian art). The pieces in the rooms were chosen from artists who lived, worked or studied in Hawaii since it became a state 1959. One of our favorite works was mounted in the bathroom: a porthole-sized painting of a woman gracefully swimming underwater.
The tan-marble-filled bathrooms — the largest in Maui — also were redone. Under that porthole painting, a teak dresser frees up space in the living/bedroom area and provides a seamless way to get dressed after using the marble-lined shower or the roomy standalone tub. Four Seasons Maui also swapped out the standard terrycloth bathrobes for pumpkin-colored yukatas, soft, lightweight summer kimonos that are perfect for lounging after a day in the pool.
The Maui hotel has also concentrated on evolving the suite experience for the past three years and finally unveiled 21 new one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom oceanfront suites (previously, it only offered one- and two-bedroom options). Aside from the prime views, these suites stand out from the rest with its amenities, which include daily breakfast, massages, round-trip airport transfers, unlimited laundry — a rare perk — and an in-suite dinner during the stay.
The Priceless View, Photo Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels Limited
But the best amenity may be access to the guest experience manager, a personal assistant who customizes each stay. Instead of relying on one-package-fits-all activities, the guest experiences manager and her concierge team crafts an individualized itinerary as part of its Unforgettable Experiences program. They can arrange everything from a whale-watching photo tour to a helicopter ride through the Big Island with a visit to a Kona coffee farm. But those are just mere suggestions; the manager will make any bucket list wish you have come true.
The renovation is mostly complete, but stay tuned: The luxury hotel will debut three new presidential suites in the coming months. The two-bedroom accommodations will have the top-of-the-line amenities, including the personal assistant services, but they also grant you an exclusive perk: the Serenity Pool all to yourself for a private dinner and evening dip. It’s just one more way to take in the gorgeous view.
Want to experience Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea‘s new rooms or suites? The hotel offers a special deal for Forbes Travel Guide readers that includes $200 daily resort credits. Click here for the package.
