The Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea
A review of my favorite luxury resort hotel in Maui.
The Fairmont Kea Lani is a top hotel in the top resort area of Wailea, on Maui. I review the best aspects of a vacation here, as well as some things that should improve.
The Fairmont Kea Lani is my favorite luxury resort hotel in Maui. The Fairmont Kea Lani is next to the other two most upscale resorts on the island, The Grand Wailea and Four Seasons. All three are located in Wailea, which is best stretch of beach on Maui. This southwest shore has great snorkeling right off the beach, soft sand, and a year-round temperate climate on the best island travel destination in the world. The Fairmont is a top hotel for honeymoons and other romantic vacations - but children can have the best time here as well.
There are five restaurants and bars at the Fairmont Kea Lani: Nick's Fishmarket Maui, Kea Lani Restaurant, Caffe Ciao Restaurant (and its bakery), the Polo Beach Grille & Bar, and the Lobby Bar. Nick's Fishmarket Maui is widely considered the best hotel seafood restaurant on all of Maui - we've gone three or four times now, and have had great meals each time. Children get served a bowl of goldfish crackers upon arrival - a cute touch. Because Nick's is a top restaurant in Maui, it's best to make reservations at least 24 hours beforehand. The Polo Beach Bar & Grille is tops for lunch (my kids love the fresh mahi-mahi sandwich), and has a swim-up bar next to one of the Fairmont's pools. Talk about relaxing!
A review of what I like best:
- The rates at the Fairmont on Maui are a relative bargain. Remember, this is in Wailea, the most upscale part of the best vacation island around. Compared to the Four Seasons and Grand Wailea next door, the Fairmont Kea Lani seems downright cheap.
- It's an easy, oceanfront walk to The Shops at Wailea. However, tourists will likely call the Fairmont for its free shuttle service to return to the resort: It's not hard to blow your travel budget at the luxury boutique shopping at the Shops at Wailea.
- Every room in the hotel is a suite. Even the cheap rooms - which at 840 square feet are bigger than my first post-college apartments - are suites with televisions in both rooms, and a sofabed in the living room. This means that a family vacation doesn't necessitate reserving a two-bedroom suite, if your kids don't mind sharing a bed.
- For a true luxury vacation, the oceanfront villas are two and three bedroom villas steps away from the beach. They are either 1800 or 2200 square feet, beautifully appointed, and private. The two story oceanfront villas have private BBQ grills, lanais, and plunge pools (bigger than a jacuzzi, but too small for laps). There is no other hotel or resort on Maui that offers the private two-story villas like these.
- The adults-only pool is quiet and relaxing. Sure, we like to travel with our family, but sometimes it's nice to be able to relax next to the pool without listening to the shouts of happy children. Attendants are available to provide drinks, and masseurs offer pool side massages.
- The two regular pools are huge, so even during peak travel season it doesn't feel too crowded. There is a terrific 140-foot water slide that takes children (and plenty of adults, I noticed) from the upper lever pool - where the swim-up bar is - to the lower, larger pool. My kids loved the curvy water slide. A staff member also taught my older kid how to snorkel in around 5 minutes.
A review of what I like least:
- There is a day camp for children at the Fairmont Kea Lani; my kids loved it, but as a parent I found it somewhat lacking. The Keiki Lani Childrens Program camp director and staff were incredibly friendly and great with children, but it was too expensive for such a small space (the Four Seasons day camp is free for guests, and huge). Further, two hours every afternoon is spent inside, watching a movie. My kids watch plenty of videos at home: During a family vacation in Maui, I'd like them to be on the beach, in the pool, or just plain outside most of the day.
- The prices at the hotel bakery and deli are downright extortionary. I'm not kidding; nine dollars for a half-gallon of milk, $4.50 for one serving of granola. Caffe Ciao isn't the only hotel food option, of course, but it is the only on-site place to buy basics for the fridge in your suite. Clearly, management knows that if you're a family with young children, and you want to stock your hotel fridge with basics like cereal and milk, they've "got" you. For most kids, cereal and milk are essential items. That's the very definition of price-gouging, isn't it?
If you plan to take young children on your vacation at the Fairmont Kea Lani (and again, it is one of the best resorts on Maui, and my favorite), please visit the Shops at Wailea. There's a small market there that sells milk, cheese, cereal, and other staples. Maui is a luxury destination, and milk is flown in, so prices are higher than you're likely used to, regardless. But the Shops at Wailea - even the Costco by the airport - has much better prices on staples for children than does the Fairmont Kea Lani.
The best aspects of the Fairmont Kea Lani far outweigh my least favorite parts of a vacation here. In terms of luxury adult travel to Maui, you can't do better than a stay at this resort. And a family vacation here is tops too; my kids loved it and want to return next year. I recommend it for honeymoons and travels with children as well; just try to buy any food basics you want, somewhere else.
Related, on Suite 101:
Top Scuba and Snorkeling in Hawaii
The Fairmont Orchid Resort on the Big Island
Copyright Jennifer Miner and Suite 101. All rights reserved.
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