Beautiful beaches and jaw dropping scenery. That’s what you picture the Hawaiian island of Maui to be like and, when you arrive, you’re not disappointed.
For the past 17 years Maui has been voted the ‘Best Island’ by the world premier luxury magazine the Conde Nast Traveller. Indeed, Maui has plenty to offer whether you’re looking for an action-packed family holiday or an intimate romantic escape.
Given the vast range of excellent resorts, choosing the perfect accommodation on such a renowned island was always going to be incredibly difficult. After much research, I chose the Grand Wailea Resort.
Set in 40 acres of prime Maui real estate, this Polynesian style resort sits on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by lush, landscaped gardens and views to die for.
Much like the island, the hotel is award-winning. In 2011, The Grand Wailea was voted ‘The Best Resort Accommodation’, ‘The Best Resort Restaurant’ and ‘The Best Resort Spa’ by Maui newsreaders. Not a bad rap when you consider the wealth of accommodation available in Maui, especially coming from the local community.
Arriving at the Grand Wailea, a walk around the magnificent landscaped grounds can help familiarize yourself with the surroundings.
Set in the middle of the resort is a charming and quaint weatherboard chapel surrounded by a fresh water lake, filled with enormous and brightly coloured carp. With the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop, this picture-perfect setting is bound to set hearts racing, and is the ideal place to get married or renew your vows.
The Grand Wailea has an array of cafes, bars and restaurants to choose from. The award winning and unusually named Humuhumukunuapua’a restaurant is named after a local reef fish, and serves exquisite food, perfect for that special or romantic occasion.
The hotel counts beautiful Wailea beach – one of the island’s finest and most popular coastal stretches – as its backyard. You won’t need to go far therefore, to swim, relax, watch migrating whales and sip a cocktail whilst watching the sun disappear into the horizon.
Top 5 things to do at the Grand Wailea
- Keep the kilos at bay with a visit to the resort’s comprehensive fitness centre.
- Pamper yourself at the magnificent Grande Spa
- Take a breath taking walk along the 3km coastal path adjacent to the hotel and soak up the island’s natural beauty. For the best views walk in the afternoon and witness a spectacular sunset.
- Play a round at one of the three championship golf courses located close by.
- Enjoy a dip in one of the resort’s two pools – one for the children (noisy, slides and fun) and one for the adults where peace and serenity reigns supreme.
WHALE WATCHING
From December until May, the azure waters of the Pacific Ocean around Maui are home to migrating whales and visitors can expect a mesmerising display. It’s Humpback heaven as these beautiful creatures come to Maui to breed, and for several months holiday-makers can watch as mother’s teach their young the skills they’ll need to survive. Rest assured there’s plenty of breaching, flapping and slapping for all to see.
From the beach you’ll be able to see whales play and cavort in the distance. But for an experience worth remembering, it’s best to join one of the many whale watching tours that are available.
THE WAILEA GRANDE SPA
It is impossible not to fall in love with the resort and Maui but perhaps the ‘piece de resistance‘ is the hotel’s Spa Grande.
One of the finest and first spas to reflect a cohesive balance between the traditions of the East, West and ancient Hawaii, the Spa Grande offers an array of therapies designed to unite one’s wellness, beauty and nature.
Voted one of the top ten spas in the United States by the Conde Nast Traveller magazine and No.1 in Hawaii, you soon discover why it is rated so highly. The range of treatments available is extensive and includes massage, skincare and full body therapies for men, women and children.
A number of packages are available, including family spa packages (catering for two adults and two children) as well as teen spa packages (13 to 17 years of age). Sweetheart packages, which include romantic interludes for two including side-by-side duo massages is a highlight of the Grande Spa.
The Grand Wailea Signature Treatment is the most popular on the spa menu and comes highly recommended. This unique haven of water therapies soothes your body and soul. It is a wonderful prelude to any other treatment you decide to receive.
At the beginning of the treatment, you’re taken to an area where a complimentary Honey Mango loofah body polish (full body scrub) is offered by a personal spa attendant and after your tired dead old skin is removed and revitalized you are then taken to an area where, if desired, you can undertake a cascading waterfall massage shower. Powerful thick jets of water massage your body and once under the spell of this pleasurable experience you do not want to leave. Next though is what makes the signature treatment so popular. It is known as the Hawaiian Sea Salt Bath Collection where you bathe and luxuriate in 5 aromatic baths. There are five sea salt baths, each are different in content and colour and contain ingredients that have healing and soothing properties that relax mind, body and soul.
Five Islands-Five Hawaiian Sea Salts-Five Indigenous Baths:
The Hawai’i Bath: Kilauea Black Sea Salt & Vanilla Orchard
Key benefits: stabilize the nervous system, relax muscles and helps relieve jet lag
The Maui Bath: Wailea Blue Sea Salt & Coconut Nectar
Key benefits: oxygenate and hydrate the skin and alleviate stress
The Lana’I Bath: Green Papaya Sea Salt & Golden Pineapple
Key benefits: assist in exfoliating and strengthening skin
The O’hau Bath: Bamboo Green Sea Salt & Spirulina
Key benefits: Help to tighten the skin and relieve fluid retention
The Kaua’i: Lava Red Sea Salt & Tropical Guava
Key benefits: Is said to be an aphrodisiac
After luxuriating in these exotic baths you may indulge yourself in a roman bath hot tub, then dip in a cold plunge pool before venturing into the eucalyptus steam room. A dry sauna is also available.
After your sauna or steam you get taken upstairs to a beautifully appointed massage room where your final treatment will take place (if you have chosen the signature treatment) and that is a 50-minute blissful massage.
At the end of the treatment you are taken to a recovery area that overlooks the grounds out to the Pacific Ocean and it is here where I felt a spiritual connection with Maui, which I had heard about but never had experienced. The kaleidoscope of colours of the sky, from the setting sun melting into the ocean ensured this was a memorable day and the image will stay with me for a very long time.
My only complaint? That the treatment had to end.
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