Grand Wailea A Waldorf Astoria Resort

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

8925 reviews

• 

  I miss the old Grand Wailea… we won’t be going again.

  Just came back from Grand Wailea... 4th stay and had been going since pre Covid. It will be our last stay. It simply doesn't have the magic that it used to. And for the price, you can get much better service at the other high end resorts. Here is my reasoning on why we won't be back. It was the opposite of relaxing and very disappointing. ***We got there mid week when the resort wasn't totally sold out, but within 2 days it was at capacity. 1. Room quality: They haven't done really much of anything to update the rooms over the 8 years we have gone. When we got there this last time, we were put in a room directly behind the industrial HVAC system and the sound it put out was nuts. The idea that they wouldn't heavily discount this room is wild. We asked to be moved and they put us in a room with a broken door and nonfunctioning digital lock. The security lock on the backside of the door was cracked and probably would have snapped with any meaningful force on it. After a ton of back and forth, eventually had to have engineering come and completely replace the locking mechanism on the door, eating up half my morning. The cups for the nespresso machine are too small for the amount of coffee that comes out so it overflows everytime. Decor is quite dated. Little things like this made the room an annoyance more than anything. For $900/night (mid Feb), that's just not acceptable. 2. Service: The marketplace (food is actually quite good) is wildly understaffed considering it is the only place to buy anything on the entire property. Literally would only have 1 or 2 people taking orders and making coffee etc... at a sold out resort. The self service kiosk helps a little bit, but I don't remember walking by that place at normal hours of the day and not have a 30 min line out the door. The poor folks working were then obviously dealing with annoyed guests which just then seemed to sour their mood further and creating an all around miserable experience. 3. Pool situation: This is where the property has just completely taken a 180 in my opinion. This had been the single best reason to stay here in my opinion (if you have kiddos). Absolute chaos trying to get anywhere to sit if you aren't planning to camp out in front of the ropes. Total thunderdome situation. People try to skirt the rules and would start putting their things down on the chairs nightbefore/early AM and it wasn't always caught by the staff. Saw mulitple arguments over chairs... entire families trying to crowd onto one pool chair and other families sprawled out over an entire row with kids on ipads. Not all the slides between the pools were open. Encountered broken umbrellas (literally broken pieces of metal hanging inside them) and when where there isn't a ton of shade to begin with, puts those seats at a premium. 4. Fees for DAYS: Now, I EXPECTED to pay a premium for this place -- this is a luxury family resort in a prime location on a great beach. But my god... tell me you are now owned by private equity (Blackstone bought 5-6 years ago) without telling me you are owned by private equity. No more sunscreen stations, but a couple options for sale at $30 bucks a pop. Watered down pina colada? $26. No space at the pool and want a worn beach chair? $95/person. Boogie board for a couple hours? $32. Drip coffee that you wait 20 mins for? $10. $55 resort fee. $65 to park my car. With the cheapest room they had it was over $1050 a night before you walk out of the room for the day. RIP Grand Wailea.

  Feb 21, 2025
• 

  Not great :(

  This was my 3rd time staying here. We will start with the positive, I love this beach, the hotel grounds and my kids enjoy the pool. Negative- Everything is WAY overpriced. The hotel needs some MAJOR love and is very understaffed. To check in we waited 30min +(2people working), you wait in the towel line (1 person), you wait at the market (2 people), you wait at the bars/dining/pool side, and you wait 20+ min to get your car. We stayed at another resort before this one and everyone was so nice, at GW no one was very nice. The last day we were there I went to get towels and was told "I have 1 left all of our washing machines are down. Hopefully tomorrow is better." You pay $1300.+ a night + $55 daily resort fee to be told we have no more towels! The pool area was not clean and everything shuts down at 5pm. This place needs some serious help.

  Feb 19, 2025
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  Prices keep rising and quality keeps declining

  I recently stayed at the Grand Wailea, and I have to say, this resort has gone completely downhill. What used to be a luxury experience is now an overpriced, overcrowded mess with declining quality in every aspect, except the rooms and housekeeping. The pool and beach system and service is abysmal. There simply aren’t enough staff members to accommodate the crowds, and it shows. Checking in took forever, pool and beach chairs were impossible to get. They also now charge $150 for beach chairs! What’s the point of buying the resort fee if beach chairs aren’t included??? Speaking of restaurants, the food is absurdly overpriced and mediocre at best. Long waits, limited options, and bland flavors—definitely not what you’d expect from a so-called luxury resort. You’d be better off driving somewhere else for a decent meal. The pools, which used to be a highlight, are now overrun with people and poorly maintained. Good luck finding a chair or even enjoying the lazy river without being stuck in a crowd. The overall facilities are showing their age, and instead of upgrading them, the resort seems focused on squeezing as much money out of guests as possible. For the price, this place is simply not worth it. There are far better options on Maui that don’t feel like a tourist trap designed to drain your wallet. I won’t be coming back, and I’d strongly suggest looking elsewhere if you want a true luxury experience.

  Feb 17, 2025
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  “Absolutely Not Worth It – Overpriced, Overhyped, and a Complete Disaster”

  I don’t even know where to start with how bad this place is. From the moment we arrived, it was clear we had made a huge mistake booking here. First, let’s talk about the price—this resort charges luxury prices for something you would get at a holiday inn. Now, the food and drinks. I’ve had better meals at airport terminals. Everything is ridiculously overpriced for the quality—$35 for a bland, soggy burger? $27 for a watered-down cocktail that tastes like it was made with bottom-shelf liquor and tap water? You’d think for these prices, they’d at least try to make it decent, but nope. Ruth Chris Steak house had better prices and WAY BETTER DRINKS. And then there’s the valet. We had no choice but to use it since they don’t allow self-parking, and of course, they managed to scratch our rental car. When we pointed it out, they acted like we were imagining things and refused to take any responsibility. The manager was nowhere to be found, and the staff couldn’t have cared less. Now we’re dealing with the rental company over damage we didn’t even cause. Do yourself a favor—stay literally anywhere else. This place is an overpriced, poorly run scam that will ruin your vacation.

  Feb 15, 2025
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  Horrible, kids everywhere, noisy, stressful and basically the worst.

  Stay clear of this ridiculous money trap!!!!! My wife and I paid out $6000 during our 5 night stay. We were charged $65/day for parking our rental car, buffet breakfast was $60 per person, obtaining shade around the pools or beach cost &20/hour, and dinners were $125 per person every night - RIDICULOUS!!! I felt trapped in an over-priced money pit. Just know in advance what you are getting yourself into!!

  Feb 14, 2025