Andaz Maui At Wailea Resort Offers The Best Of Hawai‘i—And More

On Maui’s southwest coastline along Mokapu Beach, a beachfront resort awaits that offers everything guests to Hawai‘i could imagine, plus more.

The stunning flow of the resort’s infinity pools.

Every morning I awake at Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, I can hear a mix of the relaxing sounds of the four cascading infinity pools and the waves of the Pacific Ocean from a residential villa—one of 21 two-to-four-bedroom villas located on the 15-acre beachfront resort.

At Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, guests can learn of the settlement of Polynesia in Maui at The Feast at Mokapu lu‘au.

It’s a soothing sound that casts its spell of reprieve to all its guests (no app needed!), but for me and my mother, whom I brought here from Chicago to celebrate her 80th birthday, it was the perfect setting for our special getaway.

Not too far from the cascading pools is a private adult-only pool enjoyed by guests at its full-service spa, ‘Āwili Spa and Salon in Wailea, which includes a unique apothecary experience. We enjoyed the 60-minute Essential massage that gave the perfect blend of light to medium pressure, deep-tissue and Hawaiian lomi lomi, a traditional Hawaiian massage that restores energy and soothes the body.

Hawaiian tradition embodies the experience at Andaz Maui. From coconut weaving to hula and ukulele lessons, guests can choose from a variety of daily activities. My mother and I not only learned how to make leis during a lesson, but found out the rich history of this symbol of aloha and its wonderful meaning of love, friendship, family, celebration and honor. We wore our new leis and received another at the lu‘au experience, The Feast at Mokapu ([email protected]), set among the iconic grassy Laule‘a Lawn of Andaz Maui. Th e show takes us on a historical journey of Polynesian ancestors arriving to Maui and settling in the ahupua‘a (land division) while giving insight and life to Hawaiian values that focus on the love of, connection to and kuleana (responsibility) to the land.

Bask in the sun on the beach or on its grand lawn.

As the sun sets on the ocean horizon, we are equally enthralled with the stunning backdrop and the interactive storytelling of the production that included both men and women performing several Polynesian, Tahitian and hula dances with an amazing Samoan fire knife dance grand finale. At this delightful Wailea luau, we indulge in traditional Hawaiian dishes, which includes the kālua pig cooked in animu (an underground oven) and handcrafted cocktails and wine to toast our special evening and those of others who were there on a family vacation, couples on their honeymoon or anniversary, or simply celebrating respite Hawaiian style.

And enjoy the view from the spacious ocean-view double room.

The following days as we stroll along the sandy shore of Mokapu beach, we take in its beauty now with a full understanding of its history. Andaz Maui also offers daily excursions to explore the shores, including guided kayak tours and outrigger snorkel and whale watch tours. And to keep its guests energized, farm-to-table cuisine stimulates the sense of adventure from morning to night at the resort’s Ka‘ana Kitchen, or reserve a table at Morimoto Maui by chef Masaharu Morimoto located right on the resort. But, for evenings when guests simply want to enjoy the outdoor atmosphere, I suggest getting a table with a fire pit at Lehua Lounge, where we watched the sunset while sipping on handcrafted cocktails, noshing on delectable small bites and listening to live Hawaiian music.

Join various daily activities including learning how to make Hawaiian leis.