Introduction

The Andaz Maui is a modern interpretation of the Hawaii spirit that brings in local arts, culture and food to their property. If you loves architectural design, modern elements and a stunning multi-tier infinity pools., this is the hotel to go to. This property indeed does live up to its hype from the swath of bloggers and travel influencers from around the world.

Location

Sitting in the heart of Wailea, Maui, the Andaz Maui is located in its own vicinity and did not feel anywhere close to its neighbors and is in close proximity to the luxury shopping center there. With a 300 guest room count that includes 29 villas and 35 suites, this is a luxury and mouthwatering accommodation that can satisfy anyone from families to celebrities. It also has direct access to the famous beaches and trails that one can take during the beautiful sunrises or sunsets on Maui.

The hotel is oceanfront and is walkable along the coast for several miles. Walking from the hotel, you’ll pass the Marriott Wailea Beach Resort, Grand Wailea, Four Seasons, and Fairmont. It’s definitely the time to wake up and enjoy the stunning views.

Check-In

Upon arrival, there were several bellmen at the entrance ready to take my name, grab the car keys, and assist with luggage. Complimentary parking was included with my stay — a benefit of booking an all-points room as a Hyatt Globalist.

As with most 5 star hotels in Maui, arrival was incredibly friendly and we were immediately greeted with a series of leis and beverages. The cold lavender lemonade was an immediate hit and the views is always impressive coming in. There were a lot of comfy seats and a sand pit right in the middle of the lobby for people to admire…although I wouldn’t bother and just go straight for the views.

There’s certainly no better place to relax in this lobby though- you could take a quick nap in one of these lounge chairs facing the ocean. There is also a desk for Pacific Dream Photography at one end of the lobby to help capture memories of Hawaii. A photo session is included with your resort fee, though we didn’t bother during this time around.

This hotel does a decent job of honoring my status as a Hyatt Globalist:

4 p.m. late checkout
Room upgrade: this is was definitely worth with the stunning view
Complimentary breakfast for 2, valued at more than $60 per person daily for the buffet, I ate way more than my fill
Complimentary water bottles
Complimentary parking
Complimentary premium internet
Waived resort fee

The resort fee includes, per the hotel:

Daily outrigger canoe excursions
Guided kayak tours
Unlimited use of snorkel equipment
Use of fitness center
Yoga and Pilates classes
Bicycle and helmet rentals
Various lessons, including ukulele, hula, and stand-up paddleboard
Photo session with Pacific Dream Photography
GoPro rental
Various classes, including a mixology class (with 2 drinks), lei making, and coconut husking

One of the highlights during our stay was a lei-making class offered as part of the resort fee. During one morning, we gathered in the lobby and received instructions from a native Hawaiian on what leis are used for and how to make them.My wife ended up making way more than just a fish, haha.

The Room

If you like geeking out on architectural design, look no further than how the rooms are designed. It has an incredible modular design to which everything is hidden within wall doors or enclosed with a series of sliding doors. It’s a stunning design and a marvel at how much they packed into the room.

The controls for lowering and raising the shades and blackout blinds were also right by the bed, and they were pretty intuitive. There were controls for accent lighting and the overall room lighting next to each bed as well. For controls for room lighting, as well as for setting a “do not disturb” light or a request for the room to be cleaned, were right inside the entrance to the room.

Bathroom

Our room featured a separate water closet equipped with a Toto Washlet toilet seat (in an effort to be more environmentally friendly). The bathroom also had a large walk-in shower that is pretty open and quite daring I must say with the sliding door design. The shower of course has a massive waterfall shower design and a handheld. I’m a big fan of the toiletries here, as it features Mālie toiletries in the koke’e scent which combines organic aloe, coconut and ginger.

I got what the designer had in mind with the modular, tucked-away layout, but in practice, everything felt too cramped and narrow.

The pool setup here is quite striking - as the hotel has five pools, four of the pools are “tiered,” and form the center of the resort. There is an additional pool on the other side of the hotel that is more relaxed and less away from the sun, which also meant the water was a lot colder.

Breakfast | Food & Beverage

Ka’ana Kitchen is Andaz Maui’s main restaurant that is open for breakfast and dinner. As a Globalist member, our breakfast was included, but for anyone coming to just visit, it’s $50 value per person, per day. Breakfast at Ka’ana is buffet style and due to COVID-19, it’s an assisted buffet to minimize the number of surfaces that guests touch. However, I never felt like i got a little - rather, my plates were packed to the brim on occasion and I had a chuckle quite a few times when I got back to the table.

The breakfast buffet features a hot food station with pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, an assortment of breakfast meats and a few dishes that change each day. The buffet also has a fruit and charcuterie station and a selection of fresh bakery items including toast, bagels, muffins and more.

And lastly Andaz Maui has Mokapu Market where guests can grab a snack, a bottle of wine, specialty coffee drinks and gelato for a cool treat. And the market has local island made foods, treats and souvenirs. Mokapu Market is typically open 24/7 during normal times but due to COVID are running some temporary hours.

The Andaz Maui has a variety of dining options:

Ka’ana Kitchen is the Andaz Maui’s primary restaurant, and it’s open for breakfast from 6:30AM until 11AM, and for dinner from 5:30PM until 8PM
Morimoto is the Andaz’s (chain) Japanese restaurant, and it’s open for lunch and dinner, from 12PM until 8PM daily
Lehua Lounge is the Andaz’s primary lounge & bar, and it’s open daily from 11AM until 10PM; this has live music from 6PM until 9PM nightly, except on Sundays and Tuesdays
Bumbye Beach Bar is the Andaz’s pool bar, and it’s open daily from 11AM until 5PM
Mokapu Market is the Andaz’s grab-and-go market, and it’s open daily from 5AM until 10PM
While there is in-room dining, the menu is frustratingly limited at the moment, and mostly overlaps with the Lehua Lounge menu; if you want something from Ka’ana Kitchen for dinner or from Morimoto for lunch or dinner, you’ll have to pick it up yourself

Conclusion

When I first booked the Andaz Maui, I had my skepticism due to their unruly award booking games. However, this luxury resort is a perfect blend for a couples getaway and the service was impeccable. We had a blast here during our stay and would love to revisit again in the future.

Service wise - they were great. I was deeply impressed by service at the Andaz. It was consistently professional and friendly across the board, from the pool attendants, to the restaurant servers, to the valet staff, to the front office associates. A lot of hotels are having staffing issues right now, but I didn’t find that to be an issue at the Andaz.