As I arrived beneath the porte-cochere at Maui's Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, with a sculpture of former Hawaiian King Kamehameha just opposite, the first thing I noticed was the resort's scale: The open-air lobby unfolds dramatically onto a courtyard, with the Lucky Mermaid pool (where guests can toss coins to make a wish), and the newly revitalized Botero Lounge, framed by oversize sculptures by Fernando Botero.
All of this lived up to the resort's name: grand.
I've been to the resort twice before -- once as a teenager, spending hours in its lazy river, pools and waterslides, and later as an adult, enjoying the resort's restaurants and spa. But this was my first visit since the property completed a sweeping, multiyear renovation that began in 2022 and completed in 2024, the most extensive in its more than 30-year history.
The $350 million transformation has touched nearly every corner of the 40-acre resort, from guestrooms and dining venues to its spa and public areas.
"Grand Wailea is every exploration you want it to be, for every kind of traveler," said Megan Guldenpfennig, marketing manager for Grand Wailea.
"When we did the renovations, we also went through a brand refresh," she said. "We're not the same hotel as we were when we opened, and with that, it just kind of gave us the opportunity to add a little more intention and meaning behind some things."
Named after the green mineral, Olivine restaurant serves Italian coastal fare. Photo Credit: Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort
Getting reacquainted
While staying true to developer Takeshi Sekiguchi's original vision, the hotel added modern touches and elevated wellness offerings that reflect evolving interests of today's travelers. Grand Wailea has shifted from being primarily known as a family-friendly resort, due to its expansive activity pool complex, into a sought-after wellness destination, with its renovated spa and fitness center, along with the addition of well-known brands like Nobu and the Los Angeles-based organic grocer Erewhon.
I was excited to see the changes as my partner and I headed to our room in Grand Wailea's Napua Tower, which is essentially a hotel within the hotel that offers access to a private concierge and two exclusive lounges. Our guestroom was comfortably spacious at 715 square feet and included a soft king-size bed and a large marble bathroom with a walk-in shower and deep soaking tub. Stepping onto the lanai, I took in the resort's expansive grounds stretching toward the beach.
The Grand Wailea's activity pool fronts Wailea's sandy beach. Photo Credit: Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort
Having just arrived from a West Coast flight, dinner at one of the resort's newest restaurants was first on our agenda. The resort offers a range of dining options, including the flagship Humuhumunukunukuapuaa seafood and steakhouse restaurant, the walk-up poolside spot Wailea Surf Haus for burgers and sandwiches and Maui's first Nobu, which opened in 2025. I chose to dine at its Italian restaurant, Olivine, which opened in 2023.
Named after the green mineral, Olivine features a menu of pizzas, handmade pastas and entrees, including butter-poached lobster tail, a wagyu filet and an activated charcoal heirloom pizza. We ordered the rich, deeply savory wagyu Bolognese ($58) and the perfectly roasted half chicken ($48), served with rosemary polenta and charred broccolini. While both were excellent, the chicken was my favorite: buttery and tender on the inside, and crispy on the outside. We ended the night with the flourless cake with Chantilly creme and espresso mousse, a decadent close to a first evening that would signal what was to come at the resort.
I rose early the next day to take advantage of the Napua Tower's lounge, which offered a complimentary food and beverage service in the morning, midday and evening. The breakfast buffet was stocked with a selection of eggs, bacon, fruit, yogurt, pastries and juices, making it an easy and convenient way to start the day before heading down to the beach.
The resort, which sits along Maui's Wailea Beach and its 1.6-mile coastal path, connects to the other resorts in the area and is perfect for a morning stroll. I joined other early risers who clearly had the same idea, taking in the calm start to the day along the shoreline. On my return, I walked past the 2,000-foot-long, 770,000-gallon Wailea Canyon Activity Pool area and watched families and kids enjoy the waterslides, caves, rope swing and swim-up bar -- just as I remembered it from my prerenovation visits -- then took a moment to relax at the adults-only Hibiscus Serenity Pool with its giant mosaic hibiscus flower inlaid at the bottom.
The waterfalls and fountains, set against the backdrop of the hotel's central tower, create a distinctly luxurious atmosphere.
The resort's spa offers a halotherapy-infused infrared sauna, which combines infrared heat with salt inhalation. Photo Credit: Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort
Hawaiian healing
Years ago, I visited the resort's previous Spa Grande and indulged in its many water therapies, but as of 2024, the 50,000-square-foot, $55 million Kilolani Spa is an entirely new experience, inspired by the Hawaiian moon calendar.
Inside are 40 treatment rooms, an open-air relaxation lounge, meditation rooms, fitness center and a full-service salon.
Meaning "stargazer" in Hawaiian, the spa experience begins by stepping into a darkened space, called the portal, where I was invited to take part in a Hawaiian grounding ceremony, designed to help me slow the mind, set an intention and transition to a sense of calm. I spent the next hour in the open-air hydrotherapy garden before my massage, moving through a ritual that alternated between hot and cold -- stepping under a cool waterfall shower, then entering a sauna, cooling down in another cleansing shower, then entering a heated pool. The cool outdoor air and serene atmosphere was a relaxing combination.
In the co-ed space, there's a large saltwater pool where I spent time floating on my back, before entering the hammam, a circular steam-filled room, also for heat and ritual cleansing. After another cold shower, I entered the halotherapy-infused infrared sauna, this one using warming light wavelengths and salt inhalation to help reduce inflammation and increase respiratory health. The 60-minute Kilolani signature massage began with picking a botanical scented essential oil.
The resort's wellness opportunities are comprehensive, including fitness classes, a run club, Pilates and garden yoga. Also new to the resort are wellness guestrooms, which offer unique in-room amenities, such as Therabody products and meditation goggles. Guests staying in the wellness rooms have unlimited complimentary access to the hydrotherapy gardens.
At Nobu at the Grand Wailea, the black cod miso is a signature dish. Photo Credit: Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort
Nobu noshes
I felt completely at ease as I emerged from the spa and walked back to my room. Along the way, I stopped at the resort's new cafe-market, Loulu, which serves made-to-order sandwiches and grab-and-go snacks plus a selection of products by Erewhon.
Later in the evening, we arrived at Nobu's 13,000-square-foot dining space with 35-foot-high ceilings. The restaurant isn't just a place to dine; it's arguably one of the island's hottest reservations. The indoor and alfresco dining rooms were packed, and additional diners were lined around the central sushi bar.
We ordered the black cod miso ($65), California sushi ($34), two thumb-size wagyu tacos ($40), spicy garlic shrimp ($48), two pieces of chicken kushiyaki teriyaki ($25) and a side of rice. As expected at Nobu, the meal was exceptional, and the black cod -- buttery, delicate and perfectly balanced between sweet and salty -- was the best miso fish I've ever tasted.
But it was the view from our table, overlooking the sun sinking into the Pacific, paired with the resort's grand atmosphere, that really made for a perfect ending to the trip.