Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [312]
Fairmont Kea Lani ( 875-4100, 800-659-4100; www.kealani.com; 4100 Wailea Alanui Dr; ste/oceanfront villa from $500/1500; ) To stargaze Hollywood-style, head to this swank resort. With its Moorish-style architecture, the Kea Lani resembles something out of Arabian Nights, but what really draws the rich and famous is the privacy. The villas even have their own private plunge pools.
Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa ( 875-1234, 800-888-6100; www.grandwailea.com; 3850 Wailea Alanui Dr; r from $625; ) From the extravagant artwork in the lobby to the guest rooms decked out in Italian marble, this is Maui’s ode to excess. But don’t think it’s all highbrow. Just follow your ears to the shrieks coming from the pool. The resort boasts the most elaborate water-world wonders in Hawaii: an impressive series of nine interconnected pools with swim-through grottos and towering water slides.
Eating
Waterfront Deli ( 891-2039; Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr; meals $6-10; 7am-8pm) Wailea’s sole budget option, this deli inside the Whalers General Store serves sandwiches and plate lunches. It’s just takeout but there are tables outside the store where you can eat or have it packed for the beach.
Matteo’s ( 874-1234; 100 Wailea Ike Dr; mains $10-20; 11am-9pm Mon-Fri, 5-9pm Sat & Sun) Run by a breakaway resort chef, this authentic Italian restaurant has damn good food at reasonable prices. The thin-crust pizzas cooked in a brick oven, Maui’s finest, are topped with classics like prosciutto and artichokes. Or get more serious with the likes of braised lamb and homemade rigatoni.
Mala Wailea ( 875-9394; Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, 3700 Wailea Alanui Dr; mains $18-35; 5:30-9pm) Come here to enjoy a fine ocean view while dining on scrumptious fare that fuses Pacific Rim and Mediterranean flavors. Island favorites like seared sashimi in shiitake ginger sauce pair off with big Greek salads and spicy bruschetta. And the chef’s ‘practice aloha’ commitment to support local fishers and organic farmers makes this Wailea’s green standout.
SeaWatch ( 875-8080; 100 Wailea Golf Club Dr; breakfast & lunch $10-15, dinner mains $26-35; 8am-10pm) One of the hottest chefs in Maui, Todd Carlos, works magic in the kitchen of this breezy hillside restaurant. At breakfast every-one flocks here for the crabcake Benedict; at lunch the mango BBQ kalua pork sandwich steals the show. Dinner gets downright fancy with ‘Hawaiian coastal cuisine’ – think fresh seafood.
Entertainment
All of the Wailea hotels have some sort of live music in the evening.
Mulligan’s on the Blue ( 874-1131; 100 Kauhaki St) Perched above the golf course, its nightly entertainment covers the gamut from Irish folk music to jazz. It’s a good place to knock back an ale while enjoying a hilltop ocean view.
Four Seasons Resort Maui ( 874-8000; 3900 Wailea Alanui) The lobby lounge has Hawaiian music and hula performances from 5:30pm to 7:30pm nightly and jazz or slack key guitar later in the evening.
Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa ( 879-1922; 3700 Wailea Alanui; adult/child 6-12 $94/49; 5-8pm Mon, Thu, Fri & Sat) Sure, it’s a bit of a tourist resort–luau cliché but the Marriott’s luau is the best this side of Lahaina, and it’s right on the oceanfront lawn.
Shopping
Shops at Wailea ( 891-6770; 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr; 9:30am-9pm) This center has dozens of stores, most flashing names like Gucci and Tiffany, but you will also find some tempting locally grown shops:
Honolua Surf Co ( 891-8229) Hip surfer-motif T-shirts, board shorts and aloha shirts.
Lahaina Galleries ( 874-8583) Paintings, bronzes and wood carvings of top Maui artists.
Maui Waterwear ( 891-1939) A full line of tropical swimwear you’ll love to flaunt.
Na Hoku ( 891-8040) Upscale Hawaiian jeweler specializing in island floral and marine-life designs.
Getting There & Around
Maui Bus ( 871-4838) operates between Wailea and Kahului hourly from 6:30am until