Inside Maui's Adults-Only Hotel Wailea: Serenity And Exquisite Cuisine

Forbes

3 days ago

The view of the Hotel Wailea pool and West Maui. Travis Rowan / Living Maui Media
The first things you notice are the waterfalls, cascading alongside the walkway to the lobby of Hotel Wailea located hillside in this beach resort area of South Maui. What you don't see is the beach: the seven famous area beaches are a few minutes away by car. But guests who routinely vote this hotel among the best in Hawaii have other reasons for that selection: it's adults only; intimate-only 72 suites- and a gastronomic wonderland. Recently, with suite renovations, new wellness options and culinary enhancements, those reasons have increased even more.
The view from a Celebration Suite. Travis Rowan / Living Maui Media
The sense of privacy, however, remains the same. The hotel, Hawaii's only member of the exclusive hotel group Relais & Chateaux, was built as a private Japanese members' club and you still feel that sense of being tucked away, surrounded by gardens within 15 acres but with ocean and other island views. Since children (well behaved) are allowed in the restaurant but not as hotel guests, there's also an overall sense of tranquility and quiet; romantic couples are the occupants of the pool, not children jumping in and splashing.
The hotel's Salmon Sashimi ©John Troxell
For the most privacy around that pool, there are four cabanas available by reservation for a fee or walk in if they're available and they're prime spots to begin an experience of the culinary offerings. This may be the only place you'll see a Snake River Farms Ribeye listed as a side dish along with other main offerings such as a poke bowl with sashimi grade ahi, a mahi mahi sandwich with chimichurri crème fraiche and sambal-marinated shrimp summer rolls with cucumbers, carrots, cilantro, nuoc mam dressing and peanut sauce.
The beach setup including picnic by the Beach Concierge. Hotel Wailea
Beachgoers have the option of hotel transfers by request to any of the local beaches such as Palauea Beach, a secluded beach good for swimming and snorkeling to see coral, colorful fish and sea turtles and Po'olenalena Beach Park, also good for swimming and snorkeling with a long expanse of beach for strolling. If they want to make a day of it, they can order a beach picnic curated by a local gourmet store including a choice of meat or vegetarian sliders, cured meats, cheeses, crudites and fruit set up with a tent and chairs by hotel staff.
Miso Poached Lobster with lemongrass red curry, micro cilantro, heirloom carrot, peanut crumble, local squashes, and kaffir lime-scented rice served at The Restaurant at Wailea. ©John Troxell
On property, the main restaurant, The Restaurant at Hotel Wailea, is the alfresco setting with killer views for elevated breakfasts such as Eggs Benedict with Ahi and Ricotta Pancakes with seasonal fruit and likikoi cream. But it really shines at dinner with a three course prix fixe featuring dishes such as Hamachi Crudo with watermelon aquachile and avocado mousse and Snow Crab Fettucine with crispy garlic, lemon zest, miso onion and black truffle. The Birdcage Restaurant
The Birdcage restaurant. Travis Rowan
In the center of the main building, just past reception, the circular Birdcage is the setting for blazing sunsets and dinners featuring items prepared with the Japanese Binchotan Grill. It really is also a birdcage: totally open air with birds perched on the ceiling ledge, chirping and occasionally flying around. The dishes are composed of top level ingredients simply but expertly prepared, items such as a sashimi trio of Ora King Salmon, Big Island Ahi and Japanese Hamachi, Japanese A5 Wagyu, Miso Glazed Salmon or locally caught Mahi Mahi on the grill and an unusually delicious mélange of mushrooms, Shishito peppers, broccolini and bok choy. Other Dining Experiences
The leafy setting of The Treehouse dining experience. Hotel Wailea
Those two are only part of the dinner options, though. As Sous Chef Nicolas Loa explains, he especially enjoys putting together the multi course, culinary jazz riff dinners for the property's other dining experiences: the seven courses in the single table Treehouse shaded by mango and avocado trees; the five course menu served for two to eight guests in a table in a corner of the garden and the five courses available for two in the Chef's Kitchen Table in the middle of the kitchen.
The Restaurant's Strawberry Tart. ©John Troxell The Chef's Kitchen Table
Being at The Chef's Kitchen Table has particular advantages: not only can you watch the preparation of your dishes— offerings such as an amuse trio of Duck Mousse Tartlet, Tomato Caprese Crostini and Tempura Prawn Roll, Fettucine with miso onion cream, sage, guanciale,chili flakes and lemon preserve and Snake River Farms Ribeye with Pommes Puree, Ali'I mushrooms and sauce Bordelaise-you also see the preparation of dishes heading out to The Restaurant. And if guests are lucky and see something else being prepared that looks tempting, the chefs may give them a sample of it as well. Other Hotel Activities
Rowing an outrigger canoe. Hotel Wailea
When not eating or hanging out by the water, guests have the option to try other hotel hosted activities: an expedition to experience sunset atop the sacred volcanic crater Haleakalā; tooling around the island in a reproduction of a 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster; rowing an outrigger canoe or a variety of wellness activities. There are daily wellness classes such as aerial yoga, core workouts, tone & stretch, and yoga and pilates fusion and in-room spa treatments such as a body polish, Lomi Lomi massage and after sun replenishing treatment. A new addition is the supply of vitality treatments to be used by guests on their own in their rooms: HigherDOSE Red Light Facial; a Photobiomodulation Red Light Therapy belt that straps around your waist to reduce inflammation, relieve pain (it works), relieve jet lag and improve sleep and Lymphatic Drainage with JetBoots among them.
The Restaurant at Hotel Wailea, the setting for breakfast and dinner. Travis Rowan / Living Maui Media
At most, these devices will heal whatever ails one's body. At the very least, they'll rev it up to prepare for the next meal. MORE FROM FORBES Forbes These Are The Places To Go In Maui Right Now By Laurie Werner Forbes Another Reason To Go Now To The Pristine Hawaiian Island Of Lanai By Laurie Werner Forbes Kaua'i's Serene 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay Debuts A Sweeping Wellness Plan By Laurie Werner Forbes Hawaiian Cuisine To Be Showcased At The First Mauna Lani Culinary Classic By Laurie Werner
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As part of that beach experience, hotel staff can set up a tent, chair and elaborate packed picnic composed of sliders, a selection of cured meats and cheeses, vegetables with dips and sliced fruit because every culinary hjastronomic excellence is a key hotel feature, one of the reasons that it's the only Hawaii member of Relais & Chateaux with its culinary requirements.