Privilege Blog

A Review Of The Four Seasons, Maui

The holidays are done. Kitchen counters and office desks reclaim us. What better time to daydream? How about a brief tour of luxury Aloha? Yes? OK then.

We’ll start with a Garden View,

Four Seasons Maui Garden View Room

and progress to, even better, an Ocean View. There she is, that vast palmed Pacific.

Ocean View Room Four Seasons Maui

The spot, by the way, is  the gorgeous Four Seasons in Wailea, on Maui. And, yes, we spent a few days there over the holidays. Having originally chosen a Garden View room, I found myself a) disturbed by road noise b) salaried, which I had not been at the time of reservation. The scene above is from an Ocean View room, somewhat obviously. The move was well worth the incremental dollars, and I eventually recovered from feeling embarrassed about being such a dang princess. I’ll just try to be a very kind princess.

Rooms at The Four Seasons, Maui

All the rooms are comfortable, elegant, low-key.

The bathrooms comfortable, elegant, and gloriously over-the-top. How much marble do two humans need? A lot, evidently.

Eating

The food is perhaps the best hotel food I’ve ever eaten. From a breakfast buffet featuring fruit you forgot existed,

to dinner on the, um, dinner lanai at Ferraro’s,

to an evening at Spago’s lifted directly from Los Angeles, soundtrack, glamour, huddled celebrities and all.

One eats very well.

And the sun has a ravishing habit of setting just when one wades past the bread and olive oil deep into pasta and steak. I use the term wades, advisedly. The wine and cocktail lists provide the perfect excuse for holiday intoxication. As does the evening light.

Four Seasons Maui Activities

Daytime isn’t bad either. The Four Seasons sits in the most clement part of Maui, so, as one of the extraordinarily nice staff told us, “It hardly ever rains in Wailea.” In other words, ignore Maui weather websites. Most days, the beach will look like this, first thing in the morning.

And like this, as you lie on your back for yoga. I know you are wondering, what about sand? One lays a towel down. No mats. Balance becomes even more difficult, or spiritual, depending on how you look at those things.

The sand will be groomed, waiting for the print of your feet.

Of course, should you tire of the sea, and the sand, there are swimming pools. Three of them, in fact. Coming from California, I confess I was originally a little blase about the pools, despite their almost Hearstian grandeur. Here’s the Fountain Pool. A little ornate for my tastes, but it’s bad behavior to quibble. Kids climb on the fountain and push each other off and climb back up again for hours. Rampant, unmitigated glee.

Here’s the smaller Waterfall Pool. There is an actual waterfall, just out of sight, but I found the cabanas and the pool guy’s morning labors more interesting.

However, even chlorine-hardened Californians drop their jaws at the Serenity Pool.

Complete with infinite view of the ocean and a hot tub. One can eat lunch under umbrellas. One can even, and I did, have a foot massage in situ. Lordy, lordy, lordy I had to work at recovering my eyeballs from their deeply rolled position when all was said and done. The cucumber slices placed on my eyelids helped.

I really should have known what we were in for from the amenity situation. When your hotel has not one, but two types of body lotion, you can assume they’re going to have a certain perspective on creature comforts.

Thank you, oh Four Seasons Maui. You were exactly what we needed. To you, and all your exceptionally friendly staff, “Mahalo.” That’s not cheesy, it’s Hawaiian.

All images: me. TripAdvisor links may generation commissions. Lowest rates are usually in April or September/October

47 Responses

  4. How wonderful for you! I actually had the privilege of having lunch there when the hotel first opened in the early 90s. Lodging there wasn’t in our budget, but the lunch was fantastic. :-)

    We stayed at the lovely and understated Japanese-owned Maui Prince. (Dear Husband decided to upgrade to the ocean view as well; even with the smaller room, it was an excellent splurge in terms of value!)

    The only Four Seasons I’ve ever stayed at was the one in Seattle (we got a great deal on a lovely junior suite), and the food there, as well, was superb. Is there any other hotel chain as well regarded for its cuisine?

    For what it’s worth, I feel strong that folks who have money right now need to spend it, and those of us on tight budgets need to be conservative. Hawaii would be in dire straits without tourists willing and able to vacation there. As with most goods and services, I suspect the only hotels hanging on are the very best and the lowest budget chains. If a company can provide quality, then those who can afford to should spend their money there, tipping the staff generously for any jobs well done. (Four Seasons, BTW, is considered a very good company to work for, something I know I take into consideration before making any big purchases: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2011/snapshots/53.html)

    Happy New Year, Lisa!

    1. That’s really good to hear, that they are a good company to work for. It makes the behavior of the staff more authentic then. Thank you.

  6. Divine, romantic, comforting, beautiful… what could be better? (As my brother once said in Maui, “If heaven isn’t like this, I’m not going.”)

  7. What? No, I’m not envious…just ignore that bright green tinge to my face. :P

    Seriously, though – I’m so glad you got to go. It all looks so lovely!!

  9. I went to Maui once and spent the entire trip begging to go back to California, I ended up doing just that and cutting Maui short by a week. If I lived where you do I’d never travel again.

  10. What a fabulous place to spend a mini vacation! Your photographs are beautiful, and give a really good idea of the place. I had dinner there many years ago, and was very impressed. Talk about “wow!”

    We spent three nights between Christmas and New Year’s at the Four Seasons in Boston. Worlds apart geographically, but managed consistently, with some of the best service on the planet.

    Thanks for a great review. Reggie

  12. So…..why do we come home from that place so exhausted. I’m really waiting for this post, as I’ve experienced it enough times that I’m never going to Hawaii again.

  14. Ever since watching the Brady Bunch go to Hawaii when I was in second grade, I have dreamed of going there. And now nothing less than the Four Seasons will do!

    I have been fortunate to travel to some amazing places, but never Hawaii. Maybe this will be my year? I feel like this post is a sign :)

  15. wishing you a wonderful new year lisa. thank you for bringing this little slice of heaven my way. hawaii and your blog. while i will prob never be able to afford to stay at such a gorgeous hotel it’s nice to know what one looks like from your point of view. xo janet

  17. A perfect place for a pre-honeymoon, perhaps ;)?
    This is a great way to get the best of the best places, seeing pictures, watching programs of far-away places : ).

  18. Thank you so much for your wonderful comment on my blog and following. Well, well, I indulged in a good dash of daydream believing on your holiday tour, my oh my, many sighs of utter delight and pleasure later it feels like I was there as well! Thank you for that… now I will dip in my pool just to enhance the ring of your goreous pics and a verbal mosaic.

    Veronica

  21. We honeymooned on the “dry side” of Maui, in Ka’anapali, and it was amazing. I think we actually had lunch at the adjacent (though I undersand now defunct) Renaissance Wailea one day, while pottering around the island, and it was certainly lovely on that particular section of coast..

    The Four Seasons looks divine, and they ought to have compensated you, should my ship come in, I’d book there on your recommendation alone!

  23. Breathtaking photos. My one and only stay on Maui was many years ago and of course I loved the island. Being in the young and impoverished category at that time I remember our digs were more of the a la backpacker/hostel variety.
    The Four Seasons looks positively scrumptious. Thanks for sharing your lovely holiday with us.
    xx

  25. DOTR surprised me with a trip the the Four Seasons on Maui for my 40th birthday, and Wailea became our “neighborhood” on Maui everafter. We’ve been there several times, but now take up residence in a condo in the Polo Beach complex, just to the left of the Four Seasons. It is fabulous….and DOTR’s Christmas gift was a week celebrating the big 5-0 later in this year. If I lived on the West Coast I’d definitely go more often!

  26. Ohh, that looks just fabulous. Just looking at the photos is almost a mini vacation.

    I think the Four Seasons is pretty consistent in their attention to detail and the care they take with their guests. The Four Seasons Boston is always my first choice, when I get a choice, in that city. And we’ve stayed at the two Four Seasons resorts on Lana’i, but they are both completely different. I’ve never been to Maui and now I want to go there as well.

  27. It’s stunning. Gorgeous. Our only stay in Maui a dozen or so years ago was up at the windy end, in Kapalua. Nice, but well, windy. Next time it’s Wailea.

  28. Lisa a perfect reminder of a most desirable vacation a few years back. Truly paradise!

    Happy New Years and All the Best in 2012!

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

  29. We honeymooned at the Four Seasons Maui and have been DYING to go back ever since!!! It was gloriously wonderful. It sounds like it is still so special. We were there in 1995. It would be GREAT to go in 2015 for our 20th!

  33. It totally looks worth the bazillion hour flight from here….although if you were at The Four Seasons Boston, I’d buy you a drink!

  34. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! I feel like I went along with you– the mark of a well written vacation recap! Divine, my darling! You DESERVED this getaway. So glad to hear you enjoyed it.

  36. Lovely! A big Thank you from snowy Michigan. I have been thinking about Maui in March and I think your post pretty much sealed the deal.

  37. Pingback: Towards A Broad Definition Of “One Of Us” | Privilege

  40. Oh, my. I do believe my blood pressure dropped several points just from reading your charming descriptions and viewing your soothing photos.

  41. Pingback: How To Choose An Appropriate Bathing Suit Coverup | Privilege

  42. For first-class snorkel sailing, the Ali’i Nui 65-foot catamaran is a diver’s dream.

    The internet is the best place to start, and if youre reading this, youre on the right track.
    The resort’s unique A-shaped design allows for each of the 290 rooms and 20 suites to feature ocean-view lanais.

  43. Pingback: A Review Of The Four Seasons Hualalai On Hawaii’s “Big Island” | Privilege

Comments are closed.

© 2023 Lisa Carnochan | Sitemap | Privacy Policy | Contact

Instagram