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Which is the best hotel in Maui? Four Seasons Maui Vs. Andaz Maui Vs. Hyatt Regency Maui Resort And Spa? Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea tends to be the most expensive. Hyatt tends to be the cheapest. Is it worth spending more on Four Seasons or Andaz?
1. Best Location: Four Seasons Maui Vs. Andaz Maui Vs. Hyatt
Four Seasons Maui at Wailea and Andaz Wailea are arguably the best luxury resorts on Maui, so you won’t go wrong with whichever one you decide to pick, particularly because Wailea, where both resorts are situated, is the driest part of the island. The Hyatt is a cheaper option. It is still beachfront and is still a marvelous hotel, but it is located on Kaanapali Beach, which is a lovely, lively area that is less exclusive than Wailea, where the other two hotels can be found.
2. Best Beach
The grounds of the Four Seasons lead directly down to an expansive patch of managed beach, complete with Four Seasons beach loungers. The walk from your room to the beach isn’t far, and the patch of beach is picture-perfect. This beach is the best, along with the Andaz.
The Andaz Maui has 15 acres of beachfront beauty and describes itself as a “lifestyle experience.” Here, you can dip your toes in the sand, explore Hawaii’s vast wonders, or lounge poolside with your favorite drink. Gentle ocean breezes and the pristine shores of Mokapu Beach provide the perfect backdrop.
The Hyatt also sits on a great, if busier, beach. All these hotels are beachfront, but for exclusivity, Four Seasons and Andaz are the best hotels.
3. Best Pool
The Four Seasons Maui has a wonderful garden that stretches down to the beach with the best pools when comparing the three hotels. The hotel is built in a U shape around numerous pools and fountains, framed by the beautiful Wailea Bay. The pools are beautiful; some are for kids and adults, and the stunning infinity with a bar is for adults only.
We used the loungers on the beach and around the pools (spritzer anyone? don’t mind if I do) as well as the free snorkeling equipment. I did notice that although the feel around the pool is very casual, the men, in particular, were wearing a lot of Rolex watches. This is the place to be seen!
There are actually three separate pool areas at Four Seasons. The resort’s central pool is called the fountain pool because of a giant picturesque fountain that emerges from the heated waters of the pool. The pool, which has two whirlpools at both ends, is surrounded by plenty of cabanas. This pool area is very popular with kids and opens up to a more tranquil lawn with plenty of loungers that overlook the beach.
The waterfall pool is a free-form lagoon-style pool that is located next to the fountain pool and draws its inspiration from the ponds of Maui. Two parts of the waterfall pool are linked together with a short slide. This pool mainly attracts families with younger children, and parents can relax in one of the cabanas while keeping an eye out for their kids. Food and drinks are also available poolside, both here and around the fountain pool.
The fountain pool and waterfall pool can be very crowded during the school holidays, so for adults, there is a third pool area, the serenity pool. This pool is located one level above the other two pools at the resort’s southernmost edge and has two hot tubes and four bubble loungers on its side. The pool is an infinity pool offering panoramic views of the ocean and beach and plays underwater music.
At the Andaz, the pools are layered on terraces down to the sea. There are three ocean-facing, cascading infinity pools, a lagoon pool, and an adult tranquility pool for guests 18 and over.
The Hyatt has a busy freeform tropical pool with waterfalls and caves. It’s a lovely pool but is not as sophisticated in setting as the pools at the Andaz and the Four Seasons.
4. Best Style
Four Seasons Maui at Wailea offers the epitome of luxury and elegance. It’s a fun resort and is popular with A-List Hollywood celebrities. It’s the best hotel as an overall package. This does not mean it can’t be beaten in some aspects, but overall, if your budget will stretch, this is the resort to pick.
The grounds are stunning at Four Seasons and highly styled. The overall feel of Four Seasons Maui reminds me of a beautifully decorated and perfectly formed creamy wedding cake with a frothy fountain in the center, all framed by palm trees.
The Andaz has a more adult feel. This is the hotel I would pick for groups enjoying a hen or stag trip or maybe a work group. At the Andaz, you can indulge in cocktails without too many families being present. The andaz has a more trendy feel. Conversely, Four Seasons is, without a doubt (in my opinion), a better option for families with children. Your children will be treated like princes and princesses at Four Seasons!
The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort And Spa feels like a Hyatt. The pool and gardens have a tropical feel with penguins and flamingos, but the hotel decor is more generic Hyatt. Very nice, but not a patch on Four Seasons or the Andaz.
5. Best Bar
Four Seasons Maui is one of the best Four Seasons hotels in Hawaii and is situated in the exclusive resort area of Wailea. This has to be one of the most wonderful venues to enjoy fine dining al fresco under tropical palms or to sip on a beer or a glass of wine with wasabi nuts as the sun sets.
The Four Seasons sunset bar, which I so dearly love as the sun goes down, overlooks the grounds, and you can watch the day’s activities being cleared up, and the evening is set up over a relaxing beer and listening to a tinkling piano. Sometimes, Hula girls dance here too. It offers one of my favorite views from any bar in the world. In my opinion, this bar area at Four Seasons Maui is the best on the island.
The Andaz also has a great bar, and both the Andaz and the Four Seasons offer more stylish bar areas than the Hyatt.
6. Best Rooms
The rooms at Four Seasons Maui are situated in a U-shaped, low-rise building, all with a large Lanai angled towards the sea (except for the mountain view rooms). While you can’t actually see the sea from the garden view rooms, as they are at the base of the U, all rooms are a good size (600 ft²) with the signature Four Seasons bathroom along with the large balcony.
The rooms in the Andaz are smaller but stylish. The rooms at the Hyatt are Hyatt in style and are pleasant. The best rooms can be found at the Four Seasons.
7. Club Lounge
One particularly attractive feature of the Four Seasons property is that guests who book into a Club room or Club suite enjoy complimentary access to the hotel’s exclusive Club Floor Lounge. The ‘hotel within the hotel,’ Club Floor, has its own concierge team solely dedicated to the 26 rooms and suites on the top level. Here, guests enjoy complimentary all-day refreshments, a full-service bar, and other appealing extras. Once you have entered the Club Lounge, everything is free, which can actually bring down the cost of your vacation.
Club floors often offer the best possible deal because, although the initial price is higher, you do not need to pay resort rates for food and drinks, which can save you hundreds of dollars every day.
Andaz doesn’t have a club lounge but the Hyatt Regency does have a club lounge. The Regency Club Lounge at the Hyatt Regency Maui has recently been redesigned and moved to the lobby level of this hotel, which means that it now benefits from a large outdoor terrace with ocean views and the resort’s gardens.
The new lounge features over 3,000 ft² of space. Amenities include a continental breakfast every morning, refreshments, and snacks throughout the day, with light hors d’oeuvres and desserts in the evening. Alcoholic beverages are chargeable but discounted.
You must book a Regency Club room to get access to the lounge or be a high tier in their loyalty scheme. Regency Club rooms have better views and are on higher floors of the hotel. We prefer the exclusivity of the Four Seasons lounge, but if you decide that the Hyatt is the best hotel for you, the Club Rooms are worth splurging on.
8. Grounds
All three hotels have wonderful grounds. We have no preference between these grounds. Four Seasons grounds are more perfectly finished. Andaz is smaller but trendy. Hyatt has a tropical feel. I suppose if I had to differentiate, the Andaz would lose as its grounds are smaller.
9. Resort Fee
Unlike the nickel-and-diming resorts across these islands, Four Seasons Maui does not charge a resort fee. It is the only hotel on Maui that does not charge a resort fee, and yet it still offers a bunch of complimentary extras, such as the use of cabanas, resort car service (to golf, tennis, shopping, and dining in the Wailea area), free sunscreen, introductory fitness classes, free of snorkel equipment for the first hour, free introductory daily scuba lessons, and Hawaiian outrigger canoe paddling excursions.
The Hyatt and Andaz both charge a resort fee like most of the hotels in Hawaii.
10. Price
The Hyatt Regency has the best-priced rooms. They are cheaper than those at the Four Seasons or Andaz. But if your budget will stretch to it, the best hotel is the Four Seasons, in our opinion, and the one to pick.
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