We have reviewed the best Four Seasons hotels in Hawaii, which includes the stunning Four Seasons Maui in the most exclusive resort on Maui, Wailea.
Four Seasons Maui is the most resort-based Four Seasons hotel on the Hawaiian Islands, in the exclusive resort area of Wailea. I reviewed the best way to get deals and special offers at Four Seasons Maui. The key is to book your next Four Seasons stay via our luxury travel concierge, as we can give you free loyalty-style benefits, room upgrades, and perks while matching the rates on the Four Seasons Maui website.
I was previously blown away by Four Seasons Maui when we stayed at the Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott, Maui. We had walked up the beach boardwalk, and we enjoyed a beer and wasabi nuts in the piano bar of the Four Seasons at Wailea, Maui. At this point, I realized that I must fully experience the Four Seasons by staying there.
The best time to visit Maui is in Hawaii’s off-season when the rates are cheaper, and the islands are less crowded. Ideally, travel is spring (April to June) and fall (September to November, excluding Thanksgiving). Winter in Hawaii can be slightly cloudier and wetter from December to March, but it is a popular time to travel simply because the rest of the Northern Hemisphere is so miserable and cold. If you stay in Wailea on Maui, you have the most chance of sunshine as Wailea is on the sunniest coastline on Maui.
Best Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts In The World
The best Four Seasons hotels & resorts in the world include Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, Four Seasons Lanai and Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Hawaii, Four Seasons Surf Club on Miami Beach, Four Seasons Costa Rica, Four Seasons Los Cabos At Costa Palmas, Four Seasons Palm Beach, and Four Seasons Hampshire. To be honest, we wanted to include several other properties in this article, but we would have to stray into the realms of the top 20 or 30 or even top 100 properties to include all our favorite Four Seasons hotels. There are just so many great ones!
Resort Fee
Most resorts in Hawaii charge a resort fee, even if you are paying on points. Book the Marriott in Wailea, and you get your room rate for “free” (on points), but you are still charged an additional resort fee, which makes a point booking here quite a bad deal.
Four Seasons Maui does not charge a resort fee, unlike some other nickel-and-diming resorts across these islands. 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.
Location
Four Seasons Maui is located in Hawaii’s most exclusive resort enclave of Wailea. From the outside, the U-shaped, low-rise building is quite similar to the other large-scale Hawaiian resorts, but the interior is refined and luxurious with an open-air design where halls lead to the open side of the building. From here, you can enjoy ocean breezes and panoramic vistas.
10 Best Luxury Hotels & Resorts In Hawaii
Hawaii offers a landscape straight out of Jurassic Park (it was filmed there, after all!), and if you want to get a true feeling of the island and its beaches, watch the box set of LOST, and you will see what you are missing out on. Towering jungle-covered peaks rise from the deep blue Pacific Ocean, and palm-fringed beaches give way to glorious surf and quiet bays. The islands of Hawaii are simply spectacular. The islands belong to the United States of America as the 50th and most recent state to have joined the USA. Luxury resorts here are large, and most sit right on the beach.
Style & Character
When we arrived, we were greeted by name with leis (how do they do that!). The open-air marble foyer is just stunning and adorned with sweet-smelling flowers. You can literally smell the luxury when given a tour around this beautiful resort, where the cream hues and intricate marble pillars form a backdrop to the magnificent ocean views.
The large lobby has a glorious open design that brings the tropical outdoors in. Communal areas are also always immaculate, and the staff are always welcoming and often address you by your name. Four Seasons Maui also houses hundreds of incredible art pieces by Hawaii-influenced artists throughout the property.
The Four Seasons Maui has a wonderful garden that stretches down to the beach. The entire resort is beautiful. The hotel is built in a U shape around numerous pools and fountains, framed by beautiful Wailea Bay. It reminds me of a giant creamy wedding cake with a frothy fountain filled with white icing. You certainly can’t fault the look of the grounds and will find an array of loungers and pristine white marquees to choose from for your days lazing.
What Is The Best Four Seasons Hotel In Hawaii?
Four Seasons has four hotels in Hawaii: Four Seasons Hualalai (on Big Island), Four Seasons Lanai, Four Seasons Maui at Wailea, and the Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina, which is the newest of the four. They are all gorgeous, and they are all pretty expensive. They all feature in our picks of the best Four Seasons hotels in the world. Four Seasons is a particularly outstanding hotel brand, and Four Seasons hotels are usually the best option in any resort area. My reviews of the Four Seasons hotels in Hawaii can be found below.
Service & Facilities
The pools at Four Seasons Maui are beautiful; some are for kids and families, and the stunning infinity pool 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 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, so do remember your designer swimwear and accessorize with watches and diamonds. They will be appreciated!
There are actually three separate pool areas. 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. This pool, which has two whirlpools at both ends, is surrounded by plenty of cabanas that can be used free of charge (one per room). This pool area is open 24/7 and is very popular with kids, but 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.
Both the fountain pool and waterfall pool can be 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.
Four Seasons Maui Vs. Hualalai. Which Is Best?
Which hotel is best, Four Seasons Hualalai on Big Island or Four Seasons Maui? We think Four Seasons Hualalai is a more unique resort than Four Seasons Maui, because of its Kings Pond where you can swim and snorkel with fish, its lengthy beachfront which is not shared by any other hotel, and its numerous secluded pools so you can find a spot to yourself. If you book an oceanfront suite, your accommodations will be right on the beach, because of the extensive waterfront offered by this hotel.
For a complete splurge, you can pay for one of six private luxury cabanas ($450 USD per day). While this might not be the best deal on the island and is certainly not a way to save money, these cabanas offer a great place to relax if your budget will stretch that far.
Let’s not forget that this resort is also right on a beautiful beach in Wailea, which is also kitted out with luxury padded loungers and Four Seasons service. Paddling here is a dream!
Rooms
All rooms here are a similarly good size (600 ft²) with the signature Four Seasons bathroom and a large balcony. The view is the deal-breaker here. The cheapest rooms are the rooms with Mountain views. These rooms are the same size and quality as the Garden View rooms. Mountain view rooms are on the outside of the U and overlook the car park and mountains behind.
The Garden view rooms sit towards the back of the inside of the U with very distant sea views. Your lanai (large balcony) looks over the garden in these rooms.
The Partial ocean rooms and Ocean view rooms are also identical. The rooms and their beautiful Lanai are virtually identical. It is the view that varies, and you pay more for a better view.
It’s worth mentioning that even the cheapest room at the Four Seasons Maui is a great room. You are just facing the wrong way so you won’t hear the crashing of the waves as you fall asleep, but I’m very sure you will have a similarly great holiday, whichever room you choose. If you book via our concierge, we can bump you up a room level for free, subject to availability (as well as offering our other free benefits!). My main tip is to request a high floor for better views.
The Club Floor
One particularly attractive feature of this 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 daily.
Review: Club Lounge At Four Seasons Maui
Four Seasons Maui is one of the best luxury hotels in Maui and has one of the best club lounges in Hawaii. This beachfront hotel has lawns running down to the sand, stunning restaurants, including Spago, Maui by Wolfgang Puck, and a wonderful restaurant on the grounds where you can eat under the stars. If you book a club-level room, you can access the club lounge at Four Seasons Maui. These rooms are on the eighth floor, and when you book these rooms, you get a private key that will enable you to access the elusive club lounge.
Food & Drink
The best restaurant at Four Seasons Maui is Master Chef Wolfgang Puck’s Hawaiian outpost (and Forbes Four Star and AAA Four Diamond restaurant). Sit down to a fusion of Hawaiian and California cuisine paired with panoramic ocean views. I recommend booking this restaurant before your stay. Our concierge team can connect you to the concierge at Four Seasons Maui to do this, as it can be fully booked.
I also particularly like Ferraro’s Bar E Ristorante, which is alfresco and right on the waterfront. In fact, this is Wailea’s only oceanfront restaurant, and you can dine under the stars, perfect for special occasions. Savor contemporary Italian dishes featuring fresh Maui ingredients as well as artisan pizzas from the wood-burning oven.
There are also more bars and eateries, including the poolside restaurant, to keep you topped up wherever you are in the resort.
Conclusion
Would I return? To Wailea, yes, in a heartbeat. Wailea is my favorite resort area on the island. Would I recommend the Four Seasons Wailea? Absolutely, Yes, 100%, for the gorgeous rooms, stunning views, amazing beach, and just participating in the magical Four Seasons experience.
Four Seasons Maui also features in our best Four Seasons hotels in North America.
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