The welcome
We get a real Hawaiian “aloha”: the cheery valets drape fragrant leis around our necks and seat us in the open-air lobby, which has a Zen sandpit and a sweeping view of Mokapu Beach at the foot of three tiers of infinity pools. We’re served lemonade while being checked in via iPad.
The neighbourhood
Hyatt’s Andaz brand opened this as its first resort in 2013, giving the old Renaissance a South-Beach style facelift. The first in Wailea’s strip of big-name five-star resorts, you could spend all your time resort-hopping in this exclusive enclave, but you’ll want a car to explore the rest of Maui. By day, the hotel offers watersports on its private beach; at night, the grounds are lit by tiki torches and there’s live music in the Lehua Lounge.
The room
With simple, Crate & Barrel-style decor, our room feels more like a stylish beach cottage; the highlight is the ocean view, framed by floor-to-ceiling glass doors opening onto a patio that runs the full length of the room. The bed is solidly comfortable, although you have to tilt the TV out from the wall to watch it. The bathroom’s wood-slat countertops are impractical, but the shower makes up for it – it’s also almost as long as the room – and if you open the wood shutters on the glass wall behind the bed, you can shower while watching the sunset.
The scene
Among the gorgeous honeymooners and preppy young American families we spot a celebrity couple: Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde. Admittedly, we spend most of our breakfast making goo-goo faces at their baby, before noticing who his parents are.
The food
For breakfast at Ka’ana Kitchen, the mini buffet (US$28/Dh102) features an ample spread of pastries, meats and cheeses, fruits and eggs, plus a hot side; the full brunch ($45/Dh165) includes the buffet, plus a main from the menu which is delivered to us along with “limited growth” Maui coffee and “hand-extracted” juices from the mixologist ($45/Dh165). For lunch at Bumbye Beach Bar, I have a yummy lobster grilled cheese sandwich ($24/Dh88) and a coconut-ice-cream sandwich with ginger cookies ($11/Dh40). Iron Chef fans will want to book a spot at Morimoto Maui; order sushi à la carte or splash out on the creatively presented omakase tasting menu ($140/Dh514).
The service
Dressed in casual beachwear, most of the staff are attentive and down-to-earth, particularly the valets, who actually sprint to fetch our car, and in Ka’ana Kitchen, where everyone seemed delighted to delight us (the chef made extra of my favourite grilled pineapple for me to take away). However, some of the pool staff weren’t as attentive, and at sunset, one of them started stacking loungers so noisily it harshed my mellow.
Loved
The complimentary mini-bar of gourmet snacks and juices; free Wi-Fi, even by the pool; clever amenities such as refillable water bottles and eye make-up remover towelettes; activities such as ukulele and yoga lessons; and the Mokapu Market, open 24/7, which is stocked with gourmet snacks and stylish gifts.
Hated
An intense garbage smell lingered for hours in the hallway outside our room, which was close to the carpark stairwell.
The verdict
The Andaz lives up to its name, which is Urdu for “unique style”.
The bottom line
Rooms start at $550 (Dh2,020) a night including taxes (maui.andaz.hyatt.com; 3550 Wailea Alanui Drive; 001 808 573 1234).
mgannon@thenational.ae
