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The design-led alternative to Wailea's grand dames, with the island's liveliest pool and Morimoto on the sand.
HotelsForKings editorial score. One considered opinion against transparent criteria, not an average of user reviews. See our methodology.
You stay at the Andaz Maui for the contemporary character its neighbours deliberately avoid. The resort opened in 2013 and brought a modern design language, natural Hawaiian materials, commissioned local art, and a pool-centric layout, to a Wailea district that the Four Seasons and Grand Wailea had defined on more traditional luxury terms. The result is the district's most current-feeling resort, and the one that draws a younger five-star crowd.
The signature is the pool. A multi-tier infinity-pool complex steps down the hillside toward Mokapu Beach, and it runs the most active, sociable pool programme in Wailea, with music and a scene the quieter grande-dame resorts consciously keep at bay. Guestrooms and suites, each with a private lanai, face the ocean or the pools, and a collection of larger villas sits above the resort for groups and families who want more space. Wailea Beach and the coastal boardwalk are a short walk from the property.
Morimoto Maui is the dining headline. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto's beachfront restaurant, still open and running in 2026, pairs an indoor dining room with a poolside terrace and bar, and its modern Japanese menu is a destination in its own right for guests and non-guests alike. The Andaz Spa keeps a compact but well-considered treatment menu, and its ocean-facing outdoor treatment areas are among the most dramatically sited in Wailea.
Book an ocean-view room on a higher floor for the sunset and the quietest position away from the pool deck; the entry rooms face the gardens and pools and catch more of the daytime energy. Couples who want the resort's calmest corner should ask for rooms furthest from the central pool, while groups travelling together are better served by the larger villas set above the main building, which trade beachfront immediacy for space and privacy. Every room and suite has a private lanai, which is where the mornings are best spent.
The resort fronts Mokapu Beach, a calm, swimmable stretch at the northern end of the Wailea coast. The paved Wailea coastal path runs from here past the Grand Wailea and the Four Seasons toward Wailea Beach and Polo Beach, an easy pre-dinner walk that puts several of the district's restaurants within reach on foot. Snorkelling is best at the rocky points that bookend the bay, and the west-facing aspect delivers the sunsets the pool bar is built around.
Read across recent guest reviews, the consistent praise is for the pool complex, Morimoto Maui and the contemporary design, while the recurring criticisms follow directly from those same features: sound from the social pool can carry to nearer rooms, and the cost of dining and extras adds up over a stay. Taken as a pattern, that is a resort doing exactly what it sets out to do, which is why matching it to the right traveller matters more here than at a quieter, one-note property.
The Andaz honeymoon suits couples who want contemporary design and a social atmosphere alongside their Wailea beach days. A private beach dinner from Morimoto Maui, the adults-leaning pool scene, and the most design-considered rooms in the district give the trip a specific modern character that the Four Seasons' formality and the Fairmont's scale do not replicate. Ask for an ocean-view room on a higher floor for the sunset. See all honeymoon hotels →
The lively pool programme, Morimoto's group-dining capacity, and easy Wailea Beach access make the Andaz the most capable celebration hotel in Wailea. It has the energy a group wants without leaving the five-star tier, and the villas suit a party travelling together. See all bachelor/bachelorette hotels →
From $600/night. Independent review; we may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Only partly. The Andaz runs the liveliest pool scene in Wailea. Couples and families who want calm often prefer the quieter Four Seasons or Grand Wailea; the Andaz suits those who want energy and design.
Yes. Morimoto Maui is open in 2026 and remains the resort's signature dining draw, with an indoor room and a poolside terrace and bar.
On Mokapu Beach in the Wailea resort district on Maui's south-west coast, about 20 to 30 minutes from Kahului Airport, alongside the Four Seasons and Grand Wailea.
It can be, but it leans contemporary and social rather than kid-focused. Families wanting a dedicated waterpark and children's programme usually prefer Grand Wailea.
How the Andaz compares with its neighbours, in one line each.
A ranked shortlist, a special offer worth booking, and the overpriced stay to skip. Straight from the editors.