Fairmont Kea Lani Maui

Simply wonderful Hawaii experience. Felt like luxury and tranquility all in one. We loved our Maui portion of our trip - was a nice change to the fast-paced Oahu feel. Large wrap-around patio with ocean views, sunsets, and fireworks (we were there over the 4th of July, perfect view!). Wrap around windows on our end corner suite as well. Restaurants on site were excellent (our favorites were Pilina, thanks Kristina!, and Nick's), and great options to pick from. Beach was perfect - ALL fine sand (no cobbles, rocks, or seaweed) and water was crystal clear even out in the ocean and our kids enjoyed the waves within a good distance from shore. Seats and chairs were spoken for early in the mornings, but there is rotation throughout the day to get a spot by the pools or beach. Free on-site parking, and we were able to come/go as we wanted and trying/seeing other things around us on the island. The resort was extremely clean overall. Only negatives from our stay: double beds were true double beds, extremely tight with two adults to sleep AND pillows were super flat and lacked support. Outside of unrestful nights, our trip was wonderful! Special thanks to Danny and JB bellboys - we appreciate you!

This was an incredible experience. It felt like paradise. We were greeted at the entrance of the hotel by staff with a lei and cup of guava juice. By the time I changed from my travel clothes, it was sunset and the walk from the hotel to its beach was lit with torches and scented with flowers from the trees and bushes. The hotel has numerous swimming pools, and there was a small one right outside our suite, which was practically private, so we could bring drinks and have a swim at night.

Although the service was great and the rooms were nice, the hotel property itself leaves a lot to be desired, especially considering its price point. They have a very odd layout where there is hardly any seating by the pool or beach, and what’s there is always full. Even the cabanas were booked our entire stay so we couldn’t even pay for a good spot. The rest of the seating was on this weird grass lawn, where you didn’t really see the pool or the ocean, VERY bizarre. The beach was also small and without any shade. The hotel had umbrellas but half of the time they weren’t able to be used because they said it was too windy. The chairs also need a serious update, they were rundown and broken, not what you would expect at a luxury hotel. The pool/beach towels ran out on occasion and were not available. And everywhere felt crowded. The food here was very good, but lacked variety, serving very similar items at the different restaurants and one restaurant was closed for renovations. We liked the suite style rooms, especially traveling with a baby, and the amenities they provided for her were awesome. The “ocean view” rooms aren’t what you would expect for an ocean view, again I would say this is due to the odd layout of the hotel, the beach is far in the distance. Overall, our experience was good, not great. For the price point, I could never recommend staying at this hotel. If you have a bunch of things booked off property and plan to only sleep at the hotel, perhaps this works for you. If you want to enjoy the beach and pool and just take an excursion or two, I’ve got to believe there are better hotels.