The difference between a 4 and a 5 star resort

One of the benefits of living here in Maui is our ability to enjoy a really amazing "staycation".

Last night we had 3 events to attend on the other side of the island, and we were going to be out late, and conveniently our babysitter was going to be in the same area for the night. So we got a hotel room at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa.

I have visited this property a few times, but I haven't been there overnight since they opened their gorgeous Mandara Spa about 5 years ago. I looked forward to the opportunity to revisit this resort, which is in a great location in Wailea.

The resort has been renovated, and you will see clean lines and a modern vibe throughout. The lobby area is wide open to the outdoors, with a gorgeous view of the ocean. The rooms have adopted the minimalist, modern decor that most hotel rooms have begun to feature - which means that no matter where in the world you are, or what hotel you are staying at, chances are your room will always look exactly the same: Dark sleek wood furniture throughout, a chair or sofa, one or two beds - many times on a platform - with white linens for bed and bath. There will be a few non-descript pieces of "art" on the walls - ours included a print of a red spot, matted and framed. Just a big red spot. The floors are tile - which I like both because they keep the rooms cool, and eliminate the possibility of stains or weird smells. However, the tile floor is slppery when wet, and claimed a water glass which hit the floor after being bumped off the counter. Proceed with caution.

The resort experience itself was mixed - some parts are great, some are......less great. So I think it's best to make a list of pros and cons.

There were a few positives:
~ Marriott beds are incredibly comfortable, and I happen to like clean white linens and a duvet on my bed. I really appreciate that hotels have finally figured out that people go to hotels to SLEEP - and therefore the beds and pillows should be exceptionally comfortable.
~ There is a Starbucks in the lobby. I support local businesses, but it was so nice to be able to grab my favorite treat: a Venti Soy Chai in the morning. It really did make my staycation a lot better all-around.
~ They have a great restaurant (Mala) and spa (Mandara) and both of these are places I would happily visit even if I were not a hotel guest. I think that says something - we have a lot of restaurants and spas here on Maui to choose from, and it is really nice when two excellent ones are located in your hotel.
~ The location is central, and located right next door to one of the best shopping areas on island - The Shops at Wailea. So if you wanted to try a different restaurant, there are five great choices a very short walk away.

All in all, the Marriott has a lot to offer. If I were on my honeymoon, I would be perfectly happy here. But I am not on my honeymoon - I am traveling with two kids, and I have traveled enough to notice when the guest experience could be improved.

Which brings us to the negatives:
~ Despite a hefty resort fee of $30 a day, there is no free wifi in the rooms. There should be free highspeed wireless internet throughout the resort - and especially in the rooms. Period. End of story. It's 2011. Even motels offer free wifi.
~ Signage sucks - we were frequently lost and wandering through corridors, having followed an initial sign and then left to figure out the rest on our own. This is a common problem in large resorts that have an expansive outdoor area, and is pretty easily rectified. Any time you come to a fork/crossroads, put a small sign.
~ The Starbucks (which has wifi, by the way) closes at 5pm - so at about 8pm when I really wanted a cup of coffee to get me through the rest of the night, I was out of luck and we had to drive 15 minutes to get coffee - any coffee. They did have a coffee maker in the room, but we were already heading out for the night.
~ The staff we interacted with ranged from amazing to indifferent, and one was downright unpleasant. In this economic climate, when people are lining up to apply for even the most menial jobs, there is no reason any resort of any caliber should have employees that are anything less than thrilled to be working in a gorgeous oceanfront resort. Providing excellent customer service and treating your guests like, well, guests, should be a no-brainer. So when I found myself interacting with staff on more than one occasion who seemed bored, indifferent, or (in that one instance) rude - it was surprising.

But by far, my biggest concern in recommending this property to families is that the kids pool zone needs to be completely re-designed. There were three umbrellas for the entire area - and no cabanas whatsoever. As a mother that has rented cabanas at other resorts and stayed poolside for the day (including naptime, with the resort providing a both pack n play and a cooler in the cabana) I can assure you that not offering shade and a meeting place for families to snack and rest during the day at the kids pool is a huge mistake. The children's pool is isolated from the rest of the resort, and there is no bar or food service delivered to the seats (you know, the ones that are out in the hot sun). There is a snack bar with a limited menu - but you wouldn't know it was up there if you sat with your small children down by the kiddie waterpark structure - it is completely out of sight, up at the top of the water slides.

And about that play structure in the kids pool - it is a rusty peeling mildewed mess.

My kids could not have cared less.

And that, right there, is the difference between a four and five star resort. Four star resorts offer many amenities, and the issues that come up are usually minor and easily rectified. You may notice infrastructure that needs updating, and you may find yourself feeling nickle and dimed a bit - but you can have a perfectly lovely vacation if you do a little research and know what to expect. However, if you are used to staying in 5 or 6 star resorts, you will find yourself bothered by the small things - things that can add up after awhile and eventually take away from your experience.

Westin Maui Resort and Spa

I have stayed in many beautiful places - and Hawaii is full of such choices. But I don't write about every gorgeous Hawaiian resort I have visited here on this blog. I think it's important to note: I am not paid for these reviews and the hotels do not know they are being written about here - I only share discoveries that I think are special or maybe not something that everyone knows or realizes. Things I would tell my friends and family if they wer trying to choose where to stay. And in all of the beautiful resorts and the great specials that I see, there are a few resorts that really make an effort to go above and beyond. Usually, I think it is because they are aware of the expense involved in a family vacation, and they try to have some value-added offerings - which is something I am always looking for when putting together an itinerary for a client. This can make the difference between a nice resort, and a great resort. And a great resort on Maui is the Westin Maui Resort and Spa. And after spending a few minutes reading the brochures in our guestroom this weekend, I was able to find some great deals that made this a resort worth profiling here. They strive to accomodate everyone - even pets - with comfort and elegance. The property is not just lovely but also accessible and relaxing. Everything just seems so easy here.

In fact, the thing that strikes me most about the Westin is a feeling of openness and ease.

First the rooms themselves. The rooms are light and bright and airy, and the beds are incredibly comfortable. The bathroom is not enormous, but it is spacious, clean, and modern. There was an empty refrigerator to fill with beverages and snacks that we brought with us, a flat-screen TV, and best of all (I dont know why this isn't the case in every resort EVERYWHERE by now, but it's not) wireless internet is included in the daily resort fee (which also includes self-parking, 2 bottles of water, the daily paper, and other amenities - value added!) Our room had 2 double beds and a twin sleeper sofa, with a patio to take in the gorgeous view. Even with all of the bedding accomodations and seating, there was plenty of room for all four of us to hang out and watch movies or just enjoy the view. We decided not to bring the dog - but they do welcome well-behaved pets :)

The property itself is large but not sprawling - very easy to navigate with small children, and it is easy to avoid long walks and stairs while enjoying all of the amenities. The pool area is central, and the spa and gym are right in the middle of things too - not off in a remote corner of the property - with killer views. They offer classes in the gym and all sorts of luxury spa treatments, so be sure to check out their menu of services.

A big part of our vacations - all of them - are the food offerings. At The Westin, they have a nice room service which we usually enjoy at lunch time during the hottest part of the day, to take a break from the sun. There is also a takeout snack bar between the pool and the ocean, and a sitdown restaurant and bar right next to the pool area (which is also where the excellent breakfast buffet is located), and a coffee bar in the lobby serving Starbucks. They offer the children's menu property-wide and there is poolside service from the restaurant and bar area. On the oceanfront side of the resort, they have Tropica - a signature restaurant which has an amazing view and a unique menu. I need to stop here and say that Tropica also has excellent discounts available during certain hours of the dinner service - while we were there, they offered a three-course tasting menu (each course has 3 choices) for $33 from 5-6pm, and again from 8:30-10pm. I enjoyed a glorious sunset dinner, with a BLT Butterfish appetizer, flavorful lamb served over polenta with green beans and grilled tomatos, and then a leche cake for dessert - all for $33.

After dinner we enjoyed the short walk along Kaanapali Beach to Whalers Village, which is an upscale beachside "barefoot" shopping mall located right next door to the Westin. There were lots of people walking, enjoying the sunset, heading to dinner at one of the neighboring resorts or at the shopping center with absolutely no need for a car, or shoes for that matter. If we had wanted to go to Lahaina (a 5 minute drive) there is a free shuttle picking up guests from the three Starwood properties and bringing them to Front Street free of charge. There are also several sunset cocktail cruises that depart directly from the beach in front of the Westin - but even with all of these options, we were happy to stay right at the resort - it had everything we needed for a great vacation.