Hotel Wailea, Wailea

We absolutely loved staying at this hotel. It was nice and small, quiet and clean. The only drawback was that it is not on the beach, but it is only a short drive away. The room was larger than I had expected and the bed was very comfortable. We are getting married in Makena in September and highly recommended this hotel to many of our guests.

Built on the side of a hill, the 'hotel' is a collection of '4-family' buildings. We had an ocean view, which is unbeatable - the best view we had. The hotel is not on a beach. The suite had large rooms, well furnished. The carpet needed some spot cleaning (spilled coffee) but otherwise was clean. Quiet. Only one restaurant was open and that was a little expensive, but many options exist in nearby Kihei. And the answer the big question is: yes, we would go back.

the hotel was great. the room was great. the food was great. the pool was great. the spa was great and so was the golf course. i would stay here again

STAFF Just excellent, no exaggeration. Friendly and competent. Front desk team always had a smile and a wave. The bell desk/valet guys knew our names by the second day and repeatedly had the car waiting before we ever got to the driveway with no call ahead. Housekeeping was quick, efficient and invisible and ably accommodated off-hour requests for service. No complaints that we can think of despite the fact that August/September is low season and staffing had to be well below normal. RESORT/SPA The resort grounds are expansive, unique and beautiful. The spa area is large, open to the ocean view and is decidedly Japanese in concept and design. While it reflects early nineties standards, it is fully complimentary for all wet areas which made for a nice way to unwind after dinner out on multiple evenings. Patrons are primarily Japanese guests and a few local couples with memberships. The hotel pool area is small and dated and doesn't take advantage of the view although its very quiet, private and sunny for most of the day. The hotel's architecture and interior design are reflecive of its 1990 build and are primarily Japanese/Hawaiian. ROOM 200 degree treetop view from our deep lanai stretched from the upcountry foothills on the far left to the volcanic rock hill above Makena State Beach to Kaho'olawe, Molokini and Lanai and concluded on the right with the cloud covered West Maui mountains. (We particularly enjoyed looking down on the Four Seasons.) Note that below the front lawn at the bottom of the property is residential street with a perhaps unusual amount of traffic due to some construction in the neighborhood below. These rooms do offer the best views though. Our 'Luxury Suite' was spacious and comfortable although honestly not luxurious. It had the upgraded decor that is featured on the hotel website -- Hawaiian contemporary furniture, two flat screens, berber carpeting in the bedroom, tile in the main room, large dining table in lieu of a full kitchen, minimal wicker. (The least expensive rooms apparently have much more dated interiors.) Wireless internet was quick and dependable. The large Japanese-style bathing area was anticipated and much appreciated. The private watercloset features a full-function NAIS toilet seat that keeps you happy all under. RESTAURANTS Dinner at Capische was very special. Among the top twenty meals we've ever had complimented by a good Italian Barolo and a striking Maui sunset. A creamy truffled risotto and a very generous and peppery cioppino were dinner highlights. And again, highly competent and friendly service. After a little digging, we found out that our server was a local skateboarder who just happened to have a commanding knowledge of Italian wines. By the way, there seemed to be about one server per table. Restaurant Taiko is now only open for breakfast. Good omelets, fresh tropical fruit and gracious Japanese service. OTHER GUESTS Hard to remember -- did we even see any? Occupancy was perhaps 50% throughout our stay. I'd estimate at least 3/4 of guests to be Japanese nationals with the balance being 30ish couples from the mainland. Very, very few children. SUMMARY The Diamond Resort was most enjoyable and was fairly priced considering the accommodations and the Wailea/Makena location. And I'll say it again, excellent staff here! A very few rough edges. With renovations to the older rooms and the upgrades to the common interior spaces, pool and spa, this would easily move from a four-star resort to a full five stars. ABOUT US We're a professional gay couple from LA. We've traveled extensively in the US and abroad and tend to pay more than we should for accommodations (although we really didn't here).

The grounds are beautiful, and the room was large in my opinion. In fact, it was actually a suite where the bedroom could be closed off from the living room and bath. Each room has a small patio with enough room for 2 lounge chairs. The hotel made a small error with my reservation so they had me down for the incorrect number of nights, but they were able to verify the correction in a minute, and they upgraded my room for the inconvenience of having to wait about 15 minutes for my room to be changed, which was great. The staff were very friendly, but most of the bellboys seemed to be college kids, which made me feel old (haha). I did not eat at the restaurants, but they are beautiful, and the Italian restaurant Capische was recommended by some well-to-do locals I met. The room decor was outdated and blah, but there was no bad odor. The room had a small kitchen area and fridge so you can cook your own meals if you like, which was great. The fridge was NOT a stocked mini-bar, but that was fine for me. The TV in the room had a built in DVD player but it was a big, old unit. The bathtub was deep, but didnt have jets, and the room it was in was small and bland, like a hospital bathroom, so I had no desire to take a bath. The toilet had a built-in bidet, which is cool. The hotel sits up on a hill about 3 blocks from a beach, but I walked to the beach fine. The hotel is near the fanciest resorts like the Four Seasons and Grand Wailea, and I paid less than half what I would have paid at those places, so overall it was definitely a great value and I do recommend it for those who dont want to pay through the nose at the other places. It was quiet and there was no line for check-in, and there is either valet parking or self-parking. The pool is outdoors and small, and the hottubs are japanese style, so the women and men have separate ones, and you are NOT allowed to wear a bathing suit in it, you must go au naturale. The lobby is semi-open air with an impressive waterfall and koi pond. The lighting is good throughout the resort, very relaxing. I saw a few neighbors but never heard them.

We stayed at the Diamond Hawaii resort on our last two days after spending 7 days in Kaanapali at a real resort. This one is off the beaten path, away from the beach and any type of life that surrounds a beach. Not a great place to come with kids who just spent 7 days on the beach. The pool was old and outdated as was the kiddie section and jacuzzi. The spa area was outstanding if you are into that type of thing. The staff was very friendly, especially the valet people. Parking is not really close to the units and the spacing is horrible. The cars barely fit no matter how small a car you drive. That was the biggest pain in the rear for this resort. Looking back, wont stay here again, with or without kids, as it is not our type of scene. We like to have other people around. We will pay the extra money to go to a real resort.

When we booked our reservation we didn't realize that our oceanview suite would be miles away from the ocean. Yes, it was nice that we could look out at Molokini and Lanai in the distance and enjoy the sunsets, but we had to drive miles to the beach. There was a busy road in front of our room where many construction vehicles were coming and going. Stains on the carpets looked like they were from a dog, and the bathroom and kitchen floors hadn't been cleaned in years. **************************** The best feature was the separate spa areas for women and men. However, the outside pool area needed some serious updating and was not a place where you'd want to spend much time, unless you were tired of driving to the beach and looking for a parking space.

If you're looking to just relax and get away from it all, this is just the place. The partial ocean view rooms are breath taking. The beaches are just a shuttle away. Nothing compares after this!

We loved this place! We saved some money by having a full kitchen to cook meals in. We also liked being away from crowds and noise. This is definitely not a place to go if you want a spring break atmosphere, but perfect for couples and roomy enough for families. We also loved the big, deep, bath tub and heated toilet seat!

First off, you have to drive up a hill, and when you look back, you can see so far the most amazing veiw ever in the world of views (haha). And when the sunsets over the water, you'll have a heart attack because it is so perfect. The rooms were so comfty that when jump into your bed, you'll instantly fall asleep and have the best night ever. The service is great with friendly aloha people that will help with anything. The location is perfect, doesnt matter, its on maui. The Value is alittle expensive but its so worth it. Well even though i live in maui, I go up just for the sunsets. The Diamond Resort is the best place to stay on Maui.