after researching a handful of resorts for our 3-day couple’s getaway in maui, hotel wailea quickly stood out.  a relais & chateaux gem that is much more intimate than its peers in wailea, hotel wailea has gorgeous suites, plenty of couples-oriented activities & excursions, an amazing pool with tons of lounge space & cabanas, & a killer cocktail menu.  it was the perfect place to relax, unwind, & enjoy the beautiful hawaiian sunshine. 

this Recipe for Later!

it’s very hard to put into words, but hawaii holds such a special place in my heart.  even though i’ve never had the opportunity to live there, it’s a place that has always felt like home to me, in a very spiritual & healing way. 

a great deal of my history is there & that is something i absolutely cherish & never take for granted. 

my mom was born & raised in honolulu.  my parents met & fell in love on oahu & spent their newlywed years finding adventures across the island.  my extended family still lives in hawaii, spread across oahu & molokai.  my loved ones who have passed on are laid to rest in hawaii.  my brother married my beautiful sister-in-law on a beach near waikiki.  & chris asked me to marry him while we were on the shore of sandy beach in hawaii kai, a beach my parents frequented when they were our age. 

there’s something to be said about a place that makes you feel complete & at peace with the universe – it is ohana, it is aloha, it is home. 

chris & i make an effort to get back every summer to spend time with the family.  we usually spend half of our trip exploring different restaurants on oahu with my auntie & the other half of our trip on rural molokai, doing crosswords & listening to my dear grandfather recall the good old days & sharing with us his wise insight on life, love, friendship, & marriage. 

this year, chris & i decided to also save a few days at the end of our visit for some quality time together.  we wanted rest & relaxation, so we broke away from our comfort zone on oahu & molokai & ventured, for the first time ever, to maui.

located on maui’s south shore is wailea, a small community with tons of great beach front, world-class restaurants, & wonderful boutique hotels.  given that all we really wanted out of our 3-day getaway was to have some quiet time to read by the water, drink some tropical cocktails, & enjoy the hawaiian sunshine together, wailea was the perfect place for our getaway. 

as we researched places to stay in wailea, hotel wailea quickly stood out. 

a relais & chateaux gem that is much more intimate than most of its peers in wailea, hotel wailea has gorgeous suites, plenty of couples-oriented activities & excursions, an amazing pool with tons of lounge space & cabanas, & a killer cocktail menu. 

need i say more?  we were sold. 

as we drove up its long & winding drive, we quickly realized that hotel wailea would easily exceed all of our expectations. 

the staff was accommodating & their attention to detail was a reflection of the fact that they are top-notch service professionals.  we were greeted with beautiful leis & taken for a tour of the grounds before we were led to our room (which we were able to check in to 5 hours early!). 

we stepped into our suite & we were immediately taken aback.  not only was it beautifully designed, there was a personalized note left in the room welcoming us to hotel wailea.  the room even had a small patio space with comfortable lounge furniture overlooking the ocean.

& things only got better from there. 

we made our way over to the pool, where we intended to spend most of our time at hotel wailea.  it was picturesque – perfectly aqua & glistening in the warm sunshine, surrounded with ample lounge seating & four big shaded cabanas. 

off to the side was a beautiful full-service bar, which serves smoothies, cocktails, beer & wine, along with a food menu full of great options for poolside snacks & light lunch. 

the only thing left to do for the next few days was to grab a book, order a cocktail (or 10), eat some sushi, kick up our feet, & soak in the hawaiian sunshine. 

our stay at hotel wailea was the absolute perfect way to end a wonderful vacation.  we can’t wait to return next year!

i’d love to hear about your favorite places to visit!  where do you feel most at home, even though you’re not at home?  do you like to go on vacations packed with itineraries & things to see, or relax by the pool?