Water wonderland
guide shouts, grinning from ear to ear. “He’s the biggest turtle in these parts, and he loves a bit of company.” Back at Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, the kids can barely contain their excitement about hitting what has to be one of the best hotel pool complexes in the world, with nine individual pools on six levels within the 2387-square-metre, 2,914,767-litre Wailea Canyon Activity Pool, connected by water slides and rivers for tubing and drifting. There are pool bars (including an adults- only one in a cave), cafes, spas and the world’s only water elevator. About 14 people can sit on a tubular seat in a volcano-like funnel, and the water fills up from below, pushing everyone out the top of the manmade hill, from where they can skid on to water slides leading to other aquatic wonderlands. Apparently the developer of the original Grand Hyatt Wailea who created it all had a son confined to a wheelchair, so he wanted him to be able to make his way around the resort by water.
By the time we make it to the edge of the beach, one of our kids is already in the biggest pool, waving frantically and screaming out in pure unbridled joy: “There’s waterfalls, a Tarzan swing AND an ELEVATOR in the pool Mum!”
This heaven-sent resort has the obligatory kids’ club, and it’s called ‘The Rock’, but it is no ordinary club. It’s a mini-resort that is full of fun stuff, with a games rooms, snack bars and activities such as lei making and hula lessons, if they do want a break from the pool. Outside there’s also paddleboarding, surf lessons, kayaking, snorkelling and diving.
Grand Wailea has beautifully appointed two- and three-bedroom suites, and the larger, more expensive suites are between 120 and 180 square metres. All are spacious and all enjoy wonderful views — of the tropical gardens, Wailea Beach and the islands across the sea, or of Maui’s highest peak, Haleakala.