The best way for families to do Maui, but quite pricey. The villas give you the best of both worlds if you rent from the hotel directly, as you can use Grand Wailea’s pools and amenities. However, Ho’Olei has its own pool, gym and poolside massage service so you don’t necessarily need to go over to the big hotel and deal with the larger crowds unless you have small kids that really want a waterslide and lazy river experience. You can use the public beach without staying at the main hotel or staying through the hotel booking. If using the hotel amenities is not a priority then you may get more cost-effective options staying at the privately owned villas. Wailea is a beautiful part of the island and close to Kihei town for shopping for essentials and lots of hole in the wall seafood, poke, and diner food joints. The aquarium is only 20 minutes away, the airport 30, Lahaina and Kaanapali 35 minutes. The service and set up of these villas is excellent and most have large balconies with grills and expansive views of the ocean and the hotel resort.
