A Very Chill, Very Delicious Guide to Maui’s Grand Wailea

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Routine-oriented in my day-to-day, I’m a fan of mixing things up when traveling. Some of my favorite memories were born out of spontaneity: zipping through boysenberry fields in a Tasmanian rental car, stumbling upon a San Sebastian gem’s tomato basil water. I appreciate a good plan, but I love a happy accident even more. 

So, sitting in a conference room an hour before Nobu’s grand opening at the Grand Wailea hotel on Maui earlier this month, I couldn’t help but smile as the man behind it all, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, recalled creating a “coincidence-dish” turned “million-dollar-dish” on the island 35 years ago. While cooking for the staff of a charity dinner in the early ‘90s, Matsuhisa opened the fridge to see what ingredients were inside. Yellowtail, cilantro, serrano chiles. Sound familiar? 

The first iteration of Nobu’s Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeño was served on Maui that night.

Chef Matsuhisa’s kitchen philosophy is one he learned from his mother: keep things clean, simple – and don’t waste anything. It’s a sentiment easily understood on the island. 

Capturing Maui’s Magic

Known for its laidback energy, diverse microclimates, and fresh ingredients, Maui has ‘simple’ baked into its DNA. I got to kick back and dip into this simplicity on a short trip to celebrate the storied restaurant’s opening. A Waldorf Astoria Resort, Grand Wailea is nestled on 40 acres of lush, tropical gardens – prime grounds for slow mornings, long days in the sun, and breezy evenings spent oceanside. 

In the few days I spent at Grand Wailea, I heard about the hotel’s Landscaping Manager Jim Heid at least half a dozen times. He’s worked at the resort since day one – and there’s some serious lore around his famous grounds tours. Several days a week, Heid weaves through the property explaining his work while slicing and dicing fresh plants and produce for guests to try. His only weakness? Keeping tours to their allotted one hour. 

While I didn’t have the opportunity to meet the man himself, I could feel Heid’s passion for the 600 species of tropical Maui-native plants on the property as I wound my way down to the beach, meandered back from the award-winning Kilolani Spa, and took a wrong turn (actually it was several) before mellowing out at a sound bath at the on-site chapel. All experiences I would highly recommend.

Here’s what stood out – 

The Spa

Grand Wailea’s Kilolani Spa offers cutting edge wellness treatments guided by Hawaiian traditions and the lunar calendar. Recently recognized in Vogue’s 2024 Spa Guide, the 50,000 square foot facility includes massage treatments, facials, a salon, and hydrotherapy gardens. I checked in for my Lomi Pohaku Massage and was welcomed with a short ritual to celebrate the new moon (it involved touching a table of course salt and setting an intention). 

Then, I was whisked outside to enjoy a little contrast therapy in the steam room, icy showers, sauna, and Hawaiian-inspired Hammam before heading upstairs to the outdoor Reflection Lounge. I sipped tea and enjoyed the view while waiting for my masseuse to find me.

The Lomi Pohaku Massage that followed involved heated lava and Himalayan salt stones, traditional lomilomi kneading techniques, and healing botanical oil blends. When leaving, I texted a friend my most honest reflections: if I could experience a massage like that with any semblance of regularity, I know for sure that I’d be a better person. 

Designed to “melt away muscle tension, restore energy flow and promote vitality,” the treatment is pure bliss. I notice my shoulder relaxing down my back every time I think about it.

Other Wellness To-dos

• A Soundbath at the Chapel: Rasa Priya and Sarah Sundari of Maui Sound Healing lead listeners through a journey of mantras, chants, invocations, world instruments, sarod, crystal singing bowls, Paiste and Tesla gongs to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and shift brainwave activity. The experience was different for everyone in my class – some found it energizing, others more relaxing. I laid horizontal in a hypnagogic state (that in-between feeling when you’re neither fully awake nor asleep) for an hour. Afterwards? Pure zen.
• The Beach/Pool(s): Nestled between several high end properties (in fact, it’s right next to the hotel where the first season of White Lotus was shot), Grand Wailea is known as the hotel with the best pools. They’re strict about who gets access (that many people try to sneak in), and  it’s a best practice to claim your spot early. With adults-only and family-friendly pools, loungers on the grass, and beachside setups available, you’re sure to find a spot to devour the book that’s been sitting on your nightstand. At least I did.
• Outdoor Yoga: My final goodbye to the Grand Wailea came by way of a quick-yet-intentional outdoor yoga class that stretched and soothed me before the five hour flight home. Classes are offered daily, and I recommend joining one (all levels welcome). 

The Food

While dinner at the Rockwell Group-designed Nobu was the standout meal on the trip (Nobu classics, served al fresco, with exclusive Hawaiian-inspired desserts is hard to beat), I dined at all five of the resort’s newly-renovated restaurants and didn’t have a bad meal. 

The cocktails at Botero Lounge are next level. The atmosphere at Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa – the hotel’s flagship seafood & steakhouse restaurant – is hard to beat. And Loulu, the café-market featuring an Erewhon collaboration and Cosmic Bliss soft-serve, is reason enough to justify a stay. 

Over the course of multiple meals, I had the chance to meet and hear from Ryan Urig, Grand Wailea’s Executive Chef, who explained how local Hawaiian ingredients inform the menus for each of the restaurants he oversees. My favorite takeaway? Grand Wailea has a rooftop apiary with 10 beehives where bees produce honey used in the resort's restaurants and bars. I tried it atop the squash blossoms at Olivine.

Final Reflections

While I can admit that Maui boasts a specific magic that’s hard to miss – no matter where you stay – there was something special about this celebratory visit. Maybe it was uncovering the coincidence that brought Matsuhisa to Maui all those years ago. Or perhaps I’m still riding the high of my post-hot-stone-massage glow. Either way, this trip to Maui delivered – on simplicity, intention, and a few very happy accidents.