Andaz Maui Ilikai Villas Review

Our Verdict

Andaz Maui Ilikai Villas Review

Aloha! Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort is located in, you guessed it, Wailea, with direct access to Mokapu Beach. Andaz Maui is located just down the street from the famous Grand Wailea on Wailea Alanui Drive. Andaz Maui isn’t your typical Hawaiian resort. This resort offers 300 guest rooms including 29 villas and 35 suites, but it still has a very boutique and upscale feel.

Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort offers plush accommodations, sweeping views of the ocean, a fantastic spa, boutique shops and award-winning dining options including Morimoto Maui (Iron Chef Morimoto).

Welcome to your home away from home at the beautiful Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort. In the beginning of May, 2021 Andaz Maui at Wailea finished 19 new Ilikai Villas. “Ilikai,” like the Hawaiian word for Horizon, aptly names this new luxury villa offering.

These new villas are all three bedroom with several different bedroom configurations including:

2 Kings 1 Bunk Bed Garden View

2 Kings 1 Trundle Bed Partial Ocean View

2 Kings 1 Bunk Bed Partial Ocean View

2 Kings 1 Trundle Bed Ocean View

2 Kings 1 Bunk Bed Ocean View

2 Kings 2 Queen Beds Ocean View Penthouse

The new villas are located near the front drive of the resort and just a short walk to the adults-only pool or down to the beach. While some might argue that the new Ilikai Villas aren’t true villas since they aren’t free-standing and are all located in the same building, they are incredible and offer plenty of privacy.

Our stay in the new Ilikai Villas was our second stay at Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort. Read our entire review from our stay in February of 2021 when we stayed in one of the Ocean Suites.

This review is based on our personal stay in May of 2021. And don’t forget, if you are planning to stay in one of the new Ilikai Villas at Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, book through Live Luxe Travel Co. to take advantage of exclusive Hyatt Privé benefits like the 6th night free, $100 USD resort credit (once per stay), $150 USD daily resort credit (based on number of bedrooms), complimentary valet parking, daily breakfast for two guests per bedroom, a stand-up paddle board lesson for up to 8 registered villa guests and a welcome amenity.

Our Villa

Our villa was the 2 Kings 1 Trundle Bed Partial Ocean View category located on the ground-level with a plunge pool. While this villa is categorized as a partial ocean view, it really should be considered an ocean view as it offers a pretty unobstructed view of the ocean.

This trip was a friend's trip and having the 3 bedroom villa made for the perfect accommodation to offer privacy and a common space where we could all gather. The main king bedroom is right off the outdoor patio which overlooks the plunge pool and ocean.

The second king bedroom was near the entrance to our villa and since we were on the ground floor, it offered a private outdoor courtyard with not much of a view.

The main bedroom and second bedroom are very similar as they both have a walk-in closet, a tv in the bedroom, a beautiful bathroom with dual vanities, walk-in shower and deep soaking tub.

And the third bedroom was toward the middle of the villa. This third bedroom is supposed to have a trundle bed, but due to COVID-19 and furniture being backordered, the bedroom is currently set up with a queen bed.

The third bedroom does have a closet although it’s not as spacious as the other two bedrooms and the third bedroom doesn’t offer an ensuite since the bathroom for this bedroom is located across the hall.

The new Ilikai Villas are just over 1,900 square feet of indoor living space plus the outdoor patio or balcony depending on the category. All of the new Ilikai Villas feature a gourmet chefs kitchen equipped with Bosch built-in refrigerator/freezer, 5 burner gas cooktop, wall oven and microwave combo, built-in coffee machine and built-in dishwasher.

Even though you’re likely staying at Andaz Maui for vacation, it’s nice having the villas to be able to keep snacks, beverages and to be able to cook some.

The outdoor lanai and plunge pool in our villa was the perfect place to escape the rest of the resort if we didn’t feel like leaving the villa. The plunge pool can comfortably accommodate 6 people with extra space. And to our surprise, the pool was heated to the perfect temperature.

The lanai also has a small bistro-style dining table for 4, a small loveseat, 2 lounge chairs, a beverage fridge and drop-in Viking Gas Grill which makes for the perfect place to entertain.

The new Ilikai Villas are equipped with smart switches throughout that control the lights and the roller shades. Some minor details such as motorized roller shades in all of the bedrooms, some additional furniture and a few miscellaneous items are still being completed during guests' stays.

Andaz Maui at Wailea features Mālie toiletries in the koke’e scent which combines organic aloe, coconut and ginger.

Maybe a villa is too big for your stay at Andaz Maui? Read our review of an Ocean View Suite from February of 2021.

Amenities

When you think of a beach vacation, it probably means something different to you than it does to someone else. If you want to swim, Andaz Maui has three tiered pools, a shallow pool walk-in pool (where kids and families usually spend time), and an adults-only pool.

If you’re looking for a place to get your zen on then look no further than ‘awili spa and salon. Awili spa offers separate men’s and women’s facilities with a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna.

If you like to live a life in balance and workout during vacation, the fitness center at Andaz Maui has plenty of cardio equipment including 3 treadmills, 3 ellipticals, 3 Peloton bikes, plenty of free weights and strength training machines. The safety and cleanliness protocols taking place all over the resort and especially at the gym were very thorough. During one of our workouts an attendant came in to spray gym equipment with electrostatic disinfectant. Masks are required during the duration of your workout, which if you aren’t comfortable with that there are a lot of places to get a great workout outside.

Andaz also has a surf shack on the beach where you can rent watersports equipment such as snorkel gear, kayaks, paddleboards and more. And if you’re looking for a guided adventure, they can help with that too.

Dining

Perhaps one of the best parts of staying at Andaz Maui is the proximity to some of Maui’s best restaurants including Ka’ana Kitchen, Bumbye Beach Bar and Morimoto’s.

Ka’ana Kitchen is Andaz Maui’s main restaurant that is open for breakfast and dinner. This is where the Hyatt Prive and Globalist breakfast is served. And if you’re lucky enough to have breakfast included, it’s about a $50 value per person, per day. Breakfast at Ka’ana is buffet style and due to COVID-19, it’s an assisted buffet to minimize the number of surfaces that guests touch.

The breakfast buffet features a hot food station with pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, an assortment of breakfast meats and a few dishes that change each day. The buffet also has a fruit and charcuterie station and a selection of fresh bakery items including toast, bagels, muffins and more.

One day for lunch we dined at Lahua Lounge. This is the same menu that is served poolside or at Bumbye Beach Bar. Our lunch started off with the poke. Then for our main course we tried the Crispy Chicken Mochiko Bowl and it was so good. If you’re looking for an insider trick add avocado to it. The cocktails including the Wailea Spritz are also excellent.

For dinner we ate at Ka’ana Kitchen and we will be the first to tell you to order the Fried Chicken with Jalapeno cornbread! It’s seriously so good!

During our stay we didn’t dine at Morimoto Maui, but this famed restaurant was started by Iron Chef Massiruh Morimoto who you may have seen on Food Network.

And lastly Andaz Maui has Mokapu Market where guests can grab a snack, a bottle of wine, specialty coffee drinks and gelato for a cool treat. And the market has local island made foods, treats and souvenirs. Mokapu Market is typically open 24/7 during normal times but due to COVID are running some temporary hours.

Service

Talk about being treated like a VIP. The Ilikai Villas at Andaz Maui come with a dedicated VIP concierge team. This team handles any requests you might have before you arrive at the property. Brittain, Ben, Michelle, Kathleen & Makanalani can assist you with things like dining reservations on the island.

During our stay, we went to use the Bosch in-wall coffee maker system and noticed one of the parts was missing to steam the milk. We called the VIP team, and within minutes they were at the door of our villa with the missing part.

How are they handling COVID?

Masks were required throughout the entire Andaz Maui Resort unless you were eating or drinking, were in the pool or were sitting by the pool.

Andaz Maui is adhering to all state and local government regulations. All employees were wearing masks, there were hand sanitizer dispensers all over the resort and the staff was there to give gentle reminders to wear a facial covering.

Overall Impression

Andaz Maui hit a home run when it comes to the addition of the 19 new Ilikai Villas. These new villas offer the perfect accommodations for a family trip, friends getaway, corporate retreat. The new Ilikai Villas are in buildings that are 5 villas across by 4 villas high. The villas can be connecting up to 5 across making for 15 bedroom accommodations. 

Extra Perks

And to make your stay in the new Ilikai Villas at Andaz Maui even more special, you’ll receive some extra perks for booking through a Hyatt Privé travel advisor like Live Luxe Travel Co. Andaz Maui is currently running a promotion for the 6th night free, which is a great value for those visiting Maui for almost a week. In addition to the free night the Ilikai Villas come with a daily resort credit based on the number of bedrooms. Since the Ilikai Villas are all three bedrooms they come with a daily $150 USD resort credit in addition to the $100 USD Hyatt Privé credit (once per stay). You’ll also receive daily breakfast for 2 guests per bedroom, complimentary valet parking for 1 vehicle, a private stand up paddle board lesson for up to 8 registered villa guests and a welcome amenity.