Went for a week's holiday with my wife, 4 kids age 6,5,3 and 1. We had a great time. The hotel is spectacular, the pools are nicely kept and appeared clean and the beach was lovely. The buffet breakfast was spectacular and good value (for kids at least). Under 6 yrs old do not pay and 6 and over pay half.

My honest assessment of the rooms:
They are a good size, a bit tired, and in need of refurbishment. The sofa beds were uncomfortable and there was a bit of a damp smell. The doors were incredibly heavy and slammed shut.

My honest assessment of the service:
Outstanding, without fault

The food:

Cafe Ciao was good but expensive and room service was excellent, especially the kids menu. The pool side cafe was only average. Nicks Fish Market was very good

The pool:

V nice but became too crowded around Easter weekend. A chronic shortage of shade for us pale-skinned British! It was a real struggle to get an umbrella. One morning I went down to the pool at 7 am and all the umbrellas were taken.

There were some nice activities for the kids and overall we were happy with our stay at the fairmont but feel they should pay attention to the pool (shade) and decorate the rooms

Just returned from a 6 nite stay at the Kea Lani. I was concerned after reading some of the reviews, and can only say that they were wrong! This property is wonderful. Needless to say, the suites (they are all suites or you can rent a villa) are HUGE! And the lanai (patio) is very roomy! Each has a table with 4 chairs for al-fresco dining, AND a chaise with side table. You can go out on your lanai from the living room and the bedroom. They have screen doors and with the ceiling fan going, you don't need the a/c (it turns off when the lanai doors are open), and you can hear the ocean all nite! Be sure to ask for a high floor for the best views.

Restaurant prices at the resort are VERY high. Spent $70.00 at the poolside grill for a salad, a sandwich, a smoothie and onion rings. But Caffe Ciao is a gourmet deli/market that you can get really good food for less. You can get it "to go" or eat at their tables. They will pack you a picnic lunch and rent you a softside cooler if you want ($20) - which we did when we spent the day driving to Hana.

Whatever we called for - was responded to quickly and thoroughly - extra hangars, extra pillows, extra blankets - everything!

Suites have 1 closet in then entry with a wet bar with fridge and microwave, and storage cabinets.

Living room has desk and 2 chairs, ceiling fan, we ordered a roll away, and it has a curved couch. TV cabinet had plenty of drawers plus there was a metal 2 shelf rack as well.

Bedroom had a tv cabinet with good drawers and each nite stand had 2 drawers and a shelf. Also had TWO closets with fullsize mirrors, one with a wall safe. Hotel has robes, liteup makeup mirror and blowdryer.

Bathroom is HUGE. A shelf runs the entire length of the room above the sinks to hold your toiletries. There are 2 pedestal sinks with towel slots on each side of each sink. A metal shelf unit is on a wall under the towel rack.

The w/c is private within the bathroom. The shower is a walkin - no door or curtains for privacy, and a huge tub.

We took Speedishuttle to the hotel and picked up a rental car nearby at the Marriott (hotel provides a shuttle to all Wailea locales).

Pools are salt-water. They have a water slide the kids liked. There are various acitivities (lei-making, bead necklace making, henna, etc. - all for a fee). The beach is small, but nice, and there is an activity outfitter on the beach. Chaises are free, umbrellas are charged by the hour. Towels are provided.

Refreshment/food service is by the main pool only.

If you must checkout before you need to go to the airport, they keep your luggage for you, and provide a hospitality room where you can freshen up before leaving. We spent our last day taking a kayak tour, then at the Maui Ocean Center, returned to the hotel to change clothes and freshen up, and then went to the airport.

LOTS of less-expensive dining options in nearby Kihei, but you need a car, or take a cab.

I cannot say enough about this resort, and only hope to return again someday.

We visited the hotel during Spring Break, and I would say that the staff was a bit overwhelmed with the number of guests. However, this hotel is supposed to be a resort hotel capable of providing 4-5 star service to a huge number of guests, because it really is a huge hotel, and they were definitely not up to the challenge. The staff was very businesslike, but not friendly. We were awakened twice in the middle of the night by the overnight cleaning staff below our ocean view room. Coffee service is provided in the morning, but only until 6:30 AM, when it is removed so that guests can go downstairs to PAY for their coffee. The ocean view path is very nice, but it is very crowded in the morning with hell-bent joggers. A woman actually ran into me jogging while trying to squeeze through the traffic. Beautiful landscaping and view (it is Maui, after all), loud and noisy lobby, salamanders in the motel-like rooms. The Grand Wailea and Four Seasons might be better options based on our visits to those properties.

Just returned from a spring break stay here and we were incredibly disappointed. We arrived and were told our room wasn't ready yet even though it was 2 pm. The desk suggested we have lunch at the poolside cafe while we waited for our room, when we went there the tables were filled with dirty dishes and kids running all over like it was Disneyland. Believe me I've been to Orlando over spring break and this wasn't the atmosphere I was looking for or led to believe the Kea Lani was. We weren't informed our room was finally ready at 4pm even though we were told we would be called on cell when it was. When we did get to our room, which was very large and roomy by the way, it had a musty smell to it and our "oceanview" room was really only a partial oceanview even though we paid for a full oceanview. The staff seemed too overwhelmed with the crowds to provide any "personalized service". Pools were crowded, there were waits at all the restaurants, birds eating and pooping on the brunch, were unable to rent a kayak the whole time we were there because they were spoken for by 8 AM. We actually tried to find another hotel to stay at but were told by the manager that we would be responsible for the full stay at $699 per night if we left and she was unwilling to try to make things better. The hotel doesn't offer any nightlilfe except a guitarist who plays from 6-8pm and than there is nothing to do and Wailea is far from any areas that have nightlife. I'd suggest a hotel in West Maui which is close to Lahaina if you're looking for some evening fun.I've stayed at 4 and 5 star hotels all over the country and this is nowhere in comparison, even faxes weren't complimentary at $3 a piece. Staff hardly smiled and seemed to be just as miserable as we were staying there.