Grand Wailea Water Issues
My family of four had an overall-satisfactory stay at the the Grand Wailea Maui. It certainly wasn’t perfect, and one matter stuck out more than any other. We faced Grand Wailea water issues soon after arriving, and apparently, it wasn’t limited to guests like us. We understand all Wailea visitors and residents experienced water limitations. But in the moment, the terrible cocktail of no water and no information brought a disturbing beginning to our holiday.
So It Begins…
After a long trip from the east coast, we groggily checked into the Grand Wailea to start our spring break vacation in earnest. We each napped a bit on the daytime flight from DFW and were trying to power through the rest of the afternoon and early evening. After arriving in our room, we unpacked and threw on swimsuits and sunblock. We sauntered down to the main pool and beach, enjoying ourselves as best we could for about two hours. On the way back to the room, we wolfed down an uneventful, Maui resort-priced dinner at Loulu. We all conked out before 8 pm.
Unsurprisingly, I awoke around 4 am and headed to the bathroom. Water was freely flowing at that point. I then returned to bed for a bit more snoozing, waking up for good just before 6. On this next trip to the bathroom, I turned the sink knobs and heard a distinct, continuous “pfft, pfft” sound without any water arriving. The tub went the same way. I got a dribble out of the shower head. Sensing where things were headed, I chose not to flush the unused toilet.
Defeated, I knew there was only one viable option.
Downstairs…
I arrived at the front desk, something about a half-dozen other bleery-eyed, WTF-am-I-doing-here guests (mostly dudes in board shorts) had beaten me to. Our facial expressions were all the same and exactly what you think they would be.
The only front desk agent talked to a single guest, with the rest of us comically waiting in line for the rep to say the exact same thing to each of us individually. But that quickly changed. After that first guest was done, we each huddled around him. All we knew was there was no water and it apparently wasn’t expected by the hotel. The front desk agent then arrived to clarify to the group that the water had been off for all of Wailea since 2 or 3 am and that Maui employees were in the process of addressing it.
Resigned to any resolution at this point, we dejectedly went our separate ways. I knew exactly what I was doing next.
Time To Get My S*** Together
With the five-day vacation in front of me, I knew I needed to prepare for the worst. I immediately thought of this and quickly decided to book flights home. Fortunately, I found American Airlines flight availability off Maui the next day – not a bad award rate, actually – and booked with miles. I knew I could easily cancel this reservation without a penalty if things resolved prior.
Of course, leaving the next day was not my preferred option. Rather, it was my last resort (get it?) if things were the worst. Based on what the front desk agent said, I understood it to be a Wailea-specific situation but didn’t want to put all my faith in that. I first prepared as if the entire island could have the issue. Once I booked that flight home, I considered other options if it was truly only a Wailea problem. I considered West Maui options such as the Sheraton and Westin but didn’t yet book them. I knew booking such close-in dates would mean no cancellations. My wife and I also considered moving to a different island, if necessary, to continue our vacation at another property. Regardless, we first wanted to see how things played out at the Grand Wailea.
Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long.
An Hour or So Later…
I tried the sink again. The water returned!
Within a few minutes, I received the below text:
Aloha and good morning, Maui County started a significant project to repair a water line that was recently damaged during a storm, nearby in Kihei. Regrettably, this necessary work will impact the water pressure of all homes and businesses in Wailea. We will communicate any updates to you as we hear them. Mahalo.
The sender only signed off with a first name. The interim general manager of the Grand Wailea provided a more official response on property letterhead via text link over six hours later. We received a hard copy a few hours later under our room door. It wasn’t substantially more useful or informative. There were no specifics. I’m left to assume poor planning and lack of communication, at a minimum, played a role with this mess.
The interim GM had the gall to state the following toward the end of the letter:
We invite you to join us at Botero Lounge starting at 2 pm with TVs and service for the National Championship NCAA Men’s Basketball game.
Grand Wailea Water Issues – Conclusion
Conservatively, I didn’t cancel my worst-case airline booking until the next day. Thankfully, we didn’t experience any other water issues during our stay.
After the water came back on the first morning, I couldn’t help but laugh. The vast majority of resort guests who slept in were not inconvenienced with this at all.
But stuff happens, and we must adapt. Travel-related and otherwise, it’s part of the deal. I’m glad this one didn’t turn out worse. I definitely appreciated that first shower more than I would have otherwise.
What curves have recently come your way when traveling, and how did you adapt?
