The Fairmont Kea Lani in Maui was everything I dreamed it would be. From the moment you pull onto the property you are greeted by friendly and helpful staff, you're treated to a lei of beautiful purple flowers for the ladies and beads for the men.  As you check in your bags are taken care of and you're offered guava mango juice. Yum! When we walked into our room I was amazed outright at the size,  it was seriously the size of my Manhattan apartment.  Not joking, peeps. The decor is tropical resort-esque and everything was immaculately clean.  I had read in some reviews on Trip Advisor that the rooms needed to be updated and I have to say that although they do have an upcoming renovation scheduled (pics to follow later in this post) that we couldn't have been happier with the state of the room as is.  (And we're pretty spoiled from hotels at this point).   I'm by no means saying a vacation here is going to be inexpensive but it's a five star hotel and that's how you're treated. I'm a big believer in "You get what you pay for."  My only problem with paying alot comes when I'm not getting what I paid for.  I can assure you that at the Fairmont you are getting what you pay for. So, my advice is just to help you save money and a few tricks to cut corners if you're splurging but really are still on a budget.

The hotel is located on the pristine white sands of Wailea, perfect for Hawaiian vacations.  The Fairmont Kea Lani is Hawaii's only luxury oceanfront resort featuring spacious suites and villas accommodations for Maui vacations and vacation packages. Plus it's only 17 miles away from the airport.  Many people are curious if they should stay in Lahaina or Wailea.  I have to say I'd say 100% Wailea.  Lahaina is really fun to walk around for an afternoon and have lunch but when you think of Hawaiian honeymoons you think of Wailea. Lahaina is more like a beach town or surf town.  And the drive between the two is only about 45 minutes by the beach so it's beautiful. 

One-bedroom suites offer a spacious 840 square feet of living space and private lanais (patios). Rooms also are equipped with high speed internet access–plus, if you're a Fairmont's President Club member it's free (I recommend signing up for this–it's free!) Here I am in the spacious living room. I can't say we spent much time on this couch since every day of weather was gorgeous so if we were in the room we were out on our balcony. But it did make for a nice waiting area when I was waiting for Ross to finish his sunscreen before we hit the beach.

Here's the bedroom. The bed was super comfy and I just love the white linens. You know everything is clean clean clean! The maid service was also wonderful. Every time I came back to the room it seemed to have been refreshed.  At turn down they would also leave a little card that said the weather for the next day as well as the time of sunrise/sunset. 

The huge marble bathroom contains twin pedestal sinks, deep soaking tub and walk-in shower.  A wet bar, microwave oven, coffee maker and compact refrigerator are also standard in all suites.The shower was amazing. Bath products were nice and smelled like flowers.

Every night we hung out in the lobby before dinner. Mary, the head waitress there makes each night special. She's just so super sweet, she keeps you coming back.  Well, her and the live music and tropical drinks. They do get a little pricey though so we actually bought some Maui Brewing Company beer and a bottle of wine so that we could have a drink and look over the ocean before coming down.  This really helps save some money because when you buy the beer at a local store it comes out to be about $1/beer. If you have one drink on your awesome balcony a night (which I suspect some of you have more than one), a little pregame if you will, you'll save about $15/drink. Our philosophy is we'd rather always order more food and pay for that than pay for booze, especially when you have this beautiful balcony overlooking the ocean. But of course that's a personal choice. It's just that the restaurants at the hotel and in Maui are so spectacular I had a hard time spending $15 a drink when that money could have gotten me something like Oishi Sushi (deep fried spicy tuna roll).

Here's a pic of us having a beer on our balcony, watching the sunset. Doesn't get much better than this!

Our second day at the Fairmont we met with PR extraordinaire, Trudy for a little site tour of the property so we could show you girlies the new renovations–pics that aren't available online yet.  So, as I said, I think the hotel is beautiful just the way it is but every few years they do renovations and update their rooms. Here's the room that they already renovated.  Nice right?

And here's an updated bedroom.  They streamlined the furniture and chose more subdued colors.  They also updated the TVs to flatscreen, though I have to say we had such fun-filled days that we never turned the TV on once–the true sign of a great vacation.

The renovation is scheduled for this fall.  All three swimming pool decks will be replaced with quartzite, a naturally beautiful stone that will dramatically enhance the expansive pool areas.  The Fairmont Kea Lani will continue to be a full service resort over the renovation dates scheduled August 30 – October 28, 2010.  Learn about renovation details and take advantage of spectacular discounts with their “Renovation with Aloha” rates. Inquire within.

Here's a picture of one of the villas. There are 2 and 3 bedroom villas available.  The villas are a step closer to the beach and have their own little dip pools.  Think privacy. You have your own full kitchen and grill outside.  You can even hire your own personal chef through the hotel to come throw you dinner parties. It's ideal for families and celebs.  Celebs like Kate Hudson, Britney Spears, and Jason Alexander have all stayed at the Fairmont Kea Lani in Maui. 

Here's a shot of the lobby. It's glorious. The ceiling is open and there are no walls. It looks straight out onto the ocean.  They even call their hallways "Breezeways!" How cute? There are several different shops to peruse while you're there filled with fun little treats, souveniers, etc.  The hotel also has this awesome little cafe right near the pool called Cafe Ciao where you can get little goodies to eat poolside. It has an amazing coffee shop like Starbucks but better. We got a Banana Mocha Frappe, which had real banana in it, every morning. Other faves of mine included iced macadamia nut coffee and unsweetened mango iced tea.  They have different pasta and veggie premade salads too that make a great cheap and light lunch for the pool or beach. I got two small containers (which was alot of pasta) and an iced tea and that came to about $16.

They also have a restaurant/bar right by the pool that serves awesome nachos.  The only thing we got there that we didn't like was the fish wrap. Ick. I just didn't like that the fish had the skin on it, but that's just me being a super picky seafood eater.

The hotel also offers an amazing Buffet brunch where you can get anything and everything you desire.  They just renovated this room so it's a feast for the eyes and the stomach.  They have an omelette station where you can literally add any veggie or cheese that your heart desires.  They even have low-fat options like egg beaters.  The buffet is filled with fruit, pancakes, eggs, breakfast meat, waffles, granola, pastries and all the fixins you could imagine.  This is about $30 per person but if you do this, trust me, you won't be hungry until dinner.

There is Japanese themed restaurant that was our favorite for lunch, Ko.  We had a teriyaki chicken sandwich and an amazing Tofu stir fry for lunch. The convenience of not having to go far from the pool is worth the price, sandwiches are about $20/25. Ko is an absolute MUST for dinner. Make sure to check out our Ko Restaurant Maui Must Eat review.

The property is stunning and has 3 pools. There's one with a swim up bar for adults and also a waterslide for kids.  In the other pool there's a basketball hoop for kids and adults and then there is even an Adult's Only pool where you can get some peace, read a book and just lay out without getting splashed.  This was where we spent most of our time.  Like the Four Seasons they brought around treats like fruit skewers and cold compresses to cool you off. Has anyone seen Couples Retreat? It's basically like Eden.

The hotel also has the usual amenities like fabulous golf, an awesome spa and kids club. A full activities program at this exceptional resort offers snorkeling, sailing, kayaking, stand-up paddling, scuba diving and island-wide excursions. Learn about Hawaiian culture through the resort's own Hawaiian Canoe Experience.

We had an amazing time doing this.  You get up early and the guides give you an awesome background about what life was like on Maui back in the day.  They teach you the basics about a canoe and get you ready to go out.  Once out on the water they even give you the option to jump out of the boat and throw on a snorkel mask and check out some of the oceanlife.  I was terrified but inspired by the adorable woman in my boat who didn't know how to swim but threw on a life jacket and jumped in, refusing to miss such an awesome experience.  I figured, hey if she can't swim and can do it, so can I.  What you see in the ocean is breathtaking. Trust me.

If you prefer a more leisurely pace, pamper yourself with a rejuvenating treatment in one of Hawaii's most acclaimed spas, Spa Kea Lani. Fitness classes are also available such as yoga, body contouring, Polo Beach workout and aquacise.

So here's the DL, rooms start at about $400 but you can always call and see if they have any specials going on.  For instance, right now if you book here for your honeymoon you get a free bottle of wine and dessert at Ko Restaurant.  Here's my advice to save yourself a little dough:

Buy some beer or wine and have a drink on your balcony (most rooms have ocean views so it really is beautiful and relaxing) before you leave for the night or go to have a drink in the hotel bar.

Don't valet your car, self-park in the guest parking. It's only like a 2 minute walk. 

Do either the breakfast buffet and be full all day or go to Cafe Ciao and get some fruit, yogurt or pasta salads to go. 

The hotel offers complimentary bottled water in the rooms, take this for hikes instead of stopping to get it on the way.

Go off the property for lunches some days–we tried an amazing Mexican restaurant called Fred's Mexican. It's about a 12 minute drive from the hotel and tacos were about $12. They're also supposed to have awesome Margaritas.  We were on our way to go hike Iao Valley though so we skipped the cocktails. You can also get great suggestions from their concierge who rocked–ask for Patty she really knew her stuff!

We absolutely loved it here and I must say, originally I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay here or the Four Seasons. Well, we walked over to the Four Seasons for lunch one day and I wasn't any more impressed with it there than the Fairmont (which was significantly less money). I read some reviews online saying that the Fairmont had to work on it's luxury,  I must say I totally disagree. Nothing here was anything but five star treatment!

Visit Fairmont Kea Lani for rates and more information about the property.

Also check out our restaurant review of Ko Restaurant. 

*Smartypanties was hosted by the Fairmont at a special press rate in consideration for a review for our fabulous readers. As always though all opinions herein are my own!*

This was one of my favorite activities at the Four Seasons in Lana'i. 

Meet Jane–Jane is Ajne's founder and organic perfumer.  She's been featured on the Today Show and Good Morning America and has blended scents for celebs like Kate Walsh, Debra Messing, Jessica Biel an Pierce Brosnan.  Ajne is one of the world's only entirely natural perfume apothecaries so of course I wanted to share it with my girlies who are so into natural and safe products (basically the opposite of the perfumes that Sephora is filled with–cue synthetic fragrances, phthalates and parabens). 

Every Ajne product is grown, distilled and handblended at their organic farm.  Then once they've grown the plants and gotten the most fragrant oils it's your turn.  Ajne doesn't believe that one formula or scent fits all–so they let you create it yourself with their well-trained perfumers.  They work with you to blend a perfect combination of oils and match your body chemistry.  

I had the pleasure to work with Teresa, who runs the spa over at Four Seasons Manele Bay to create the perfect scents for me.  She also customized a cologne for Ross (the Fiance for those of you who aren't regular readers). Then the cutest part is that they add a common scent to each so that your fragrances are connected. Like for ours we each had a little citrus oil added.  I can't say enough wonderful things about her.  She trained extensively with the founder, Jane and really knew her stuff.

The process starts out iwht a little quiz (think, Cosmo quizzes) about scents your drawn to as well as personal questions concerning stress levels, etc.

We skipped this and just did more smelling because she came and met us at tea time but your melanger will use the results to choose certain oils from the Ajne Rare & Precious Blending Bar that she (or he) thinks will help realign different parts of your body.  You'll get to smell each of the different fragrances and pick those you like from those you don’t before narrowing down your choices to just a few different oils. First you choose smells you like, then you test them on your skin and then you mix them up to see how they smell together on your skin. You may be surprised to find something doesn't smell right on you and then you can remix and pick a new flavor that works better with your body chemistry.

I chose a combination of Printemps (soft floral with flowering lime, a hint of gardenia and tropical wood) and Citron (citrus, orange and subtle spice.  A leading travel editor described the scent of Printemps , "Like the smell of blossoming trees in Paris just after a Spring rain." A perennial favorite of some of Hollywood's biggest names, Printemps begins with the subtle, but captivating scent of flowering…

Celebs that have selected Printemps ~ Kate Walsh, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Denise Richards, Alanis Morissette, Sally Pressman, Rachel Harris, Debi Mazar, Michaela Watkins, Odette Yustman and Marlee Matlin. Looks like I'm in good company.

Prices vary depending on which oils you choose (and if you choose to blend or just pick one scent) but pendents range from $50-$125 and regular fragrances range from $75-$200.  This was absolutely one of my favorite experiences on Lana'i and on my entire trip to Hawaii. You spend about $100 on perfume at the department store, right? So why not custom blend a healthy, organic fragrance and go home with an awesome souvenier?

Contact the Four Seasons Spa at Manele Bay to book your appointment: (808) 565-2088.

If you're not headed to the Four Seasons in Lana'i soon visit Ajne.com for more information on where you can custom blend your own scent!  Book your private session at the Carmel store at 831.624.2100 x 200 or email us at info@ajne.com.

See our Four Seasons Manele Bay Review or our Four Seasons Lodge at Koele Review)

Welcome to the other side of Lana'i–beach and sunshine.  The decor here was impeccable. Definitely had an asian flare but the overall theme again here was just pure serenity.  The staff was attentive but not in a way that you felt like they were hoping for a tip.  There is a beautiful pool as well as a beach just about a one minute walk from the pool.  The staff passed around treats all day long, iced water with a pineapple/mint essence, ice packs to put on your head and fruit skewers with fresh pineapple and melon.  The staff set up chairs and umbrellas for you for you on the beach and brought treats down there too. There was always  sun tan lotions (spf 8-30) available at both water locations.

Gardens and waterfalls cover the property.

Ocean Grill is a must for lunches and definitely for at least one dinner. It's right next to the pool and has the most spectacular view–especially during sunset. Yes, it's definitely a litle pricey but it's not only very convenient the food is definitely spectacular.  We loved the Margharita pizza for lunch–note this was much bigger than the veggie pizza for some reason and could be easily shared to save a buck. Also, from 4-5 everyday there is a happy hour where drinks are specially priced and so are pu-pus (appetizers). It's like a little hotel party everyday for guests to socialize and well, get blitzed! Try their margaritas. These were a standout here.

Dinner here was effing awesome.  You absolutely cannot miss the pad thai. Pad thai is my favorite food ever and I swear to you it was the best pad thai I've ever had. The shrimp were cooked perfectly. I don't know how else to put it–best dish ever. Maybe my favorite dish I ate in all of Lana'i (see this review for my favorite dessert in Hawaii). The Tuna was also awesome.  If you're trying to save money here, I'd skip the desserts. We tried two sundaes and weren't blown away by either.

There are 2 amazing hikes right from the property. Both are wonderful and get you moving before you eat huge meals and lay like a beached whale by the pool while amazing staffers cater to your every need. Plus–they're free. You can do one and then stop back at the hotel for water. Each took about 1 hour.

Try out the spa! Use of the facility is free! Think steam room and rain fall showers. The hotel also offers mini-spa treatments poolside. 

This was the view from our room.  You could actually walk out onto the grass from our porch and see the ocean. Obvs. We read here everyday (until I fell asleep for a daily nap) and listened to the waves.

As for the amenities, there was a huge marble bathroom and L'Occitane products.  White linens and white bathrobes to lounge in along with Four Seasons slippers.

To save money here I would say that you don't need to rent a car. You can use their shuttle to go most places on the island that you'd want to go. It's very small (about the size of manhattan).

Rooms start at $259! I mean for a Four Seasons on a remote private island? It doesn't get much better than this!

To book travel here or check out rates click here.

Or read our review about Four Seasons Lana'i Lodge at Koele.

If ever there was an underdog for most luxurious hotel, this would be it, girls.  I have to say of all the hotels I had booked for our Hawaiian getaway I was the least excited about this one.  I mean, I guess you think, Hawaii, beaches, etc. Not really lodgy, mountainous, etc.  This hotel was so effing amazing, I don't know where to begin. It's the most picturesque setting I've ever been to. It's like camping meets Barbie (moi). It's all the rustic qualities you want to enjoy in a lodge type experience but done in the usual four seasons, five star quality. 

The rooms are to die for. I mean window seat? Really? So cute.  The decor was the perfect mixture of shabby chic and just beautiful pottery barn style.  Everything was immaculate as to be expected.  I can't say enough nice things about this hotel. Did I mention that rooms start at $295 here? It's kind of the perfect mix of spendthrift and luxury. Yes, 300 bucks isn't cheap but it's not as much as many Four Seasons.  Also, most people aren't really familiar with Lana'i. It's a privately owned island and it's very remote. It's about 45 minutes (by Ferry) from Maui. It's very quiet and very romantic.  It's really the ultimate escape in my opinion. The Lodge even more so than Manele Bay (see my review).  It's very quiet and wonderful.

Gorgeous bathroom as you would expect. Complete with L'Occitane beauty products. C'est magnifique

The hotel's property is so lush covered in luxurious gardens, an orchid greenhouse, outside fireplace and more. Savour peaceful tranquillity, and for your man,  two world-ranked golf courses and exciting adventures on land and at sea.

Here I am taking in the waterfall and feeding the fishies.

They have an amazing tea time set up for all guests- men and kids included! Here we are at tea time with Teresa from the Spa (love her!). They have the most wonderful loose leaf teas brewed on the table accompanied by several different different options.  For the men there are little man sandwiches (yes I realize the oxymoronicness) but how else do you describe baby deli sandwiches, a mini hot dog and teeny pulled pork sandwiches? For kids they have assortments of cupcakes and other sweet delicacies and for all you dolls rest assured that you can nosh on scones, cookies, cakes and mini finger sandwiches too. There is a tiered platter you can order if you're hungry but if you just want a snack the scones and the jams, jellies and spreads are not to be missed. We were doing a perfume/cologne blending session with Teresa here from Ajne. More on that experience HERE. It was fan-fucking-tastic.

For dinner we ate at the Terrace. It was glorious.  We had a tuna sashimi appetizer, maui onion soup, mahi-mahi with mango relish and truffled mushroom risotto.  My fave was the tuna app–but I'ma sucker for raw toons so go figure.  The mahi-mahi was the other standout in my opinion but everything was good.

We had breakfast the next morning and I wasn't that hungry so we split an omelette and got a side of turkey sausage.  They make a mean breakfast. It was great. The one omelette was definitely big enough for two and they do a beautiful job of splitting it for you behind the scenes (service was amazing).  One thing I'd skip is the pricey juice, It was the same price as the turkey sausages, which in my opinion were more worth the price. But if you aren't trying to save money, disregard. But honestly, that'd be my advice everywhere–just try to cut down on drinks and your bill will deflate.

I'm absolutely obsessed with it here. I'd say this is a must-stay, even if just for one night when you're on Lana'i.  And if you're going to Maui, it really is the quickest ferry ride. I think everyone should hit up this island it's the best kept secret. Go before everyone finds out.  On top of that, the Four Seasons did everything perfectly.  Every time we returned to our room it seemed like we had a new treat waiting for us–fresh fruit or donuts and cider. They really make you feel like you're on vacay. Oh, and one more thing–the Four Seasons runs a shuttle between this property and Manele Bay (where the beach is) every 30 minutes so you can totally stay here and go down to the beach there, it takes about 20 minutes.  It's about 10 degrees warmer down there too and it rains less there. That's the craziest thing about Hawaii–it houses 12 out of 16 micro-climates.  One end an island can be having totally different weather than the other.  So it could be raining at the lodge and beautiful and sunny by Manele Bay. Crazy!

Read on to our Four Seasons Manele Bay Review!

*Smartypanties was hosted by the Four Seasons in consideration for a review for our fabulous readers. As always though all opinions herein are my own!*

I assure you it can be done my friends…watch and learn! To be fair, Hawaiian luxury can't be done cheap but it can be done smart.  I saved up for a long time to afford this but I was able to afford it.

You just need to know how and where to splurge and little tricks to cut corners and save.

Here are a couple of pointers, Get pumped!

1. Read reviews about restaurants and hotels (like this one) and learn what is to be avoided and what people say is spectacular. Seek out people you  know who have done similar trips. For example, a college friend of mine had made an excel spreadsheet of where she went, what she ate, etc. This was clearly invaluable. She's amazing! (You know who you are).

2.  Plan ahead. If you want to go on a nice trip plan ahead for it for a long time and put a little bit away each paycheck you get and put it into a special fund so you'll know how much you have to spend so you don't go crazy when you get there thinking you're a baller.

3. Splurge on what's important to you. If you love hanging by the pool and laying out then spend more on the hotel because you'll be there alot.  However, if you're a hiker and you hate lounging and laying out why waste your money on a pool and amenities you're never going to use? Stay somewhere off the beaten path (maybe down the street from the beach as opposed to right on it) and spend your money on activities. 

4. Ask about discounts and specials. I don't mean to say to take advantage of the hurting economy but, well, actually I do. Most places are very desperate for business so they really appreciate customers.  See what specials they have.  Alot of places don't advertise discounts but if you ask about them they'll yap your ear off. Especially when booking your hotel see what you can get out of them–a free massage or a bottle of wine.  There are often anniversary and honeymoon specials. Be creative, you never know what discounts places give. At a Starwood hotel this year we got a "Teacher's rate" that was nearly $200 less than their regular price.

5.  Take advantage of free activities.  Free music in the lobbies at restaurants, etc.  Nice hotels especially often have different daily things you can just pop by to. Plus you can take advantage of lots of other hotels nearby trying to lure you in for cocktails, etc.

6. Find out if there are any free museums that'll satisfy your taste for tourism.  For example, we went to Pearl Harbor in Honolulu and were about to purchase $60 tickets to all the museums that were near the Arizona memorial.  We walked to another counter and asked what was free and found out you could walk around and view all the outside exhibits, a 25 minute video and take a ferry to the Arizona memorial for free, which was all we had time for anyway. 

7.  Find out if you really need a rental car–That can really add up quickly.  Often hotels have trams/shuttles so find out before you go what your hotel's policy is or if the city has easily accessible public transport. I.e. you would never rent a car in Manhattan but we needed one in Maui. You get the picture.

8.  Pack snacks and food for the plane and the hotel room.  You obviously know my obsession with healthy eating.  I packed bottled green juice, apples, oranges, blueberries, an avocado, hummus, etc.  It saved us from eating the sickest plastic-wrapped chicken hot dog on our flight. I mean seriously? The whole plane stunk of sickening hot dogs.  It was a pain to pack but it was worth it. Also we had pita chips for the room and that saved us lots of money, the same bag would have cost 3 times the price.

9.  Splurge a little! It is a vacation! Be prepared that hotel food is going to be a bit more expensive but if you're staying at a good hotel (like we just did), it'll be worth it.
 

10.  Buy wine and beer for the room. If you have a nice view have a cocktail there before you spend a fortune at the hotel bar. 

Four Seasons Resort Lana`i, The Lodge at Koele

Every day when I take a break to surf the internet all I can do is check the Four Seasons' and Fairmont's website and get excited. These look like 2 of the most luxurious hotels ever. And the best part ever is that you can actually find some reasonably affordable rates (espesh during non-peak seasons).  That's the key peeps. You can stay at the luxury hotels if you can be flexible about your dates.

Fiance will finally be done with all his work and ready to play with ME! Do I sound like I'm 6? That's how I feel. Do any of y'all have any fun vacays planned? I haven't been out of the city (other than to go to CLE) in a LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG time. Hello Hawaii Luxury! Goodbye, Cement Jungle! Let the countdown begin!

Four Seasons Resort Lana`i at Manele Bay

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Fairmont Kea Lani in Maui, Hawaii

For more awesome pics or to learn more visit their Website.