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Wailea Tennis Club
Wailea, Hawaii

The Wailea Resort sprawls across the lower slopes of the dormant volcano Mt. Haleakala on Hawaii's island of Maui. Within it are not one but five beaches, their crescents of soft sands framed by lava-rock promontories. Rising to more than 10,000 feet, Haleakala shields the resort from the rains that turn the opposite side of the island into lush rain forest. This western side of the island is, by contrast, quite arid, though within the resort the simple addition of water has created a verdant, flower-filled 1,500 acres of lushness containing an 11-court tennis complex, three golf courses, five beachfront hotels, multiple shops and restaurants, and hundreds of condos.

Tennis Features

Pro Shop: 808-879-1958

The hotels naturally hug the coast where they front the beaches, whereas the Wailea Tennis Club perches about a quarter mile away and slightly uphill, where it has sweeping views of the famous whaling anchorage of Lahaina Roads and the West Maui Mountains. The requisite magenta bougainvillea spills down the lava-rock walls of its stadium court, which was cut into the hillside, and lines the walkways to the two-story clubhouse. That clubhouse juts straight out from the hill along one side of the stadium court. Its upper floor contains a very popular restaurant called Joe's Bar & Grill (which is open only for dinner) with views of the court and the mountains, while the pro shop is below. It's a pleasant setting but because it's removed from the hotels, you need to know it's there. Your hotel's concierge will no doubt tell you about it if you ask, but there may not be anything in your room to let you know tennis is an option.

That's been a challenge for its tennis directors. Cathy Nicoloff, who took over the directorship in 2005, has invested time in changing those circumstances, by establishing relationships with the hotel general managers and marketing directors to better promote the tennis option. That includes bringing in pros like the No. 1 doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan for special events and Tom Gullikson and Mats Wilander for a fantasy weekend.

Tennis Staff. Tennis director Cathy Nicoloff ranked as high as No. 4 in New York state as a junior before fleeing the cold and snow of East Aurora, NY (near Buffalo) for teaching assignments in Texas and the Caribbean. She came to Wailea in 1987, where her honors include being named Hawaii Division "Pro of the Year" by the U.S. Professional Tennis Association. She took over the directorship in 2005.
Tennis Programs. Visit during any week, and apart from the option of private lessons with any of the six USPTA-certified pros on staff, you'll find a couple of clinics almost every day as well as staff dedicated to finding you a game, if not with another hotel guest then with any of the club's 250 members or its local stable of players on call. Apart from private lessons, most of the programming takes place during the week. There's a boys' night on Friday evenings, and one or more special events every month.
Courts Fees. $15/person/day.

Your Call

Here's what others have had to say about Wailea Tennis Club and its hotels.

"Wailea Tennis Club is very friendly to vistors to Maui. There are regular scheduled mens and womens round robins three days a week that welcome vistors. On other days management will find you a game."—S.C., Int., April 2008

"The tennis facility is about 1/4 mile from the hotel and is walking distance. The pros are topnotch, and there's a full-service pro shop. Guests from the hotel have full access to the tennis facility (which isn't affiliated with the Grand Wailea). My only complaint would be that it looked like it needed a little bit of a facelift--better landscaping, bathrooms that weren't out of order and rundown, but the courts were nice, and there were more than 10 of them"—J.K., Int., February 2008

"This was my 2nd trip to the Grand Wailea, and while the resort is still top notch, I am sad to report that the tennis is still lacking. The previous tennis director said he was going to address concerns I brought up in my last review, yet many of the same issues remain.
First a review of the resort. It is located right on the Wailea white sand beach that runs the length of the resort. Of course being part of the Waldorf Astoria resorts, the luxury rooms and suites are top shelf. They all have Italian marble floor bathrooms with Roman tubs and separate showers. The rooms are spacious with about 750 sq ft and have cabana style loungers on the balconies overlooking the west of Maui for sunset viewing. The beds have feather duvets and are some of the most relaxing you could want. The suites are 1300sq ft and up with too many amenities to list in this review.
The spa is also top shelf, and I defy anyone to find a better gym in any resort on the island. It covers 3 floors with every imaginable piece of modern equipment. Then there is the indoor racquetball/squash/ basketball court.
I could spend way to long describing and raving about the pool, but it is one of the best you could ever hope to enjoy. It covers most of the rear of the resort with special areas for children and adults alike. The swim up bar and wet seating is just the beginning for adults that includes swim in grottos/Jacuzzis. The kids will love all the slides, and the worlds only water elevator. This feature alone is reported to cost 1.2 million to build. Take free scuba diving lessons in another section, and also enjoy the sand bottom pool.
Sadly the reason that I went on about the resort is because the disconnect between the resort and the tennis facility is as long as the one mile it takes to get there. While the resort provides courtesy shuttles to more distant golf courses, the tennis center remains the ugly step child with no service provided. Having my own car I drove there several times and was disappointed twice. Trying to get accurate information from the resort staff is a waste of time and the daily clinics did not have enough people signed up during my visit to be conducted. If you want to play at night you must arrange it prior to the pro shop closing otherwise you are out of luck.
The director was too busy to get out of her chair in her office to try and address an issue I was having. I then requested that I be allowed to hit on one of the unlit courts for a short period of time since the only lit courts were taken, but Cathy called out from her office saying that "it was unsafe" even for a few minutes of hitting. Furthermore only three of the 11 plexipave courts are lit so playing at night can be difficult. Fortunately a very helpful staff member named Jason Nocon was able to temper my disappointment and try to brainstorm with me. He suggested we eat an early dinner upstairs at Joe's, and play afterwards. While the aroma was tempting, we already had dinner reservations elsewhere, but at least he was thinking outside the box.
The courts themselves are still fairly well maintained with the show court having a distinct look and feel. The east side wall is a hill with a multi tear seating area. The tradewinds and lush surroundings make for an enjoyable atmosphere to play in. So despite the troubles I had, the club overall is one of the nicer places to enjoy tennis while on Maui. You just need to be very proactive if you intend on playing. Hopefully my 3rd visit will be the charm."—J.M., Adv. Int., November 2007

Rate Wailea Tennis Club, Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa, Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort, or Wailea Beach Villas

Other Recreation

Beach. Wailea has five beaches along a scalloped coastline accented by lava-rock outcrops.

Golf Courses. Wailea's 54 holes of golf drape the lower slopes of 10,000-foot Mt. Haleakala, providing vistas of the Pacific Ocean off to the west.

Gold Course: Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed this challenging 7,000-yard layout. Rugged and natural, it was named one of the best new resort courses by Golf Digest when it opened in 1994. Strategically placed bunkers and hazards, elevation changes, and several well-planned dog legs make it a thinking player's course. Its most unusual hazards, however, are low lava-rock walls built by the early Hawaiians, who called them papohaku. Jones made sure they were preserved during course construction, which earned it awards for preservation. Par: 72. Length: 6,060-7,078 yards.
Emerald Course: Lush and tropical this second Robert Trent Jones course shares his Gold Course's panoramic views and undulating terrain but is more forgiving. Flowers abound, adding to what is in any case an enjoyable outing. There are 4 to 6 tee boxes on every hole, allowing you to tailor the challenge to your skills—or to how well you're playing that day. Par:72. Length: 5,785-6,825 yards.
Blue Course: The first course to be built at the resort, this Arthur Jack Snyder design introduced lush fairways into the into what was formerly an arid scrubby landscape. A true resort course, it meanders among houses and condos and provides a measure of forgiveness in its wide fairways and large greens. Par: 72. Length: 5,291-6,758 yards.

Spa & Fitness Center. The Grand Wailea Resort Hotel, the Fairmont the Kea Lani Hotel, the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, and the Wailea Beach Marriott all have full-service spas.

Lodging

There are five beachfront hotels within Wailea and numerous condominium complexes.

Travel Essentials

Seasons. Year-round.

Rates. Since there are five independently operated beachfront hotels and a large number of condominiums within Wailea, you have many choices about where to stay all with the same tennis and golf privileges (only two hotels have their own courts, separate from the Wailea Tennis Club). Rates for all of them appear here, with a link to the essential contact information for each.

Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa
Lodging consists of rooms and 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom suites. Some of these are in the Napua Tower, a 100-room small hotel within the resort. Rates are subject to Hawaii state taxes. Numerous packages are available as well.

Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2007	Rooms, $575-$1,230; Suites $1,800-$16,430

Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea

The following rates are for lodging only exclusive of applicable taxes and service charges.

Jan. 1-Mar. 15, 2007	Rooms: $425-$840. Suites: $890-$11,500
Mar. 16-Dec. 18, 2007	Rooms: $440-$880. Suites: $935-$11,500
Jan. 7-Dec. 18, 2008	Rooms: $495-$990. Suites: $1,050-$12,880

Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel

Rates for suites and villas vary according to size and view. Numerous packages are also available.

Jan. 3-Dec. 20, 2007	1-bdrm suites, from $525

Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

Rates on request.

Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort

Rates vary according to view. Suites have one or two bedrooms.

Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2008	From $459

Wailea Beach Villas

2- and 3-bedroom luxury villas

Reservations:

Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa
3850 Wailea Alanui
Wailea, Maui, HI 96753
808-875-1234
Toll-free: 800-888-6100
Fax: 808-874-2442
Web Link: Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa

NEW!
Book Online: Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa

Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel
4100 Wailea Alanui Dr.
Wailea, Maui, HI 96753
808-875-4100
Toll-free: 800-257-7544
Fax: 808-875-1200
Web Link: Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel

NEW!
Book Online: Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel

Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
3900 Wailea Alanui
Wailea, Maui, HI 96753
808-874-8000
Toll-free: 800-334-MAUI
Fax: 808-874-2244
Web Link: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea

NEW!
Book Online: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea

Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
3700 Wailea Alanui Dr.
Wailea, Maui, HI 96753
808-879-1922
Toll-free: 800-228-9290
Fax: 808-874-7888
Web Link: Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

NEW!
Book Online: Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort
3550 Wailea Alanui Dr.
Wailea, Maui, HI 96753
808-879-4900
Toll-free: 800-992-4532
Fax: 808-891-7085
Web Link: Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort

NEW!
Book Online: Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort

Wailea Beach Villas
3800 Wailea Alanui
Wailea, Maui, HI 96753
808-891-4500
Toll-free: 866-901-5207
Fax: 808-891-2581
Web Link: Wailea Beach Villas

NEW!
Book Online: Wailea Beach Villas

Travel Instructions. The nearest airport is Kahului, 17 miles north of the resort. The drive to the resort takes about one hour. You'll leave the airport via Keolani Place. Stay left onto Hwy. 380 (Dairy Rd.), then turn left at the third light onto Hwy. 350/311 Mokulele Hwy. That will curve to the right past the Puunene Sugar Mill and continue roughly 5½ miles and then turn left onto Hwy. 31 South (Pi'ilani Hwy.). Follow that for about 7 miles, at which point Hwy 31 ends and you curve right onto Wailea Ike Dr. Turn left at the stop sign onto Wailea Alanui Drive for all of the hotels except the Wailea Beach Marriott, which is just to the right.

General Tourist Information. Visit the Pink Mink, a type of protea Maui Visitors Bureau web site or contact them at 1727 Wili Pa Loop, Wailuku, HI 96793. Phone: 808-244-3530 or Fax: 808-244-1337. Or for information about Hawaii as a whole, visit the Hawaii Visitors Bureau web site or contact them at 2270 Kalakaua Ave. #801, Honolulu, HI 96815. Phone: 808-923-1811 or Fax: 808-924-0290.