a fifth Four Seasons in Hawaii

the site of the future Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina

Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina was just announced this morning. This is a take-over and complete redevelopment of the JW Marriott Ihilani into one of Hawaii's finest luxury resorts. The lead architectural firm is James K.M. Architects, winner of the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize.

Located on the sunny west side of Oahu, the resort is located just 17 miles from the Honolulu airport (and even further from the crowds and madness of Waikiki Beach). FS Oahu will become the fifth Four Seasons resort in Hawaii.

My clients all receive extra value through the Four Seasons Preferred Partner program which will apply to FS Oahu when it opens. Right now, you can get the following complimentary amenities when staying at FS Maui, FS Hualalai, FS Manele Bay, or FS Lodge at Koele.

• Daily full American breakfast for two people per bedroom, served through In-Room Dining or in the hotel restaurant (including buffets)
• Food and beverage credit of USD100
• Upgrade of one category, based on availability at time of check-in (excluding signature suites and villas)
• Now standard at all properties: Complimentary Basic Internet (up to 2 devices) in all guest rooms, Complimentary Premium Internet (up to 4 devices) in all Suites.

copyright (c) 2014 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

is this Four Seasons Maui Beach tote in your future?

Four Seasons Maui beach tote

Four Seasons Maui provides a beach tote for guests to use during their stay. I received the bag pictured above as a gift from Four Seasons Maui but have never used it or taken it to the beach. It's a well constructed bag with zippered internal compartments (including a removable, padded internal compartment that will hold a portable computer or iPad). I want to pass it along to a client who's thinking about booking a vacation at the resort.

Here's how it can belong to you. Just book a 5+ day stay at Four Seasons Maui through me by 6 p.m. PDT (9 p.m. EDT) on June 30. I will randomly select one of those bookings (using the "slips of paper in a bag" method) on the evening of June 30th. If I pick your booking out of the bag, I'll ship the bag to you free of charge by Priority Mail. If you have a U.S. address, I'll send it to your home; if you live outside the U.S., I'll ship it to you at Four Seasons Maui in time for your vacation.

What's so special about June 30? Four Seasons Maui is offering guaranteed upgrades at booking (if the next category is available at the time of booking) to all Preferred Partner bookings made by June 30 for travel from August 25 through December 15. If you stay 7+ nights during this period, you get a second $100 food and beverage credit for a total credit of $200 for your stay. If you've been thinking about a beach vacation in Maui, it's well worth your while to book your stay at FS Maui by June 30th!

Every Four Seasons Preferred Partner guest receives these exclusive amenities, available only through a Four Seasons Preferred Partner, that will easily save you $450 over a five night stay.

• Daily full American breakfast for two people per bedroom, served through In-Room Dining or in the hotel restaurant (including buffets)
• Food and beverage credit of USD100
• Upgrade of one category, based on availability at time of check-in (excluding signature suites and villas)
• Complimentary high-speed Internet access for up to six devices per room

Four Seasons Maui (search here on Google)

Fine print: The State of California, where I do business, has rules for the operation of contests that I want to be sure that I'm following, so here are the full disclosures: You are automatically entered when you make a 5+ night booking at FS Maui through me. There are no puzzles or games involved. No postage or handling fees will be charged - I'll ship by Priority Mail to you free of charge either to your home in the US or to your room at FS Maui. The entry period ends at 6 p.m. PDT on June 30, and the random drawing will take place that evening. Your odds of winning the bag are proportional to the total number of 5+ night bookings made at FS Maui between today and June 30. Example: if I make 4 bookings, you have a 1/4 chance of winning.

copyright (c) 2013 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

FS Maui | possible last-minute space for Christmas

Four Seasons Maui may have Festive Season space (Christmas through New Years). I learned this from my FS Hawaii rep; this would be due to last-minute cancellations at FS Maui.

If you're interested, please phone me ASAP at 877.444.2325 as this will not last! All bookings I make for you come with the Four Seasons Preferred Partner amenities.

• Daily full American breakfast for two people per bedroom, served through In-Room Dining or in the hotel restaurant (including buffets)
• Food and beverage credit of USD100
• Upgrade of one category, based on availability at time of check-in (excluding signature suites and villas)
• Complimentary high-speed Internet access for all suite bookings

FS Maui (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2012 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

FS Maui | winter vacation in Hawaii

adults-only Serenity Pool at Four Seasons Maui

You could be here! Winter is coming, and the ensuing months will bring cold weather, snow storms, and short daylight hours to much of North America. If you're anything like me, you'll want to escape the cold and damp of winter and enjoy a week at the beach, soaking in the sun.

Four Seasons Maui is by far the the most popular resort that my clients book. Rooms are spacious, luxurious, and attractive, and if you're traveling with kids, you have two options.

1. Most comfortable — book two connecting rooms, a King-bedded room for you joined by an interior room to a room with two Queen beds for your children.
2. More economical — book a King-bedded room which also has a Queen-sized sofabed for the kids.

Guests rave about the service at FS Maui. I spent a morning at their adults-only Serenity Pool (see my picture above). It's a quiet place to relax in the sun, lounge under the shade of an umbrella, or laze in the pool. Every hour or so, Four Seasons pool attendants come by with a treat — frozen fruit, chilled towels, ice water, or a spray of Evian mist.

Three on-property restaurants offer a variety of cuisines. DUO specializes in steak and seafood, Ferraro's offers casual lunch or authentic Italian cucina rustic cuisine served right by the beach, and Spago (Hawaiian fusion cooking). Wailea offers more restaurants and great shopping, and Four Seasons offers a complimentary car service to shop and eat anywhere in Wailea.

So much is included. Though not inexpensive, Four Seasons Maui offers great luxury value with no resort fee. Meals for kids 5 and under are complimentary at DUO and Ferraro's. Kids For All Seasons is a complimentary full-day children's program. And the list of inclusions goes on...

Here's a secret way to save hundreds of dollars over the course of your stay at FS Maui: don't book online through an OTA like orbitz or expedia. Make your reservation through a Four Seasons Preferred Partner. Your room rate will be exactly the same, including any "Experience More" fifth night free or resort credit rates that you may find, but you'll get free breakfast every day and so much more.

• Daily full American breakfast for two people per bedroom, served through In-Room Dining or in the hotel restaurant (including buffets)
• Food and beverage credit of USD 100
• Upgrade of one category, based on availability at time of check-in (excluding signature suites and villas)
• Complimentary high-speed Internet access for all suite bookings

Four Seasons Maui (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2012 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Four Seasons Wailea, Maui | room categories

Four Seasons Wailea is the most popular Four Seasons resort in the world and has the distinction of being the first resort that Four Seasons developed. Built in 1990, it is one of four major resorts in the Wailea area of South Maui.

Maui is blessed with great beaches, but those beaches tend to be lined with larger resorts, especially on Ka'anapali Beach where the Grand Hyatt has 806 rooms in an 11 floor tower and the Westin has 759 rooms in a 9 floor tower (among other properties). Though large by Four Seasons standards, FS Wailea is smaller by design with just 377 rooms spread out over 15 oceanside acres. It is the most intimate resort in the Wailea area. Many travelers prefer to stay in Wailea because its climate is drier and warmer than West Maui.

What room category to choose at FS Maui? This was the question I had in mind during my site inspection last Friday. I am quoting some room rates as an indication of relative cost; these are the current rates for 20JUN, 2011, but rates are subject to change. Double-click on the pictures to see a larger version.

Mountainside Room

Mountainside rooms are the lead-in room category at Four Seasons Wailea and are priced at a considerable discount from the resort's other rooms. Located on the east side of the property, these rooms face the roof of the parking garage with a peek at the mountains beyond (see picture immediately above). Not the most attractive view, but if you don't plan to spend much time in your room, they offer an affordable way to experience all the luxury and service of Four Seasons.

the view from #429

the inner courtyard at FS Maui

Garden View rooms are on the lower floors, some with an attractive view of the lush landscaping in the inner courtyard, but with others having an inferior view. There is no view of the ocean. It's important to request a room closer to the elevators (and, hence, closer to the ocean). When there are Experience More promotions offering free nights or hotel credits, Garden rooms can be a better choice if you are looking for value, as promotional rates typically do not apply to Mountainside rooms.


Partial Ocean-View Room
Four Seasons defines "partial ocean view" to indicate that you can see the ocean from the room's balcony but not from inside the room itself. These rooms are on the lower floors of the hotel.

Ocean View Room

Ocean View rooms are on the outside of the "U" shaped hotel building, facing the ocean and the villa complex to the south (as in the picture here) or the Grand Wailea Resort to the north.

Ocean View Prime Room

Ocean View Prime rooms have the same view of the ocean as the Ocean View rooms, the distinction being that they are on the inside of the "U" shaped hotel building and look out at the ocean over the Four Seasons's landscaped courtyard and pool area.


No matter which room category you select, your best value is to book through a Four Seasons Preferred Partner. You will receive a complimentary Full American Breakfast for two daily (via room service or in the restaurant, including buffets - a $70 value), one complimentary lunch for two (up to $85), and a room upgrade on arrival subject to availability. Guests in suites also receive complimentary internet service when booked through a Preferred Partner.


Four Seasons Wailea (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2011 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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