Host of Flight Centre’s 48 Hour Destination, Greer Gardiner gives the low down on her Maui accommodation during 48 Hours in Hawaii. Read on for her review and then catch this week's Hawaii episode at 1 pm Saturday, July 28th on Channel Ten or watch the replay here.
Stepping foot onto the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa’s property was like falling down the rabbit hole and entering into Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland. After being present with a beautiful lei at check-in, I was told to follow a path down a series of echoing hallways giving off a subtle air of grandeur before arriving at my room, and one of the hotel’s 775 oceanfront abodes.
Host Greer Gardiner and fellow Flight Centre travel expert Jason Thinet-Chow relax at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa during The 48 Hour Destination: Hawaii.
Room:
Besides the ocean front view, the room came with a spacious bathroom, tropical smelling amenities and enough room to fit a small lounge, coffee table and plenty of room for activities.
Location:
The resort sits on 16 hectares of beachfront real estate along the stunning Ka’anapali Beach. As I made my way towards the pool area I came across the hotel’s magical garden oasis complete with otherworldly flora and fauna, including a swan or two.
Host Greer Gardiner and fellow Flight Centre travel expert Jason Thinet-Chow walk along the beach in front of the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa during The 48 Hour Destination: Hawaii.
Family Friendly:
Just past the garden is every child’s dream water playground featuring a rope bridge, waterfalls, the ‘Keiki Lagoon’ for little ones and even a 45 metre lava tube slide. Plenty for the kids to enjoy (and parents too with the resort’s babysitting facilities).
Activities:
From the beach guests are able to hire paddle boards and kayaks or for those more partial to the flop and drop holiday there are private beachfront cabanas for hire too. I of course only had 48 hours in Hawaii but managed to fit in a fresh pineapple mocktail in one of the cabanas before my co-host Jason and I jumped on a pair of paddle boards. (See the full episode here).
Then there’s also complimentary hula dancing demonstrations, lei making classes and the chance to enjoy an authentic Polynesian lu’au at the resort too. Not to mention the gorgeous ocean facing Kamaha’o Spa where you can indulge in a Lomi Lomi massage or facial while looking out at the gorgeous surrounds.
Greer and Jason paddle boarding at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa during The 48 Hour Destination: Hawaii.
Atmosphere:
Another similarity to Alice’s Wonderland is how time becomes relative as you no longer need to know what time or day it is even at the resort (except not for me with 48 Hours ticking away), just when the Grotto (pool) Bar’s happy hour starts (11 am to 12 pm).
Food:
Anyone who knows me knows that I love my food and with 10 dining options at the resort there certainly was no shortage of places to choose from. My personal favourite was Japengo, voted Maui’s Best Asian and Pacific Rim Cuisine, where you can’t go past the freshly caught seafood.
Greer and Jason enjoy delicious pineapple juices in a private cabana at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa during The 48 Hour Destination: Hawaii.
