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coconut trees which are actually part of the art of the hotel, as are the flowers and the water." One nature connection that is less obvious is that the resort is shaped like a turtle. "It (the design) actually all goes back to art," said Yumul. "When the developer built this hotel he wanted to revive old Hawaii, instilling old Hawaii through nature, its people and its culture. What he wanted to do was make it fun and symbolic with the turtle coming out of the water, walking up the beach and into the land and going up to Hakalia, which is the waterfall in front of the Grand Wailea." Visit www.grandwailea.com. THE FAIRMONT KEA LANI The Fairmont Kea Lani in Maui is, in a word, spectacular. This Canadian-owned property, which recently underwent a massive renovation to better welcome visitors with the true aloha feeling is set on the southern end of this gorgeous island getaway. It offers its clientele 413 one-bedroom suites and another 37 luxurious one - and two-bedroom villas. Contemporary Hawaiian furnishings make visitors feel immediately at home. The Canadian connections here are very strong. "Fairmont is very strong in Canada and has most of its hotels located there, so many of our employees here are from Canada," confirms Wendy Harvey, the Director of Public Relations for the Kea Lani. "It doesn't matter if you're in Maui or wherever, if you are Canadian there are things here that you can pick up on." Those include the green program the Kea Lani has implemented and revised continually since being implemented in 1990. The hotel is proud of that fact and looks to continue with improvements. "Another Canadian tie is that Maui specifically has always tried to reach out to our Canadian visitors," Harvey noted. "The people from there are looking for resorts that are natural that are not stuffy or pretentious. Very comfortable but still high-end, luxurious and nice genuine, friendly service." The hotel offers large user-friendly lodgings is proving to be a hit with guests of the resort, Harvey continued. "Our one-bedroom suites are 840 square feet. Our two - and three-bedroom villas start at 1,800 square feet and go up to 2,200 square feet, so you can get up to eight people into a three-bedroom villa and four adults in a regular one- bedroom suite. There's plenty of room." USA GETAWAYS for our guests." The Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui offers guests a variety of quality cuisine from five restaurants, including a deli, and four bars plus in-suite and personalized dining choices so there really is no need to leave the hotel's grounds if you just want to stay and play. As for those fabulous villas, they are just steps away from Polo Beach. In addition to providing all the amenities available in the suites, these two-storey oceanfront retreats feature a private lanai with plunge pool, barbeque grill, second bathroom, washer and dryer and a well-appointed kitchen. Speaking of Polo Beach, that piece of real estate is one of the unique features at the Fairmont property. While all beaches in Maui are public, the one at the Kea Lani is slightly different, thanks in large part to Mother Nature. "Polo Beach, has rock formations on each side that form a bit of a blockade so you can't walk from one beach to the next," Harvey explained. "The only access to Polo Beach is through the hotel property so it's almost, in a sense, private The hotel offers golfers an especially sweet way to swing into Maui golf with packages through Wailea Golf, which is part of the GolfBC company. "At any given time we have at least two golf packages running," Harvey said. "Right now we have the Birdies, Bogeys and Breakfast. If you're a member of the Fairmont President's Club (which is free to join and a great idea) you receive free golf club rentals (TaylorMade) from the hotel as well as a free shuttle service to the three magnificent courses close by – the Emerald, the Gold and Old Blue and a number of other outstanding complimentary services. Visit www.fairmont.com/kealani. AE