14 minute read
THE SPIRIT OF HAWAI‘I
Director of guest relations Cindy Asada and the entire staff of Hualālai Resort share the aloha spirit with Members and guests.
Spirit Hawai‘i of The
Much more than a word, aloha is a way of life.
BY SHEILA GIBSON STOODLEY / PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNA PACHECO
If you grew up on the U.S. mainland, you were probably taught that the Hawaiian word aloha means both “hello” and “goodbye.” That teaching did hint at the wondrous and mysterious nature of the term and its duality—but there is more to the story. Aloha is big. It is immensely
meaningful and beautifully nuanced, carrying the weight of Hawaiian culture
and history in its five letters and three syllables.
In the following pages, several individuals with special ties to Hualālai and Hawai‘i Island explain how aloha has touched their lives—and how they share it with Hualālai’s Members and guests and island visitors. What they reveal is
rich, broad, and deep, and will make you want to learn more.
Earl Regidor
Cultural practitioner at the Ka‘ūpūlehu Cultural Center, Four Seasons Resort Hualālai
◗ “Uncle Earl,” as Earl Regidor is affectionately known at Hualālai, has been with the Four Seasons 26 years—22 of them as manager of the resort’s Ka‘ūpūlehu Cultural Center. In this 600-square-foot space located next to the pro shop on the Hualālai Golf Course, Regidor and his fellow Hawaiian cultural practitioners are accustomed to educating Hualālai’s Members and guests and embracing them with aloha. So when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Uncle Earl and his staff of three faced serious obstacles.
The etymology of aloha reflects what they were up against: “Alo” means “presence” and “ha” means “breath,” connoting being close enough to share breath with one another—exactly what must be avoided when a devastating respiratory virus afflicts the planet. “Hugging our guests as they come into the center, physical touching and sharing of feelings, that’s important to us,” Regidor says. “We are getting back to that, but we’re not there yet.”
Still, he doesn’t let this deter him from showing kindness and empathy with those he meets daily: “We must not forget the values that make our culture meaningful to everyone that lives here or visits the Hawaiian Islands.” Regidor emphasizes the importance of leaving this legacy of values with your ‘ohana, the next generation, to preserve the essence of aloha.
Hualālai’s beloved Uncle Earl is retiring at the end of 2022 after 26 years with the resort.
Cindy Asada
Director of guest relations, Four Seasons Resort Hualālai
◗ Cindy Asada says the spirit of aloha animates everything that she does, including her work at the Four Seasons. “If aloha is within you, it’s very easy,” says the hospitality-industry veteran of 47 years, nine of which have been with the resort. “You share it openly. Never underestimate the power of giving. Your actions are unconditional without expecting anything in return. It’s empathy— it’s an attitude.”
Asada harks back to the first moment of aloha she received: When she started her first job in the hospitality industry, at Kona Village, she had the honor to meet “Auntie Eleanor” Makida. For Asada—whose household growing up was a place where emotions were controlled and not shown— Auntie Eleanor “was a breath of fresh air” who embraced her upon their meeting. She treated everyone equally, with grace, respect, and empathy, Asada says, and that set her on her own path of treating everyone—guests, family, friends— with the same unconditional spirit.
Asada lives this spirit that she received 47 years ago. She is known for her hugs, and many return guests expect a “Cindy hug” when they arrive—an embrace that mirrors her first interaction with Auntie Eleanor. “Listening and having empathy comes with aloha,” Asada says. “It’s about having compassion and warmth.”
Danny Akaka Jr.
Hawai‘i historian, cultural practitioner on Hawai‘i Island
◗ Danny Akaka Jr. is steeped in the islands’ history and culture. His father, Daniel Sr., was the first native Hawaiian to serve in the United States Senate, an honor he held from 1990 to 2013, and his uncle, Abraham, was a pastor and proponent of Hawaiian statehood whose advocacy indirectly led to the adoption of Hawai‘i’s nickname, the Aloha State.
He relays a story of aloha that Daniel Sr. told about his own mother, Danny Jr.’s grandmother: When Daniel Sr. was a young boy, he witnessed his mother calling to a passing stranger, “E komo mai,” or “Come in and join us.” As the stranger approached the house, young Daniel asked his mother why she had offered when they had no food to share. She admitted they had no food, but they could give the man water and shelter. “Ho‘okipa means to treat someone hospitably, to take them in and spend time with them, to give them food, drink, and a place to rest before continuing on their journey,” says Danny Jr. “It’s just a natural thing for people who grow up in Hawai‘i to do.”
Anna Akaka
Hawai‘i historian, cultural practitioner on Hawai‘i Island
◗ Danny Jr.’s wife, Anna, also serves as a cultural ambassador and practitioner, and she notes how easy it is for transplants to embrace the spirit of aloha. She has a friend who moved to Hawai‘i from the U.S. mainland and periodically needs to return. The friend found herself crossing a parking lot and, in Anna’s telling, “forgot she was not in Hawai‘i.” The smiles, nods, and friendly eye contact that she had learned on the islands were met with apprehensive looks.
“The solution to that, really, is all you need to say is ‘aloha,’ and they will understand,” Anna says. “It’s part of the spirit of being from Hawai‘i. People in Hawai‘i have a connectivity. Their antennas are up—who do we know from home? You nod, say ‘aloha,’ and the smile comes out. They understand. Aloha is a universal word.”
Michelle Kaulumahiehie Amaral
Mea ho‘okipa at the Ka‘ūpūlehu Cultural Center, Four Seasons Resort Hualālai
◗ Michelle Kaulumahiehie Amaral has worked in hospitality about as long as she has performed the traditional Hawaiian dance known as the hula; her histories with both started at age 18. Now the grandmother of 10, she quickly grows emotional when talking about aloha and what it means to her. “For me, aloha is everything, it is essential in life, no ifs, ands, or buts,” she says. “Aloha spirit channeled me to where I exist today.”
The guests she welcomes to the Ka‘ūpūlehu Cultural Center often find themselves becoming unexpectedly emotional as well. “When we create a lei, as we do that, we share with the guests. We talk with them about Hawaiian culture— explain Hawaiian values—and how it connects to aloha. By the time we’re done, we can see tears of gratitude in their eyes for the time spent at the center. They are touched by aloha.
“For me, personally,” Amaral adds, “my na‘au [heart] is piha pono [full]. I reflect on what I’ve learned from my ancestors, known as kūpuna, what they shared with me. I believe my ancestors look down at me and say, ‘Good job.’ It fills my spirit; it energizes me.”
hot properties
FROM A BREATHTAKING ESTATE TO BRAND-NEW HOMESITES, HUALĀLAI’S LATEST LISTINGS CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF HAWAI‘I.
isten closely to the quiet, to the whispering palms. Serenity is among the most enchanting attributes of this Pi‘iuka Street residence—an estate impressive not only for its size and scope and its slate of superb amenities, but also for its high level of privacy and seclusion within Hualālai Resort. Situated on a bluff looking out over the 14th hole of the Members-only Ke‘olu Golf Course to the Pacific Ocean, the five-bedroom, five-bathroom home provides more than 7,100 square feet of lavish indoor-outdoor living space on a lush lot spanning 41,529 square feet. Quiet indeed. A captivating calm enhances every experience and feature—including the infinity-edge pool adorned with a spacious wet deck and tiki torches—afforded by the one-of-akind property, which at press time is on the market for $15 million.
FAMILY STYLED
Sources of family enjoyment are wall to wall throughout the Willman Interiors–designed home’s 5,160 square feet of interior living space. In the kitchen, which opens to the ocean-view great room, vaulted ceilings suspend above countertops of calacatta quartzite—an elegant match for the mahogany cabinetry with self- and slow-closing hardware. There’s a walk-in pantry with mahogany shelving, and the appliances include models from Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Miele. Adjacently, the great room, also with vaulted ceilings, frames the home’s spectacular views—ocean, golf course, sunset—through sizable sliding pocket doors that usher in natural light and gentle breezes. Travertine floors grace both the dining and living areas, and against one wall in the living space are built-in media cabinets.
MASTER PEACE
With a quintet of bedrooms, the residence has plenty of comfortable spaces for family and friends to retire to, and this beauty allows for resting while soaking up the property’s breathtaking ocean and fairway vistas. With the large pocket doors open, it’s possible to enjoy the views—and the solitude—while relaxing on the covered lānai or in bed. The suite’s walk-in closet is thoughtfully roomy and well designed, featuring custom built-in drawers and other areas for neatly storing clothing and accessories. In the adjoining bathroom, a freestanding soaking tub is conveniently situated alongside an expanse of windows, which grants the bather a perfect sight line to the lava-rock-walled outdoor shower and luxuriant tropical garden.
72-147 PIʻIUKA STREET
Price: $15,000,000 Bedrooms: 5 Bathrooms: 5 full, 1 powder Additional Rooms: Office Interior Living: 5,160 sq. ft. Covered Lānai: 1,055 sq. ft. Garage: 982 sq. ft. Under Roof: 7,177 sq. ft. Lot Size: 41,529 sq. ft. hualalairealty.com
NESTING GROUNDS
No need to dine out or be entertained elsewhere. All the creature comforts are here, including the GM Construction–built home’s primary covered lānai, which is adorned with “broken slab” travertine stone, an infinityedge swimming pool and in-pool spillover hot tub, and an outdoor kitchen and grill station. If hours spent poolside should whet the appetite to venture out, there’s no lack of things to do—and not much ground to cover to access them. The Members-only Keʻolu Clubhouse is within walking distance, and just a short golf-cart ride away are Hualālai Resort’s myriad amenities and shoreline activities. After a round of golf on the Keʻolu Golf Course, an ocean adventure with Hualālai’s Alakaʻi Nalu, or a meal of kanpachi sashimi or fresh-catch tacos at the Residents’ Beach House, the Piʻiuka Street address will quietly welcome you home.
LOTS EXCITED TO BE
Early 2023 will see the release of 12 developable lots—Hualālai’s first offering of new homesites since 2019.
ABOUT
Hualālai’s latest release of homesites offers a long-awaited opportunity.
BY SAMANTHA BROOKS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ETHAN TWEEDIE
● ● ● Since the first residential sales at Hualālai Resort more than 25 years ago, homes in the casually elegant, culturally rich community on Hawai‘i’s beautiful Kona Coast have been in high demand—a reality the pandemic only amplified. Sales resort-wide for 2020 surpassed $107 million and preceded a period of low-to-no inventory. “We’d never had a case of zero lots for sale—there was always something,” says Rob Kildow, Hualālai Resort’s director of residential sales. “But for the first time in Hualālai history, we’ve had no lots for sale.”
In early 2023, that finally changes with the eagerly anticipated release of 12 developable sites.
The dozen new homesites, which measure from 22,893 to 59,000 square feet, are set on Hualālai’s northern edge, affording sweeping views of Maui, Kohala Mountain, or the 14th hole of the Members-only Ke‘olu Golf Course. Owners can build on up to 30 percent of their site and must have a planted and lava area of at least 50 percent— requirements intended to prevent the homes from imposing on the surrounding landscape.
Located just a four-minute golf-cart ride away from the main clubhouse, the lots include some of the community’s last remaining ocean-view parcels for sale. And most of the lots don’t front a fairway, Kildow says, allowing for quiet enjoyment of the homes without golfers or maintenance equipment passing by.
The dozen new lots— Hualālai’s parcel 19, named Ihoikai (iho i kai, “descending to the sea”)— afford ocean, golf course, or mountain views.
Kildow points out that while Hualālai currently (at press time) has two existing homes available for sale—each listed at $15 million—the pool of prospective buyers for the highest-end inventory has shrunk, making the newly offered buildable homesites all the more desirable. It often takes years, he says, to plan for the release of new lots.
“Developing property the size of Hualālai requires careful planning to ensure that new development complements the existing residences. We never want to rush inventory, and all phases that have ever been released are part of our master plan,” he says. “Much work goes into ensuring that view corridors are protected and the architecture is consistent with our guidelines.”
Moreover, there’s no cutting corners when carving out homesites—no matter how high the demand. “Even though we went for a period of having no inventory, it’s not as simple as rushing to open up sales for more lots right away,” says Kildow. “While what we’re offering is essentially just land, there’s a lot of work to prepare it, as we have to work with geology, land planners, and ownership to make sure that everything is done in the best possible way.”
Case in point: Kildow’s team is already hard at work on Hualālai’s next phase of homesites for release, which likely won’t come until the end of 2023 and will consist of just four to six lots.
Prices aren’t yet available for early 2023’s dozen lots,
— ROB KILDOW, Director of Residential Sales
but Hualālai’s most recent lot sales may offer a window on what’s to come. The last release of lots, in 2019, comprised 12 homesites sized from 32,513 to 51,151 square feet and priced from $2 million to $3 million. All the parcels had sold by December 2021, which was also the year of highest sales in the resort’s history, with more than $318 million in real estate transactions.
“We already have one group that wants to purchase three of the 12 lots,” Kildow says. “We also have a high level of interest from existing members, and we’re expecting spec builders to come in as well and create prebuilt product for buyers. It’s always hard to predict, but we anticipate these lots to all sell out by the end of 2023.
“In the last year and a half,” he continues, “none of our listings have made it to the MLS [multiple listing service] or the Hualālai website. People realized that they were paying a premium to get something here, but they also realized that it was worth it. While some of that urgency that surrounded lockdown and Covid has diminished, the demand still exceeds the supply.”
EVENING STAR
Members know to take their seats before sundown at the Ke‘olu Clubhouse for one of Hualālai’s most spectacular shows. While there are plenty of incredible vantage points across the resort, perhaps no spot is more suited to sunset gazing than Ke‘olu. Members and their guests, having spent the day playing the ocean-view Ke‘olu Golf Course or swimming in the infinity-edge pool, gather at the clubhouse for dinner and enjoy any number of delicious dishes—from ahi and fried chicken to New York–style pizza—while savoring the spectacle of the sun descending to the Pacific.
