HOME SUITE HOME

Each new villa takes in stellar sea views. Here, a deck off the Hawai‘i Loa Presidential Villa is a natural extension of the indoor living areas.

BY SAMANTHA BROOKS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIKOLAS KOENIG

Hualālai opens up new possibilities with its trio of top guest villas.

If the guiding aesthetic behind the Four Seasons Resort Hualālai’s new villa-style suites is “less is more,” it’s because some things have been intentionally left out and not a thing is missing. For starters, each accommodation’s recent renovation focused on only the most thoughtful, purposeful amenities. Designers from the San

Francisco–based firm BAMO reimagined each suite for multigenerational family travel, with indoor-outdoor flow and spaces that prioritize entertaining and maximize connection with the surroundings.

“Our goal was to create an enhanced suite product that feels like your favorite home,” says Patrick Fitzgerald, Hualālai president and CEO.

“We wanted to fill [the suites] with energy and create more of a residential feel,” adds Jay Uyeda, Hualālai’s vice president of development. “But, of course, our goal is to always take advantage of our amazing location.”

Indeed, “the ocean is very present throughout the entire guest experience,” says Fitzgerald. Each suite overlooks crashing waves, expanses of sea, or the resort’s lush landscaping and ponds. Here and on the next pages, we go inside—and outside—the three suites, which were completed in September.

> Of the three suites, the Hawai‘i Loa Presidential Villa is closest to the ocean. It not only features direct beach access, but also affords 5,500 square feet of space that flows seamlessly from indoors to out. “When you slide back the lānai pocket doors, the whole living room opens onto the terrace,” says Michael Booth, a founding principal of BAMO. “We expanded and rearranged the existing decks so that, when you arrive, the big wow factor is the view directly out to the ocean.”

The two-story villa is “very special” for its “proximity to the water combined with the quality of the finishes,” says Fitzgerald. It offers four bedrooms, including a new second-floor master suite featuring a window-wall that optimizes the vistas. “This is the only bedroom where the bed faces the ocean,” says Uyeda. “You have views to the sea, but also to the north and northwest. Even in the bathroom, there is space in between the vanity mirrors so that you can look out to the views.” Features such as a freestanding bathtub, indoor shower with dual heads, outdoor shower, and expansive custom closet exude a residential feel.

Other elements have been kept intentionally minimalist. “We designed these accommodations to host three generations of families, likely here for 7-to-10-day vacations,” says Booth. “We felt strongly that taking up space with a large kitchen wasn’t the way to maximize usage.” Thus, the design team opted for a well-stocked pantry and prep area along with large, comfortable spaces for gathering, lounging, and connecting. “Throughout all of the new suites,” he adds, “we eliminated the formal dining rooms, which we noticed were always going unused. Instead, we pushed the dining outside, which is where everyone wants to be.”

Pocket doors in this bedroom of the Hawai‘i Loa Presidential Villa open to let in sweeping Pacific Ocean views. At the foot of the bed, a TV rises from the cabinet at the press of a button.

Large media walls indoors and generous seating outdoors are among the elements that merge seamlessly in the Ho‘onanea Villa.

> Also overlooking the ocean, the Ho‘onanea Villa is all about flexibility. Guests can use the single-story freestanding suite as a one, two, or three bedroom, depending on their needs. Amenities include outdoor living and dining areas, a second-floor sundeck, plunge pool and hot tub, firepit, and various daybeds.

“There’s a lot of privacy here,” says Uyeda. “You can really enjoy these outdoor spaces without feeling like you’re on view for other people to see.”

Guests will also enjoy the styling of Ho‘onanea and the other two suites. “We had a nickname for our design aesthetic here,” says Booth. “The Big Island is so different—it’s not Honolulu, it’s not Wailea. Here, you’re immersed in lava rock, stretches of greenery, and expanses of undeveloped space. We called the style we were designing Kona Ranch.”

The look embraces large-scale furnishings and color schemes that mimic Hawai‘i Island’s black lava stone and deep blue sea. Rich mahogany pairs with teak—woods accented by a textile palette of white, black, sky blue, and foliage green.

> Located amid luxuriant greenery near the resort’s sea-life-filled Waiakauhi Pond, the Makaloa Villa offers up to five bedrooms. The ocean-view suite—Hualālai’s most secluded—boasts a private pool, hot tub, and expansive second-floor outdoor living room, and the villa’s five bedrooms have large walk-in closets, well-appointed bathrooms, and, on the lower floor, outdoor lava-rock showers.

A new focal point is the light-filled, two-story entry leading to the open-flow living room, which offers pond and sea views. “We pulled out the front of the building to create a new arrival experience here with a big foyer and grand staircase,” says Uyeda. “I can’t think of another resort that has a hotel unit with an upstairs-and-downstairs experience like this, that’s also in proximity to the ocean and offers the quality of fixtures and finishes you see here.”

Although the new suites trio is but one aspect of the resort’s multimillion-dollar renovation, their redesign is a standout. “The property has such a loyal following that we really wanted to respect the heritage of Hualālai and what makes it unique,” says Booth. “We hope that it sets the standard for hotel accommodations in the future.”

The Makaloa Villa highlights a dramatic new entryway, private outdoor pool, and second-floor lānai, among other amenities.