13 minute read
UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES FROM MAUKA TO MAKAI
Unforgettable Experiences from Mauka
to Makai
Whether your chosen diversions deliver you to the resort’s mountainside, ocean-side, or someplace in between, your time at Hualālai will be well spent.
BY MARGARET KEARNS
The question is never what to do at Hualālai but how to fit it all in.
For 25 years, Hualālai has raised the bar for luxury resorts worldwide, providing myriad one-of-a-kind activities and events for Members and guests—and that effort is ongoing. Hualālai continues to unveil new facilities and of-the-moment programs to help you and your family have fun and mālama (care for) the body and soul.
Depending on the pursuits you choose, you’ll likely be drawn toward the resort’s mauka (mountainside), makai (ocean-side), or somewhere in the middle, but all your experiences at Hualālai promise to be unforgettable—and unique to this magical land- and sea-scape.
Ways to Play
Started in 1995 as Ambassadors of Aloha overseeing water safety and outrigger canoeing and surfing and sharing the stories of this place, Hualālai’s Masters of the Waves—better known as Alaka‘i Nalu (alakai nalu.com)—has grown into one of the most comprehensive ocean sports programs in Hawai‘i. Now this team of expert watermen and women, who operate from their oceanfront base adjacent to the Members-only Hualālai Canoe Club, are surfing on terra firma and inviting Members and guests to join them.
“Early morning, before the golfers venture out, we lead a group of up to nine adventurous souls on OneWheels to catch the curves and gentle sloping terrain on the 15th and 16th holes of the Hualālai Golf Course,” says Trent Fischer, director of Alaka‘i Nalu, who notes that the exciting new program caters to the sports enthusiast. “You’re likely going to fall, probably several times in the first 15 minutes or so, and the ground
BAY WATCH
From stand-up paddleboarding to undersea pursuits, the Alaka‘i Nalu’s sports program makes Hualālai the best base from which to explore Uluweuweu Bay and the Pacific.
IN FULL SWING
Thanks to a cadre of esteemed pros, including assistant director of instruction Scott Bridges (left), world-class coaching is part of every workout at the resort’s new Hualālai Golf Hale and at the long-standing Hualālai Tennis Club.
is not nearly as forgiving as water.” Of course, safety is a priority, and traditional Hawaiian water sports like stand-up paddleboarding and scuba diving remain the group’s primary focus.
The emphasis at the new Hualālai Golf Hale (808.325.8244) is on world-class instruction. When Brady Riggs joined as director of instruction in late 2020, he brought with him more than accolades (Golf Magazine named him one of the “Top 100 Teachers in America” for 14 consecutive years) and expertise (he developed a sophisticated training facility in California); he also brought numerous close relationships with PGA touring pros and the nation’s top teaching pros. “These are Brady’s peers, and he has done a really terrific job in developing a program that showcases them here at Hualālai,” says Brendan Moynahan, director of golf. Members and guests choose from three- or four-day packages that include clinics, demonstrations, and “talk story” sessions, and can “pay to play” with a pro. In 2021, the resort has welcomed PGA Tour instructors Rick Sessinghaus and Terry Rowles, and Hawai‘i native Julie Brooks—the former LPGA Tour player and acclaimed college coach—among others.
It’s been a good year for other sports, too. “If there’s a silver lining to the pandemic, we’ve made a lot of people better players in the past 18 months,” says Mark Willman, head tennis pro at the Hualālai Tennis Club (808.325.8656). Tennis, he says, has enjoyed one of its busiest years ever. “Many of our Members chose to shelter in place here and discovered one of the safest and most satisfying places to play and relieve stress,” he says, noting that the growing popularity of pickleball has led to a reconfiguration of one of the eight tennis courts: as of November 1, court five is home to three pickleball courts. “Our Members and guests want it, so of course, we’re happy to add it to our offerings.”
The list of things to do for 5- to 12-year-olds at Hualālai’s Kids for All Seasons (808.325.8800) is always expanding, too, and increasingly it’s about keeping children off technology, says the program’s assistant manager, Robyn Scott. “Everything we offer is extremely hands-on, from
NOW, MORE THAN EVER, HUALĀLAI.
SEE, TOUCH, FEEL AND SAVOR THE FAMILIAR AND THE REFRESHED. OUR LUXURIOUSLY RENOVATED ROOMS AND SUITES ARE READY FOR THEIR REVEAL. OUTDOOR LIVING SPACES INSPIRED BY NATURE. EXPERIENCE THE LUXURY OF SANCTUARY.
Four Seasons Resort Hualālai 72-100 Ka‘ūpūlehu Drive Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i 96740, U.S.A. Tel. 1 (808) 325-8000 www.fourseasons.com/hualalai
ISLAND WELLNESS
At Hualālai, well-being involves relaxing with a lomilomi massage, shopping for Missoni goods, and enjoying the Ka‘ūpūlehu Cultural Center’s Hawaiian music and dance.
painting and cooking to science projects and arts and crafts,” she says. “We use the entire resort as our playground and learning center. We explore tide pools and enjoy bamboo fishing with the natural resources team, participate in clinics with the tennis pros, and swim at the Seashell pool.”
Time to Unwind
Immerse yourself in new indulgences at the Hualālai Spa (808.325.8440), where the possibilities range from a traditional lomilomi massage or a customized facial to a signature service, such as the Hualālai hot stones treatment or a body scrub that you rinse off in a garden-enveloped outdoor shower. “We recently partnered with Pure Mana Hawai‘i, a Hawai‘i Island producer of fine essential oils and serums, for our use in spa body treatments, with uplifting scents that provide grounding and balance,” says Amanda Schmiege, director of spa and wellness. “The sense of smell resonates with people—it’s something they will remember and associate with their time here at Hualālai.”
The Pure Mana Hawai‘i line is offered at Hualālai’s Seaside Beach and Seaside Luxe (808.325.8549). While you’re there, you can also treat yourself to the latest fashions from nationally and internationally renowned designers. This holiday season, known as Festive Season at Hualālai, will feature a Missoni pop-up at Seaside Luxe. “The pop-up will stay with us for at least six months and, in addition to the iconic clothing line, it will feature many home goods, from towels and wool throws to decorative pillows and furnishings with luxurious Missoni fabrics,” says Susan Welch, director of retail for Hualālai.
Much to Learn
The Four Seasons Resort Hualālai’s newest culinary experience is an educational one, bringing Members and guests together with acclaimed guest chefs from around the country, who showcase their signature cooking styles using Hawaiian ingredients. Each month, the weekend-long
—ROBYN SCOTT
SEA KEEPERS
Hualālai’s Kelsey Makida (left) and her colleagues on the resort’s natural resources team bring guests close to marine life at Kumu Kai.
Chefs in Residence (808.325.8000) includes cooking classes and a menu by the featured chef at ’ULU Ocean Grill. “Hualālai Club Members get a sneak-peek preview of what’s coming up and an advance opportunity to reserve their space,” says Brigeth Brookins, director of food and beverage. Introduced earlier this year, the program has featured the chef-owner of New York City’s Prune, Gabrielle Hamilton; chef-owner of San Francisco’s Slanted Door, Out the Door, and Hard Water, Charles Phan; and chef-owner of Los Angeles’s Antico Nuovo, Chad Colby.
Other ways to learn abound at the Ka‘ūpūlehu Cultural Center (808.325.8520)—the very heart of Hualālai Resort. Located below Hualālai Grille, across from the Four Seasons lobby, the center presents and honors the history, art, and values of ancient Hawaiians. In late 2021, the center’s director, Earl Regidor, anticipates the installation of a navigational star compass below the hotel lobby just mauka (toward the mountains) of the Beach Tree restaurant’s lawn. “This model of the celestial navigation system is being crafted from native wood and will expose many more Members and guests to the story of our ancient Polynesian ocean voyagers,” says Regidor. “We plan to offer regularly scheduled lectures at the site once it is in place.”
Talks also are part of the unique experience that is Hualālai’s new Kumu Kai Marine Center (808.325.8427), near King’s Pond. These NERD (Nature, Environment, Resources, and Design) talks, led by the resort’s natural resources team, take place twice daily at the tide-pool touch tank. Much of the learning here is hands on, but some things— the 120-gallon display tanks, for example—cannot be experienced quite so close up. “One tank contains not-so-nice marine critters people should keep a distance from—spiny urchins and cone shells among them,” explains husbandry specialist Kelsey Makida. Such encounters are among the latest offshoots of the natural resources program, which has been integral to Hualālai Resort from the very beginning. More than 25 years ago, the team’s director, David Chai, was tasked with surveying and revitalizing the property’s anchialine ponds—a first step in building an environmentally conscious resort that today teems with one-of-a-kind experiences, from mauka to makai.
CUSTOM HOME BUILDING
LICENSE#BC23947
Hualālai’s private homes are pillars of a life rich in perspective.
BY LORI BRYAN
● ● ● The premise was simple but profound: “All the buildings should sit lightly on the land.” This, notes Rob Kildow, was one of Hualālai’s founding principles when the resort community was being conceptualized more than a quarter century ago. It is also, significantly, how life continues at the 800-plus-acre property today, 25 years since the resort’s debut and the community’s first residential sales.
“Originally this place was approved for 1,100 units,” explains Kildow, Hualālai Realty’s principal broker and director of sales, but “ultimately it’ll be about 500.” Fewer residences than
the original low-density plan called for—that, he says, is what homeowners wanted as the community grew.
The result of their wishes is an expansive ocean- and mountain-view retreat that breathes natural beauty. With their low profiles and complementary palettes, the properties—fairway villas, coastal estates, custom homesites—mesh seamlessly with their surroundings, paying homage to Hawai‘i’s lava-rock-edged seascape and giving residents prime vantage points to soak up Hawai‘i’s inimitable indoor-outdoor lifestyle.
“People that purchase here are the most discriminating buyers in the world,” Kildow says, “and it’s the connection between the inside and outside space that calls them home to Hualālai.”
A Hualālai homeowner himself with his wife, Barbara, Kildow understands the lifestyle’s appeal firsthand: “We never close the glass doors at our place—that’s why we live here,” he says. “We rarely turn the AC on. We basically have a six-degree temperature swing between winter and summer. You can come here anytime and feel something very similar every day. You can design a home with that in mind. You’re not going to see these designs in Aspen.”
Designs at Hualālai tend to incorporate “big pocket doors that open to the lānai,” he says. “When you come into the home, you’re looking through it to the ocean—you get this big, expansive, inviting feel.” There’s a connectedness, a flow that carries you from the kitchen and great room to the lānai just outside,
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: ANNA PACHECO; HENRY HOUGHTON (TOP LEFT/RIGHT); HEATHER MORSE
Expansive windows and outdoor showers bring the outside in.
across an indoor-outdoor boundary that is barely perceptible. Sea vistas are the rule with few exceptions.
Many Hualālai homes also have outdoor showers. In fact, the Kildows like theirs so much, they’ve all but ignored the shower inside their home. “The indoor shower in our place—we’ve never used it in the 21 years we’ve lived here. I’m sure it doesn’t even work,” he laughs. “We just sort of pass through it heading to our outdoor shower.” It’s a small but telling example, he says, of how the architecture helps tune you in to something beyond your four walls.
The siting of every property—whether a $1.75 million ocean-facing villa or a custom oceanfront estate priced north of $30 million—is also key to that connection. “The spacing here, the open-space feel—they did a great job with the land plan,” says Kildow. “They didn’t have to manipulate the land for the ocean views; the site has such a nice, natural grade to it. Especially if you built a home, you were able to take advantage of all the view aspects.
“Your perspective broadens as you spend time here,” he continues. “What drew us here initially was the beauty, the consistent weather, the people.” And it’s the latter—the sense of community and aloha spirit—that is perhaps the strongest pull for owners like the Kildows. The Hualālai Ohana Foundation, he points out, is homeowners uniting in support of the resort’s employees and their families. Over two decades, the owners have helped more than 8,600 people with medical and educational needs; in 2020 alone, that aid amounted to more than $1,165,000 in awards. This year, the owners have already raised about $1 million to support the Hawai‘i Island Humane Society, for which Barbara Kildow is co-chair of the fundraising effort.
“It speaks to our neighbors, their generosity, the culture, the heart and soul of the place,” says Rob Kildow. “Everybody hears it differently; I just call it heart and soul.”
The indoor-outdoor flow of a Hualālai home attunes residents to what’s beyond their walls.
Hualälai Resort Seaside Boutiques
GREAT SEASCAPE
A stunning Hualālai estate with more than 8,000 square feet of interior living space includes this
great room looking out to seemingly endless sea and sky—and a 25-meter pool. Swimming laps
surrounded by natural beauty is an exercise in freedom, and the lānai’s lounge space and pizza
oven enhance the carefree vibe. Incredibly private, the six-bedroom oceanfront residence on a
42,483-square-foot lot overlooks the 16th and 17th holes of the Hualālai Golf Course, which flows
away from the property down the fairway. The sense of seclusion may keep residents happily
ensconced at home, but amenities like the Members-only Hualālai Canoe Club and the Alaka‘i
Nalu Adventures ocean-pursuits base are steps away when the mood strikes.
Hualälai Realty Celebrating 25 years
dive into Hawaii Blue
THE TEAM
Rob Kildow R(B) Regina Stuard R(B) Ku’uipo Valenzuela R(S)Chieko Madenokoji R(S) Vivian Tobias R(S) April Carty
STOP BY OUR OFFICE NEAR THE HUALĀLAI TRADING COMPANY
WATCH US ON THE IN-ROOM REAL ESTATE CHANNEL 2
CALL US AT 808.325.8500
HAWAIIJeff Bacawag Shane Stack
Four Seasons Resort at Hualalai Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
MAUI
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
OR VISIT US AT HUALALAIREALTY.COM
OAHU
The Kahala Hotel and Resort Halekulani Hotel
