FIVE-STAR HAWAIIAN RESORT PROVIDES EVERY LUXURY UNDER THE SUN

There are elite resorts, and then there’s the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. Located on the Big Island’s Kona-Kohala coast, Hualalai is the only AAA Five-Diamond and Forbes Five-Star resort on Hawaii, and it is paradise personified. With an endless array of activities, top-notch facilities and a welcoming staff dedicated to making every visitor’s stay memorable, the one-of-a-kind getaway offers everything a person could ever want or need.

From relaxing on a soothing 2,640-foot beach or by one of its renowned pools, sampling the freshest and tastiest of cuisines to playing golf on a Jack Nicklaus-designed course or experiencing Hawaiian culture, Four Seasons Hualalai has it all. Want to take a helicopter ride over an active volcano or ride horseback through an ancient valley? Well, that’s available at Hualalai as well.

The biggest challenge of staying at the world-renown resort may be stumping the friendly staff by choosing an activity the property does not provide. “It’s a very special place,” says Hualalai General Manager Robert Whitfield. “These days, there are so many fabulous places all over the world. You may get a resort that has a wonderful beach, a great spa or great golf course. Lots of resorts have one really compelling feature, but the thing with Hualalai is that there’s nothing missing. Whether it’s activities like golf or tennis or a great spa, it’s here – and it’s here to a different level. “Every day I walk around this place and can’t help but feel very lucky to be working here.”

An aesthetic joy featuring everything that is intrinsically Hawaiian, Hualalai provides its visitors a much-needed escape from the rigors of the busy working world and a chance to be pampered with the highest level of quality and care. “Because of the architecture and the landscaping, this resort is very, very relaxing,” Whitfield says. “You see people come from their busy lives, and maybe their intention is to play golf every day or explore, but it’s so relaxing, they choose to just decompress. They hang out by the pool or the beach. You no only see them decompress, but recharge as well. That’s really a wonderful thing.” Whitfield says what sets Hualalai apart from other elite resorts is a combination of great service from its 1,100 employees and incomparable amenities.

“We use the phrase ‘the luxury lifestyle perfected’ a lot,” Whitfield says. “The fact that we’ve got incredible facilities is one thing, but when it’s topped off with that special Four Seasons service, it really takes it to a different level. We have a knack for being able to anticipate people’s needs and provide services for things they didn’t even know they needed or wanted.” Hualalai has been rewarded for its excellence, receiving dozens of awards from organizations and media entities around the globe. Whitfield says that attention to detail and servicing visitors’ needs like nowhere else is the resort’s chief goal. “It’s wonderful to get those awards, and they’re great recognition for what we do,” Whitfield says. “However, the most important thing for us I every single guest’s experience. It’s all very well and good having trophies in the cabinet, but if the guest who’s checking out isn’t leaving with a great impression and telling his/her friends about what an amazing experience they had, then the trophies aren’t worth much. “The most important part is the people, and we’re fortunate to have an incredible group of loyal employees who really live, breathe and share the Aloha spirit every day. That’s what brings Hawaii to life.”

AMAZING ROOMS
With 192 guest rooms beginning at 635 square feet and 51 suites and villas ranging from 1,050 to 6,100 square feet, Hualalai has lavish accommodations to serv the needs of its multitude of guests. The rooms feature furnished lanais, slate floors and natural hardwood trim, as well as granite bathrooms with deep soaking tubs, dual vanities and glass-encased showers. Throw in outdoor gardens, lava rock showers, flat-screen TVs with Bose entertainment systems and wireless Internet, and the largely oceanfront rooms are a happy haven for guests. Many visitors decide to make Hualalai a permanent second home, and there are 270 million-dollar residences adjacent to the resort to serve that purpose. “We have a residential product here, and just about every person who owns a home started out as a resort guest,” Whitfield says. “That’s a compelling story.”

ELITE POOLS AND SPA
The resort is renowned for its vastly different pools, which are tailored for varying types of guests and age groups. From a children’s poolside pampering can come in a number of ways. The Palm Grove Pool is a 40’ x 50’ adults-only pool that features a Jacuzzi, 2,500-square-foot deck made from Brazilian ipe hardwood and basalt planking, 24 chaise lounges, seven daybeds in semi-private areas, a swim-up bar, bench seating within the pool and a pair of hammocks. With gardenia and plumeria in abundance, the area provides a natural aromatherapy that helps carry visitors’ troubles away.

Speaking of stress relief, Hualalai’s award-winning spa is yet another welcoming environment where travelers can recharge amidst a garden of lush greenery. The 28,000-square-foot spa – which has received Forbes’ Four-Star rating for seven consecutive years – features a litany of apothecary spa treatments in 28 treatment rooms, as well as a “Water of Life” garden called Waiea. The treatment rooms include two couples’ hales, complete with dual outdoor showers, a Japanese soaking tub and private garden for dining. You simply have to relax – and be pampered.

ENDLESS ARRAY OF ACTIVITIES
If there’s an activity you want to experience, Hualalai can accommodate your desire. Whether it’s zip-lining, hiking, snorkeling, or deep-sea fishing excursions, the resort has the best of everything at your beck and call. Numerous activities for children, including the Kids for All Seasons clubhouse and the Junior Alaka’I Nalu program for active teenagers, provide dozens of fun entertainment options for visitors’ children to enjoy. The resort offers boutique shopping at the spa, with an array of products from renowned desigers such as Tory Burch, James Purse and Diane von Furstenberg featured. At the high-end Seaside Luxe, lines like Pucci, Missonia and Zac Posen are available in abundance, as well as jewelry from Irene Neuwirth and children’s beachwear, just waiting to be plucked up. Hualalai Trading Company, located next to the Hualalai Spa and Sports Club, also provides a number of products guests may want or need. Guests can also enjoy Lake Punawai, a three-million-gallon man-made pond built in 2001 that is its own mini ecosystem. The lake, which won an EPA award in 2005, is yet another aesthetic beauty visitors will love. Named the “best Hotel for Staying Fit” by SHAPE magazine in February 2010, Hualalai has three separate 1,300 square-foot gyms, a wide range of fitness classes, eight tennis courts, a four-lane fitness pool, rock-climbing wall, half basketball court and a sand volleyball court. If that’s not enough, guests can tee off at the Hualalai Golf Course, a Jack Nicklaus-designed picturesque layout measuring more than 7,100 yards.

NATURAL, FRESH FOOD
It’s hard to find fresher food than what Hualalai and its staff is able to provide its guests. From delicious seafood of all types to the freshest fruits and vegetables, Hualalai’s impressive restaurants have it all. The Pahu i’a restaurant – named the best restaurant on Hawaii Island by Zagat Survey – is a seafood-centric oceanfront establishment that uses 90 percent locally sourced ingredients. The Beach Tree restaurant was added in 2010 and provides “barefoot elegance” for visitors who want to enjoy al fresco beach dining. The Lava Lounge, located above Pahu i’a, offers casual dining and drinks along with amazing sunset views. Visitors can also utilize the Residents’ Beach House and Hualalai Coffee Company to satisfy their food cravings. “The fundamental food philosophy for this resort is the Farm to Table concept,” Whitfield says. “More than 75 percent of our fresh food, produce and meat is sourced locally from this island. We’re buying it because it’s local and it’s fantastic. “We’re very lucky that we have an incredible community of farmers committed to supporting the hotel by growing extremely high quality products. Our guests definitely appreciate that.”

ECO-FRIENDLY
In addition to partnering with local farmers, Hualalai also partners with a local non-profit, Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods, in an effort to see that up to 500,000 koa trees are planted. As legacy trees, they will not be harvested and will live out their life in the native Hawaiian forest, contributing to the lush beauty of the island and guaranteeing preservation of the species. This conservation effort is part of Four Seasons’ global effort to see that 10 million trees are planted around the world in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

Lush, aesthetically beautiful and abounding with amenities. “If you were going to use one word to describe Hualalai,” says Whitfield, “paradise is probably as close as you could get.”