HAWAII'S BIG ISLAND II: Resorts of the Kohala Coast

HAWAII'S BIG ISLAND II
Resorts of the Kohala Coast
Story and photography
by Margaret & Eric Anderson

The Hapuna Beach Prince is developing a Xerox Business Center and gives AOL devotees internet access for 75c, the price of a local call. It also has, arguably, the best seafood restaurant on the coast with a Seafood Fest Neptune himself would enjoy. The Ocean Terrace restaurant is also a good place to experiment with Japanese food -available as part of the buffet. You could start with miso soup which is made from dashi, a fish broth, and a soy based curd, the result being what locals call "Japanese coffee."


"Visitors coming to the Kohala Coast need to ask themselves what they want from their vacation," says Aven Wright-McIntosh, marketing manager for the Mauna Kea Beach and Hapuna Beach Prince resorts. "For example, ours is not the spot for night life. But if you want good food, excellent service, outdoor or beach quiet times alone, you've found the right place." Wright-McIntosh welcomes the chance to catch those driving past with white knuckles in convertibles and get them to slow down. "Koi ponds are not hectic," she says.

	Art can be soothing, too. The Asian art on display at the Mauna Kea Beach is stunning. Wooden carvings are found around every corner to charm strollers the way fountains delight in European cities like Rome. And you'll be strolling plenty! All the resorts are spacious. You won't put on weight in their restaurants; you'll have burned it off by the time you get to your room.

	Art is prominently displayed, too, at the Orchid at Mauna Lani on the beach further south. Guests there can also saunter along the corridors and take in the gorgeous furnishings and art of this hotel which started as a Ritz-Carlton. Its classical heritage still shows. The Orchid has now developed its Spa Without Walls where a Kona Coffee exfoliation rates high on the offerings.

	If the surf isn't running high Orchid guests can sign up for a "voyage of discovery" on a double-hulled sailing canoe, Hahalua Lele, or just lie languidly on the beaches and watch the sunsets. The Orchid at Mauna Lani and the Mauna Kea Beach Resort have, by far, the best beaches. It's harder to rate the sunsets: probably the most photographed one is the Orchid's from its popular restaurant, Brown's Beach House. Next beach down sprawls the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel restaurant, the Canoe House, which has been voted "best restaurant on the Big Island" three times by Honolulu Magazine. Don't just marvel at its sunsets. Look up when you're dining there; a beautifully carved ocean-going sailing canoe takes up most of the ceiling.