Hawaii Hotels
For this interview, I spoke with Jacqui Weidman, a New York City-based travel agent recently invited to Hawaii by the Rosewood Hotel Group to tour its new property in Kona. While there, she also visited neighboring properties and flew to Maui to see the Four Seasons. We discussed five properties in Hawaii: Rosewood’s Kona Village, Four Seasons Hualalai, Auberge’s Mauna Lani, Four Seasons Maui, and Four Seasons Lanai, which she visited on a separate trip.
I have been to Hawaii twice before, once to Maui when I was sixteen and then again to Maui and Lanai about twenty years ago. I haven't been back since because I found the hotel product didn't make up for the long flight. However, there are many new and refreshed properties in Hawaii, and I know plenty of guests who love it—especially the excellent weather, beautiful beaches, hiking opportunities, and golf. As my family loves golfing and hiking, I plan to go again at some point.
How did you get to Hawaii from NYC?
I flew on United from New York City with a connection in Denver. I wanted to get directly to Kona, which Denver offered, but it was a mistake. The United planes in use in Denver were old and awful, even in business class. Passengers were sitting backward and facing each other, so no one had any privacy. After landing in Kona, the car ride to the hotel was twenty minutes.
I recommend flying nonstop to Honolulu from New York, which United, Delta, and Hawaiian Air offer. To get home, I flew nonstop to New York from Honolulu, and the United planes were much better. They had pods and a one-two-one seating configuration in the cabin.
How many nights were you on the ground in Hawaii?
I was there for four nights: the Rosewood event was three nights, and then I spent a night in Maui.
What did you think of Kona?
Kona was an amazing island. Geographically, it was large and moderately populated, but not in the sense that Maui was populated. It felt empty in comparison, but there were cities, communities, and neighborhoods.
Your first stop was Kona Village, which is owned by Rosewood. Hadn’t they recently finished a renovation?
A tsunami in 2011 destroyed the original Kona property. Rosewood Hotels came in and reimagined the resort, and this new version was one of their flagship properties. Next door, there was Four Seasons Hualalai and a Discovery Land property.
Describe the vibe of the property.
It was a very toes-in-the-sand, low-key but elegant resort.
I am assuming you saw all the different room categories. Can you give us some details?
The room product was amazing. The decor, the fixtures, and the layout were all great. The size of the bathroom was fantastic, as was the closet size. The amenities were good, and every room had an outdoor shower.
There were four types of accommodations: garden view, lagoon view, ocean view, and oceanfront—the latter were directly on the beach.
Each room was a freestanding pod, so there were no connecting rooms. However, they offered suites with multiple bedrooms, which would be ideal for families. The lowest-priced room was a single stand-alone king.
What activities did Kona Village offer? Did you get a chance to try any?
As I said, it was a toes-in-the-sand resort, so there was not a lot of programming. They could arrange activities outside of the resort for guests, though. We went on a fantastic hike through the volcano's craters with a third-party purveyor.
Kona Village had water sports, like sailing, paddleboarding, and boating, as well as tennis and pickleball. They didn’t have a golf course but said they could get you into Four Seasons Hualalai next door to play golf.
There was also whale watching. I haven’t been, but I heard people loved it. Guests could go via helicopter or boat. In the helicopter, you’d hover right over the whales or dolphins. In the boat, they would swim alongside.
Would you say that this resort was more for couples or families? Was it better for older children, or were there activities that young kids would enjoy?
This resort was more for couples or families with older children uninterested in nightlife—or families with babies who just wanted to relax. There was not a lot of action going on.
How many restaurants were on the property? How was the food?
There were two restaurants on-site and two bars. Like every hotel in Hawaii, Kona Village had a little breakfast bar that served coffee, beautiful pastries, fruit, etc. It was an alternative to a sit-down breakfast. The restaurants were evolving. The quality of the food was really good, but they were fine-tuning their assortment. They had just opened, so they were trying to refine their menu and wanted to make sure they hit the mark on everything. They had just brought in an executive from the Rosewood Mayakoba to help with the transition. They were focused on making the experience fantastic, on par with the Rosewood Mayakoba. They also had just hired a new director of food and beverage.
Were there any restaurants off-property that you recommend?
There were several destination restaurants that repeat guests visit every year and are often hard to book, such as Merriman’s. There were also farmers’ markets that people like to visit to see the local produce, as well as Da Poke Shack, a little roadside spot famous for its poke.
Was there a gym at the resort?
There were two small but nice gyms. They were modern with up-to-date equipment.
How did you get around the property?
The resort was very spread out, so guests used bicycles. There were also golf carts, but more should have been available. Because it was so spread out, for instance, the gym, the main dining room, and other features were difficult to find in the morning or at night – whenever it wasn’t fully bright out. I believe they were working on putting more lights in.
I would assume that because you were invited by the Rosewood, the service was a ten out of ten.
The service was a ten. The staff had great attention to detail. They were still working out some kinks, as the resort had just opened, but they were focused on making it perfect.
Did you also tour Four Seasons Hualalai? What did you think of it compared to the Rosewood?
I visited Four Seasons Hualalai for the day. It was next door to Kona Village, about twenty minutes from the airport. The hotel was built in the 70s – and looks like it – but they’ve tried to make it as modern as possible. It was denser than Kona Village, meaning less spread out, and there was so much more going on.
What was the layout like? What were the room options?
The golf course went right through the back of the hotel, and there were four different groupings of rooms, each surrounding a pool. The buildings were constructed decades ago, so they have a bit of a Brady Bunch vibe. That being said, the interiors have been renovated and modernized. I would say the standard rooms felt like a typical room built in 2018. They were large, and they all had pull-out couches, perfect for traveling with kids.
Four Seasons Hualalai also had suites, two-bedroom suites, and villas that were stylistically better than the standard rooms. There were also homes that you could rent individually or through the resort.
One difference between the two properties was beach access. While Kona Village was right beside the beach, Four Seasons Hualalai had a walkway that separated the rest of the resort from the beach.
How did it compare to Kona Village in terms of activities? Was there anything special offered?
There was so much to do at Four Seasons Hualalai. It is magical for families with teenagers and kids. They had tennis, pickleball, and golf, and the gym was humongous. The shopping was excellent. They had this cute general store with an old-fashioned gas pump outside for guests who rent cars. They had multiple restaurants on the property, and supposedly, one was better than the next.
Four Seasons Hualalai was very into their pools. One of the pools had ocean water feeding into it, and another had fish and sting rays in the pool itself, so guests could scuba dive in an enclosed space.
They also had a beachfront area, separated by a walkway from the rest of the resort. The walkway seemed perfect for morning walks and exercise.
Moving on to the third property you visited, the Auberge’s Mauna Lani reopened about two years ago after a complete renovation. What did you think of it?
The Mauna Lani underwent a massive renovation from 2018 to 2020 but was closed until the fall of 2022 because of the pandemic. It was thirty minutes past Kona Village and Four Seasons Hualalai. Compared to other Auberge properties, this property was huge. It was a high-rise on the beach with 300+ rooms. It was not the most sophisticated Auberge hotel, but the rooms were very nice. It would be perfect for someone looking for a five-star Hawaiian experience for under $1000 a night or for a large group.
What were the activities offered?
The Mauna Lani offered surfing right on the beach, two golf courses, a huge pickle and tennis center, a spa, and a gym. It also had a village with shops and restaurants. There was a mini market and a GOOP store on the property. CanoeHouse was their big-draw restaurant; I’ve had clients who asked to go back while staying at a different property in the area.
How was the beach?
Beautiful. It was a very nice beach. The sand was whiter than at Kona Village, which had black sand. It was also wider than the beach at Four Seasons Hualalai.
Another property you visited was Four Seasons Maui. What did you think of it?
I was pleasantly surprised by Four Seasons Maui. The last time I was there was in 1992, when it had just opened. The hotel was a high-rise but had five-star service; the spa, food, amenities, and shops were great. If I lived on the West Coast, it would be a perfect choice for a hotel, as you take an easy, nonstop flight there.
What were the rooms like?
They had regular rooms and suites. Consider asking for an ocean-view room, as otherwise, you might overlook the parking lot.
I know that Maui has more than a couple of hotels. Did the area feel busy?
It was a very developed area with hotels on either side. Like Four Seasons Hualalai, a walkway ran along the beach parallel to the water. You could stroll past the various hotels – Waldorf, Andaz, etc. None of these other properties were at the same level as this Four Seasons.
What activities were offered?
It had a golf course about five minutes away, and nearby was a massive mall with Gucci, Louboutin, and other luxury stores. The hotel offered all the classic water sports, and guests could outsource other activities, such as hiking. Hawaii Forest and Trail is one of the best hiking companies, and I heard they have branches on most of the islands.
Turning to the final resort we’ll discuss today, you visited Four Seasons Lanai on a separate trip to Hawaii. Can you tell us a little about the island itself?
Lanai is almost 100% owned by Larry Ellison – including the town, Four Seasons Lanai, and Sensei Lanai (another Four Seasons property focused on wellness). So the workers, even in the town, are all employees of the Lanai Hotel. Everything on the island revolves around tourism.
How could guests reach Lanai?
Guests could fly Lanai Airways. They had two planes that go back and forth to Oahu, shuttling guests all day long. The only potential issue is the weather. The day we were supposed to arrive, there was such bad cloud cover that planes couldn’t land. In that case, guests just stay another night in Oahu or Lanai.
@fslanai
Can you describe the property?
The property was phenomenal. It was everything you would expect from a newly redone, beautiful hotel. They had great golf, a gym, a spa, exercise classes – anything you could want, amenity-wise. On the property, there was a Nobu and a steakhouse. It was an amazing destination hotel, definitely worth the twelve-hour flight.
How were the rooms? Any tips for which room to book?
The rooms at Four Seasons Lanai were some of the most beautifully decorated I’ve seen. They were pretty spread out, and you want to be in one of the ‘lower’ buildings. I believe the higher buildings were seven and eight, so you want to be in three, four, five, or six instead.
@fslanai
What were some of the activities Four Seasons Lanai offered?
Hiking was wonderful in Lanai, especially the beautiful sunrise hike. There was ATVing, which was always a big hit. Boating and surfing were offered, too. There was a little town with shopping, restaurants, etcetera.
If someone is planning to visit Hawaii, how do you recommend they organize their trip?
If they have children, I recommend five days at Four Seasons Hualalai and then five days in Lanai.
If they don’t have children, I recommend five days at Rosewood’s Kona Village and then five days in Lanai.
If their priority is to be cost-aware, I recommend the Auberge’s Mauna Lani or Four Seasons Honolulu. I haven’t visited Four Seasons Honolulu, but I have read that it is very well-priced. Seeing Honolulu is also worth it; you can visit Pearl Harbor and go to the North Shore to see the surfers.
If you had to pick, what are the top three activities you’ve found guests love the most?
ATVing in Lanai – you get to explore the entire island.
Swimming in the various pools at Four Seasons Hualalai – such as the ocean water pool and the swimmable aquarium!
Any kind of hike is amazing.
Surfing!
My son Harrison in Lanai circa 2003. We will have to go back someday and recreate the picture! He’s grown a little bit…