Originally Posted by
MDTyKe
I suppose it depends what you define as a "clear leader in luxury." I happen to think the KV rooms look like something out of an IKEA showroom. The grossly incorrect history on in-room goodies, and next-to-zero true Hawaiian influence or staff who want anything to do with it push me, as a local, away.
The old KV was very, very different, and had actual Polynesian families living amongst the hales, ensuring deep involvement and protectionism of the area. The new KV has none of that. Different strokes for different folks for sure.
Yes, but the old KV also lacked air conditioning and banned the use of electronic devices, while the new KV has wonderfully frigid air conditioning, and no one will yell at you for browsing your tablet by the pool.
The new Hale design was done with two purposes in mind - keep as much of the original Hale design and concept as possible, and make sure the Hales were LEED certified and used as much sustainable materials and resources as possible. The design concept brings together luxury and rustic, which is definitely not an easy combination to pull off, but based on my personal experience and assessment, I think they did a great job.
There is a cultural program onsite with demonstrations and classes, which wasn't ready when I visited in July so I did not have a chance to compare it with Hualalai, and the Luau is/was being designed by the local community to ensure the program was not based on "tourist style" luaus, but was more focused on a traditional family luau experience - and I offered some of my own suggestions on how to pull that off, but I believe as of my visit, and perhaps even currently, the program is still a work in progress.