Four Seasons Hualalai
Nov 17, 2017, 3:33 pm
Many of the Costa Rica Luxury properties also can be within a 5-6 hr nonstop flight of LAX. Mukul in Nicaragua takes longer but also has far nicer accommodations, much greater value, and a far more remote location than anything in Hawaii.
The StR Punta Mita is as nice if not nicer than the overall offerings at the FS Hualalai or almost any Hawaiian luxury hotel. The only thing it can’t beat is the incredible view that the StR Princeville has...even though that’s a much older property. The FS Hualalai doesn’t have anything but a view of the ocean like almost every hotel in Hawaii and Mexico.
Hawaii luxury hotels charge a premium because demand is so high due to customers with your same sentiments—but the product isn’t always or even usually as good as it can be elsewhere, because it doesn’t have to be! Customers are enamored with the ease and simplicity of Hawaii and so just demand it, regardless of the lower value proposition, let alone the lower luxury proposition! Convenience and familiarity comes with a cost, too. Hualalai and especially the FS Hualalai entice a lot of people who want easy and domestic and/or who are terrified of “high crime” in Mexico who don’t really understand what they often might be missing...or how much nicer it can be elsewhere within range.
i think it’s great that you love the FS Hualalai. But when you’ve stayed in more places within the range of distance you describe, it becomes more evident that there’s a lot out there that can put the FS Hualalai a bit to shame. Especially around the holidays!
StR Punta Mita has a stunning hard product at first blush, but I'd argue with you that service is any better than Hualalai. In fact, I've found the F&B / service value proposition there to be quite poor - sure, there's butler service, but also many service lapses and impersonal touches. Also, if you ever get suite accommodations there, most if not all have connecting room doors with severe noise bleedover that the hotel acknowledges is an issue. Noise from neighbors is as much as deal-killer for me as insufficient A/C is for you.
FS Punta Mita has a dated layout (I like to avoid monolithic structures in favor of intimate bungalows or even cottages when "getting away from it all"). Cabo has too much a "see and be seen" vibe even if Ventanas is an oasis. But more importantly, Cabo suffers from its arid location - to me, tropical means lush vegetation not xeriscaping.
Once we start talking Costa Rica and Nicaragua, the convenience factor becomes an issue. Maybe not as much from LAX. But there, it's a more difficult proposition doing off-site activities given the condition of roads and transportation options / safety.
Nov 17, 2017, 4:48 pm
StR Punta Mita has a stunning hard product at first blush, but I'd argue with you that service is any better than Hualalai. In fact, I've found the F&B / service value proposition there to be quite poor - sure, there's butler service, but also many service lapses and impersonal touches. Also, if you ever get suite accommodations there, most if not all have connecting room doors with severe noise bleedover that the hotel acknowledges is an issue. Noise from neighbors is as much as deal-killer for me as insufficient A/C is for you.
FS Punta Mita has a dated layout (I like to avoid monolithic structures in favor of intimate bungalows or even cottages when "getting away from it all"). Cabo has too much a "see and be seen" vibe even if Ventanas is an oasis. But more importantly, Cabo suffers from its arid location - to me, tropical means lush vegetation not xeriscaping.
Once we start talking Costa Rica and Nicaragua, the convenience factor becomes an issue. Maybe not as much from LAX. But there, it's a more difficult proposition doing off-site activities given the condition of roads and transportation options / safety.
I think this may be a case of seeing what you want to see, since Hualalai often looks as xeriscaped and forced in landscaping as anything in Cabo! If you want to argue that you prefer tropical, the Kona side of Hawaii seems to contradict that stated preference.
I also don’t agree with you about the service at Hualalai, nor do I agree necessarily about the humidity—since summer on Hawaii can also mean no trade winds and bad humidity. And then there’s Cabo without humidity at all, which you don’t like for other reasons.
Your concern about safety in Nicaragua and Costa Rica--which are extremely safe--goes to my point that Hawaii is for the mass luxury audience who wants to play it safe and prefers to stay in the comfortable confines of the American nation. For too many, going south of the border makes them uncomfortable for any number of reasons, few of which are as rational as they often prefer to believe. To each, their own...but that mass luxury audience to which you belong is also why demand is so high for Hualalai and why all of the luxury properties in Hawaii can coast on their laurels and have drops in service and amenities and STILL be at 100% occupancy for much of the year--with the exorbitant rates to match. Mexico and the other locations offer far better products, far more luxury, and still at better prices.
My last stay at Hualalai in summer saw them run out of rum, have poor food and beverage, poor air con, noise from other rooms (which can happen almost anywhere), poor management responses, and crowded conditions beyond belief. Say what you want, but I’ve been many times to the StR Punta Mita (and return this Jan) and the food and beverage, as well as service, has been superior every time—and it never has felt crowded, even when it was at 100% occupancy over Thanksgiving. You can never say that about Hualalai.
I’d argue you simply are used to Hualalai and just don’t want to consider other options—which is perfectly appropriate and your right to do, of course. But it doesn’t mean that the FS Hualalai service, food and beverage, accommodations, and overall luxury factor are nearly as good as you ascribe to it when compared with almost all of the Mexican properties we’ve named. FS Hualalai is convenient to you, but it isn’t nearly as luxurious or as impressive a build or for food and beverage or overall service delivery as the Mexican properties. To my mind, I agree with @KatW that nothing in Hawaii does.
On the other hand, I adore you for using the word, “xeriscape.”
Last edited by bhrubin; Nov 17, 2017 at 5:17 pm
Nov 17, 2017, 9:30 pm
It is true many Hawaiian resorts cultivate lots of green grass (which is not native) and palm trees (also not native) and other tropical green landscaping. It is pleasant.
As for the Cabo's "see and be seen" vibe noted above, well, wow. In my experience most choose to be not seen and abide in the luxe resorts therefore.
Yes, Cabo is xeriscaped in general, as is the case with many tropical environs. Greener environs may be prefered, of course. But you could be missing something.
Anyway, wishing you grand holidays.
Last edited by RichardInSF; Nov 24, 2017 at 8:15 am Reason: consecutive posts by same member
Nov 18, 2017, 10:39 am
Yes, Cabo is xeriscaped in general, as is the case with many tropical environs. Greener environs may be prefered, of course. But you could be missing something.
Anyway, wishing you grand holidays.
Nov 18, 2017, 11:35 am
Nov 18, 2017, 11:59 am
Unless it’s a W, of course.
I think both FS Hualalai and Pedregal are pretty tranquil properties for the most part, actually.
My husband had a very relaxing and peaceful stay when he was at Pedregal. There was quite a raucous group when we stayed at FS Hualalai and even once at Las Ventanas, actually, but I’d never characterize either as likely to be commonplace. Our other stays at Las Ventanas were quite tranquil overall.
Scaling up and making broad broad assumptions about a place from a limited sample size is dangerous and can lead to inaccurate assumptions. I tell students that all the time when judging college campuses. I think that lesson also applies here.
Nov 22, 2017, 6:02 pm
Nov 22, 2017, 7:53 pm
Nov 23, 2017, 6:39 am
The Ellison additions have really upgraded the resort in terms of decor and food. The rooms are second-to-none in terms of hard product. They are, as Isadore Sharp proclaimed the nicest rooms in the FS group.
We only stayed three nights (long for us in any place) but really enjoyed the resort. It's above anything currently in Hawaii as far as hotels go.
Nov 23, 2017, 9:47 pm
The Ellison additions have really upgraded the resort in terms of decor and food. The rooms are second-to-none in terms of hard product. They are, as Isadore Sharp proclaimed the nicest rooms in the FS group.
We only stayed three nights (long for us in any place) but really enjoyed the resort. It's above anything currently in Hawaii as far as hotels go.
Nov 24, 2017, 6:24 pm
Make sure you go to the golf club for lunch one day...gorgeous views. We also rented a jeep for the day and drove around the island. I would also recommend Blue Ginger cafe in town for a homestyle lunch (manager is a friendly Stanford grad who helps run his family cafe).
Glad I inspired you to experience FS Lanai
Jul 3, 2019, 1:20 pm
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka'upulehu
72-100 Ka'upulehu Drive Kailua-Kona, HI US 96740
Trip Report: Four Seasons Hualalai (Hawaii) (16 Photos)
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka'upulehu
Intro
Last year, we reached out to this forum to plan a first snorkeling trip for our 7 year old. We received many great suggestions and ultimately decided on the Four Seasons Hualalai largely because of the resort’s King’s Pond. It worked well for us because I’d never been to Hawaii before and UA had many first class award options that were lay-flat and easy to book. We found the resort to be incredibly beautiful and loved the natural Hawaiian feel, dark woods, lava rock, lush landscaping, etc.
DavidO made our FS Preferred Partner reservation and helped us request a specific room.
Four Seasons Hualalai
Flowers
Oceanfront Room 101
We’ve been lucky enough to book suites for the last several years with our son. But this time, with ocean view Superior Suites going for $3000-$5000 per night, we opted for an Oceanfront Room instead. As soon as we walked in, our little boy asked ”Where’s my room?” and “Where do I sleep?”. It turned out fine though as we were able to remove the mattress from the rollaway bed and place it head first in the walk-in closet. It fit about 3/4 of the way and gave us all just enough privacy come bed time.
Oceanfront Room 101 is the most requested accommodation at Hualalai because of its proximity to the water, spectacular view and privacy. It sits at the tail end of the resort where the green sea turtles come ashore to nap. Room 101 is a ground floor unit with a lanai, a small manicured lawn and it’s own daybed just steps from the beach. The room itself is a respectable 635 square feet and decorated in dark island woods. There is a large granite bathroom with a separate tub and shower and best of all…a lava rock garden out the back complete with orchids, bamboo, and an additional romantic shower (which is fun for kids, too!)
While the rooms are often discussed as being overdue for refurbishment, we didn’t see any signs of wear or tear and we were happy with the decor.
101 Bedroom
101 Lava Rock Garden
101 Lanai and Daybed
101 Exterior
Service
Like the rest of Hawaii, this was a very busy place and there seemed to always be some kind of event. There weren’t any conferences when we were there but there was a wedding every night! We didn’t expect the staff to know our names (and they generally didn’t) but service was excellent, kind and helpful. When there was a simple mistake on our room service order, the item was taken off our bill. A small mistake on our final invoice was similarly credited when all we asked them to do was change the amount. There were special child and adult amenities waiting for us when we checked in including treats, sparkling wine, toys, appropriately sized robes and slippers, etc. And we were glad to see there were always good lounge chairs available at the pools and the beach with none of the visible “holding” of seats that is common in Hawaii.
Unfortunately, service at the family pool and beach was lacking. It was very difficult to find help. We had to chase staff members down in order to get towels, drinks, food orders, etc. Service was good once we had someone’s attention but this area of the resort seemed understaffed.
Turtle Napping In Front of 101
Our Little Snorkeler with his Gear
Activities
Our favorite activity, and the main reason for our visit, was snorkeling at King’s Pond. King’s Pond is a salt water lagoon that houses 4000 fish representing over 90 different Hawaiian species including a spotted eagle ray. There’s no coral as the whole thing is carved out of lava rock, but the fish are beautiful and bring lots of color to the snorkeling experience. A few tips…go early (10am) for the best visibility and bring a shorty wetsuit since the water is pretty chilly. In our case, the wetsuit had the added benefit of helping our 7 year old with buoyancy. Also, at 10am every morning there is marine biologist that sets up a touch tank display with crabs, star fish, sea urchins and sea cucumbers.
Of course our family also enjoyed the various pools located along the oceanfront (some “loud”, some “quiet” and some “adult only”). The Ocean Pool was a part of the ocean cleared of all lava rock which was nice for swimming and a little bit of snorkeling. In addition, we were able to visit Hualalai’s cultural center for one of their daily complementary activities. And we had fabulous lomi lomi massages while our son enjoyed the Kids For All Seasons program. The spa was very pretty and featured a meandering jungle path dotted with private relaxation areas and massage huts. The Kids for All Seasons club didn’t have their own pool but they took the kids to the family pool every day at 2pm and they hosted a Lego building contest one day when our son was there.
King's Pond Fish
King's Pond Fish
Loud (Family) Pool
Adult Pool
Dining
One of the wonderful things about the Four Seasons Hualalai is that the major dining venues sit right on the ocean, offering spectacular views from just about every table. We ate at Ulu and Beach Tree, and we also grabbed a quick sandwich one day at their little coffee shop, the Hualalai Trading Company.
Our favorite foods included the pastries (masadas, coconut scones, banana bread, sticky buns with macadamia nuts) and the passion/orange/guava juice at Ulu each morning. We also loved the table side poke, the english pea risotto, the big island grass fed beef burger, the coconut souffle and the lava flow cocktail. Be warned, prices are expensive….to the point where it feels a little ridiculous at times.
Tables with a View
Lava Flow
Summary
Overall, we had a very good experience at the Four Seasons Hualalai. And our little boy is an avid snorkeler now!
FYI, we combined this stay with the Mauna Kea Beach Resort, which is a 30 minute car ride away. A trip report on that property will be coming soon. We also spent time on Kauai at the Koloa Landing Resort but we won’t be writing a trip report about that one. Feel free to reach out with any questions, though. Mahalo and Aloha!
Sunset View from 101 Daybed
Myna
Jul 5, 2019, 4:15 am
“I am happy to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us in June but I want to extend my apology to you about the lack of service you experienced at the family pool. Please rest assured this is a high priority and we will ensure that during your next visit we will provide a better experience for you and your family.
Do not hesitate to reach out to me directly when planning your future stay at Hualalai. I would like to take great care of your family, especially at the pools.”
Jul 5, 2019, 6:10 am
Last edited by Ericka; Jul 5, 2019 at 6:33 am