Pampering and Aloha
Kauai's new Koa Kea Hotel & Resort embraces the flavors of earth and sea, while giving guests a vacation in luxury.
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| Visit It Getting There :: Hawaiian Airlines and United Airlines fly direct to Lihue from LAX or with one stop from SNA. :: hawaiianair.com, united.com Where to Stay :: Koa Kea Hotel & Resort guestrooms range from $445 to $725; suites are $1,625 to $2,575. :: koakea.com |
Everyone knows Kauai is the Garden Isle, the most lush of the island gems, thanks to its age. The oldest in the chain at five million years, it has had the time necessary to build up a foundation of soil, unlike the relatively young Big Island, for instance, which popped out of the sea a mere 800,000 years ago and in many places resembles a volcanic moonscape.
But that’s merely one of Kauai’s draws. Look on a map of the Hawaiian Islands and one thing strikes you about Kauai: It is separated from the other major islands by the greatest distance, off to the northwest, seemingly attempting some kind of privacy. Anyone who’s visited the island can’t help but feel that’s true, too; it’s a place people come to escape without leaving the comfort of the American dollar or English language.
Kauai still offers the mystique of old Hawaii, boasting the most laid back vibe in the islands; one of its quaintest towns, Hanalei; the most desolate beach, Barking Sands on the west side; and the awe-inspiring Napali Coast, the uninhabitable vertical coastline of the north coast that is accessible only by hiking or paddling in and makes cameos in Hollywood films such as King Kong. Even the name Kauai has no official meaning in the Hawaiian language.
Amazingly, Kauai features all this and still manages to cater to the upscale tourism trade, offering a smattering of big name chain hotels, and a few more intimate ones, such as the new Koa Kea Hotel & Resort, which fronts an idyllic little cove in the midst of bustling (in Kauai terms) southside town of Poipu Beach. Opened early this year, the Koa Kea Hotel & Resort is one of the last resorts to be brought back to life after the devastating 1992 hurricane Iniki.
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Designed by the renowned Anita Brooks (Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas and Red Rock Hotel and Casino), every aspect of the property embraces the flavors of earth and sea, at all times avoiding “bragging” about its seaside location and instead celebrating it. A perfect example is the fact that thanks to its size – just 121 guestrooms and suites – every room is caressed with an ocean breeze and offers a water view. Perhaps it was the resort’s small scale that also made possible the best high-tech features in each room: giant flat screen HDTV, DVD, CD, and an espresso machine that looks like a brushed metal James Bond gadget.
Koa Kea’s stunning restaurant, Red Salt, also proves that people in paradise eat well. True to the property, it is intimate, yet open to the pool and ocean area, and has an upscale menu featuring a blend of classics with a unique island flare. Completing the property is the luxurious Spa at Koa Kea, with five treatment rooms.
As a whole, Koa Kea demonstrates what General Manager Chris Steuri says today’s guests want when they come to the islands: a blend of pampering, amenities and plenty of aloha.
