At any time of year, when the cold, wet and gloomy weather conditions of our Northwest become annoying, I dream of escaping to a Hawaiian paradise.
I envision tropical solitude, abundant colorful flowers, palm trees, beautiful beaches and the chatter of interesting birds. However, many of the familiar destinations in the Hawaiian Islands have grown and changed so solitude is not easy to come by.
Tourism has brought multi -story hotels, traffic, and the convenience of big box stores, elements that just do not fit into my dream.
Years ago, a chance encounter with a traveler at the airport led our family to try Kona Village Resort on the “Big Island” of Hawaii. The resort boasted about no locks on the doors, and no phones, radios or televisions in the rooms. Situated on the lee side of the Big Island, the region was known for its abundant sunshine. It sounded ideal.
Addicted, our family has returned many times to the Village and I am so glad to report that my paradise still exists.
The Village is well worth a visit for a night or two or as long as your vacation dollar holds out.
Kona Village is a step back in time. It is an exceptional vacation treasure, small, personal and unique in its architecture as well as in its dedication to the culture, tradition and history of the Hawaiian Islands and their residents.
Every time I land at the Kona Airport, I am reminded of my eight-year-old niece’s exclamation as she peered out the window of the plane and declared, “It looks like a prune!”
The home of the volcano goddess, Pele, the Kona coast of the Big Island of Hawaii is unusual because a good-sized portion of the land is covered with black lava most recently from the 1801 eruption of the Hualali volcano.
The Village is a short taxi ride from the airport along the lava-lined highway. Guests do not have to rent a car because there is no really good reason to leave the resort.
When Kona Village Resort was originally built 43 years ago, it was only accessible by private plane or boat. It was the concept of an entrepreneur, Johnno Jackson, and his boat is now the shipwreck bar by the pool.
After passing through a guarded gate, a mile-long road leads down to the resort. The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai occupies land to the south and you can see the lava being crushed and new housing developments under construction to the north, but happily, Kona Village Resort remains an oasis.
Isolated from the development outside its 82 acres, the Village benefited from the meandering course of a lava flow that split, preserving ponds from an ancient fishing village and a sandy beach on a beautiful bay. It also left the historic petroglyph field unharmed.
The enchantment of Kona Village begins as you drive along the road through the sharp black rubble of the lava fields and suddenly find the beautiful contrast of carefully cultivated pink bougainvillea, verdant lawns and the tall palm trees by the office.
Many members of the staff have worked at the Village for years. Guests are greeted with a sweet smelling floral lei and an aloha or “welcome back,” which makes you feel as if you have arrived home. Indeed, many families return on the same vacation week over the years and have made lifelong friends.
This is truly a village setting, with 125 individual thatch-roofed cottages called hales (pronounced “ha-lays”), with similar one- or two-room interiors and different rooflines reflecting the Polynesian architecture of Samoa, Fiji, the Marquesan, New Hebrides, New Caledonian and Hawaiian Islands. The room rate varies with the size and location of the hale. The accommodations are referred to as plush primitive.
Guests who spend a week at the resort may choose specific hales often returning to the same location on the pond, lava field, or beach.
The Village encourages peace and tranquility so laptops and cell phone use is discouraged outside the hales. A coconut placed on your deck indicates “Do Not Disturb”.
The resort is on the American plan and all three sumptuous meals as well as most of the activities, a fitness center, and beach and tennis equipment are included. The atmosphere is laid back; the dress code is very informal.
Wedding, honeymoon, family vacation or family reunion, Kona Village is perfect for all generations. However, for a more romantic experience, the months of May and September have been traditionally reserved for couples.
Those who bring their school-age children along may not see much of them, as there are plenty of optional organized activities, including a supervised dinner.
A vacation at the Village can be relaxing or activity-filled.
Recently, our family chose a hale on the pond where sunrise is signaled by a cacophony of resident birds encouraging us to get up and start running. An early-morning walk or run back up to the gate and through the public paths of the Four Seasons Resort next door helps to justify the over consumption of food or tropical drinks during the day.
Guests can plunk themselves on the beach or sit by the pool with a good book. Calm water in the morning provides an opportunity to snorkel amongst the hundreds of species of tropical fish that feed near the coral reefs along the bay.
Kayaks, wind surfers, small sailboats and canoes offer more fun.
A shell-seeking stroll along the shore leads to tide pools carved into the lava, the home of sea urchins, tropical fish and creepy Moray eels.
Every morning and afternoon there are craft opportunities designed for all ages and levels of artistic ability. Children and adults sit at tables filled with small shells designing anklets and necklaces, making floral headpieces or leis or weaving more intricate bookmarks and bracelets. Extremely patient staff members provide instruction and assistance.
Kona Village is dedicated to providing educational experiences for its guests. There are many opportunities to learn about the history, culture and traditions of the Hawaiian Islands from experts.
The resort is on land that was once a fishing village and guests can take advantage of hearing the personal stories of life along the Kona coast from Lei whose family had lived on the property for generations.
Perhaps the most exceptional part of the resort is the ancient petroglyph field, which contains more than 400 documented drawings etched on the lava flow that is estimated to be between 1,500 — 3,000 years old. Some petroglyphs are thought to be 900 years old.
Vegetation has been meticulously removed from the area and new treasures are still being found.
Drawn over hundreds of years, there are petroglyphs that indicate activities such as paddling and fishing and some that appear to reflect hostilities. There are many sails illustrating the local maritime activities as well as the arrival of British explorer Captain James Cook. There are petroglyphs of the sea turtles (“honu”), and methods for marking time as well as intricate games similar to chess or checkers.
Twice a week the Village hosts a luau that tells the history of the Hawaiian Islands on one night and of the Polynesian chain of islands on another. Outside guests may attend along with the guests at the Village to experience authentic Hawaiian food while watching a carefully costumed and choreographed performance that is reportedly the best luau in all of the islands.
On the afternoons of the luau, children wearing personally handmade ti leaf skirts learn to perform the hula to the ukulele accompaniment of Lani Opunui, a talented longtime Village employee. As Lani rehearses the opening dance with the children, her laughter is contagious as she has obviously seen so many of these little ones perform that same dance with various degrees of talent and stage fright.
Without a doubt, one of the most popular activities with the younger guests is fishing for the small tilapia in the two acres of ponds. These tilapia are hungry and tough. The bait on the barbless hook is a small ball of bread from the dining room attached to a line on a bamboo stalk. The bread appeals to the fish and the children are thrilled with their catch. The young fishermen quickly learn to gently remove the hook and release the fish. I suspect that same silly fish gets caught again and again.
Like other resorts, guests can participate in tennis lessons or round robin tournaments, take water aerobics or scuba diving lessons, or join exercise classes.
For the ultimate in relaxation, guests can pamper themselves with a massage at a private oceanside location.
Many guests do nothing at all. I have seen them!
As the day winds down, the population surrounding the shipwreck bar increases.
The large endangered green sea turtles that have pulled themselves up on the sand begin to retreat to the sea.
Cameras come out for shots of yet another beautiful Hawaiian sunset.
Guests gather for dinner and live music at one of two restaurants.
Later, the children who have been participating in the after dinner activities return to their parents and couples and families walk back along the torch-lit paths to their hales under a spectacular star-studded sky.
Another day ends in paradise.
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