Discriminating clients desire privacy, luxury and excellence in
service when they travel. Following are a few examples of Hawaii
accommodations that meet all those requirements.
Mauna Lani Bungalows, Big Island. Attracting such high-profile
guests as Kevin Costner, Billy Crystal and Steven Spielberg, these
five elegantly appointed free-standing bungalows hug the Kohala
Coast next to Mauna Lani Bay Hotel.
“The word ‘no’ doesn’t exist here,” said Mauna Lani Bungalow
manager Susy Chillingworth. “Our high return rate is due largely to
our service.” Some bungalow guests have stayed as long as six weeks
at a time, she added. Butlers in starched white uniforms double as
chefs, firing up the barbecue, cooking for a party or preparing a
feast for one.
If bungalow guests have answered their prearrival
questionnaires, they will be served their preferred foods,
including caviar and champagne.
Bungalows boast two master bedroom suites and three marble
bathrooms with glass doors leading to private gardens and pools.
Vaulted ceilings soar above large living and dining rooms. By
spring 2003 all of the bungalows will be refurbished and broadband
and wireless Internet access installed. Rates range from $4,900 to
$5,600 per night. Call 800-628-7815.
Hapuna Suite, Big Island. “Our average guest is anything but
average,” said manager William Bennett. “We have one guest who
books the suite because our staff prepares her family’s meals to
her specifications uncooked, organic and all natural.”
The 8,000-square-foot, two-story oasis is perched on a secluded
oceanview bluff next to Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. Guests arrive
and depart by limousine and have suite attendants for every need.
There’s a welcome amenity from the executive chef, a full bar and a
stocked refrigerator and pantry.
Each of the three bedrooms has its own bath and lanai, and a
fourth room doubles as a bedroom or a study. Floor-to-ceiling
windows provide ocean views from the living room. A full-service
kitchen is equipped for a gourmet chef, and there is a private
swimming pool with an expansive stone patio.
“The type of person who books the suite wants to enjoy a
vacation where all the details are handled, from breakfast plans,
to activities, to dining,” Bennett said. “We provide all manners of
pampering.”
The rate is $7,000 per night. Call 800-882-6060.
Puunoa Beach Estates, Maui. “The hardest part of my job is
making people go home at the end of their vacations,” said Paula
Rathbun, general manager. “Once they come here, they don’t want to
stay anywhere else.”
Located close to Lahaina town and Kaanapali Resort, Puunoa Beach
Estates is comprised of 10 townhomes, each with its own beachfront
lanai and 3-acre estate. Accommodations provide views looking
across the ocean to the islands of Lanai and Molokai.
Measuring 1,700 to 2,100 square feet, units come with two or
three bedrooms including kitchens, living and dining rooms and
bathrooms with all bedrooms. Accents of Hawaiian koa wood provide a
tropical touch to the decor and furnishings, which vary from home
to home.
Puunoa’s exclusive beachfront entertainment area features a
pool, a spa, an exercise salon and gas grills. Other guest
amenities include free snorkel equipment, Internet and e-mail
access, newspapers and videos.
“Most of our clients are return guests,” said Rathbun, including
families who rent more than one townhome. The property’s sense of
privacy appeals to honeymooners, top business executives and such
celebrities as Cindy Williams, Emeril Lagasse and the Gallo Wine
family, she said.
Nightly rates range from $650 to $875, with the seventh night
free. Call Classic Resorts at 800-642-6284.
Fireplace Garden Suite, Lanai. The one-bedroom 1,250-square-foot
Fireplace Garden Suite is the Lodge at Koele’s most sought-after
room, according to Tina Harlow, general manager. The suite provides
a view of the gardens, a reflecting pond, an orchid house and a
golf course, not to mention its cozy fireplace ambience. Harlow
said the suite is booked most of the year.
Located in the Lodge’s main hall, the suite has a parlor
featuring a fireplace, a full wet bar and a queen-size Murphy bed.
The bedroom has a four-poster king-size bed, and the living room
and bedroom share a common porch. Clients are met with flower leis,
warm towels and chilled pineapple cider. The suite is adorned with
fresh orchids grown on-property. A member of the staff lights its
fireplace each evening.
Harlow recommends the suite to clients who are accustomed to
excellence in service. “Those seeking peaceful surroundings amidst
stately pines and manicured gardens are a perfect match,” she
said.
The nightly rate is $2,200.
Call 800-321-4666.
