In Hawaiian culture, it’s considered a sign of respect to acknowledge your host upon entering a home.
So, it was fitting that Uilani Kanda, director of leisure sales for Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa on Hawaii Island, began our site tour at its perimeter — at the former site of a 1500s-era fishing village that, legend has it, is also home to the "menehune," a fabled race of leprechaun-like people who reside in secluded areas of the Hawaiian Islands.
“I want to introduce you to the identity of this place, and to our ‘kapuna’ – those who came before us, and those who are elder to us,” Kanda said as she led me to the edge of the black lava-rock coastline of the resort, where the presence of native Opiuma trees traditionally suggest the menehune’s presence.
This area is one of the stops along the resort’s historical and cultural tour, which takes place Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and includes the area’s archeological ruins: an ancient cookhouse, a heiau kanikanika’ula (fishing shrine), a kahua hale (thatched home) and even a canoe-docking station. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the resort alternatively offers its guests a King Kamehameha III walking tour, which highlights the former ruler’s birthplace in nearby Keauhou Bay.
After paying our respects to our tiny, mythological hosts, we resumed our tour of the hotel, where nods to traditional Hawaiian culture exist around almost every corner. The property — which is in the beginning stages of a top-to-bottom, multimillion-dollar renovation — comprises four guestroom wings (Helani, Ahiahi, Ehukai and Kualono); two on-site restaurants (Wailele Cafe and Holua Poolside Bar & Lounge) that serve up island-inspired menu items; the grab-and-go Holoholo Market and Cafe (which also features a gift shop stocked with many Hawaiian-made products); two pools; one waterslide; and a twice-weekly Feast & Fire Luau with Hawaiian food and local vendors, produced in conjunction with Traditions Hawaii.
The Feast & Fire Luau, produced by Traditions Hawaii, is offered twice per week and includes a poi pounding demonstration.
Credit: 2023 Outrigger Hospitality GroupKeeping the spirit of Aloha alive at the resort was a conscious decision made by Hawaii-based Outrigger Hospitality Group when they took over the property two years ago, becoming the owners and managers of what was formerly the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay.
Kanda, who has worked at the property for 19 years, said she decided to stay on after Outrigger’s acquisition, largely due to the company’s dedication to upholding the cultural significance of its host location.
“I really had a fork in the road, and one thing for me, as a leisure seller and a Hawaiian person, was celebrating the host culture,” she said. “That’s one of Outrigger’s brand pillars. It’s celebrating the people, the culture and the place, and that spoke to me.”
That’s one of Outrigger’s brand pillars. It’s celebrating the people, the host culture and the place, and that spoke to me.
Renovation Details
But even with this eye for cultural preservation, Outrigger has big plans for the future. By the end of 2024, the resort will be completely renovated (so far, the interiors of the pools have been replaced). All 509 guestrooms and suites will be completely upgraded and reimagined, “from the bathrooms out to the lanais,” according to Geoff Pearson, general manager and director of sales and marketing for the property.
A rendering of a renovated guestroom; renovations are set to be complete by the end of next year.
Credit: 2023 Outrigger Hospitality Group“The [new] design concept, to me, just brings the outside in,” Pearson said. “Here in Keauhou, we have a very unique location that runs up against the property. It’s all lava. So, in the guestrooms, you’re going to have notes of lava, notes of the blue ocean outside. You’ve got schools of fish running across the carpet in the hallways … it’s just taking on the feeling of Keauhou Bay and the space we are in, and that’s what Outrigger’s theory is: to celebrate where you do business, and to take care of the place where you do business.”
That’s what Outrigger’s theory is: to celebrate where you do business, and to take care of the place where you do business.
Other details of the refurbishment include a new, yet-to-be-named restaurant, and enhancements to the lobby such as moving the guest check-in desk in front of giant, floor-to-ceiling windows with stunning views of Kona.
The hotel will also continue to celebrate its neighbors, the 300-plus manta rays that call this area home. In addition to an on-site manta ray education center, guests can gather at the hotel’s nighttime manta ray viewing deck to watch them flap their wings and turn summersaults as they feed on plankton. These gentle giants made an appearance every night during my stay, both in true form, and as towel animals that were perched on our bed by the housekeeping staff.
If clients are especially adventurous, suggest they book a nighttime manta ray snorkel with one of several local Kona operators. I snorkeled with Manta Ray Dives of Hawaii, grinning widely under my snorkel as I came within inches of 22 different manta rays (all with unique names of their own).
They were no menehune, but they were gracious hosts, all the same.
