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Although the date is open to conjecture, most historians estimate that what we know as the Hawaiian Islands were originally settled between 300 and 1000 A.D. Those first settlers were probably islanders from present-day Tahiti who were exiles, adventurers, curious or on vacation. Take your pick. Talk all you want about the French Riviera, Europe or DisneyWorld. When it comes to top vacation sites, nothing compares to the southernmost state of the United States. Hawaii might not have created the concept of the spa, but islanders certainly refined it. For centuries, natives have known the value of therapeutic massage and the art of healing stones and have used them on each other — and visitors. From ancient Hawaiian techniques to the most modern of treatments and services, spas are as big a part of the Hawaiian landscape as the region’s incredible views. Golf came a bit later to the island — 1922, according to the best available estimates. But as the islands have grown in popularity among tourists, golf options have increased exponentially, with dozens of courses populating the six main islands. Here are some of the top resorts that will put you in a spectacular state of mind: Four Seasons Resort Hualalai Hawaii (808) 325-8800 • fourseasons.com/hualalai Location: On Hawaii’s famed Kona Coast, about 10 minutes from Kona International Airport. Accommodations: 196 guest rooms, four suites and a presidential villa. Resort amenities: Three restaurants, three lounges, the Hualalai Tennis Club, a rock climbing wall and the Kaupulehu Cultural Center are a few of the on-site attractions. Spa: The Hualalai Sports Club and spa includes a lap pool, whirl-pools, saunas, steam rooms and cold plunges set in a tropical garden. A full range of massages and treatments is available. Golf: Hualalai Golf Course is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course that winds through 7,100 yards of lush grass framed by black lava and the Pacific Ocean. Mauna Lani Resort Hawaii (808) 885-6622 • maunalani.com Location: The 3,200-acre resort is on the Kohala Coast, about 23 miles north of Kona International Airport. It includes 29 acres of coastline and three miles of private shoreline. Accommodations: There are 343 guest rooms, along with private bungalows complete with butler service and a private swimming pool. Resort amenities: The property is committed to preserving and promoting indigenous culture with a spiritual guide, ancient fish ponds, a program for endangered green sea turtles and a Hawaiian museum. There are also five restaurants and more than 7,000 square feet of meeting space. Spa: The Mauna Lani Spa offers 25,000 square feet of interior spa and another 15,000 square feet outdoors. It has 17 treatment areas, including nine outdoor thatched huts, a naturally heated lava rock sauna and a healing garden. Golf: Mauna Lani shares the Francis H. I’I Golf Course with the Fairmont Orchid. Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay Lanai (808) 565-2000 • fourseasons.com/manalebay Location: About 25 minutes from the Lanai airport on one of the smallest, and least populated, of the eight main Hawaiian Islands. In 1922, James Dole bought the island and turned it into the world’s largest pineapple plantation. Accommodations: The resort includes 213 guest rooms, all with ocean or garden views. There are also 22 tropical and Asian-themed suites, ranging from 900 to 2,700 square feet. Resort amenities: There are 11 restaurants and lounges at the resort, including Pacific Rim, Italian, indigenous and American options. The Surf Shack Teen Center includes a cyber cafe and entertainment area, and also organizes beach parties and fishing expeditions for those under 18. There are also three tennis courts and a health and fitness area. Spa: Along with in-room massage and spa services, the resort’s spa features 11 treatment rooms, including a red cedar dry heat sauna, eucalyptus steam rooms and rainforest showers. Services as varied as ti-leaf wraps and seaweed body masks are also available. Golf: The Challenge at Manele is on ocean bluffs overlooking Hulopo’e Bay. Three holes of the Nicklaus Design are on the ocean, which is visible from every hole. The Experience at Koele is a Ted Robinson Sr.-designed layout that offers mountain views and a more forested terrain. Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa Kauai (808) 742-1234 • kauai.hyatt.com Location: Kauai is the oldest and fourth largest of the main Hawaiian islands, and this Hyatt-managed resort ranks among its finest. Accommodations: A total of 602 rooms, including 37 suites and parlors. The top-floor presidential suite is 2,700 square feet of sheer beauty. Resort amenities: Eight restaurants, four lounges and various family activities are available. There also are saltwater swimming lagoons, three tennis courts, a health and fitness area, more than 65,000 square feet of meeting space and 40,000 square feet of formal gardens and poolside venues. Spa: The ANARA Spa includes private lava rock showers, an outdoor tropical village and outdoor treatment venues, including five thatched roof huts and a 20,000-square-foot garden spa. Golf: Poipu Bay Golf Course is home to the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. The Robert Trent Jones Jr. design has sensational mountain and ocean views, where seals, sea turtles, geese and humpback whales can often be spotted. JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa Oahu (800) 626-4446 • ihilani.com Location: This 17-story hotel is within the 640-acre Ko Olina Resort on the western shore of Oahu, about 17 miles from Honolulu International Airport. Accommodations: The majority of the 377 rooms include ocean or lagoon views. There are also 36 suites. Resort amenities: Four lagoons, a marina, tennis courts, Oahu’s largest covered outdoor pavilion, meeting rooms, tennis courts and five dining options. Kids and teen programs that focus on environmental interaction, health and wellness also are available. Spa: The Ihilani Spa is a 35,000-square-foot oasis of relaxation and pampering. Everything from a simple massage or facial to full-day spa excursions are available, as are such exotic treatments as Thalosso seawater therapy and Vichy Showers to Hawaiian lomilomi massage. Golf: The Ted Robinson Sr.-designed Ko Olina Golf Club measures 6,887 yards from the tips and includes water features, tiered greens, swales, ridges and amazing views. Turtle Bay Resort Oahu (808) 293-6000 • turtlebayresort.com Location: About 45 minutes from the heart of Honolulu in Kahuku. Accommodations: 443 beachfront cottages and guest rooms. All have views of the ocean and are just steps away from the five miles of beachfront that make this resort one of the finest on the North Shore. Resort amenities: Horseback riding, 10 lighted tennis courts, two pools, hiking and biking trails, surf school, dining and shopping, in addition to 31,000 square feet of meeting space. Spa: The spa includes standard treatments and massages but specializes in signature indigenous treatments, including coconut Hawaiian sea salt body polish, papaya body polish, seaweed wrap, Hawaiian ti-leaf body wrap and pineapple pedicures. Golf: Two courses, one designed by George Fazio and the other by Arnold Palmer, are available for resort guests. All three major tours have held events here over the years, and the Palmer course is the site of the Champions Tour Turtle Bay Championship through 2008. Both courses utilize the varied topography of the resort’s nearly 900 acres, with holes winding through dense forests and along pristine oceanfront. Grand Wailea Resort and Spa Maui (800) 888-6100 • grandwailea.com Location: The 40-acre site, which overlooks Wailea, is about a 35-minute drive from Kahului Airport and a 20-minute flight from Honolulu. Accommodations: Opened in 1991, the resort offers 780 guest rooms, including 52 suites. The Napua Tower is a club-within-the-club, offering 100 rooms with dedicated concierge service and upgraded rooms. The Ho’olei at Grand Wailea offers two-story townhomes as vacation rentals. Resort amenities: Eight dining options, including Hummu Hummu, the short name for a very long-named floating seafood restaurant comprised of a cluster of Polynesian huts with thatched roofs. Camp Grande, a 20,000-square-foot kid’s resort has plenty of programs and activities for children ages 5 to 12. The Wailea Canyon Activity Pool has nine separate pools, including a “baby beach,” seven waterslides, caves, grottos, a scuba diving pool, an adults-only pool and the world’s first water elevator. Eleven tennis courts, meeting rooms and an extensive art collection ranging from local artists to Warhol and Picasso also are on the property. Spa: The Spa Grande is a 50,000-square-foot spa that includes 40 treatment rooms, including those geared toward Terme Wailea Hydrotheraphy. Prior to treatments, guests relax in the terme, which includes a Roman tub, saunas, cascading waterfalls, a Japanese Furo, Swiss jet showers and five specialty baths. Golf: The three courses that comprise Wailea Golf Club are the centerpiece of this destination area. Hotel Hana Maui (808) 248-8211 • hotelhanamaui.com Location: The eastern end of Maui, known as the Hana Coast. Planes from the mainland don’t land at the small airport near Hana, but inter-island craft can get you there. Accommodations: The secluded location includes 70 luxury cottages. Resort amenities: Clocks, TVs and radios aren’t in the rooms, making this the ultimate hideaway. The signature restaurant is Ka’uiki, which focuses on fresh fish. Every Friday, local musicians and dancers entertain guests by relating ancient stories culled from the history of this remote area of the state. Other amenities include tennis, snorkeling, yoga, relaxing at Hamoa Beach and other indigenous activities. Spa: The Honua Spa has an acre of the resort all to itself. Featuring massage, facials and body treatments, and including steam rooms, cold plunge and aquatic therapy pools, lava rock whirlpools and more, it’s a full-service spa with gorgeous views of Hana Bay. Golf: There are no 18-hole courses on this part of the island, but golfing at Maui’s nearly 20 other courses is a wonderful excuse to travel one of the most scenic drives in the world. The Fairmont Kea Lani Maui (808) 875-4100 • fairmont.com/kealani Location: Situated on 22 acres on Maui’s southwestern side. Accommodations: This is one of Hawaii’s few oceanfront resorts to only offer suites and villas. One-bedroom suites begin at 840 square feet, while the 37 two- and three-bedroom villas begin at 1,800 square feet and are steps from Polo Beach. Resort amenities: Six dining options, all of which incorporate native or Italian flair. The Makena Tennis Club also is on the grounds. Spa: The Spa Kea Lani offers more than 50 treatments, massages and other services. The spa excels at indigenous treatments, including Pohaku, which incorporates heated stones often gathered and blessed by the therapists, and lomilomi massage, a kind of healing therapy that has been practiced for centuries. Golf: The three courses that comprise Wailea Golf Club are partners with the resort. The Gold Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., has hosted the Champions Tour Skins Game. The Blue Course is the most player-friendly of the three, while the Emerald Course was rated by Golf for Women magazine as the country’s most women-friendly course. The Lodge & Beach Village at Molokai Ranch Molokai (888) 627-8082 • molokairanch.com Location: The working ranch set on 65,000 acres of pastureland and coastline is near the idyllic town of Maunaloa. Accommodations: The small lux-ury hotel has just 22 guest rooms. Eight miles away is the Beach Village, which offers 40 two-bedroom, canvas-sided tentalows, all of which are solar powered and eco-friendly. The tentalows are located amid relics fromthe time when the area was a fishing village. Resort amenities: Hawaiian and ranch-style food at the Lodge and three daily buffets at Beach Village. A range of eco-tourism activities are available, including canoeing, mountain biking and hiking. Hawaiian culture tours and an authentic Hawaiian rodeo also are available. Spa: The Healing Arts Hui is more of a healing center than a traditional spa. While facials and massages are offered, other options include acupuncture, acupressure, traditional Hawaiian massage, and integrative holistic bodywork and pain relief. Golf: Kaluakoi Golf Course is 10 miles from the Lodge. The front nine of the par-72 Ted Robinson Sr. design is at sea level, while the back nine rises to green hillsides and a tropical gulch. SG |
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