HUALĀLAI
THEN & NOW
A QUARTER CENTURY SINCE ITS GRAND OPENING, THE CELEBRATED RESORT ON HAWAI‘I’S KONA-KOHALA COAST HAS NEVER BEEN BETTER. B Y L O R I B R YA N
rowsing through then-and-now photographs of Hualālai placed side by side makes a closer look brings something less obvious into focus: the Hualālai community’s ethos of kulia i ka nu‘u. The credo of Queen Kapi‘olani in the late 19th century, the Hawaiian phrase means “to strive to reach the summit,” and it’s through such purposeful effort that Hualālai not only meets but surpasses what continue to be the highest of expectations. Twenty-five years and counting, the majestic property—fresh off a multimillion-dollar renovation—takes island living to the next level.
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TOP: ETHAN TWEEDIE; BOTTOM: ED GROSS
clear that, from the outset, the resort has had the advantage of a sublime location. But
