Along the Kohala coast, palm trees bend over glittering fishponds once frequented by Hawaiian kings. Volcanic summits cradle hidden oases by the sea. This astonishing oceanfront paradise is home to Mauna Lani – a newly re-imagined luxury resort that is a place of profound spiritual power and rejuvenation. The first Auberge Resorts Collection property in the Hawaiian Islands, Mauna Lani invites guests to experience its genuine aloha.
The landscape of Kalahuipua’a – the ancient name of this coastal oasis – is steeped in rich cultural history. It’s also a piko – navel or spiritual center – situated between Hawaii’s five great mountains. The summits of Hualalai, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Kohala and Haleakala rise like guardians around the resort. To gaze upon these peaks and swim in the surrounding crystalline waters is to feel the mana, or spiritual energy, that Hawaiians felt hundreds of years ago. Here, friendships are fostered, families reconnect, and curiosities unfold.
Designed by Meyer Davis, a contemporary-yet-organic sensibility defines the resort’s interior design. The hotel boasts 333 guest rooms, five bungalows, five dining venues, luxury cabanas, a cultural center, kid’s club, meeting and event spaces, spa and fitness facilities, and intimate yet grand public lounge areas. Guests are invited to integrate themselves into the local story. With the goal of modernizing the Hawaii experience, this seventies era resort was overhauled and elevated to create a warmer atmosphere that honored the surrounding landscape.
The entry door of the hotel was literally ripped out to heighten the sense of indoor/outdoor living that is pervasive on island.
