Custom built homes feature beautiful outdoor living spaces

 
  The infinity pool at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
 
  Erin Lentz, toasting a weekend of diving, surf, and sand

"Malie.” I mutter the Hawaiian word for “calm” before I giant-stride from the boat into the dark, one hand on my mask, the other clutching a flashlight. Splash. Salt stings my lips, which are all but swallowing my breathing regulator. The dark Pacific embraces me, the faint light from a retreating sun no longer in play. I flash my light into the black abyss. The local report of a 14-foot tiger shark invades my thoughts and my Zen-like plan to channel the spiritual Uncle Earl, manager of Hualalai Resort’s cultural center (tigers are “gods” to Hawaiians he explained), is suddenly waylaid. I look up at the boat and to my best friend and dive buddy, Gina, and give her the OK signal. She long-strides to me, and our dive master follows. We all deflate our BCs, and down we go.

Just 24 hours prior we are surveying this same stretch of sea from a plane, touching down at Kona International Airport via a direct flight from Phoenix. After a 10-minute drive past black lava fields and the 8,271-foot volcanic mountain of Hualalai, our driver alerts us to the 13,796-foot Mauna Kea before pulling into the confines of Hualalai Resort, located on the Big Island of Hawaii’s North Kona Kohala Coast. Struck with the native landscaping and Hawaiian fauna, we sip guava juice and I quickly feel a sense of ease. I’ve always been curious about The Big Island’s mystique. More specifically, I’m determined to uncover just why, come off-season, Hualalai Resort is on the itinerary of so many Aspenites.

We’ve assumed the resort’s Four Seasons hotel, which has the highest occupancy of all the brand’s global properties, to be the focal point of the gated grounds. But as we wind past an impossibly manicured golf course, rows of neatly stacked villas, townhomes, and ultraluxe homes, we quickly realize this community is much bigger than expected, though the Hawaiian architecture lends an intimate vibe. Nestled on 865 acres, the resort is owned by the Rockpoint Group and MSD Capital, Michael Dell’s investment firm, and is known to attract celebs, CEOs, and international tastemakers.

Once at our villa we’re personally escorted through a two-bedroom haven of Hawaiian culture. All of Hualalai’s villas (from $1.9 million to buy or $1,325–$6,500 per night to rent) and custom-built homes (from $4.6 million to $14.9 million) are wholly owned, and the owners of this particular unit surround its guests with an authentic nod to island culture. Our temporary respite has it all: gourmet kitchen, a beautiful outdoor shower off the master suite (as is custom here) and Four Seasons linens and bath amenities for those properties under Hualalai Villas & Homes management. But the kicker is the view. The navy Hawaiian Pacific comes into sharp focus as we walk onto a gorgeous outdoor living space, from which we can easily glimpse the island of Maui, just 30 miles away.

A quick change from travel shoes to flip-flops and we’re off to explore the grounds on our appointed golf cart, the preferred mode of transport. First up, a glass of Champagne, of course. With the sounds of native birds and the scent of hibiscus marking our path, we make our way to the Beach Tree restaurant at the Four Seasons. Jack Johnson’s “Bubble Toes” serenades a tony crowd as we sip our own version of bubbly and munch on the most delicious ahi carpaccio I’ve ever had. Alas, vacation has formally begun. As the ocean breeze tickles my nose and I toast my dear friend, it’s apparent why this special stretch of the globe is hyped.