Read Ranch & Coast Virtually Anywhere
Issue link: http://ranchandcoast.uberflip.com/i/1534893
E very time I visit the Big Island of Hawaii, I am fascinated by the fields of black lava rock that blanket much of the landscape, the result of volcanic eruptions over the eons. So, it's a surprise to turn off Highway 19 (aka the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway) and find a sprawling tropical paradise, lush with exotic plants and palms. is is the 865-acre Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, recognized recently by U.S. News & World Report as the top hotel and resort in the U.S. and the only Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond resort on the island of Hawaii. Located along the North Kona coast, the resort has four restaurants, a championship golf course, spa, fitness center, and a variety of accommodations. ey range from the two-story Presidential Villa that sleeps ten, complete with its own pool and lanai, to well-appointed suites and guestrooms. e Four Seasons Resort Hualalai has something for everyone from retirees to toddlers — interactive activities that are engaging, educational, and entertaining. e resort even has its own team of biologists at Kumu Kai Marine Center next to King's Pond, a 1.8-million-gallon outdoor aquarium teeming with more than a thousand tropical fish. e center offers tidepool tours and "turtles and talks" to introduce guests to honu, the local green sea turtle. Or swim with Kainalu, the property's resident stingray. At the center, I met biologist Andrea Ehlers who took me on a tour of the resort's own oyster farm — a fully lined 2.5-acre pond on the hotel's 18-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course. e resort is the only one in the Hawaiian Islands to grow its own bivalves, with hundreds of oysters harvested each week. at evening, my husband and I sampled a chilled plate of oysters that were fresh and sweet. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FOUR SEAONS RESORT HUALALAI Big Island Adventure Four Seasons Resort Hualalai offers something for everyone BY ANDREA NAVERSEN ranchandcoast.com 66 MAY 2025 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE