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Four Seasons Hualalai

Olivia Allwood-Mollon finds impeccable service at palm-scattered paradise, Four Seasons Hualalai

The Credentials:

This vast palm-scattered paradise sits alone on its own stretch of secluded coastland. Hawaii’s Big Island is awash with desolate valleys and sweeping plains, volcanic wasteland, rainforests and picturesque villages. A long, winding driveway leads off the rubble to this immaculately landscaped resort.

With its four saltwater pools, myriad hot tubs, capacious private beach and tropical swimming pond, the Four Seasons Hualalai epitomises understated luxury. The resort also boasts great restaurants, an 18-hole golf course, state-of-the-art gym, tennis courts, opulent spa and open-air shark pond.

Dine:

The resort has two beachfront restaurants, a casual golf and beach bar and additional sushi bar and lounge. Of the restaurants, the Mediterranean Beachtree is less formal than the Asian-influenced Pahu i’a, but with its oak-beamed vaulted ceiling, the structure is more beautiful and the atmosphere more bohemian.

Balmy evenings spent supping on wild boar, beef carpaccio and Hawaiian seabass were surpassed only by breakfasts of seared tuna (ahi), poached eggs, and sautéed potato. The breakfast menu also includes a particularly delicious seven-ounce local steak and eggs, French toast with maple syrup, and local island speciality, Kona coffee. Breakfast can be taken at the beachfront restaurant – think white sands, breaking waves and humpback whales dancing 100 metres from the shore. Or, equally indulgent, a leisurely and extravagant feast prepared fresh on your lanai.

Sleep:

We were given a spacious top floor in one of the resort’s prime ocean-view villas. Newly renovated after the tsunami last year, the interiors were faultless. A huge open plan bedroom/ lounge opened into a reception room, vast walk-in wardrobe and bathroom. The king-sized bed was adorned with ceiling drapes, tonal blue throws, cushions and crisp, white bed linen. The decor is a master-class in aesthetics – hue, scale and proportion da Vinci perfect.

The island sleeps early. Lit exclusively by fire torches, the resort takes on an otherworldly, Shakespearean quality after dusk. A Midsummer Night’s Dream came to mind as an impish character danced with a fire torch, sounding the ancient, echoing conch to mark sunset.

With the last dinner reservation at nine and the bar closing by ten, the resort is prime destination to recharge and decompress. Each room includes a complementary ‘relaxation menu’; a choice of several different pillows, mattress-toppers, aromatherapy diffusers, lavender salts and candles may be ordered at whim. The reception also has a vast DVD library to peruse at your leisure.

Who Goes There?

A selection of old money families, chic 30-somethings and well-heeled power players enjoy high-octane downtime in this tropical Eden.

We were told 80 per cent of the resort’s guests are Californian. Elegant guests swarm quietly to and from spa treatments, in and out of villas, cabanas and Ferraris. Day-job CEOs, financiers and surf kids exude an equal sense of serenity in this glorious utopia.

Out & About:

This small island contains eleven of the world’s 13 climates, the world’s largest active volcano, waterfalls, rainforest, cliff-lined bays and sweeping plains. It also has ranches, restaurants, and sand-strewn beaches.

On top of its state of the art facilities, the resort offers ukulele lessons, ancient Hawaiian craft workshops, shark and stingray feeding, snorkelling, yoga, climbing, golf, basketball and tennis. We hand-fed stingrays and snorkelled with 4,000 types of tropical fish in the anchialine King’s Pond. The following day we awoke to feed sharks before returning to breakfast in bed.

The Four Seasons can organise a romantic dinner on their secluded stretch of beach. A table is erected and a sumptuous three-course meal presented; musicians, hula dancers and bonfires accompany at your discretion.

Whale watching, paddleboard, surf, canoe and sailing lessons can all be arranged a short distance from the hotel, along with game fishing, horse riding and zip-lining through valleys.

Venturing further afield, The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is on the other side of the island near Hilo. Approximately two hours drive from Hualalai, the route is saturated with oceanic vistas, lush vegetation and natural beauty spots. A helicopter tour is one of the best ways to view the volcanoes erupting; as the sun sets, watch lava flood into the ocean in a spectacular scene of steam and lights.

The Best Thing:

Biblical rainstorms and year-round sun make Hualalai an idyllic holiday destination. To awake to the heavens opening, pouring hot midnight rain and drenching the lush green wilderness is a transcendental experience.

When the sun rises again, the resort has several pristine four-poster Day Beds dotted between the adults–only Palm Grove pool and the beach. Head and foot massages, cocktails, coconut water, and magazines make these the perfect base for lounging – should walking to the pool and bar prove too laborious.

Service was impeccable. Staff bend over backwards to ensure every guest is treated like royalty; no request was too large or too small or too late, and everyone we encountered was beaming and jolly. Friendly staff will even ferry you around the resort in a golf-buggy if you’re feeling horizontal.

The Worst Thing:

Despite the fantastic service, our first morning was slightly marred by an administrative error. Having requested no calls before 10am (Hawaii is a 16-hour flight), we were called at 9am with the message that reception had omitted to take our credit card (they hadn’t). Given the call was unnecessary – the card was in front of them – it was the single cloud in an otherwise azure sky.

The Details:

A prime Ocean View Room at Four Seasons Hualalai starts at £750 per room per night on a bed and breakfast basis, based on two people sharing (including all taxes); www.fourseasons.com/hualalai; 0800 6488 6488