Four Seasons on the Big Island - Hualalai

Would I go again? Yes

Ambience: Luxurious but not quite home away from home, a little too corporate feeling

Crowd: New Money

Best: Sitting outside at night in the spa area. And wonderful service.

Worst: Ouchy on wallet

From the moment you drive up to the reception at the Hualalai Four Seasons you are swept up into the world of Four Seasons service where the staff are keen to satisfy your every whim and desire. Of course, you pay for such service handsomely.

Hualalai is on the Kona Coast of the Big Island. It's about ten minutes from the airport making it the most convenient resort to stay at, the minimum amount of fuss if you want a quick and simple escape from, say, California. Given the amenities of the hotel, you might find yourself seeing no need to leave the compound for a few days. Surrounding the hotel are Four Seasons Villas so if you have a crowd of people coming to the Big Island you could rent a house rather than stay at the hotel itself, and you'd still have access to everything at the resort.

The grounds are impeccable at the hotel. All of the rooms have a view of either a golf green or the ocean. We opted for an ocean view room with an outdoor lava shower (heavenly!) though I think a room overlooking one of the golf greens would have been just as pleasant. What is a treat is to enjoy coffee or breakfast on your patio in the morning. Four Seasons tends to cater for business people who are on holiday and can't quite disconnect as well as those who are on a business trip but wish they were on holiday. There is wireless throughout the entire resort, around the swimming pools and in the rooms. No complaints about our room at all, it was comfortable, clean, had all possible potions and a comfy bed.

There are a few different swimming pools at the hotel. Our favorite was the "quiet" pool which while it wasn't particularly quiet was the most pleasant swimming pool. Slightly OTT, the pool help offer to spritz you with Evian water to cool you off. When that happens, you momentarily feel guilty at being indulged so. It seemed that most adults at the hotel did want to be at the quiet pool so there was often a shortage of seats, and a whole lot of politics as far as finding a place to plant your pearly white bum. There is a kiddie pool, a family pool and then a saltwater pool that is filled with fish where the hotel will provide you with snorkel gear so you can poke around underwater. The fish pool looked unappealing.

There is an extensive spa and gym which was just brilliant fun to enjoy. We took a few spinning classes which were as good as any in NYC or SF, and we putzed around in the gym which was super clean and well equipped. The spa services are ouchy on the wallet but done well. Well worth checking out are the men and women's changing areas at the spa. If you go in the evening you can sit out in the hottub in the dark and enjoy the stars and follow that off with an outdoor shower. Now, that was a highlight! For the tennis and golf lovers, you'll be well looked after. There is a Jack Nicklaus 18 hole golf course and eight tennis courts.

If you're just going to the hotel for a few days, you could happily eat at the restaurants at the resort and not get sick of the menus. For amazing water views, the Pahu i`a restaurant (where the food is less daunting than the name), serves a fine dinner with much seafood on the menu. Breakfast is also served at this restaurant and that's a huge affair with a dizzying number of options. Mostly, though, it's the view there that is so spectacular. Above the Pahu i`a is the Lava Lounge bar which is far less cheesy than it sounds. They have a colorful selection of martinis from which you can choose as well as a good bar menu with sushi and other tasty bits. The Alan Wong restaurant has no water view (it overlooks the golf course) but it has a wonderful ambiance and the food was delicious. The specialty is Hawaiian food and certainly one of the more memorable dishes was the starter of "Soup and Sandwich," a tomato soup and a foie gras, kalua pig and grilled cheesy sandwich. For an evening drink, you must pull up at the Beach Tree Bar on the edge of the beach. Noisy mixed cocktails are whipped up and you're just feet away from the water's edge.

For families with kids, there's an array activities and babysitting services.

One week at the resort for a couple who don't go overboard but get a room with a view costs approximately $10,000.

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