A little more than a decade after it was destroyed by a tsunami, Hawaii’s Kona Village has been rebuilt right where it had always been — amongst black lava and ocean blue on the Big Island.
When a tsunami flattened Hawaii’s Kona Village Resort in March 2011, it wasn’t just the locals or the hotel’s employees who mourned the loss. Generations of visitors shared their heartbreak. Since 1963, the property — located atop 81 lava-lined beachfront acres in a former fishing village called Ka’ūpūlehu — had boasted the tagline “Hawaii’s favorite hideaway.”
And it took the hideaway part seriously. No air conditioning, no phones, no televisions, and for a while there in the beginning, barely any roads. For years, guests flew in directly to a makeshift neighboring airstrip. But whatever it took to get there, guests did it, and they came back year after year, prizing the privacy, the camaraderie, the thatched-roof dwellings along Kahuwai Bay, and the barefoot social scene at the famed Talk Story and Shipwreck bars. And then, just like that, it was gone.
But not forgotten. Alongside a developer who knew a thing or two about rehabbing historical properties, a small group of devoted frequent visitors became investors, intent on rejuvenating and reopening the property. After a decade of careful reconstruction, Kona Village by Rosewood opened in July 2023, revealing itself to walk the line between paying homage to a beloved historic retreat and setting the bar as a luxury hotel for today’s travelers.
(Amenities such as air conditioning and WiFi are now standard, and cellphones are allowed — though there are still no TVs. We promise: you won’t miss them.)
Hawaiian architect Greg Warner was enlisted to reconstruct Kona Village. In the cases of some hales (the Hawaiian term for dwelling — in this case, think ultra-refined beach bungalows) he was asked to fit the exact dimensions of the preexisting footprints. Warner worked with Re-Use Hawaii to source largely recycled materials, including wood scavenged from the wreck of the original hotel. Traditional thatched roofs were done in fireproof recycled plastic, rather than the traditional native leaves, and the 150 hales were positioned in neighborhood-like crescents that optimize the area’s famed North Pacific trade winds, lessening the need for air conditioning.
The elegant interiors at Kona Village Resort echo the natural scenes their lanais open up into: fixtures, furnishings, and decor are largely custom, and each hale’s color scheme is tied to the landscape, from the beachy yellows and blues of the property’s southern side, to the deep greens of the rooms by the lagoons and the red and blacks of those situated on the lava field. The sumptuous new Asaya spa is built into the expansive lava field, using the volcanic rock as both sculpture and landscape, with treatment rooms and lounges that spill out to panoramic views of the Hualalai volcano. Everything has been chosen to amplify the land’s mana, or inherent power and restorative energy.
All of the art in the rooms and throughout the grounds is by native Hawaiian artists or current residents. Sculptor Kaili Chun was enlisted for multiple pieces, the highlight of which is Pe ‘a, a cluster of crab-claw shaped sails that float above diners at the Kona’s Pacific-to-plate fine dining option, Moana. The work references Hawaii’s history of canoe sailing and the resort’s emblem (itself taken from a half-century-old rock carving found on the property).
Beloved watering holes Shipwreck Bar — constructed from original Kona Village founder Johnno Jackson’s shipwrecked schooner — and Talk Story Bar have been painstakingly resuscitated, the latter in its original location on the edge of the beach. A new addition to the roster: a small infinity pool and beachfront sushi bar adjacent to the Moana restaurant is an excellent choice for delectable nigiri with thoughtful flavor combinations whipped up en plein air. The selection of wines at the restaurant might be the best in the state.
For those seeking adventure over sunbathing, Kona Village has maintained its excellent activity roster, from outrigger canoeing and kayaking to snorkeling in the marine-life-filled waters of the protected bay. (Depending on the time of year, whale spotting from your breakfast table is somewhat common.) The most exciting aspect of the revived Kona Village, however, is how thoughtfully the place has been brought up to speed for the demands of an increasingly aware traveler. Sustainability — hardly a buzzword of the early ’60s — is now of the utmost importance: the aim, a hotel rep explained on a recent visit, is to live lightly on the land.
The entire resort is off the grid, and runs entirely on its own solar field and water plant. An on-site farm provides the lion’s share of the property’s produce, and food waste is fed to local pigs. This awareness extends socially, too: a cultural committee of lineal descendants was formed by the new Kona Village and is regularly consulted and credited. Hotel guests are encouraged to visit a cultural center on the property for a history of the island, as well as a tour of the property’s 21 archeological sites, including a lava field that contains hundreds of petroglyphs.
It’s just another example of bringing the past into the present.
Book Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort on Tablet Hotels.
