Calgary couple escapes to Maui
Leave city headaches behind at resort on Kaanapali Beach in Hawaii
For most people, returning to the grind of everyday life after a sun-soaked getaway can be a letdown. But when Steve and Nadine Drew’s Hawaiian holiday ended, it was more than that.
“We couldn’t get this place out of our heads,” says Nadine.
The Calgary couple stayed in a suite at Honua Kai Resort and Spa on Kaanapali Beach in Maui.
Units at the resort can be rented or purchased. But after their positive experience renting, the Drews decided to make the resort their second home and bought a one-bedroom, ground-floor apartment.
Honua Kai features 628 condohotel units over two U-shaped towers called Hokulani and Konea.
Units come in a selection of studio as well as one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts with mountain or ocean views.
“The units are really well-designed,” says Steve. The Drews’ suite boasts a partial ocean view.
“The whole end of the unit opens to a beautiful lawn and plants and it’s just a few feet down to the beach or to the pool.”
The Drews say most of their time at the resort will be just the two of them, but they have had their grown children out to stay with them.
Suites range from 580 to 2,715 square feet and come with glass-railed lanais, which is a Hawaiian word for a balcony or patio.
Some of the lanais are as large as 3,200 square feet.
The lainais are ideal for barbecue buffs, says president Keith Fernandez of Intrawest Real Estate, which is the resort’s developer.
“They have so much room,” he says. “They are probably the most generous-sized decks of any project I have been involved with.”
With a contemporary, openconcept floor plan and a host of luxury finishings, the homes are “really well done,” says Fernandez. The residences are offered in design schemes named Uli and Lono.
Both schemes boast porcelain tub and shower tile in the bathrooms, granite kitchen counters and 30-ounce, branded-solution nylon loop and cut-pile carpets.
The units range in price from $494,900 to more than $3.8 million US.
Condo owners have access to a number of amenities on the property, including three swimming pools. The pools are surrounded by an assortment of barbecue facilities.
“We see a lot of families down there,” says Fernandez.
Other on-site amenities include a beachside restaurant and a gourmet market in the resort lobby.
The market uses products from within a 160-kilometre radius and offers breakfast, lunch and dinner items.
Owners can order products from the market to be delivered to their suite.
Fernandez says the lobbies are a “very Hawaiian design,” with tall ceilings and an assortment of small water features with seating.
For owners who want to shed stress, a high-end spa is on the way.
The spa is expected to open in early 2013 and will include
A high-end spa is planned for the resort and expected to open in early 2013. It will feature therapeutic body treatments paired with Hawaiian healing traditions.
Beyond the property, there’s plenty to enjoy about the area, say the Drews. In particular, it’s an escape from such city headaches as rush-hour traffic.
“It’s very relaxed and calm,” says Nadine. “It’s a nice place to go to get away from the rat race of the city.”
While Maui is ideal for relaxing in the sunshine, it also comes with a wave of opportunities for active people such as the Drews.
The development faces a fivekilometre boardwalk along the edge of the ocean that the Drews use for morning walks or runs.
They also take advantage of the ocean, with what Nadine calls “the very best snorkelling.”
Other recreation opportunities in the area include golfing, hiking, zip lining, cycling submarine tours, as well as the local arts scene’s theatre and festival events.
In addition to the unit serving as a vacation destination, the Drews also see it as a smart investment.
The resort allows owners to earn money on their residences by including them in the rental pool when owners are not using them.