Located on a stunning stretch of beach on the Northwest Kona Coast, Four Seasons Resort Hualalai is a tropical oasis that features a contrast of ancient black lava rock with towering coconut palms, white sand beaches and azure sea. From apothecary spa treatments and poolside pampering, to playing a round on the signature Jack Nicklaus golf course, to taking advantage of the resort’s on-site ocean activities experts Ala Ka’i Nalu, the resort provides experiences to suit all levels of adventure - all, with gracious warmth and highly personalized service.
GOWS: If you had to describe the property in three words, what would they be?
A: Paradise, oasis, dream.
GOWS: How far in advance does a couple need to reserve a wedding date?
A: Our couples generally reserve their date 6-9 months in advance. Being a destination wedding venue, clients are much more flexible with their wedding dates, and not as focused on specific days of the week, such as Saturdays. If we do have a client interested in a very specific date, whether it be for sentimental reasons or culturally important, we recommend reserving their date 12-18 months in advance.
GOWS: Are onsite wedding planners available for the wedding process?
A: Each wedding at Hualalai includes a dedicated wedding specialist who will guide our couples through every step of the wedding planning process. We consult with our couples to coordinate florals, entertainment, photography, videography, menus, wedding cake, and everything in between. We also offer an additional wedding coordinator to assist on day-of wedding execution for our weddings above 20 guests, as well as wedding event design services.
GOWS: Are accommodations and buyouts available? What is the capacity limit?
A: We absolutely offer accommodations at our resort and encourage our couples and their guests to stay on property to receive the full Four Seasons experience. Our resort is comprised of 243 guest rooms, including 51 suites and we do offer special wedding rates as well as room blocks for our wedding groups. We can even accommodate a resort buyout during specific times of the year.
GOWS: What spaces are available for ceremonies and receptions?
A: We have multiple ceremony venues on property to offer our guests -
Palm Grove provides a striking green lawn landscape, complete with towering palm trees, that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. The lawn is expansive and we love to transition guests from ceremony to cocktail reception at this venue, allowing them to capture sunset over the ocean prior to changing locations for dinner.
Wedding Tree sits atop a lava cliff, providing a dramatic color contrast between the black lava and surrounding blue Pacific Ocean. This venue is ideal for intimate weddings of up to 30 guests.
Kumukea Beach is an all sand, ocean front beach venue situated at the north end of our property, providing a secluded setting for our wedding couples. Two large heliotrope trees exist in the center of Kumukea Beach, offering a natural arch back drop for wedding ceremonies.
We offer multiple reception venues for our guests, from private dining rooms in one of our restaurants, to an outdoor living room setting in our Garden Lawn. Highlighting two of our reception venues -
Garden Lawn truly is our outdoor living room setting and is surrounded by plumeria, hibiscus, and monkey pod trees. Ideal for 20 - 120 guests, this versatile venue has a flexible set up and catering options.
Hoku Amphitheatre is a very unique venue, carved from the historic Ka'upulehu lava flow. It has terraced levels and a lava rock wall as the back drop to your stage, and has great acoustics for live entertainment. Also a very versatile venue, this space is ideal for 30 - 200 guests.
GOWS: What are some of the amenities, incentives and activities that the property offers a couple?
A: We have tons of amenities and activities that truly cater to every couple we host at Hualalai. Multiple dining options, a tropical sanctuary spa & salon, our sports club offering multiple group and private classes to enjoy, an array of swimming pools to choose from, each offering a unique experience, a Championship 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, tennis, and luxe shopping experiences are some of the main options we offer. We also have an outstanding Alaka'i Nalu adventure team at the resort, offering snorkeling, paddle-boarding, whale watching, and swimming with dolphins.
We do offer incentives for our couples, such as an exclusive wedding at the resort (only wedding on the Resort that day), a complimentary room night for the wedding couple on the night of the wedding, or a guaranteed upgrade to a suite throughout the duration of our couple's stay, to name a few. All of our incentives are offered based upon the dynamics of each wedding booking.
GOWS: Food is such an important element at a wedding; tell us about your menu customization.
A: Customizing food and beverage offerings for our couples is a must, especially for weddings because there usually is a very personal connection to the food and beverage component. We recently hosted a wedding for a couple who met on Taco Tuesday, so we created beautiful mini ahi poke tacos served on carved limes that were paired with a margarita in a mini patron bottle. It was the perfect way to kick off their wedding weekend! For their after hours reception, we topped milk-filled shot glasses with warm chocolate chip cookies and paired fresh miniature wagyu beef sliders with mini beer mugs filled with local Kona brews. This wedding was all about incorporating playful and delicious menus items, and we love collaborating with our clients in this way.
There are also a lot of couples who really want to embrace our island's Hawaiian flavors, and we are lucky to support over 160 local farms, providing the freshest ingredients possible for our events. Our chefs will gladly customize multi-course tasting menus, sourcing the freshest ingredients available, and select complimenting wines to provide a complete dining experience. We can enhance these dinners even further by creating an interactive show kitchen in front of the guest tables, with our chefs explaining each course during service.
We want our clients and their guests to always remember their wedding day forever, and we hope to maximize this through the customized and personalized service we provide.
GOWS: Service is imperative in the wedding industry, what does the property offer couples and their guests that set you apart, for example personal concierge, transportation, etc.
A: Four Seasons is known world-wide for our signature, five-star service and the guest experience, and we live and breathe this ideology every day with each client we work with. We personalize the entire wedding planning experience from the moment of the first inquiry call through to the execution of the final event. We are committed to full event planning and work tirelessly to ensure every detail is accommodated, making sure that each individual wedding vision is brought to reality. We truly believe that our personalized service is what sets us apart from others.
