Mauna Kea GR
Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii
T&L Golf, Jan/Feb '09
Hawaiian Hallmark
Mauna Kea, updated yet preserved
From January - February 2009
by Paul Rogers
Two years after an earthquake rendered parts of its landmark hotel structurally unsound, the Mauna Kea Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii has undergone an extensive renovation. The $150 million project updated the guest rooms at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and the golf course but at the same time preserved the mid-century character of the resort, a hallmark of exoticism when it opened in 1965.
Working in the footsteps of his father, Robert Trent Jones Sr., who carved the seaside layout out of a field of lava, Rees Jones replaced the common Bermuda grass with newer hybrids to produce tighter fairway lies and faster, smoother greens. He also added two hundred yards, relocated fairway bunkers and enhanced what he called his father’s “windswept and sculptured” bunker style (as it turns out, to a degree that poor irrigation had prevented the elder Jones from achieving originally). But over all, Mauna Kea’s lay-of-the-land holes appear much as they always have. “It’s not a contrived golf course,” Rees Jones says. “And you can see the ocean from every hole—you know where you are.”
The same can be said of the hotel. Developed by Laurance S. Rockefeller, the building is celebrated for its open-air architecture and its connection to the natural surroundings.
John Hara, a Honolulu-based architect, enlarged the traditionally small guest rooms, often by converting three of them into two. He also replaced the louvered doors that lead out onto the large porches, or lanais, with clear glass to allow in more light. “The key concept here is understatement,” says Hara, “and we tried to remain true to that.”
Mauna Kea Resort
62-100 Mauna Kea Beach Drive, Kohala Coast, Hawaii. 888-977-4623, www.maunakearesort.com
Mauna Kea Golf Course
Architects
Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1963; Rees Jones, 2008.
Yardage
7,300.
Par
72.
Green Fee
$245.
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
Rooms
From $450. 
Best Bar, Off-Resort: Hit one of two remaining locations of the originator of the tiki bar concept, Don The Beachcomber's at Royal Kona Resort (www.gohawaii.com/listing?id=6567) in the heart of Kailua-Kona. Open-air, classic tiki, oceanfront, great food, and great tiki drinks. See the full history of the Don The Beachcomber's chain at http://donthebeachcomber.com/history.html.
A classic reborn: Mauna Kea Resort
CBSSports.com, George Fuller, 5/09
Reporters are not supposed to gush, so please forgive me in advance. But Mauna Kea Resort on Hawaii's Big Island is near and dear to my heart -- as it is to the legions of loyalists who know her and return to her gentle shores in an annual migration.
Some come to relax on the perfect crescent of white sand beach, rum drink in hand from the Hau Tree beachside bar. Some come to challenge the classic Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed golf course, long considered one of the top two courses in Hawaii (Princeville Prince being the other). Some come to kayak the shoreline or snorkel the reef-lined bay, ogling the brightly colored fish and magnificent green sea turtles that make these waters their home.
Whatever their motivation, no one goes home unhappy ... unless it's because they have to go home at all.
I discovered the Big Island and Mauna Kea Resort some 25 years ago and fell in love immediately. It wasn't hard to do. Stepping off the plane in Kona (not into a covered jetway, mind you, but down the stairs and onto the tarmac ... stay that way forever, Kona!!), one feels as though they've landed on the moon. Endless miles of black and brown lava form the landscape. But far from bleak, three majestic volcanoes grace the Montana-big skyline, the Pacific shore is lined by swaying coconut palms, your face is brushed by soothing trade winds and the air is perfumed by plumeria blossoms.
After that first week at Mauna Kea those many years ago, I found it impossible to resist the temptation everyone feels when they get here: I wished I could stay forever. And stay I did. During the ensuing 10 years I spent in Hawaii, I discovered many tropical treasures and dozens of idyllic island hideaways, but none that topped Mauna Kea.
That is true more than ever today. Originally opened in 1963 -- the vision of legendary hotel developer Laurance S. Rockefeller -- Mauna Kea sustained significant earthquake damage in October 2006 and was forced to close its doors. In March of this year, 2.5 years and $150 million later, a grand re-opening was held to reintroduce the grande dame to the world. It's better than before.
On a recent visit to see the results of the restoration, I met third-generation visitors who had come to Mauna Kea with their parents and grandparents. I also met quite a few who were on their inaugural visit. We were all equally charmed by what we discovered.
As you drive down from the main highway entrance, past the golf course and the hillsides dotted with island-style mansions, and come into the familiar hotel courtyard, it appears as if not much has changed. And from an architectural standpoint, not much has. The original hotel structure has been reinforced, but looks exactly the same. Checking in, guests are still given a flower lei and are able to relax in the big atrium lobby overlooking the Pacific before being escorted to their room.
The big changes are seen in the 258 guest rooms, which have been enlarged, modernized and decorated in lively tropical colors that expertly match the brilliant blue of Kauna'oa Bay. A built-in entertainment center features a flat-screen (TVs were absent at the original hotel) and media hub, and the spacious bathrooms feature an ocean view bathtub (big enough for two) and overhead rainfall shower. Each room opens to a spacious lanai (patio), a perfect spot to watch the sunset or quietly contemplate your good fortune at being in such an exquisite corner of paradise.
Also new is Manta Restaurant, where Chef George Gomes Jr. is creating tasty island cuisine, using local ingredients such as fresh fish, vegetables and cheeses produced within a 50-mile radius and Big Island beef. Long a weak spot for Mauna Kea, the resort's cuisine is now top notch.
At the golf course a new clubhouse awaits, but for those purists who loved the cozy darkness of the old one, the footprint is exactly the same. No imposing concrete and marble edifice, the new Mauna Kea clubhouse is an understated, comfortable and open-air structure. The glass walls of the new restaurant -- named Number 3 after the resort's famous over-water signature par-3 hole -- open up to views of the first tee box, and old favorites, such as the Monte Cristo sandwich, are still found on the menu.
Golf architect Rees Jones was brought in to restore his father's original design, and he improved the course significantly while honoring his pop's classic routing and "easy bogey/tough par" philosophy. The greens, formerly pronounced crowns that would often repel all but the perfect approach, are now a little easier to hold. But in exchange for lifting the edges of the putting surfaces, Rees added extensive tiering and undulation. The result: You might more frequently get on the green in regulation, but you'd best be having a good day with the putter.
Hole No.3, I was happy to find, is as lovely as ever. Dauntingly long from the "Wedding Vow" tees (272 yards), most golfers play this par-3 anywhere from 108 (forward tees) to 205 yards (blue). With the trade winds blowing crosswise and a rocky ocean inlet to cross, this is one of the most thrilling holes in golf.
"Mauna Kea is not only one of the premier golf courses in existence," Rees said, "but one that cannot be replicated. It differentiates itself from other courses because of its history, its pedigree and its setting."
Much the same can be said of the entire resort. A classic, to be sure; but nowadays much better than ever.