WAIMEA (HI Now) - The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawaiʻi Island is turning 60, and the celebration is well underway. Reporter Kainoa Carlson went beachside with hotel manager Kansas Henderson to take in the milestone, and the sweeping $240 million renovation that came with it. Henderson said the goal was simple: honor what guests already loved. “They came for a reason, this beautiful beach, this beautiful hotel, the architecture, the art. We just wanted to elevate that and continue the legacy.” All 252 suites and guest rooms have been fully refreshed, and the reviews have been nothing short of glowing.
The upgrades go way beyond the rooms. The resort now boasts a stunning new adult infinity pool with what may be the best ocean view in the state, plus a brand-new destination spa, fitness center, and salon. The legendary Robert Trent Jones Sr. golf course got a refresh too, this time by Bobby Jones Jr., making Mauna Kea the only course in the world touched by all three generations of the Jones family. Loyal guests had one request going in: “Don’t mess it up.” By all accounts, they didn’t.
Over at the beachfront Hau Tree restaurant, Chef Miguel Soto brought the flavors of his Mexico City upbringing straight to the Kohala Coast. Think birria quesadillas with braised short ribs, shrimp aguachile verde, chicken mole made with Puna local chicken and locally sourced chocolate, and a show-stopping bone-in ribeye finished table side with a spiced demiglace. And don’t sleep on the cocktails, the scratch margarita with a mango-Tajin rim is a crowd pleaser, and the legendary Frederico has been on the menu for nearly all 60 years. One guest off-camera admitted he’s been ordering them for 40.
Rounding out the experience is Cultural and Aloha Ambassador Punahele Andrade, whose name literally means “favorite” in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, who leads authentic cultural programming including lei making, Hawaiian language lessons, and a history class that gives guests a real peek into Hawaiʻi’s past. The property also takes its stewardship of the nēnē seriously, recording 24 nests on the golf course last year alone. As Andrade put it, “We feel a sense of kuleana to protect these species.” When Rockefeller first opened the hotel in 1965, he told his staff, many hired from the collapsed Kohala plantation, to simply treat guests like family. Sixty years later, that spirit is still very much alive.
To learn more or to book your next Hawaii Island getaway, visit Mauna Kea Beach Hotel.
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