Location: Kapalua, Maui

Drew Limsky

05/01/2006

The rain in kapalua looks almost like delicate grains of rice falling with improbable slowness. When the sun showers fade into mist and a perfectly formed rainbow appears, with one vivid end cutting into the lush West Maui Mountains and the other arching down to a broad, curvaceous beach, it is hard to imagine a more eye-pleasing setting on earth. For decades, people of means have come to Kapalua, to a land of sturdy Norfolk pines, golden sands and sloping emerald green hills.

Soon, more of them will be coming. The first wave of development made homeowners of several cast members from The Carol Burnett Show—Vicki Lawrence and Tim Conway as well as Burnett—but that initial influx is now only a memory. “They all sold,” says Jo Dorner, who has been selling homes in Kapalua since 1981, adding that it was not luxurious enough for the Hollywood jet set.

But Kapalua is now primed for a renaissance, one that will be witnessed by such local homeowners as Joe Torre, Carlos Santana and professional golfer Jim Furyk. The transformation will revitalize the area to such a large extent that Kapalua will be almost unrecognizable. Kapalua now has 803 residential units; plans for this ambitious redevelopment call for 850 more.

First to come on the market were the 25 single-family homesites at Honolua Ridge, with three- to 25-acre lots starting at $1.7 million. Another 25 lots form Phase II of Honolua Ridge. In September 2005, the Kapalua Land Co. broke ground on Phase I of what will be a 40,000-square-foot mixed-use development called Honolua Village, which will offer shops, entertainment and residences. All this change requires a visionary, and the Kapalua Resort now has one; the property is owned by the estimable Maui Land & Pineapple Co. (ML&P), whose largest hareholder is Steve Case.

Case, a native Hawaiian with substantial holdings in Kauai, became, after acquiring more than a 40 percent interest in ML&P, the second-largest landowner in Hawaii. But the AOL mastermind is no robber baron. In the last two years, in an ambitious effort to bring together hospitality, development and wellness, Case has bought controlling interests in both Exclusive Resorts, the luxury vacation club, and Miraval, the renowned Arizona spa.

The redevelopment of Kapalua Resort has Case’s mark all over it, and will put into practice the Hawaiian values of ho’okipa (hospitality), lokahi (harmony), kuleana (responsibility) and malama ’aina (stewardship of the land). Stewardship is a word constantly on the minds of Kapalua’s developers: The resort plans to use more organic maintenance and less fertilizers and pesticides; its golf courses already qualify as certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries. Former AOL executive David Cole, who now serves as ML&P’s president and CEO, notes that Kapalua Resort’s 23,000 acres include the state’s largest private nature preserve, at 8,600 acres.

In this case, harmony means no one gets left behind, as ­Kapalua Resort lays plans for Pulelehua, a mixed-use community slated to include moderately priced housing for the working families of West Maui. Harmony also comes in the form of a 30,000-square-foot ocean-theme day spa, with 25 treatment rooms on Kapalua Bay and a mountaintop immersion spa within the 690-home expansion of the resort to be called Kapalua Mauka.
In general terms, adherence to these four local principles ensures that the new Kapalua will not become another Wailea, Kapalua’s rival to the south, which is lined with upscale hotels. Dorner uses words like “quiet” and “low density” to describe the area. "Remember,” she says, in Kapalua “there are a lot of hills, a lot of ravines” compared to the relative flatness of Wailea. One of the project’s first initiatives speaks volumes: a three-mile coastal walking trail that will, for the first time, connect the pristine crescent known as D.T. Fleming Beach, that fronts the Ritz-Carlton, and the picturesque and snorkel-ready Kapalua Bay, below the Kapalua Bay Hotel.

The shoreline of the 23,000-acre resort has lava peninsulas that form five bays and three white-sand beaches. Photograph by Maui Visitor's Bureau. (Click image to enlarge)

There will be no other hotels built, at least not in the near future. “We’re not zoned for them,” Dorner notes. The top-rated 548-room Ritz-Carlton will remain (a property-wide room renovation will begin in late 2006), but the 196-room Kapalua Bay, which was the height of hotel glamour when it was built in 1978, will be replaced by three classes of two- and three-bedroom residences. Approximately 62 units will be designated as fractional Ritz-Carlton Club units, 28 will be earmarked for Exclusive Resorts, and the remainder will be wholly owned condos—a total of approximately 146 luxury residences housed in eight ocean-view buildings.

Sharen Sylva, the resort’s principal broker, believes the redevelopment will “change the character of Kapalua and draw a more exclusive traveler.” Count on a less transient environment—the fractional owners of the Ritz-Carlton Club units will have a one-twelfth interest, which equals a one-month stay, and with one-third fewer hotel rooms available, Kapalua Resort will have a greater sense of community. Owners will be rewarded with special amenities. Dorner maintains that Kapalua is the “only resort on the island that gives you golf privileges when you buy a unit.”

That is no small thing. Arnold Palmer designed the Bay and the Village Courses, while the Plantation, a stunning course that integrates pineapple fields and rock formations, is the site of the first round of the PGA Mercedes Championships every January. “Kapalua Resort is home to three world-class golf courses,” says Bob McNatt, executive vice president and general manager of community development of ML&P. “With Unforgettable panoramic views that include humpback whales splashing offshore, trade winds whispering across the fairways and Pacific sunbeams streaming down, golfers at Kapalua are constantly surrounded by powerful reminders that this is paradise.” Nongolfing home­owners will be, too.

FACTS & STATS

GREAT GOLFING: In addition to the Bay and Village Courses, the Plantation Course is the scene of the first round of the PGA Mercedes Championships. The area also boasts the state-of-the-art Kapalua Golf Academy.

LIFE’S A BEACH: Superb spots for sunning and swimming, D.T. Fleming Beach and Kapalua Bay have white sands, clear waters and lifeguard supervision. There is also great snorkeling among the coral gardens of Honolua Bay and in the seclusion of the aptly named Oneloa Bay.

PRIME PROPERTIES: The lots at Honolua Ridge, both in Phase I and Phase II, are located in Plantation Estates, a gated community adjacent to the Plantation Golf Course. At three to 30 acres, these are the largest homesites in Kapalua Resort and sell for $1.7 million and up.

REALTORS: Sharen Sylva, Kapalua Realty, 800.545.8439, www.kapaluarealty.com; Jo Dorner, Sullivan Properties Inc., 800.326.9874 ext. 102, www.jodorner.com