Joseph Sohm/Visions of America/Corbis
Location: North Shore, Oahu
July 1, 2007
While oceanfront is holding onto its value, the bluffs behind
the coastal Kamehameha Highway have hit a slump. In the agricultural area of
Pupukea, where millionaires in gated estates share a hillside with free-roaming
chickens, "things that were $1.4 million are down to $900,000," Arnold says.
Travel west to the dry, leeward side of the island and you’ll
find the best oceanfront deals on Oahu, says Worrall. A beach home in the
enclave of Makaha starts at $1.25 million. Shopping and services are limited,
but not for long. The state has put its muscle behind development in the Ko
Olina area, where JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa is filling rooms at a
brisk pace.
If you’re dead set on the North Shore, keep in mind it is not
for everyone. Apart from a couple of restaurants at Turtle Bay, gourmands
will be hard-pressed to find a suitable dining spot. Moreover, the "Keep the
North Shore Country" crowd won’t be happy when the bulldozer shows up to tear
down that cute beach shack on your new oceanfront lot.
In the long run, it is worth the fuss. Oahu is a small island and there’s
only so much coastline. Says Worrall, "Anytime you can buy oceanfront in the
state of Hawaii, you’re buying gold."
Facts & Stats
Hot Properties
The Sullivan Estate, perhaps the North Shore’s best-known
property, was built in the ’60s by Foodland grocery store founder Maurice
"Sully" Sullivan and is on the market for $29 million. Said to be a favorite
haunt of Elvis’s, the six-bedroom retreat (www.sullivanestate.com) sits on more
than five acres of blufftop grounds overlooking the ocean and underwent a
complete remodel in 2003. Offered through Prudential Locations,
www.prudentiallocations.com. Other in-the-know Realtors include Mary Worrall
Associates/Sotheby’s International Realty, 808.739.4490, www.worrall.com,
and Pete Arnold of Prudential Locations, 808.392.9884,
www.prudentiallocations.com.
Surfing And Staying
If you’re going to get along with the surf crowd, you’d better at
least try to
catch a wave—just once. The Turtle Bay Resort offers lessons headed by one of
the sport’s Big Kahunas, Hans Hedemann. 808.293.6000, www.turtlebayresort.com.
For dinner, Ola, on the sand at Kuilima Cove, serves up a fusion of Hawaiian and
international fare. If you bring four-legged family members house hunting, the
pet-friendly boutique hotel W Honolulu pampers Fluffy with special treats at
nightly turndown. 866.716.8111, www.whotels.com. Headed to the leeward side
to check out your future beach pad? The JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa is
an elegant stopover. 800.626.4446, www.ihilani.com.
Shopping
From Gucci to Burberry, Honolulu is a shopper’s paradise. Spend the morning
with a surf or canoe lesson from the Waikiki Beachboys
(www.waikikibeachboys.com), and while away the afternoon at Tiffany’s. For
an eclectic hodgepodge of Southeast Asia culture, food and fun, hit Chinatown
(www.chinatownhi.com). And don’t miss the Hawaii Theatre Center
(www.hawaiitheatre.com), an old, beautifully restored vaudeville house in
downtown Honolulu. Once you have picked out your new island getaway, check out
Merrill & Associates for Kathy Merrill Kelley’s Pacific Rim–flavored
interiors. 808.523.3550, www.merrill-hawaii.com.
advertisement
