Unique Homes On Location: Kapalua Bay, Maui, Hawaii
Aloha! As a guest at the Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences, Kapalua Bay, Unique Homes will be educating our readers on Kapalua’s newest residential community and the home ownership opportunities that exist under the Ritz-Carlton name. This is our final blog in the Unique Homes On Location: Kapalua Bay, Maui, Hawaii series.
Ka wai ola (life flowing waters) is honored in the Hawaiian culture as a centralized ideal. Flowing waters are seen, heard and felt throughout the tropical islands — from the mountains, down to the ocean; from the residences of the Ritz-Carlton to the graceful Kapalua Spa.
I followed the sound of streaming waters to the 30,000-square-foot Kapalua Spa, where treatment rooms and outdoor bungalows welcome guests in to revitalize and renew their bodies, souls and minds. With a choice of Hawaiian, water, body, massage and skin therapies as well as salon services and spa packages, Kapalua Spa can nourish any body.
Down a flight of stairs, I made my way through healing gardens to an outdoor hale. Before my treatment began, my therapist and I shared in a kava “blessing.” Kava is an ancient crop used in Pacific cultures to relieve stress, insomnia and
anxiety. Taking the herbal supplement in a liquid form is also accepted as a blessing or welcoming. Once welcomed into the hale, the doors were opened to let in the sound of nature as I escaped for 80 minutes in a warm stone massage using volcanic stones.
To see Kapalua Spa’s full menu of services, please visit its Web site (found here).
In a relaxed state, I met Clifford Nae’ole, cultural advisor of the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua Bay, for dinner at The Terrace Restaurant, a resort-casual dining experience within the Ritz-Carlton hotel, Kapalua Bay. As we made our way down to the dining room, Mr. Nae’ole introduced me to artwork, ancient tools and significant artifacts. The motif within the hotel is designed to ask questions, explains Nae’ole.
But, I was speechless when Mr. Nae’ole introduced me to the authentic Ka Pahu (sacred drum). Used in sacred rituals in Mr. Nae’oles culture, the drum is held in great esteem. It is customary in Hawaiian culture to be thankful for the materials the earth and nature have provided to people. To show gratitude, every portion of a living creature is used in some way; there is minimal waste. Following this custom, the sacred drum was created using the bodies of other animals, including the skin of a shark. The animals and vegatation are not losing life, they’re finding breath in another body.
As my dinner with Mr. Nae’ole came to an end, he summarized my experience at the Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences, Kapalua Bay. “We’re a five-diamond hotel immersed in a five-diamond culture.”
For tonight,
Mahalo.
—Lauren Varga
To learn more about the amenities and activities offered through the Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences, Kapalua Bay, please visit its Web site (found here).
Top photo courtesy Kapalua.com
