For those with very deep pockets, Hawaii isn’t just a place to swim, surf, and sunbathe: It’s a place to hole up with other billionaires in private, luxury-drenched communities.
The latest of these enclaves is the Kohanaiki, tucked between ancient lava flows and lakes, on Big Island's Kona Coast. It joins such existing millionaire playgrounds as Kukio and Kukui’ula in luring tech entrepreneurs, athletes, and hedge funders to Hawaii’s lush slopes. At Kohanaiki, residences and lots of land range from about $3 million (for a 3-bedroom attached home on the golf course) to $22.5 million (for a 5-bedroom custom estate on the best plot, with vaulted cedar ceilings). Those prices come on top of the $100,000 entrance fee and $25,000 annual dues.
A golf course, designed by Rees Jones, has six oceanfront holes that weave between cultural preservation sites and lava flows. A spa that offers exclusive treatments reflecting Hawaiian culture is fit with hot tubs, dry saunas, plunge pools, a relaxation garden, and a yoga lawn.
The bar and beach restaurant have menus that change daily to give members the freshest locally sourced meals and drinks, and a chophouse and sushi bar are planned to open later this year. For members with wine habits, the clubhouse will house a cellar with 340 glass-enclosed lockers to store their favorites. Any wine in the restaurants can be ordered by the glass, even bottles that run in the thousands of dollars.
"Our philosophy on food and beverage is to pretty much get people whatever they want, wherever they want it, whenever they want it," said Joe Root, president of the Kohanaiki.
When the sun goes down, residents can stay entertained with a four-lane bowling alley, a movie theater, and a game and billiards room. There's also a cigar lounge with a speakeasy-style secret entrance and a scotch bar, along with a master brewer to make beer, craft soda, kombucha, and keifer water.
Some celebrity names have already been lured to Kohanaiki, including former tennis star Lindsay Davenport, Jacksonville cornerback Davon House, and champion golfer Ben Crenshaw. Davenport said that she and her family are big fans of the comfort stations situated around the property and golf course, which are more like small cottages stocked with everything from soft-serve ice cream and Mai Tais to eye drops and Altoids. Kohanaiki also has a large garden in which residents can help themselves to mangoes, dragon fruit, or whatever tropical edibles are currently growing.
Only members and their guests are allowed inside the community, maintaining a sense of privacy. The Kohanaiki has about 80 homeowners currently sharing the 450-acre resort. The number of families will be limited to 383.
Billionaire Neighbors
About 13 miles south on the Big Island, the Kukio Golf and Beach Club has nestled near the Four Seasons Hotel since 2003, when the grand opening was celebrated with a performance by Crosby, Stills & Nash. A three acres oceanfront lot there sold for $20 million this year.
Billionaires and members of the tech elite, including Michael Dell, chief executive officer of his namesake personal computer company, and Paul Hazen, former CEO of Wells Fargo, have helped turn the private community of lavish estates into one of the country's most exclusive neighborhoods.