On December 1, 2006, the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel announced that it would close indefinitely following a reassessment of the damage incurred during the earthquake of October 15. Plans call for restoring the structural integrity while thoroughly upgrading the rooms. The tennis courts remains operational as does the golf course at Hapuna (the Mauna Kea golf course is currently being redesigned by Rees Jones and the golf clubhouse will be rebuilt), however, and guests who want want to take advantage of either can stay at the nearby Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. Updates on progress.

The Mauna Kea has what even a local cab driver describes as "the best beach on the island." This long crescent of white sand, fringed with obligatory palm trees, follows the outline of a shallow cove anchored by lava-rock promontories. The hotel sits atop one of those rocky outcrops in a garden of exotic flowers and trees accented with Oriental sculpture. Off to one side a terraced hillside holds 11 of the resorts 13 tennis courts, the lowest of them so close to the sea that you can hear the sound of waves breaking on the black-lava rocks.

Tennis almost never snags such prime real estate, and several years ago previous tennis director committed the unthinkable act of taking a chainsaw to some of the tennis complex's exuberant foliage, which goes wild in the tropical heat and fertile soil, in order to open up those sea views. If that means coping with a bit more wind on some days, it seems like a reasonable trade off since it means being able to gaze at the ocean at changeovers and perhaps spot a whale sounding just offshore.

Though now owned and managed by Prince Resorts Hawaii, the hotel was Laurance S. Rockefeller's original foray into luxury resort development. In 1965 he looked at a black-lava desert miles 25 miles north of the town of Kailua-Kona and envisaged a luxury golf and tennis resort. Everyone thought he was crazy; he proved them wrong by attracting a wealthy international clientele, who actually liked the fact that there were no telephones or televisions. Mauna Kea became the first in a series of Rockresorts and a synonym for the ultimate resort vacation.

Both the traveling public and the resort have changed over the intervening decades: guests have televisions, phones, and high-speed Internet access in their rooms, and the Mauna Kea shares this coast with more than half a dozen resorts, all of them carved out of the black lava. But none affords a more beautiful setting for tennis.

Tennis Features

Pro Shop: 808-882-5420

Craig Pautler has returned to the Mauna Kea as director of tennis, and although that is not quite so dramatic as an eruption of the Kilauea Volcano, it does alter the Hawaiian resort tennis landscape. Pautler, who was there in 1977-82 before moving next door to the Mauna Lani and then up to his daughters' prep school in Kamuela, lives and breathes customer service. Stroll over to the pro shop now and you'll be greeted by someone who seems genuinely thrilled that you came and will ask, almost without fail, "Can we get you a game?"
Pautler's first acts upon returning to Mauna Kea were to dramatically raise the level of service and to set about a broad upgrading of the entire court complex. Glass doors open into a full-service pro shop that is essentially the foyer for the courts themselves. And that matters because it gives staff the ability to greet every player as he enters and to quickly determine what they need.
The weekly calendar is a fairly typical blend of private instruction, clinics and round robins, along with kids' programs during the summers and busy holiday periods. What brings avid players back, year after year however, is the tirelessly attentive tennis staff, who understand how important it can be just to play. They not only put together singles, doubles or mixed doubles matches, often drawing on their own stable of local members, but they also deliver a continual supply of towels, chilled mint-scented towels, and ice water throughout your time on court.
Since coming back in the fall of 2004, Pautler has revitalized the program and beautified the complex, but he's still not satisfied. On my last visit, he showed me work orders for upgrading various parts of what's called the Seaside Tennis Garden, including removing all but a low fence from one of the courts along the ocean in order to improve the views, and undertaking a gradual resurfacing of all the courts. It took him just over a year to take Mauna Kea to the No. 1 position among Hawaii's tennis resorts, but from his perspective there remains much to do to make it even better. His return to the courts is fabulous news for the world of Hawaiian resort tennis. With him back on court, this entire stretch of the Kohala Coast—and the tennis resorts on the rest of the Hawaiian Islands for that matter—once again have a working model of superlative service.

See Also

If you're looking for a beach, golf, and tennis resort along this part of the Kona Coast, see the Southwest & Hawaii Map). For a location other than Hawaii that still offers a modicum of seclusion, also check out:

• The Buccaneer, St. Croix, USVI
• Kiawah Island Beach & Golf Resort, South Carolina
• Ponte Vedra Beach & Club, Florida
• Sea Pines Resort, South Carolina
• The Tryall Club, Jamaica
• Wild Dunes Resort, South Carolina

Travel Essentials

Seasons. Year-round.

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
62-100 Mauna Kea Beach Dr.
Kohala Coast, HI 96743
808-882-7222
Toll-free: 866-774-6236
Fax: 808-944-4491
Web Link: Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

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Travel Instructions. It is pretty much a straight shot north on Hwy. 11 from Kona Airport (which itself is north of town) to a left turn into Mauna Kea Resort and a winding road along the golf court to the porte-cochere of the hotel, a distance of roughly 25 miles.

General Tourist Information. Visit the Big Island Visitors Bureau web site or contact them at 250 Keawe St., Hilo, HI 96743. Phone: 808-961-5797. Or for information about Hawaii as a whole, visit the Hawaii Visitors Bureau web site or contact them at 2270 Kalakaua Ave. #801, Honolulu, HI 96815. Phone: 808-923-1811 or Fax: 808-924-0290.

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