B on Hawaii

On January 30th and 31st, The Mind Body & Spirit Exposition folk will host the Total Wellness Expo on the island of Kauai. The event, sponsored by Inspiration Wellness Journal, will feature Mater Zhi Gang Sha as the keynote speaker—a title that went to Deepak Chopra last year.

Colin Hazama, chef de cuisine of Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Kaua`i Grill at the newly unveiled St. Regis Princeville may be the most fortunate 28-year-old chef in America. We sat down with Hazama at a table hovering over Hanalei Bay, just days before he was set to open the pinnacle restaurant at what is being hailed at Hawaii's most luxurious resort.

When Dana Roberts launched her Malie Organics line of spa products, she was looking to share the healing properties of botanical elements found throughout Hawai`i with those who would appreciate them most. She found a symbiotic partnership at Halele'a Spa in the St. Regis Princeville, where, as far as she knows, they are the only spa in the world to use taro for body treatments.

Jim Moffat has been quietly upping the ante on Kaua`i's food scene for nearly two years. Garden Isle residents, who have been forced to content with overpriced plate lunches, poor retail food outlets and semi-tolerable eateries, have been poised for a culinary boost—and Moffat is leading the charge.

It isn't every day that a swanky new boutique hotel opens on the islands. Heck, it isn't often that anything new opens in this economic climate. But it certainly isn't every day both these occur on the sleepy and reclusive isle of Kaua`i. We were eager to visit the Ko'a Kea Hotel & Resort in Poipu since writing about its architect last winter.

It has been confirmed: Jean-Georges Vongerichten will helm the Kaua`i Grill at the newly re-branded and revamped St. Regis Princeville Resort on Kaua`i when it opens this October. The resort will feature 251 newly designed rooms, including 52 suites, 3 additional restaurants, the 10,000 square foot Halele'a Spa and transformed banquet space for private affairs.

On the South Shore of Kaua`i, chef Ben Takahashi of Shells Restaurant has announced a new “Kaua`i Farmers Market Special menu” that will change every Thursday and feature sustainable ingredients from the island.

A steadfast disbeliever in the timeshare vacation as a truly legitimate destination experience, this writer has been turned. A recent jaunt to the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas proved that timeshares aren't solely about pillaging vacationers for $30,000; yet a smart design, extremely comfortable accommodations and activities aplenty can make for a wonderful stay option.

The 31-acre site in which the Kilauea Lighthouse resides is one of the most exciting places to be for wildlife enthusiasts—especially now. Perched on a volcanic outcropping that juts further north than any point on Kaua’i’s North Shore, the land and sea surrounding the Lighthouse is home to dozens of rare and endemic birds.