Babymoon in Hawaii (Four Seasons Hualalai)

About a week before my wife and I found out that she was pregnant with our first child, we booked a non-refundable weeklong ski trip at the Montage Deer Valley.  Our miracle-worker of a travel agent, Sandee Litwin, thankfully was able to convince Montage to refund our deposit (thanks Montage!) and suggested we try for a more pregnancy-friendly destination.  So, we chose Hawaii for our "babymoon" (a "babymoon" simply an excuse to go on an extravagent trip in the name of "we won't be able to do this again for a long time....").

When we first booked the Four Seasons Hualalai, I wondered whether it would be worth the price tag (nearly double the going rate for the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea and other high end Hawaiian resorts).   FS Hualalai proved its worth very quickly -- the service was exceptional (make one food-related request and it seems that the whole staff remembers it for the duration of the stay), the grounds were fantastic and the amenities are everything you would expect from a five star resort.

FS Hualalai is a short drive from Kona airport on the Big Island.  Upon arriving, we were greeted with a welcome drink (standard fare these days for tropical resorts) and whisked to our room, all of 10 steps from the Beach Tree Pool -- a quiet pool area overlooking a huge swath of ocean, well in view of breaching whales and within earshot of the live music at the Beach Tree restaurant.

We loved the fact that the FS Hualalai was quite a bit smaller (in terms of rooms and guests) than comparable Hawaiian resorts.  The winding layout of the resort allowed large resort amenities but with a small resort feel.  We took advantage of the outdoor tennis courts, snorkling pond, spa, shops and restaurants, yet we never got the feeling of being crowded by a horde of tourists as is the case with so many large tropical resorts.

One highlight of our trip was our self-guided driving tour of the island.  Although we couldn't do any major hiking or trek to the volcano, we were able to spend a day driving through the various micro-climates of the Big Island -- farmland, mountains, coastline -- stopping to check out waterfalls and black sand beaches.  If you were ever going to rent a convertible, the Big Island is the place to do it.   Our heads were on a swivel, just marveling at the scenery.

Even after a week at the FS Hualalai, we still considered extending our stay -- one more day walking the coastline path, another sunset or two from our patio or the Beach Tree Bar, perhaps another dip in the snorkling pond to check out the rays.  Though we had to leave, there was one consolation -- they have a fantastic kids program.  So, we'll be back again, this time with our son.