Paradise Found

On a pristine stretch of Hawaiian beach, a beloved and groundbreaking resort makes its long-awaited comeback.

- Maya Kachroo-Levine

WHEN KONA VILLAGE opened in 1966, the closest road was three kilometres away. To reach the resort, guests took a puddle-jumper, piloted by whoever was around—a concierge, a cook, or, occasionally, someone who was actually licensed to fly. At the time, the now-iconic Shipwreck Bar was simply a beached sailboat called New Moon, put there by Kona Village’s founders, Johnno and Helen Jackson.

The property, which overlooks Kahuwai Bay on the Island of Hawaii, gradually developed a cult following. Supposedly, Jim Morrison once held the Shipwreck’s mai tai drinking record (he downed 21). It was Steve Jobs’s favourite place to vacation—though, ironically, Kona was known for its off-the-grid philosophy. There were no TVs in the rooms, and when guests started showing up with cell phones, they were told to leave them in their rooms. When you wanted privacy, you put a coconut outside the door.

Then, in 2011, the resort was destroyed by an earthquake-triggered tsunami. There was no closure, only wreckage—and a ‘Save Kona Village’ Facebook page, with 8,500 followers.