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FUUD: Pahu i’a at Hualalai

By Catherine Toth Fox • August 19, 2011 • #CatTravels, Food

The other week we were on the Big Island visiting family — and decided to stop off at a resort I had only heard about.

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka’upulehu is not exactly in my price range. Standard rooms that face the golf course — I mean, it is a nice golf course — start at $795 per night, with rates exceeding $10,000 a night for luxurious villas with all the comforts of a beach house but swankier. (These villas typically come with complimentary massage treatments, valet service and other extras.)

But that didn’t stop us from eating there!

The Four Seasons boasts accessible award-winning dining, including its signature restaurant, Pahu i’a.

Pahu i’a, in Hawaiian, means aquarium — which, to this day, still doesn’t make sense to me. Am I sitting in an aquarium? Does this restaurant only serve fish and plankton? It was baffling.

But what I did get was this concept — an impressive 90 percent of the menu here is made with local ingredients. All from the Big Island. Now that’s something I can get my head around!

We opted to eat upstairs at the Lava Lounge to enjoy the live music and watch the sunset.

Here’s what our dinner looked like:

Sunset on the Kona-Kohala Coast

Sunset on the Kona-Kohala Coast
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This is not your typical resort. And it's not even your typical upscale luxury resort. There's something magical about the Four Seasons Hualalai that's hard to explain — or capture in photos.

Pahu i’a, Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka’upulehu, 72-100 Kaupulehu Dr. in Kailua-Kona. Hours: Breakfast, 6:30-11 a.m. daily; dinner, 6-9 p.m. Sunday through Friday; outdoor barbecue, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday. Phone (808) 325-8000

Big IslandFoodFour Seasons ResortfuudHawaiiHualalaiPahu ia
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About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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4 Comments

  • Reply David Jackson August 19, 2011 at 10:11 am

    What? No golf course photos? Jeez… surfer lady no like ’em golf eh? BTW: food looks pretty good and I bet that resort is nice, stayed in Four Seasons before and they are generally excellent. No jet ski, no golf, no problem. I think that would make a good shirt. have a photo of surfer on it. Flashing one big shaka and a great big grin.

  • Reply WildeOscar August 19, 2011 at 10:18 am

    Spectacular setting, good-lookin’ FUUD.

  • Reply M August 19, 2011 at 2:41 pm

    Hello Cat!
    Fuud pixs Friday!
    Da fuud looks awesome!

  • Reply oldshoes August 19, 2011 at 10:45 pm

    the rocky road of sorts with mint sprig looked quite scrumptious. Wondering where the sidekick of a snifter of sambuca & 3 coffee beans is?….

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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