A beautiful view from every room. A true paradise!! Food was incredible.... staff was so friendly and helpful! Even the work out area, I've never seen anything like it. Pools were picture perfect. The King's Pond, what an amazing feature. I can still hear the sound of the waves breaking on beach while we were sleeping. The rooms were so nice. The bathroom, was like something you'd see in a magazine. I would go back in a heartbeat.

That old black magic has me in its spell…
- Harold Arlen

I’d already indulged in that memorable late lunch in harmony with my heart’s desire, swam in the oceanfront pool, cat-napped after a soothing massage -- but my birthday wasn’t over yet.

"I’m not sure how much more of this I can take."
"I’ve seen you in action. You’re just getting warmed up," Sweetie chided.
"Well, all right. Since I’ve come this far I suppose I can hang in there for another few hours."

We strolled the winding paths through the resort, (slowly as I was wearing those Jimmy Choo‘s.) Every few minutes we’d pass another couple in the dim glow of the tiki torches. Hushed conversations, arm-in-arm, wearing faint smiles, they offering Aloha -- obviously captivated by Hualalai's spell.

We entered the Pahui`a from the ocean front boardwalk. We might have spent longer studying the restaurant’s centerpiece, a dazzling aquarium brimming with colorful fish, but within minutes the hostess beckoned us to our table on the Naupaka Terrace. Named after a native shrub bearing half-flower blooms, according to legend the flower is made whole when paired with the sister shrub that grows upcountry.

A few yards beyond us the ocean waves danced under strategically beamed moonlight. The waitress flashed tiny pocketlights adorned with vintage hula girls - ours to keep - to facilitate reading the menu in the candlelight.

The first course was an easy choice. The chef worked overtime to pack all of my favorites into the salad - yellow and red roasted beets, baby greens, goat cheese and walnuts in a citrus vinaigrette, perfectly matched and balanced. Sweetie had the Tom Yum Goong, the traditional Thai shrimp soup scented with lemongrass. It was presented with vegetables and shrimp already in the bowl over which the waiter poured a heady broth infused in a French coffee press.

"Everything sounds so good, I can’t decide," I told the waitress when asked for my choice of entrée.
"Have it all!" she suggested.
"Oh, I couldn’t!" I thought aloud.

But I could. It just so happened the chef was offering a special bento box presentation of the top three entrees; seared, panko crusted ahi, coconut cream ono, and a very petite slice of filet served with baby vegetables and truffle risotto.
"This is amazing," my husband commented, savoring his food.
"The whole place is amazing."

We felt exceptionally light after such a grand feast but my eyelids had grown heavy after a glass of wine. Making our way back to our villa under a veil of stars, I caught a second wind.

"Is it midnight yet?" .
"You’ve still got half an hour," Sweetie winked.
"More than enough time…" I smiled, kicking off my shoes, "for a moonlight swim, that is."

It is nearly impossible to get a reservation for dinner on X-mas, especially if you're not staying at the upscale hotel where the restaurant is located. It seems that on Big Island fine dining can only be found at the Kohala resorts! What about the Four Seasons? Well, they are actually located in North Kona, but I'm not pointing fingers.

The cuisine is Pacific Rim. Due to the holidays, they offered a buffet of everything one could imagine--steak, red snapper, stuffing, potatoes, rice. They have special stations for salad, Hawaiian fare, dim sum, and sushi. There are also stations for carving ham, turkey, and cheese with all the fixin's. For dessert? So many deserts to choose from...freshly made souffles, pies, cakes, cookies, parfaits... The best part is that we were seated as close to the beach as one could get. This is a beautiful locale with wonderful food. I am positive that dining here is always a wonderful experience.