Nature doesn’t make mistakes, as the views of Bali Hai from the Living Room confirm. I don’t envy those designers charged with the dubious task of integrating manmade elements into such world-class beauty. How easy it would be to spoil things.
Architects of the Living Room at Princeville obviously tiptoed humbly around mother nature when creating this room. Oriented brilliantly in the direction of Mt. Makana, where the sun tucks itself predictably into this slot in the landscape each and every night, nothing is lost. Clearly, one could sit on the beach or a chunk of lava rock to watch this show and still be dazzled. But taking it one step further, in the Living Room full walls of glass reveal every nuance of nature’s swirling colors and shadows while allowing guests to sit on overstuffed sofas, propping their feet upon pillows, out of the wind, the weather, and the sand, while gracious attendants fetch them favored libations and pupus. Died and gone to heaven? You betcha!
The Living Room is also a full-fledged sushi bar from 5:30 - 9:30 p.m. nightly. On our first evening here we settled in for a little glass of wine and ended up making it our dinner. The "Green Flash" sushi roll, an original creation of the Living Room sushi chef was one of the most delicious we’ve ever tasted. That’s saying a lot, considering we eat sushi everywhere we go and at least weekly at home. The old standards, spicy tuna roll, rainbow roll, rock and roll, all lived up to any previously established expectations as well.
If the view and the sushi weren’t enough incentive to make the Living Room a nightly feature of our stay at the Princeville, the entertainment provided a definite lure. Even from our dining table in the lower level Hanalei Café while in the middle of conversation, my husband and I had halted with chopsticks in mid-air when a particularly melodious rift emanated from the Living Room.
"That guy is great!" my husband had blurted out, reading my mind.
The sax player and piano man had done it again by upstaging the other fabulous features of the hotel, the food, the views, the plush décor. This is the sort of background music that is so enjoyable that you mourn its loss when the musicians take a break.
Twice a week the musicians turn the stage over to Mauliola Cook and John Akana who present authentic island style drumming, chanting, dance and storytelling. This ancient Hawaiian performance art reveals the captivating legends of the islands while offering guests and local alike some powerful and mesmerizing entertainment. The program is part of Princeville’s dedication to preserving the rich heritage of the original ancestral inhabitants of the Hanalei Bay.
In spite of its outward opulence, the earthy respectfulness represented in the phrase, "E ho’okipa mai ko makou Hale," welcome to our home, reflects the real heart of Princeville. No where does it beat more soundly than in the Living Room.