Fairmont Kea Lani is centered on culture
Resort’s upgrades honor Hawaiian traditions and ingredients
by Mike Morris
Photo by Brandon Barré
In Hawaiian culture, piko is known as the center — or where life begins.
That concept was applied to the recent remodel of the Fairmont Kea Lani, with the resorts new cultural center, Hale Kukuna, serving as the piko of the 22-acre property on Mauis south shore in Wailea.
As kukuna means “rays of the sun,” the centers name is symbolic for spreading Hawaiian culture throughout the resort as well as the larger Maui community, said cultural ambassador Kamalei Purdy.
Despite a museum-like atmosphere, the relics on display at Hale Kukuna are interactive and tangible. “Everything in our space is meant to be touched,” Purdy said as she retrieved items from themed cabinets.
One display showcases colorful leis along with a hat band made of peacock feathers. As most native Hawaiian birds are now extinct, these leis are replicas featuring brightly dyed duck, goose and chicken feathers.
Next to them, a “fishing and war cabinet” has shelves filled with handmade fishing hooks, an octopus lure and weapons made with shark teeth.
There are two music-themed cabinets — one displaying ukuleles made of koa and monkeypod, and another with more traditional drums created from coconuts and gourds.
“I like to stump a lot of people and tell them that the ukulele is not a Hawaiian instrument, it’s a Portuguese instrument,” Purdy said with a laugh.
Educating guests is one of the goals of the immersive cultural center, which boasts a curated collection of Hawaiian books that people can read in the lounge area or even borrow like a library.
A statue of the hotels matriarch, Queen Liliuokalani — the last queen of Hawaii — oversees the reading area. Another of sculptor Dale Zarrellas pieces, titled “Mermaid Dream,” can be found on the other end of the resorts expansive lobby.
Plans are in the works for select artifacts from Hale Hōikeike, the Maui Historical Society in Wailuku, to be displayed at Hale Kukuna, which sits just beyond the Kea Lanis main lobby. The highly visible space also hosts ukulele and hula lessons along with lei making classes.
“People coming in from any angle can see us,” Purdy noted. “A lot of the guests tell us theyre very happy to see a space like this.”
The same philosophy of sharing Hawaiian culture can be found just a few steps away at the Kea Lanis new open-air bar and restaurant, Pilina, where the bartender is known to forage the property for edible flowers and herbs.
Photo by Trevor Clark
Manager Cameron Hall worked for a year to source ingredients and help connect guests to tastes that are unique to the Hawaiian Islands.
“Mauka,” one of three specialty cocktails, combines ingredients including FY Organic Hawaii Wet Gin, ohia lehua honey from Big Island Bees, Alii Kula Lavender and smoked bee pollen from the Big Island. Another cocktail, “Makai,” blends Kula-based Ocean Organic Vodka with aloe, limu and sea asparagus, among other flavors.
Pilinas Hawaiian-infused innovations apply to its signature Mai Tai, which includes a kukui and macadamia orgeat syrup.
Kukui nuts actually play a small part in a prominent display back over at Hale Kukuna: an exhibit of kapa, or bark cloth, features a pattern printed using the ash of burned kukui nuts. Its details like these that convey an authentic experience, whether exploring the educational displays at the cultural center or sipping a craft cocktail and watching the sunset in the tropical breeze.
Pilina, which means relationship or connection, also serves lunch and dinner; the latter includes sushi rolls, sashimi and an interactive hot rock bar serving everything from ahi and ebi to wagyu and venison.
The opening of Pilina earlier this year marked the completion of Fairmont Kea Lanis extensive, multi-year transformation project. In addition to 413 one-bedroom suites and 37 two-story villas, the resort unveiled its reimagined lobby with Hale Kukuna as the piko.
