Spas are the hottest trend in the hotel and resort business worldwide, and Hawaii ranks as the trendsetter in the Pacific. Although meeting planners can easily sell Hawaii to some attendees on the basis of exceptional golf courses or world-class beaches, other delegates prefer the most advanced facilities for workouts and rejuvenation. Hawaii has plenty of spas suitable for pamperingand sweatingin paradise, including many that rank among the best in North America.
In
Condé Nast Traveler's 2002 survey of the Top 40 Spas in North America and the Caribbean, no fewer than nine Hawaiian spas made the list. In fact, the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka'upulehu on the Big Island continues to reign as the king of resort spas, topping the list for three years running. The Four Seasons spa was singled out for its reflexology services, as well as for its new Resistance and Strength Studio where guests can pursue specialized workouts.
A tour of Hawaii's top-ranked spas would fine-tune nearly every element of the bodyand perhaps the soul as well. For Maui meeting-goers, spinal realignments are the signature treatment at the Four Seasons Resort Maui, which ranked number four in the Condé Nast poll this year. Elsewhere on Maui, acupressure provides the perfect touch at the Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Sparanked 12th in North Americaand the native
lomi lomi massage combines tradition and relaxation at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, where the spa ranked 17th.
Those who meet in Kauai have two spa choices among America's Top 25. The honey-and-ginger body wrap does the trick at the seventh-ranked Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort and Spa, and Aveda products are used exclusively for royal treatments at Princeville Resort's renowned spa (No. 24).
On the tiniest of Hawaii's main islands, Lanai, two world-class resorts offer world-class relaxation. The Manele Bay Hotel's new East/West flavored spa, complete with bamboo floors, ranks sixth among all spas surveyed. The Lodge at Koele offers its guests poolside workouts, with garden views that alone would justify its No. 10 rating. Both of these Lanai properties, with full-service facilities for meetings, are now members of Starwood's Luxury Collection.
Those who meet on Oahu also enjoy several state-of-the-art spa choices. Local island ingredients are applied in spa treatments at the J.W. Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa, ranked 21st by
Condé Nast Traveler readers.
The Hilton Hawaiian Village has two options for its guests: the brand-new Mandara Spa, a world-renowned spa offering European, Balinese and Hawaiian treatments, and the Holistica Hawaii Health Center, where visitors can avail themselves of a full-body diagnostic scan on an electron beam tomography scanner, the world's first in a resort setting. The Kahala Mandarin Oriental has plans to take spa resorts a step further by building what is in effect an all-suites spa. Each of its spa suites will incorporate a private garden, natural materials and its own unique interior design inspired by Hawaiian elements.