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Aloha to all of our Owners
It is back to school this week after a fun-filled spring break for our island keiki. We have enjoyed some recent rains after a long dry spell on the south shore. Hopefully we will start to see our grass turning green again. Kauai is bustling with visitors and it is nice to see the parking lot at Kukui'ula Shopping Village full of patrons enjoying the many dining opportunities. James Beard Award-winning Chef Roy Yamaguchi opened his new restaurant The Eating House 1849 in Kukui'ula Shopping Village last week.
The menu and the atmosphere of the restaurant is a little more casual than the Roy's.
Guests can expect dishes like "Rissoles" Portuguese shrimp turnovers, Kona lobster and Kunana goat cheese ravioli, and plantation "paella" stew.
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St. Patty's Day fun at Poipu Beach Athletic Club
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Our GVR ohana had fun at Poipu Beach Athletic Club for the"Green Beer and Dancing Leprechauns Party" hosted by HAPAS restaurant for St. Patty's Day.
Congratulations to our head honcho of maintenance, Blake Hughes, who won the prize for best dressed leprechaun! The menu included Blarney Skins, Boxty, Colcannon, Dublin Coddle, Corn Beef and Cabbage and other traditional dishes to go along with the Irish Dew and Brew...
We have had only positive feedback from our vacation rental guests that eagerly take advantage of the weekly club membership that we offer them. The club continues to expand; the new kiosk at the entrance makes it easy for guests to register and collect their towels and learn about the many amenities, game facilities and fitness classes that are offered. HAPAS restaurant provides table or poolside food service from 8am to 8pm everyday with access to televised games and events at the bar. For those owners that have not yet personally experienced the club membership, you are in for a treat!
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Say Good bye to the old Coco Palms Resort
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Demolition of the iconic Coco Palms, which was featured in the Elvis Presley movie "Blue Hawaii", is scheduled to commence in the next few months. The Kauai Planning Commission has approved several permits for the project which include the special management area use, project development use, variance and class IV zoning permits.
The Developer, Coco Palms Hui LLC, plans to open the new Hyatt-branded resort in the spring of 2017. It also expects to renovate and reopen the Seashell Restaurant across the highway from the resort in January 2016.
See the rendering below from Pacific Business News of the redeveloped Hyatt-branded Coco Palms Resort.
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Positive Outlook for Tourism in Hawaii
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HVCB (Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau shared some positive information in their latest update:
According to the latest MMGY Global
travel horizons
data, more than 42 percent of U.S. air leisure travelers report that they are very or extremely likely to visit Hawaii in the next 24 months, up 16.4 percentage points year-over-year. Intent to travel to Hawaii has grown significantly over the last seven years, increasing from just 14.3 percent in 2008 to over 40 percent in 2015.
Also, Air service to Hawai'i from the U.S. and Canada continues to show double-digit growth in the months ahead. Scheduled air seats from North America are currently expected to increase +10.8% in the March through August period, with seats from the U.S. growing by +10.4% and Canada by +19.6 percent. Neighbor Islands will continue to see the bulk of additional scheduled air seats, capturing 64 percent of added capacity in the next six months.
HVCB's campaign #LetHawaiiHappen campaign that was launched in January 2015 has received 28 million social impressions, 1.3 million video views and #18,000 hashtag uses. Great Vacation Retreats shared this campaign in our January newsletter encouraging guests to continue to share and engage with tagged images and videos to #LetHawaiiHappen and to our Instagram sites #alohashare #alohasurfcam and #kauaivacations.
Please follow us on Instagram and share some of your beautiful images and memories of your Kauai Home.
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Mankichi Sueoka and his wife Yoshi opened Sueoka store in Koloa in 1918. The store moved to its current location in Koloa in 1933.
This landmark store marks the entrance to Koloa Town and is a popular grocery store and a quick stop to buy beautiful orchids, leis and fresh baked custard pies and coconut haupia cakes. The gathering at it's busy little snack shop window at lunchtime is a familiar site as locals and visitors line up for hamburgers and plate lunches. We are always sad to see small "mom and pop" shops disappear from our Kauai landscape as these little stores offer personality and familiarity to our plantation towns.
Sueko Store has been sold to an Oahu family that owns the ABC Stores chain. The Kosasa family bought Sueoka Store for an undisclosed amount. They also own Island Gourmet Markets, Island Country Markets, Hawaiian Casuals and Island Favorites.The Sueoka family will continue to operate the store for four years under the terms of the sale. That's shortly after the store celebrates the centennial of its founding.
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In the Hanalei district, which is where the Princeville resort is located, the median price more than doubled to $1.3 million in February, 132 percent more than the median price of $560,000 in February 2014.
Well-known executives and celebrities, such as Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Oakley founder James Jannard and actor Chuck Norris, have all recently purchased properties on Kauai's North Shore.
Please contact us if you would like to purchase more investment property on Kauai and if you would like to see a recent Comparable Sales Analysis for the property you currently own here! We have licensed agents that would be happy to assist you. Please note that this is not an intent to solicit those of you who are already represented by other Brokers! We honor those relationships.
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Gift Baskets available on Aloha Share
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Many of you have friends or family, valued repeat guests or visitors to your island home or vacation condo that are celebrating a special occasion or anniversary that you would like to treat to a welcoming gift upon their arrival. You can go online and order the basket of your choice and The Wine Shop will deliver in the Poipu area. The gift baskets range from $55 to $220.
When you Shop at Aloha Share 10  % of the purchase price is donated to Kauai Surfrider or Hawaii Wildlife Fund. These non-profits help to remove plastic and nets from our islands' beaches and to protect Hawaii's Honu and endangered Monk Seals.
Help us raise funds to support these causes that greatly benefit our Visitor Industry and personal business investments on Kauai.
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Update on No Moo-Poo in Maha'ulepu!
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Friends of Mahaulepu, a Kauai-based community group, has filed an intent to sue the planned Garden Isle dairy project being developed by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar's investment firm, alleging violations of the federal Clean Water Act.
The group, which aims to protect the Mahaulepu Valley on Kauai's South Shore, where the dairy farm is being planned, said that Hawaii Dairy Farms is "currently operating in violation of the federal Clean Water Act and threatens the survival of the precious and ecologically-rich home of many threatened and endangered species."
Friends of Mahaulepu also has sent the notice naming three other entities, including Grove Farm, Mahaulepu Farm LLC and Ulupono Initiative, responsible for what it calls the harm currently happening in the valley.
"Friends of Mahaulepu supports sustainable agriculture compatible with the environment, but make no mistake about it - this is not sustainable agriculture, it's a mega-dairy," Bridget Hammerquist, president of Friends of Mahaulepu, said in a statement. "The massive amount of waste Hawaii Dairy Farms would generate is simply incompatible with the fragile Mahaulepu Valley environment."
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