Your Private Kauai Luxury Retreat - Kauai Vacation, Ecotourism in Kilauea

Self-Sustainable Kauai Eco-Resort: Solar Power

2009-10-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

When renovating the Kilauea Lakeside Estate in 2009, we made the decision to make the entire property fully self-sustainable, and one of our ecotourism projects was the installation of these solar panels! Harnessing the power of the sun to power our Kilauea resort promotes ecological sustainability in Kauai and provides our visitors a 'greener' experience with a smaller carbon footprint. We are excited to have this up and running!

Kilauea lakeside estate. Kauai installing wells for ecotourism and improved sustainability

2009-04-10T10:48:00.001-07:00

Kauai is blessed with abundant water from an aquafour located about 170 feet below the surface. We obtained our permits to drill the well and found good water at this level. For irragation and drinking this water will eventually be powered by solar panels to further improve the sustainability.

Ecotourism installing wells for improved sustainability

Kayaking at the lake - Kilauea Kauai

2008-12-29T08:45:00.000-08:00

Great day today kayaking at the lake here in Kilauea Kauai.

Our Dog Coco at Kilauea Bay. Kauai

2008-12-29T08:42:00.000-08:00

Another deserted day at the bay in front of Kilauea Lakeside Estate

On The Beach Kilauea Bay Kauai

2008-12-29T08:16:00.001-08:00

On The Beach Kilauea Bay Kauai

Tow in Surfing 20 foot waves at the Kilauea Lakeside Estate, Kauai

2008-12-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

Aloha From Paradise!

Kilanea Kauai Lakeside Photosynth

2008-09-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

This is my first try at Photosynth! How did I do?

Enjoy Your Endless Summer in Kauai

2008-08-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

Mention "Endless Summer" when you call and let us know you read our blog!

Hermosa Beach Art

2008-08-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

A donated statue seeks a home in Hermosa Beach
by Robb Fulcher
Published July 17, 2008 Easy Reader Newspaper, Hermosa Beach

The city Parks and Recreation Commission will mull where to place an 8-foot-tall, 6-foot wide statue by highly regarded sculptor and designer Richard H. Ellis. The piece was donated to the city by Strand resident Steve Hunt.

The commission on Aug. 5 will consider a public spot for the statue, which depicts a tree with water flowing through it, and seagulls.

Hunt, an environmental resort developer, gave the sculpture to the city after deciding to rebuild a Pacific Palisades property where the piece has stood since it was commissioned at a cost of $25,000.

“The piece has received great public reception but no longer fits the site,” Hunt wrote in a letter to city officials.

Hunt offered to pay for a crane and truck to deliver the statue. He mentioned possible sites such as the Pier Avenue/Valley Drive intersection at the greenbelt, and the Community Center at Pier Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway, where it would become part of a city “gateway” project officials hope to create with a Dewey Weber surf statue.

Hunt and wife Janine have contributed to the surf statue project as well.

“Having been a resident of Hermosa all my adult life (over 40 years) I have always believed in the artistic tradition of our community…Our family has always supported the concept of environmental development and including art with every project being built,” Hunt wrote.

Ellis’ works have been commissioned for the Ahmanson Foundation and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and he created the “Bob Hope Humanitarian Award” sculpture that was presented to Oprah Winfrey during a primetime Emmy award program.

He earned a masters degree in sculpture with distinction from Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles and studied in Europe with the aid of two Prix de Rome fellowship awards.

Hunt’s resort developments include Kilauea Lakeside Estate in Hawaii, a secluded waterfront hideaway consisting of a five-acre peninsula of botanical gardens surrounded by a private 20-acre freshwater lake with more than 1,000 feet of lakefront and a private white sand beach.

Hunt lives part-time in Kauai. His great uncle Joseph Poindexter was territorial governor of Hawaii from 1934 to 1942, before the islands became a state. ER

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Around the world race for charity

2008-08-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

Two Indiana Jones from Southern California Crowned The World’s Greatest Travelers™
After 23-Day Around-the-World Travel Adventure Competition Finishes

Toronto, CANADA (May 5th) – Bart Hackley of Newport Beach, CA, and his teammate, Steve Hunt, of Hermosa Beach, CA (Aka The Beach Boys Team), were crowned The World’s Greatest Travelers™ in Toronto on Saturday after winning the 4th edition of the 23-day around-the-world scavenger hunt travel adventure competition GreatEscape2008: The Global Scavenger Hunt.

“We’re thrilled, surprised and absolutely gratified,” said Steve, a 61-year old Los Angeles-based developer, after winning the around-the-world travel adventure competition. “We worked hard together, depended on the kindness of strangers in strange lands, and trusted our combined travel instincts. It was a challenging 25,000-mile event. It was also like a Christmas gift hidden under the tree. In each location we unwrapped a new surprise. All Type-A travelers should take this challenge. We survived and right now I feel numb.”

GreatEscape2008 touched down on four continents and visited 11 countries including China, Malaysia, Nepal, Bahrain, Egypt, Bulgaria, Romania and Holland, over the three-weeks between April 11th - May 3rd, that took it’s contestants on their international treasure hunt from San Francisco to Toronto – the long way! The Teams of two were required to seek out and answer cryptic clues that sent them on to other more challenging cultural scavenges on the global quest, ferret out the answers to locate extraordinary places and do remarkable things, all while eating exotic foods and experiencing bizarre local festivals.

“We felt confident that we could win this event, but it was the hardest competition I have ever partaken,” said Bart, a 63-year old Balboa Island-based developer who is also a Guinness Book of World Records holder and Olympic Senior medalist who has visited all but 11 of the 317 countries in the world according to the travel group the Century Club. “We literally went on a blind date with the world, riding elephants and camels, and we beat some very hardy and well-traveled international competitors. I’m amazed and happy, but thoroughly exhausted. I need a relaxing vacation from my vacation!”

In the spirit of true Indiana Jones, Bart and Steve were crowned The World’s Greatest Travelers™ and presented with twin crystal trophies for winning The Global Scavenger Hunt™ high atop the CN Tower Saturday afternoon after completing almost 250 global scavenges and collecting over 7,000-points for their efforts. Their nearest competitors, Zoe and Rainey Littlepage-Booth, both US attorneys, who were over 1,600-points behind the winners. The 2008 events’ sponsor, High Sierra helped outfit the Teams with travel gear. All the Teams participating in this annual travel adventure competition were helping to raise funds towards a $1 million goal for lauded organizations like: Doctors Without Borders and KIVA, among others.

“I am proud of these folks, they simply outworked, outhustled and outlasted everyone else. They came to win and they did. The true race was for second place and that turned out to be a great global competition among some truly worthy travel adventurers,” stated William D. Chalmers, travel book author and Event Director. “The Global Scavenger Hunt is a true cultural immersion and travel adventure competition that challenges our competitors to solve some really neat cultural puzzles along the way of their international quest. We believe that travel brings people closer together, fosters global understanding and improves compassion for all involved,” continued Chalmers, “Going around-the-world on one trip is an exciting prospect and when we add a little Indiana Jones–like scavenger hunt adventure to it, we feel that The Global Scavenger Hunt™ is a classic travel adventure competition bar none that is just getting bigger and better every year. We threw everything at them this year and the competitors were equal to the task. I’m delighted for Bart and Steve and they deserved to win, I hope they come back next time to defend their title in GreatEscape2009!”

The Global Scavenger Hunt™ has garnered tremendous global media attention since it began: Outside magazine called it “…one of the most amazing trips in the world!” NPR’s “Savvy Traveler” host Dianna Nyad, thinks that The Global Scavenger Hunt “…is just such a great idea!” And Time magazine says: “…would be Indiana Joneses will have a chance to follow in his footsteps…an international event that restores the curiosity and adventure.” So far, travelers from over 45 countries have applied to join the annual adventure over the years making it truly an international global travel competition.

“It is like Survivor, The Amazing Race, and the Eco-Challenge all rolled into one except with much more cultural interaction,” is how one previous competitor, Marvin S. of Canada, explained his participation in the 1st global competition that combines a treasure hunt with the style of the 19th Century Grand Tours and the jet-setter reality of 21st Century travel. But the Amazing Race and Survivor reality shows are strictly for amateur wannabes and armchair voyeurs, because this real world travel adventure is for the truly travel savvy among us who crave authentic adventure, genuine exotic travel, intimate cultural immersions, real competition and world-class fun.

“Having just completed our fourth safe and successfully run event, we’re happy to have created such an internationally captivating competition that has drawn the attention of some of the world’s best travelers,” boasts Chalmers. And Chalmers ought to know a thing or two about international races, as the winner of a previous around-the-world race on public transportation, organizing this annual travel competition has become his dream come true. “I would love to participate, but setting up this annual event is equally challenging and we continue to attract world-class contestants and visit uniquely world-class destinations along the way.” (National Geographic Adventure magazine knighted William Chalmers the “World’s Greatest Traveler” in April 2002 for his collective travel efforts.)

Enjoy Your Kauai Vacation on a Budget! Blog Readers get 50% Off Summer Special

2008-07-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the stunning beauty of Kauai on a budget when you rent my vacation home on this my favorite Hawaiian island.

Gas prices got you down? Don't let the high cost of fuel keep you from your summer in paradise. Come stay at my private luxury retreat for HALF OFF on selected dates if you read this blog! Just mention when you place your reservation for a week or more that you want the DEAL OF THE SUMMER!

You can visit the South Shore of Kauai with its great beaches and the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Then Visit Poipu Beach Park rated as one of Kauai’s top beaches. Then come home to your own private Kauai retreat and tropical botanical Garden.

On our less-crowded North Shore of Kauai our guest are conveniently located near Hanalei Beach Park, A white sand beach with a view of the lush green mountains of Kauai. We love Surfing and boogie boarding so be sure to pack the sunscreen.

For snorkeling our guests love to visit Haena Beach and feel like they are in the movies, as many popular films have been shot here.

Zoom out on this map to check out our beaches.

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Come feel the Aloha! Click here to make that Kauai Reservation today,

You deserve it.

French open June 2008

2008-06-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

At the 2008 French Open I learned that the French are great and very fair fans. An awesome experience that is easy for anyone to enjoy. Just take the mmetro to Roland Garros and there will be many ticket sellers at the gate. Enjoy.

San Francisco, The Art of Lombard street. The adventure begins here! maybe China tonight

2008-04-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

San Francisco art of Lombard street. My Global Scavenger Hunt adventure begins here maybe China tonight!

Global Scavenger Hunt

2008-04-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I leave with my friend Bart Hackley, to participate as one of fifteen teams of two selected to be circling the globe in the 4th Global Scavenger Hunt. I believe that we will meet more people acting like Gandhi than like terrorists, and as you know I am always up for a challenge and an adventure.

GreatEscape2008: The Global Scavenger Hunt is not just all fun. It's all to raise money for charity, such as Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF , Habitat for Humanity, conservation efforts ,and charities that provide micro-financing loans to the poorest villages in the world.

The competition for the prize of being crowned the Worlds Greatest Traveler kicks off Friday and once it starts at each destination, teams receive sealed envelopes containing a list of scavenger challenges, travel riddles, cultural clues and cryptic passages, which will may lead us to lost cities, sacred sites, cultural festivals, bustling bazaars, ancient ruins, and exotic eateries .

By the time we return to Hermosa Beach we will have flown, walked, bicycled, boated and ridden camels, elephants, ox-carts, feluccas, dhows or rickshaws over forty thousand miles.

The founder of this event, Bill Chalmers, who created and runs the event with his wife, Pamela, will be blogging the event daily at http://globalscavengerhunt.com/blog/ . So you can follow not just us, but all of the teams doing things we never imagined we'd do in places we'd never imagined we'd be.

If you're feeling like you want to do more than you already do to help make a difference in the world today, please consider donating to the worthy causes our trip supports (it all goes to charity and is 100% deductible. None goes to participants, we're all funding our own expenses.
So, follow the events if you like, I'll also try my hand at an ametuer blog for the first time at http://www.Kauaihoneymoon.com/blog .We'll see you in May. Till then, check out Bill's blog, which he's already begun. I hope you all have a wonderful month!

Indian wells pacific lite tennis. The moment of victory is a thrill. The many years I taught tennis I encouraged the ability to play egoless and to be in the moment . This win was a good moment.

2008-03-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

Happy turtles

2008-03-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

The fish are fast. The only way to feed the turtles is if you wait for them to come to you. They must be females.

2008-03-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

Lots of hungry fish in this pond. Similar to Kilauea lakeside estate in Kauai

2008-03-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

Two bunch fish and duck pond.

2008-03-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

Two bunch palms was one of my early inspirations in the growth of my journey to create waterscapes that engage with nature in a harmonious way.

2008-03-22T09:50:00.001-07:00

Indian wells tennis

2008-03-21T18:59:00.001-07:00

my contacts

2008-03-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

San Clemente park

2008-03-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Beautiful calm day in San Clemente. High tide and surf is small but we are blessed to be here.

San Clemente pier at high tide

2008-03-19T08:07:00.001-07:00

san clemente pier at high tide

Flowers from the gardens . I feel very blessed to be able to create arrangements from the flowers in our botanical gardens.

2008-03-11T00:07:00.000-07:00

With over 150 varieties of flowers it is easy to find interesting flowers and ornamental plants to enjoy nature's beauty.