HONOLULU – Last week I talked about a golf beauty. Today it’s a golf beast. The Princeville Makai course on Kauai is a gorgeous setting; challenging but playable. Ko’olau Golf Club on Oahu is something much more treacherous. But just as beautiful. Where Princeville is located on a peninsula high above the Pacific on Kauai, Ko’olau is hard up against the jagged, ragged green mountains that spike up the centre of the island of Oahu. At one point the course had a slope rating of 163; one of the most difficult numbers of any course on the planet. It’s a tad Read more
golf
Jim Byers photo The third hole at the Princeville Makai course on Kauai. Golfing magic. KAUAI, HAWAII – I have a new favourite golf course. I had a chance to play Princeville’s Makai course on the heavenly north shore of this Hawaiian island the other day. And fell in love. I’ve played some great resort courses in the Caribbean and around the U.S., and a few courses in the British Isles you wouldn’t call a resort course necessarily, but this one is probably the best. The sister course, called the Prince course, gets higher ratings from the golf geeks. It Read more
ISLAND OF KAUAI, HAWAII – A gem of a small town. The most beautiful golf course you can play for pennies. One of the most stunning pieces of geography on the planet. And a wonderful family resort. There are few islands in the world with the kind of diversity you find on Kauai, sometimes known as the Garden Island. I was staying at a lovely family spot on the bustling southeast portion of the island, the Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort . It’s got a beautiful, free form pool with a couple of slides and three Jacuzzi tubs, one for families Read more
Jim Byers photo The Hotel Valley Ho is a wonderful, mid-century design in Scottsdale, Arizona. Great for lovers of the Mad Men TV show! SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA – A couple days back, I told you about the wonderful Four Seasons Troon North resort in this desert city. It’s a great spot in the hills about a half hour north of downtown, with all low-rise buildings and a real desert feel The Hotel Valley Ho represents a near about-face from the Four Seasons. And in a very good way. The Valley Ho, a trippy 1956 property designed by a disciple of Read more
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA – The Four Seasons is known as a posh hotel chain. But their product in the Arizona desert outside Phoenix sneaks up on you. There’s no big stand of palm trees at the entrance of the Four Seasons Troon North . No fountains or fancy pools. Instead, as you drive along Alma School Road in the northern part of this lovely resort town, you see a simple brown sign for the hotel. Once you’re on the grounds, there’s a similar vibe. There’s no waterfall or towering banks of flowers, but a natural-looking desert environment that’s true to nature. Read more
