Photos by Kyle Rothenborg / Hualalai Resort

Photos by Kyle Rothenborg / Hualalai Resort

Almost every room in the house is open to ocean views. Balinese influence in the architecture is evident in its steep-pitched ceilings, said interior designer Gina Willman of W Interiors, and was part of her inspiration for selection of furnishings and color scheme

Photos by Kyle Rothenborg / Hualalai Resort

The roomy master bedroom suite has it own sitting area, and a private courtyard

Photos by Kyle Rothenborg / Hualalai Resort

The master suite's bathroom features a minimalist style soaking tub, "his" and "hers" vanities and a large walk-in shower with surround-massaging-jets shower fixtures

Explore a stellar hillside Big Island property

It’s always nice to be noticed when you’re not really trying. Perched on a hillside on a 45,120-square-foot lot, all this Kuikawa Place estate has to do is simply open its doors, and those who enter can’t help but absorb its effortlessly stunning ambience. As such, the kudos keep coming; inevitable, with the award-winning team of Gina Willman of W Interiors and architects Bing Hu and Zon Sullenberger at the drawing board.

The ocean-facing side of this five bedroom, five-and-a-half bath home in Hualalai at Historic Kau’upulehu on the Kailua-Kona coast of the Big Island consists of mahogany-framed glass pocket doors that disappear into the walls, dissolving boundaries between indoor and out. It allows sweeping views from almost every room, with vistas of snow-capped Mauna Kea, the Kohala Mountains and Maui on the horizon. At dusk, views continue with the lights in the distance forming a constellation of the Kohala coastline. The property sits in a resort community enveloped by two golf courses carved into the lava rock landscape, creating striking contrast in textures of lush green against rustic black with the blue Pacific beyond.

Architectural details and interior treatments are the bones of its understated elegance. Walls are hand-done in Venetian plaster, and there is liberal use of stone in flooring, granite in countertops, and mahogany throughout.

The Hawaiian-style beauty’s spacious, yet cozy, 10,251 square feet of living space includes a main area of great room, dining room, outdoor dining lanai and glammed-up kitchen with state-of-the-art Sub-Zero, Viking and Fisher/ Paykel appliances. Bedroom suites each have their own courtyard entrance, with two suites connected by a sitting room with a wet bar. The master bedroom suite was designed as its own pavilion, with a walk-in closet, sitting area and private courtyard. Bathrooms in all suites feature walk-in showers and lush outdoor shower gardens. A home office with powder room can be converted to guest quarters, as can a media room, with surround-sound audio and a 110-inch screen that drops down from the ceiling. Two negative-edge pools are perfect for lounging to watch whales cavort in the Pacific.

Nestled along the sixth hole of the Jack Nicklaus signature Hualalai Golf Course, invite a hundred-plus of your closest friends to gather in the entertainment pavilion, the estate’s most unique feature, where you’ll have a front row seat to the MasterCard Championship tournament held in your own back yard. Equipped with a commercial kitchen and bar, the pavilion boasts a Sub-Zero wine storage unit that holds more than 400 bottles, built-in sound and lighting system for stage performances and two powder rooms.

Presented by Rob Kildow of Hualalai Resort, it’s offered unfurnished at $22 million with a separate furniture package by W Interiors available upon request.

Part of the five-diamond Four Seasons at Hualalai Resort community, it’s privy to amenities, such as an 15,000 square-foot fitness spa, restaurants, canoe paddling, tennis, surfing, a members-only Tom Weiskopf golf course and more.

The home graced the cover of the <I>Robb Report</I> in a recent issue placing Hualalai on its top 10 list of best vacation homes, and earned the American Society of Interior Designers Hawaii Chapter 2007 Award of Honor in its Large Residential category, with the entertainment pavilion itself garnering the Award of Honor for Single Space.

Attracting accolades within this prestigious resort community speaks for itself. Like the brightest star in the sky, this oasis just naturally sparkles.