Kohanaiki: A Different Kind of Members Club for the Island Lovers
In recent years, members-only clubs have become the ultimate marker of modern luxury. From Soho House outposts around the world to private clubs tucked into some of the most coveted destinations, travelers are increasingly drawn to places that offer more than exclusivity; they offer belonging. On the sun-drenched Kona Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island, Kohanaiki takes that concept to a new level.
Part private club, part residential community, and part island escape, this 450-acre oceanfront enclave feels less like a resort and more like having your own private corner of Hawaii. Spread along a mile and a half of Kona coastline, Kohanaiki brings together contemporary residences, an oceanfront golf course, dining, wellness, and seemingly endless ways to experience the water. It isn’t simply somewhere members come to vacation. It’s a place designed to feel like home.
My husband and I were lucky enough to experience Kohanaiki firsthand, settling into one of the property’s contemporary three-bedroom hales, the Hawaiian word for home. Spacious, beautifully designed, and effortlessly connected to the landscape, our hale offered the privacy and freedom of a luxury residence with all the amenities of the club just minutes away.
Two golf carts waited outside, and they quickly became our preferred way to get around. There is something about hopping into a golf cart in the Hawaiian sunshine that immediately makes you feel as though you have nowhere particularly urgent to be. We would head to the beach, clubhouse, spa, or golf course, sometimes with a plan and sometimes without one at all. This freedom makes Kohanaiki feel unlike a traditional resort. Instead of checking into a hotel and following an itinerary, you quickly begin settling into your own rhythm of island life.
Not Your Typical Clubhouse
At the center of it all is Kohanaiki’s 67,000-square-foot clubhouse. Calling it a clubhouse almost feels like an understatement. I can promise you that you’ve never seen or experienced anything like this. It has a signature restaurant, infinity pool, spa, and golf shop, but then things get interesting. It also has a private movie theater, four-lane bowling alley, game room, craft microbrewery, wine-tasting room, and a secret cigar room made for poker and vintage Scotch.
It’s essentially a very sophisticated playground for adults, with plenty for families as well. The private movie theater became one of our unexpected highlights, although if we’re being completely honest, the movie itself may have been secondary to the snacks. With plush reclining seats and a concession area stocked with what feels like an endless supply of movie-night favorites. Popcorn, candy, ice cream, and treats - it’s dangerously easy to get carried away before the opening credits even roll. I won’t admit how many refills of popcorn and Milk Duds I had while my husband was asleep on the recliner next to me. That’ll stay my little secret.
Then there was the cigar and card room.
Walking inside felt like stepping straight into my own private scene from an Al Pacino movie. Moody, intimate, and hidden away from the bright Hawaiian sunshine outside, it had the kind of old-school atmosphere that made me half expect a group of impeccably dressed mobsters to walk through the door and take over the card table. One minute you’re barefoot beneath the palms, and the next you’re in a room that feels made for whiskey, cigars, and conversations you probably weren’t meant to overhear. It was easily one of the most unexpected spaces we discovered.
The Golf Course That Converted a Non-Golfer
Then there was golf.
Normally, my contribution to a round of golf is very clearly defined: I’m the golf-cart driver and DJ while my husband actually plays. Kohanaiki changed that. One of our favorite things was being able to drive to the golf shop, where the team got us set up with everything we needed before sending us off for a round. The 18-hole Rees Jones-designed course follows the Kona landscape to the Pacific, with six oceanfront holes stretching along the coastline. But what really won me over was how relaxed the experience felt. When I realized I could play barefoot and didn’t have to turn the afternoon into some overly serious golf affair, I decided to join in.
Somewhere between driving along the coastline with music playing, hitting a few balls, and looking out over the Pacific, I found myself thinking something I never expected: I actually like golf. Although, if I’m being completely transparent, the golf itself may not deserve all the credit. Scattered along the course are golf havens stocked with food and drinks that redefine the traditional golf-course snack stop. Forget the stale hot dogs and bags of chips I had pictured. We’re talking Vietnamese spring rolls, tacos, fresh chicken salad for those watching their carb intake, and an ever-changing selection of gourmet bites. Then there are the drinks—Kohanaiki brews, mai tais and, most importantly, top-shelf margaritas. Suddenly, eighteen holes didn’t seem nearly long enough. The biggest surprise came the following morning when I was the one asking my husband if he wanted to play again. Who would have thought I’d actually enjoy a round of golf that didn’t involve a putter and the old-school beach boardwalk I grew up near?
Apparently, all it took was Hawaii, bare feet, gourmet spring rolls, and a really good margarita.
The Pacific Is Your Underwater Playground
Of course, when you’re staying on the Kona Coast, some of the best adventures happen beyond dry land. Kohanaiki’s Adventure Team opens up an entirely different side of the club, with opportunities to surf, snorkel, scuba dive, stand-up paddleboard, canoe, sail, and head offshore for sport fishing. The ocean isn’t just something beautiful to look at from a lounge chair; it becomes part of everyday life here. For us, the choice was easy. We grabbed our gear and headed into the Pacific directly in front of the property for a freedive. Before long, we were underwater swimming alongside Hawaiian green sea turtles. No matter how many beautiful places you travel to, certain moments still make you stop and think, “Is this actually happening?” Watching a sea turtle glide effortlessly through the blue water beside us was one of them. Perhaps the most extraordinary part was knowing we didn’t need to plan an elaborate excursion to experience it.
This was right outside. Back on land, the Beach Club makes it equally tempting to spend the day doing absolutely nothing. Kohanaiki has two main pool experiences, including an infinity pool at the clubhouse and the more playful ʻohana pool at the Beach Club, complete with a waterslide, lounge areas, and space for families. Nearby, members can move between the beach, private cabanas, Beach Bar, and hot and cold plunge pools overlooking the ocean. Yes, you read that correctly. Have you ever been to a property with cold plunges on the beach? Nope, me either. It’s the sort of place where you can head down intending to stay for an hour and somehow realize it’s sunset.
Wellness, Tropical Island Style
And then there is the spa. Rather than feeling like a traditional hotel spa tucked away inside a building, it feels immersed in its surroundings, with tropical gardens, freestanding treatment rooms, outdoor showers, soaking tubs, a dry sauna, and plunge pools. Think tropical rainforest. After what I can confidently say was one of the best massages of my life, I slipped into a floral bath and soaked for nearly an hour. No phone. No schedule. Nowhere else I needed to be. Just warm water, flowers floating around me, and that blissful post-massage feeling where you temporarily forget the rest of the world exists. Wellness at Kohanaiki extends far beyond the treatment room. The movement studio looks toward the ocean and hosts daily classes, including Pilates, which I made sure to try during our stay. The class was amazing, and even working out felt indulgent with the Pacific as the backdrop. Members can also enjoy beachside yoga, strength training, a CrossFit-style outdoor gym, a fully equipped fitness center, tennis, and pickleball. You can make wellness as much or as little a part of your day as you want.
Taste of the Big Island
Food is woven into the Kohanaiki experience as naturally as everything else. The club’s two signature restaurants, Kōnane and the Beach Restaurant, range from elevated dining to surfside meals with the ocean just beyond your table. Ingredients come from more than 40 local and Hawaii-based farms, along with relationships with local fishermen and ranchers. There’s also an impressive wine program, private tastings, and, naturally, Kohanaiki’s own small-batch beers and seltzers brewed on property. But what I loved most was that food never felt confined to a restaurant. It appeared everywhere; in the movie theater, along the golf course, at the beach club, and during those spontaneous stops that became part of the day. If you’re a foodie like me, you’ll be one happy camper. Oh, and did I mention that both restaurant menus are constantly changing? So there’s no chance of ever getting sick of the signature dishes, because they’ll be new by the time you visit again.
More Than a Members Club
By the end of our stay, I understood why the members-club concept has become so appealing, but also why Kohanaiki feels different from the city clubs we’ve grown accustomed to. Yes, exclusivity is part of it. Spectacular homes, an incredible clubhouse, a private golf course, and amenities seem to appear around every corner. But exclusivity alone doesn't make somewhere feel special. It’s the ability to wake up and decide what kind of day you want to have. It’s jumping into a golf cart barefoot with no itinerary. It’s discovering a hidden cigar room that makes you feel like you’ve wandered onto a movie set. It’s stopping halfway through a round of golf for Vietnamese spring rolls and a margarita. It’s swimming beside a sea turtle in the Pacific, taking Pilates overlooking the ocean, and ending the afternoon surrounded by flowers in a soaking tub. And it’s finding yourself doing something you never thought you’d enjoy, like me voluntarily asking my husband if we could play another round of golf.
For all its luxury, Kohanaiki feels remarkably unpretentious. The days are sophisticated without being stuffy, active without feeling scheduled, and luxurious without losing the laid-back spirit that makes Hawaii so special.
Perhaps that is the real evolution of the private members club. It’s no longer just about having access to somewhere other people can’t go. It’s about finding somewhere you genuinely want to return to a community that offers enough to keep surprising you, while still feeling familiar enough to call home.
At Kohanaiki, that home comes with the Pacific Ocean, two golf carts, and a margarita waiting somewhere along the back nine.
