Once we'd asked her a couple of dozen questions about things to do on the island and with whom, best company for this...best place to grab a...had she been to...etc, Jeff wanted to know one of her favorite places to grab a drink and watch the sunset. Her recommendation was the Four Seasons, roughly 15 minutes up the road. At 5:30 and with messy beach hair, we valeted the car and checked out the grounds a bit at the Four Seasons Resort at Hualalai. Holy mackerel!
Since sunset was nearing, we made our way to Beach Tree and were immediately impressed by its "barefoot elegance" and glorious views of the ocean. I was so glad that there was an open table near the perimeter, so we would have an unobstructed view of the Pacific and sunset. Jeff described our seating arrangement this way: "It's like we walked into a Pottery Barn catalog." He was so right. The beautiful wood patio furniture, blue and white cushions, dark metal lanterns, umbrellas, good-looking people all around...exactly like a full page spread in a catalog. Funny enough, there is a picture of the beach, patio seating, and tree on the opening page of the Four Seasons' website that is either the table we sat at or one over from it.
Refocusing on choosing a drink to enjoy while the sky shifted colors, we glanced through the menu. I'd recently discovered that I really like a classic daiquiri, not the typical frozen concoction, but a martini-style drink. Since nothing on the Four Seasons menu screamed, "Drink Me," I went with what JFK and Hemingway ordered regularly, a classic daiquiri. Jeff decided on his typical rum and Diet. While waiting for our drinks, we stared at the pristine sand, long row of Adirondack chairs, and a tree (koa?) that appeared to have been expertly painted into the setting by an artist. Nearby, kids in cute dresses and bows ran around, tumbling on the green lawn. Several people posed for pictures and strolled by. We sipped. We smiled. We kicked back and took it all in.
Along with the tasty drinks came a bowl of mixed nuts, which I really enjoyed. We talked about people sitting around us, trying to figure out what they did for a living and other random things. It also came up, more than once, how amazing this and other experiences we've had in the past year have been. I still think I see fairy dust on my shoulders sometimes. I'm astounded that we've had far more than one once-in-a-lifetime experience in so many months. Ridiculous. Glorious.
Drained our glasses, took in the sights, including a breathtaking sunset of purples and pinks. After dusk, we copied other folks we'd seen and strolled around the grounds, finding that the pools and lodging mimicked the feel of a magazine photo shoot, to say the least. I was delighted to stumble upon a hammock, a must-have for our future house. I mentioned to Jeff that I'd recently read an article about how to successfully and easily get onto a hammock. Then, I proceeded to tip off, landing under the rope canopy, hard on my duff. At least we got a good laugh out of the show, and I was thankful I was wearing a bathing suit instead of flashing my underwear.
Walking back toward the lobby and our car, we strayed off the path to the cool sand. Lights from the bar reflected off the waves just a little bit. The beach was empty.
Slow dancing on the sand to the sound of an ukulele in the distance and twinkling stars overhead was the highlight of the day.
