The Story of Hale Lele Villa...
In 1995, a Southern U.S. entrepreneur came upon the perfect spot in Maui for a contemporary Hawaiian villa. The house would be designed by a New York City designer noted for his celebrity clients in Florida, Georgia, New York, Hawaii, and Las Vegas, Nevada. The resulting Hawaiian-styled Pacific Ocean property would eventually come to be known as “Hale Lele Villa.”
The decision to create a beach mansion on Maui's South Shore (known as the "Gold Coast") near Kihei, led to the purchase of a building originally containing six vacation rental units. Today, the reconfigured four-level 10,000 square foot Hale Lele contains a grand two-level, 5,000 square foot modern Hawaiian villa, plus an additional 5,000 square feet in three separate contemporary two-level Hawaiian living spaces: a guest suite, the owner's unit, and the caretakers' ohana. The home has five kitchens and 15 bathrooms, plus all the bedrooms, laundries, workshops, TV rooms, lanais, and living areas you'd expect--in a style reminiscent of what a Hawaiian king's beach estate might be.
While the incomparable beauty of Hale Lele is the result of the combined creative talents and vision of two Hawaiian architects and a French-inspired Hawaii landscape designer---it is Hale Lele itself which continues to be the centerpiece of a contemporary Hawaiian design legacy. This great house is one of the largest private residences on Maui. It is operated as a legal vacation rental and is valued, including its contents, at well over ten million dollars.
Begun in 1984, Hale Lele is constructed of tons of steel and concrete. A noted Hawaiian construction engineer said, "Long after the Maui we know is gone, Hale Lele will remain." Some structural elements were part of the original shipments from Europe and Asia used to construct the nearby Grand Wailea Resort. Fine woods shipped from Canada and the Pacific Northwest joined locally-acquired Hawaiian timber. It took dozens of workers more than five years to complete the remodeling.
During the Christmas Season of 2002, the doors of the finished home opened for the first time to friends, family, and vacation renters. On into the 21st century, Hale Lele Villa will remain a monument to contemporary Hawaiian architecture, showcasing its original and extensive collection of unique furnishings, art and antiques.
Inside the house, artworks by famous Hawaiians and Asians adorn the walls and floors, some items dating to the 1100s. Some of visitors’ favorites are originals by Picasso, Peggy Hopper, Diana Hansen-Young, Curtis Wilson Cost, and Susan McGovney Hansen. The furniture includes Japanese Samurai warrior armor, handmade Inuit chairs and tables, and a Flemish Wardrobe from the 1600s, objects like those which filled Captain Cook's quarters as he sailed the Pacific. One bedroom grouping is rumored to have been used by Elvis during the filming of Blue Hawaii.Hanging above the library you'll find the Tommy Bahama-created Maui bicycle often ridden by actor, producer, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Next to the bicycle is an original Moeller watercolor of Schwarzenegger as champion bodybuilder. A giant woven tapestry, formerly part of Steve Wynn's Las Vegas empire, hangs in the living room. Early Hawaiian collectables and vintage art deco furniture from colonial Vietnam also can be found. A 12th century Buddha occupies a niche on the main floor.
Upstairs on the fourth and top level, in addition to a quiet reading area and a TV-game room, guests can enjoy the "whale watch," comfortably observing the largest creatures of the sea at play in the ocean, which is a mere 60 steps away.
Fully air conditioned, Hale Lele is considered one of the finest residences ever built on Maui. It is admired for its innovative engineering, solid construction from concrete and steel, and its exquisite siting which maximizes views of the volcano known as Haleakala, "The Cove," one of Hawaii's premier surfing spots, plus extraordinary sunset and Pacific Ocean views which include the Islands of Lanai, Molokini, Molakai and Kaaholawe.
Guests who are lucky enough to occupy Hale Lele as a vacation rental, get to see “behind-the-scenes” life in upscale Hawaii: life at its finest in one of Maui's largest mansions, or as many have described it, the Hawaiian version of a great Italian villa.
While Hale Lele, the house, is the focal point of the compound, it is clear when you walk the grounds the sweeping landscape provides a fitting backdrop for this magnificent villa. Rare yellow beach-side bamboo grows side by side with Hawaiian plants, with vines and flowers blooming year round. A secret Zen garden provides a quiet place to meditate. A water wall is frequently cited as the most "image setting" aspect of the front grounds. A modern sculptured "Hawaiian waterfall," the water wall is a monument to creative landscaping genius. So, too, are the thoughtfully-designed gardens and paths.
In keeping with the southern tradition of entertaining in style, today’s guests at Hale Lele are treated, not only to the elegance of a 21st century Hawaiian estate, but to the epicurean pleasures of living like Hawaiian royalty. The former spa manager at the luxurious Four Seasons Resort in Wailea, Maui, is available, on-site, to provide epicurean and recreation advice. She has worked as a consultant for the State of Hawaii Healthy Coalition, for Physical Education in schools and for spa, fitness, children and adult activity programs. She can tell you where to hike, exercise, "be pampered," or buy great, fresh local foods or locate fine wines.
Designer-inspired touches at Hale Lele include the unique grand entrance stairway, designed in the ancient Hawaiian style: expansive steps at the bottom, gradually narrowing to cozy comfort at the formal entry of the home. Inside, you will find his inviting great stairwell and luxurious two-story open spaces lighted by romantic customized lighting and integrated custom sound systems. Out back, find the unique pool arbor, changing room and spacious and private outdoor "open to the stars" shower.
Across from Hale Lele is an awe-inspiring and private beach area where visitors can enjoy a leisurely stroll, kids can frolic in the majestic Pacific, or one can sit peacefully with a glass of wine and watch the sun slip quietly into the ocean.
For those looking for even more, there are dozens of recreation, dining and shopping opportunities within walking distance in the charming beach-front town of Kihei, one of Maui's most showcased settlements.
Hale Lele is located in sunny South Maui near the Wailea Resort, at the intersection of the narrow and hidden beach-front road known as Iliili and the manicured grass-covered beach-walk called Lele Place (a Maui County beach access).
In Hawaiian, "Hale" is house and "Lele" is leap…so "Hale Lele" is "the home at Lele Place," a short jump or leap from the beach.
