Kea Lani #4

Woke up bright and early on the morning of Day one- like, 4:30 am. I was kind of expecting to, with the time change...plus I was sooo excited to check out this hotel. My 13 year old daughter was up too, so we quietly got dressed and headed to the lobby to have a look around. 

Wow, the hallway in our tower is long...then, after a quick elevator ride, it's down another long hallway, then across a mezzanine (with shops on one side and a view of the ocean/pools on the other, so interesting at least) to get to the lobby. It was very dark, and a little drizzly. There was no one around expect a few hotel staff members. There was coffee, tea, and hot chocolate set up in the lobby so we happily got a cup and sat on big, soft comfy chairs with footrests in the open air lounge right off the lobby. I discovered later in the trip that this complimentary coffee and tea is only available until the restaurant opens for breakfast at 6:30. The lounge has a big staircase down the middle, which goes from the lobby to the grounds, and seating on either side. I think it opens for drinks and a very limited menu of appetizers around 11 am. The chairs all face a wall of huge arches- there is a real Middle Eastern/Mediterranean vibe to the architecture here- that are wide open to the outside and have a stunning view of the grounds, a koi pond, the lawn and the ocean beyond it. 

A not very good picture from the lounge at night. This is what it looks down onto- Pools, landscaping and Nick's Fishmarket. 

Since it was dark, we could only hear the waves and not see them. We were coming from a brutally cold Canadian winter, and the concept of sitting in short sleeves, with fresh, warm air rich with the intoxicating smell of flowers and green, was still incredibly novel. We just sat and relished that for awhile and this is one of my fondest memories of the entire trip. Gradually, the sky lightened and we went up to the room around 6:30.

Since the rest of our party was still sleeping, I went out on the lanai and looked around at the view. I looked to the left and was astonished to see a big, beautiful mountain topped with moody looking clouds, with the sun shooting golden rays around it. What the heck is that!? I mean, I had read there was a mountain (or two!), but I didn't picture it being right there! Wow, what a stunning backdrop! 

This is not from the Fairmont room, but the view was similar.