User:Kaledit/sandbox/Makena

Makena Beach & Golf Resort is a beach resort in the Makena district, on the southern shore of Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The resort was formerly known as Maui Prince Hotel, designed by Anbe, Aruga, and Ishizu architects, Inc in August 1986 and subsequently sold in July 2010 to AREA Property Partners. It includes several hundred rooms and suites leading to an open-air atrium, together with outdoor pools built around an Asian meditation garden with waterfalls.

History
Makena, the "land of abundance and plenty," became a thriving seaport after Captain James Cook visited the Sandwich Isles on January 31, 1775. Later, this discovery paved the way for missionaries to found a ministry in Makena in 1832. Makena is very close to Lahaina, which is a village across the bay on the west end of the island.

Seibu Hawaii, Inc. a Japanese company, acquired a prime beachfront parcel of land in Makena in 1983. The design by Anbe, Aruga, and Ishizu architects, Inc. of Honolulu and opening of the Maui Prince Hotel resort followed in August 1986. About 1,300 acres of land surrounding the hotel and golf courses were kept in their natural state.

The Seibu Group of Japan operated the Maui Prince Hotel resort until 2007. It was then acquired by Maui developers and investors Everett Dowling and Morgan Stanley who tried unsuccessfully to run it until September 2009. The hotel was subsequently sold in July 2010 to a group of investors led by AREA Property Partners, Trinity Investments LLC, and Stanford Carr Development LLC. Then Landmark Hotels Group, Inc. took control of its management until January 2012 and renamed it the Makena Beach & Golf Resort with Declan McCarthy as the current General M.

Hotel
The renovated resort, located near the Wailea Golf Courses, includes 290 rooms and 20 suites. There are two outdoor pools (one for adults, one for children), an 18-hole golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., six tennis courts, a fitness room, a Jacuzzi, water sports assistance, a shopping arcade, a salon, and in-room massage. In addition, the Makena Kai Day Spa is operated by Hawaiian Rainforest Spa which specializes in Hawaiian healing arts. Services include massage therapy, facials, and body treatments. The resort includes four restaurants and two bars (with local Hawaiian music nightly).

Environment
There are several attractions in the area like the Iao Valley state park which is located near the center of the extinct West Maui Mountains volcano crater. The summit ridge in the valley receives an average of 386 inches of rain per year. More than a thousand feet above the valley floor, there is a very distinctive ridge inside the crater, called Iao Needle. Inside the park there is also half a mile of paved trail.

Reception
The new Makena Beach & Golf Resort, built from its predecessor Maui Prince Hotel, has been well-received and integrated into the hotel community. Customer reviews of the most notable travelers Web sites have been satisfactory since its opening. The resort has sponsored the Run and Walk for the Whales, one of Maui's most popular fun runs and walking events. In addition, a group led by Hawaii developer Stanford Carr has expressed to the Maui Planning Commission the intention to further transform the resort into luxury apartments and hotel.