The privacy door that separates the toilet from the shower and sink of the penthouse condominium at Waipouli Beach Resort and Spa begins the story. The push-button mechanism brings forth a metal handle, an American item sent to Bali, where
The privacy door that separates the toilet from the shower and sink of the penthouse condominium at Waipouli Beach Resort and Spa begins the story.
The push-button mechanism brings forth a metal handle, an American item sent to Bali, where it was paired with the dark wood that slides out of the wall on European gliders.
Peruvian travertine tiles line the kitchen floor, the entryway, the lanais.
“All of this detail is what I do,” said Chris Singleton, the developer and also co-owner of the resort.
“I didn’t short on anything in the building.”
Those details earned top honors from the Building Industry Association of Hawai‘i over the weekend, when the trade organization announced the winners in its 50th Parade of Homes.
Two Kaua‘i projects, Waipouli Beach Resort and Kaua‘i Beach Resort, took home awards.
Those two properties, as well as Nihilani at Princeville Resort, will be participating in the Parade of Homes this weekend.
Waipouli Beach Resort
Waipouli Beach Resort and its contractor, Unlimited Construction Services, walked away with two trophies in the $2 million to $3 million project category; one for overall excellence and another for its penthouse design.
The approximately $100 million project, made up of 190 condominiums and six hotel rooms, is slated to open in December, Singleton said. Most units have already sold.
The floor plans of 140 of the condos mirror the penthouse, and the same details have been implemented in those units. Singleton also had renowned designer Mary Philpotts create an optional furniture package for buyers.
“You can imagine the challenge of getting this quality en masse,” Singleton said, pulling out counter drawers to reveal dovetailed joints.
He and his brother Keith began construction about 25 months ago, he said. The work includes traffic lights and new lanes on Kuhio Highway, as well as a bike path and pedestrian crossing.
Kaua‘i Beach Resort
The BIA did not only honor new construction projects like the Waipouli Beach Resort. This year marked the first awards to hotel-condominium conversions, a rising trend in a market seeking new ways to invest, said Karen T. Nakamura, chief executive officer of BIA-HI.
“People are taking money out of the stock market and investing in real estate,” she said. “This is a trend that is happening globally.”
In the inaugural year, Anekona Development took three of four awards in the category, including the $300,000 to $400,000 project award for the Kaua‘i Beach Resort.
Anekona invested $14 million this year in the former Radisson property, converting the hotel into a 350-unit condotel, or condominium complex that operates as a hotel, said Trevor Benn, spokesman for Anekona.
On Oct. 20 the Hilton will take over management of the units, completing the resort’s transformation.
• Charlotte Woolard, business writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or cwoolard@kauaipubco.com.
