Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka'upulehu

ave them recognize the error and not continue to tell us we were in the wrong. 2. Construction disclosed the day our deposit went through. We were guaranteed it would be an issue. There was noise and multiple large machines were driving by 6 of the 10 days. We stayed in two different rooms (pre wedding and then honeymoon suite) One of the mornings started at 7:27am. 3. My sister (who was billed to the master account and shares the same last name) called to book a room and was charged separately even though her name was one the excel spreadsheet that the room reservations team had. After explaining this mistake months before the wedding and being assured it wouldn't happen again, we learned that happened to another guest. We paid for their room in full. They paid for their room in full. Had we not compared notes and caught it, then had to fight to prove we both paid, we’d never been refunded. We were also told those guests couldn’t check in until noon Saturday even though we paid for Friday night so they could check in early.  4.  It took 22 days for them to contact photographer and videographer to lock down dates (we ended up contacting most our vendors for them to save our dates after another bride gave us the heads up that it was normal). 5. Wrong appetizer6. Wrong display cake flavor 7. Wrong chairs as we had discussed them not being foldable so I didn’t smash my finger. I found out they were wrong when I smashed my finger assuming they weren’t foldable. We were refunded $680 for those. Only because I went up during the wedding to ask why my finger was smashed and red in chairs we’d specifically asked not be there.  8. Wrong charger plates. Dark, not light as our wedding was all light colors. Refunded $189. A band was playing 100 yards from our reception which we weren't told about. It was discussed we'd have our own music and would have happily not planned for that had we known there'd be competing music.10. The bar was opened before the ceremony even though we asked for it not to on several occasions, including the day of the wedding reminding them we didn’t want alcohol served before the ceremony. That bill turned out to be insane. 11. Custom designed fans for the rehearsal dinner not set out and forgotten about 12. They lost my custom bridal hanger. After professional photos were done, they found it in the exact location I said it would be.  13. We were told we'd have the final bill 'contractually two days after.' We hadn't received it by Tuesday, so we asked for it. We received it at 5:01pm on Friday night (6 days post event) and the credit card charged in full almost immediately.14. The bar was opened before the ceremony even though we asked for it not to on several occasions, including the day of the wedding reminding them we didn’t want alcohol served before the ceremony. 15. We were told open bottles of wine could be taken after events since we were charged for any open. Yet we were also charged for an UNopened bottle that we never used and left unopened in the room to be returned.  Countless other issues. For a $150K+ wedding we were refunded $698 in total for a nightmare wedding. 

me. I would like to say a special thanks to Cassie and her team who were amazing on the days leading up to the wedding, on the rehearsal and especially on the wedding day. I thought it would be hard to plan a destination wedding, but the Four Seasons made it super easy - they have an amazing vendor list ( eg: Flowersby Heidi are amazing and so are DJ Tiger) and Cassie is super organized and will remind you what you need to do and when you need to do it. Thank you very much - I hope to be back to visit again on an anniversary :)

as our venue because the rates might be cost prohibitive for some. After a week-ish in paradise with many of our best friends and family, however, we have no regrets with regard to choosing Hualalai for our entirely magical weekend. What really sets Hualalai apart is the service. We had bridesmaids getting ready in my suite and groomsmen getting ready in the locker room -- everyone's stuff was everywhere and somehow these magical people were able to get all these items exactly where they needed to go. Even more than that, my husband left his blazer on a chair and we found it neatly hanging in our closet when we returned... How did they know?! We were very surprised and impressed. All of my wedding guests who stayed at Hualalai shared similar experiences, many were initially apprehensive to stay there because of the cost, but now I think swear by the Four Seasons brand and will probably be clients for life... All the little details -- the friendly staff that always say Aloha, the amazing bathroom soaps and the immaculately appointed rooms -- it all makes it 100% worth it. For the date we requested we were asked to commit to a room block, which was a little scary at first - because it was a lot of money to be on the hook for if guests didn't choose to stay there, but it all worked out and despite the contract being a little unclear in places, the events team patiently walked us through the details and appeared to be somewhat flexible if we weren't able to meet our exact commitment (although we did and then some), so can't confirm how flexible or inflexible they actually would be if we couldn't meet our commitment. Our guests were given a website link where they could register for the available dates at our negotiated group rate. They were also able to call in to reserve rooms via phone. As far as my experience planning the wedding itself, that was also a breeze. Working with Marissa was a pleasure and she definitely helped allay some of my concerns about cost. She was patient, organized and prompt to reply to my questions and requests. She also was very thorough in going over the ins and outs of each estimate, even with my sometimes demanding and hard pressing parents... Definitely stress relieving when you are spending so much money on one day. The food for the event was outstanding - many of my guests exclaimed that it was the best wedding food they'd ever had. Our favorites were the mushroom and goat cheese ravioli, the savory cones and the tropical wedding cake flavor. It was SO delicious - both my husband and I wish we'd eaten more! The in house florist, Heidi, was also terrific. Her tropical designs were so unique and beautiful, I couldn't have dreamt of more gorgeous arrangements. I felt so special and honored to carry the bouquet she made for me, it was the most beautiful bouquet I'd ever seen! I felt like absolute royalty. I couldn't recommend this resort higher both for a vacation and hosting an event. Everything was amazing and despite the high price tag, the value you receive makes it totally worth it. Thank you Hualalai, Marissa, Heidi and team!