Wendy Ottinger
Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Trade-Winds Management Group
Waikoloa, Hawaii
What are three standout venues you would recommend for groups on the Big Island?
Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Trade-Winds Management Group
Waikoloa, Hawaii
What are three standout venues you would recommend for groups on the Big Island?
- Honualai: A really popular upscale venue for groups of 100 or less is the Sullivan Estate or Honualai in Puako in South Kohala. It’s a beautiful house right on the water and there’s an infinity-edge pool and lovely landscaping. You can set up tables on the grounds or use the formal dining room for small dinners. The estate works really well for presidents’ dinners and other high-end events. The garage can be closed off and serve as the catering kitchen. You can set up food stations or serve five-course dinners. We’re always searching for venues like this, but they are very few and far between.
- Clambakes at A-Bay: We love to use Anaehoomalu Bay, or A-Bay, as most people here call it, for clambakes on the beach. It’s a gorgeous, crescent-shaped beach right in front of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott and is one of only three beaches in the state where it’s okay to serve alcohol. Groups start out by boarding a sailing vessel for a two-hour cruise that, if it’s from December to April, is likely to include whale sightings. As a surprise, they land at A-Bay for a clambake.
- Parker Ranch: Parker Ranch is probably the most popular venue on the island for groups of all sizes. If you have 150 people or less, you can use the historic houses, which have a very elegant atmosphere. There’s a large pond in back of the homes with space for a tent where you can do everything from picnics to country and Western galas. At the rodeo arena you can do a full-scale rodeo with paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) games. The arena is not inexpensive, so you usually need to have 350 people or more for it to make sense.