Cuisine and Ocean Activities Play Up to Resort's Oceanfront Location

Ka'upulehu, Big Island of Hawaii -- Located at the very edge of pristine Kahuwai Bay on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii's Big Island, the iconic Kona Village Resort announces an "Ocean Promotion" theme for 2007. With 22 oceanfront acres and 125 individual thatched roof hale (ha-lay, or bungalows) Kona Village Resort is the idyllic location for guests to experience the bounty of the ocean as well as the many water-related activities available from Kona Village Ocean Adventures.

Beginning in January, executive chef Mark Tsuchiyama will have Big Eye Ahi (tuna) headlining evening specials at Hale Samoa, the resort's fine dining eatery. Kona Village Ocean Adventures will offer guests excursions for closer glimpses of enormous Humpback Whales wintering in warm Hawaiian waters. For the month of February, island-fresh swordfish will find its way on to the Hale Samoa menu while the resort's new Ribcraft (Rigid Inflatable Boat) will headline the fun from Kona Village Ocean Adventures. Ribcraft is the leading manufacturer of rescue craft for first responders and builds each boat to a rigorous set of commercial standards, subject to a strict series of stability and buoyancy tests. Ribcraft, the designer-builder of the custom-made vessel for Kona Village Resort, has enjoyed an enviable reputation for technologically advanced RIBS for twenty years. The new boat at Kona Village Resort means guests can enjoy quick access to more than 20 nearby dive sites, offshore snorkeling excursions and of course whale watching during the winter months. The delicate, delicious flavor of mahi mahi, which can be prepared in an abundance of ways, will star as March's fish of the month while Outrigger Canoe Paddling will highlight the activity list at Kona Village Ocean Adventures. Other themes throughout 2007, in keeping with the Ocean Promotion, will include island fish such as Ono, Moi, Yellowfin Ahi, Kampachi, Kona Lobster and Abalone, Halibut, Opakapaka and Ehu.

Kona Village Ocean Adventures will offer guided kayak adventures, double-hull canoe rides, scooter snorkel and dive adventures, windsurfing, SCUBA diving, sailing lessons, and Keiki (children) surf lessons. And in 2007, Kona Village Resort's Koa Canoe Project is to be launched with great anticipation and fanfare.

Dive Operations Manager
Jim Kilbride

Whether an experienced diver, someone who would like to become certified, or simply someone with an appreciation for the ocean, you'll want to meet Kona Village's Dive Operations Manager, Jim Kilbride.

Jim is a veteran diver who has mapped shipwrecks on the Anegada reef system in the British Virgin Islands, worked as assistant project manager for Marine Archaeological Ventures, Ltd. and worked thirteen summers with Jean-Michel Cousteau and the Cousteau Society's Project Ocean Search to teach people about the underwater world. In 1991, Jim joined the Cousteau Society fulltime as an expedition diver. He subsequently participated in expeditions in Asia, Fiji and the Bahamas.

Now making Hawaii's Big Island his home, this talented underwater photographer who has had his photos published in several Cousteau publications, is anxious, ready and willing to share the world that flourishes below the water of Kahuwai Bay.

About Kona Village Resort
Kona Village Resort opened in 1965 and is now celebrating 40 years of barefoot luxury and Hawaiian ho'okipa (hospitality). The resort occupies 82 private acres along the Big Island's Kohala Coast. Once the site of an ancient Hawaiian fishing village, the resort is now home to 125 thatched-roof cottages called hale (pronounced ha-lay), nestled around lush lagoons and pristine white and black sand beaches. Fronting the marine preserve of Kahuwai Bay, guests enjoy snorkeling and diving with spectacular viewing of Hawai'i's dazzling marine life. Rates include oceanfront dining with island-inspired meals long with numerous activities and water sports. A centuries-old petroglyph field of ancient markings reflects the area's history. Kona International Airport is a brief 10-minute drive away and a world apart. Kona Village Resort was rated among Hawaii's top 25 best hotels by Travel+Leisure Magazine in 2006, was on Conde Nast Traveler's 2006 "World's Best Places to Stay" and was listed by Forbes.com among the top ten luxury family resorts in the U. S.

Kona Village Resort is owned by Ty Warner Hotels & Resorts, LLC, which was founded and is solely owned by Ty Warner, creator of the extremely popular plush toy, Beanie Babies. The Company currently owns several of the world's most renowned and acclaimed properties, including Four Seasons Hotel New York, Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Los Cabos, Mexico and, in Santa Barbara, California, the Four Seasons Biltmore, the Miramar, Montecito Country Club, San Ysidro Ranch and the Sandpiper Golf Course. Mr. Warner, a dynamic and visionary entrepreneur, formed Ty Warner Hotels & Resorts for the purpose of acquiring one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable luxury hotels and resorts throughout the world. Mr. Warner is not interested in merely owning such properties, but in evolving them into luxury icons by creating a dynamic vision for rejuvenation and enhancement. Mr. Warner is a hands-on owner who is intimately involved in each and every aspect of his hotels and resorts, and he has a passion for, as well as an uncompromising commitment to, creating an unrivaled standard of excellence in the luxury hospitality marketplace in terms of extraordinary ambiance, sophisticated decor and design, exceptional service as well as outstanding guest experience. Mr. Warner is committed to investing the creative, management and financial resources necessary to ensure that each property realizes its ultimate potential, both qualitatively and financially.

Visit: www.konavillage.com

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