Waikoloa Beach Resort earns its moniker, “The Gathering Place of the Kohala Coast,” every week of the year by providing an amazing array of entertainment options. There are hula shows, performing musicians, culinary celebrations, and much more. During the holiday season, the normally upbeat resort environment gets even more magical, with shops and restaurants decorated in festive colors and offering special cuisine, tree-lightings, Santa appearances, and musicians playing favorite seasonal songs.
John Keawe, for example, one of Hawai`i Island’s favorite guitar players and native sons, is a Grammy-winning slack key guitarist and composer. A regular performer on Waikoloa Resort stages, his 1996 recording, Christmas Is, gained popular acclaim for his enchanting instrumental takes on Christmas songs, and each year he delights resort guests with his renditions. “For me, Christmas is a family time,” Keawe says. “In fact, several of my Christmas songs were inspired by my grandkids. I overheard them wondering how Santa was going to get to the islands, so I wrote “Santa’s Coming Over the Rainbow.”
