Located on Hawai‘i Island's Kona Coast, Kohanaiki is a 450-acre private club and residential community.
"It combines the luxury living with the deep connections to nature and local culture right in Kona," says real estate veteran Carrie Nicholson, who was named principal broker and vice president of sales and marketing for Kohanaiki Realty, the club's on-site real estate brokerage, in May.
Aloha State Daily recently spoke with Nicholson about her new role, the development itself — and what's on the market now.
According to Nicholson, Kohanaiki, which being developed by Kennedy Wilson, features an 18-hole, Rees Jones-designed golf course; access to a white sand beach and the ocean; an adventure club; spa; fitness center; multiple dining options; and an on-property organic and biodynamic farm, as well as "diverse real estate offerings." There's also a 67,000-square-foot clubhouse.
"With all of those things incorporated into this community, that's really what makes it very unique," she says.
Real estate offerings range from town homes to custom estate homes and home sites priced from $5 million to $25 million, she says.
"We've had a very strong demand here at Kohanaiki," Nicholson told ASD. "It's continued to remain strong, particularly in the wake of the [Covid-19] pandemic."
As buyers increasingly prioritize privacy, exclusivity and their access to nature, Nicholson says Kohanaiki appeals to buyers who are looking for second homes or legacy properties, "and private, wellness-focused communities that really offer meaningful lifestyle experiences."
There's still future development to take place, but Nicholson says approximately 500 homes are planned for the community.
A mix of homes and property types are on the market within Kohanaiki now.
Ala Kahakai 27 — a 6-bedroom, 5.5-bath home spanning 6,670 square feet on 1.17 acres — can be yours for $23.5 million. It's the development's "marquee listing right now," Nicholson says. It's dubbed Hale Kai Apo, or “Home of the Changing Tides," the listing notes.
Built in 2023, the property offers an "expansive" ocean view along with a path directly to the beach and is being sold turnkey and furnished.
"The home has that indoor-outdoor living space, private pool and finely curated interiors that really reflect Kohanaiki's design ethos," Nicholson says, noting that interiors were designed by Honolulu-based firm Averylily. The architect was Shay Zak.
There's also the Hale ‘Alani residences, available at price points between $5 million and $6 million, Nicholson says.
"They maintain exceptional design and craftsmanship, along with the full access to the club amenities," she says. "The portfolio as a whole spans a wide range of needs and preferences, from turnkey homes to custom estates, but all very unified by the thoughtful architecture in harmony with the surrounding landscape."
More properties can be found here.
"The future development for Kohanaiki will be very selective," Nicholson says. "We're working on it to be very intentional to maintain the community's low-density character, with the potential for additional home sites or enhancement to the amenities over time."
Nicholson joined Kohanaiki Realty on May 1.
Born and raised in the Islands, Nicholson has been in real estate for more than 25 years and spent the last 12 with Hawai‘i Life, where she was a broker-in-charge and director of Hawai‘i Life One on Hawai‘i Island. Before that, though, she was principal broker at Kukio Properties.
"For me, going back into development sales was always something that I was interested in doing and that's what I'm doing now, going back into development sales," she told ASD.
In addition to real estate, Nicholson is also a certified Coast Guard submarine co-pilot, rescue scuba diver and free diver, and has even worked with the likes of National Geographic on underwater film and photography. She also has worked with a number of nonprofit organizations and spent about eight years in Japan as an international model.
Married to her high school sweetheart, the couple has three grown children.
"Hawai“i is home for us," she says. "We love it here and we're planning to live the rest of our lives here on the island."
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
