Helena International Villa

The starry sky is apparently beautiful, so I’d been looking forward to seeing it, but unfortunately it rained. Now I’ve got something to look forward to next time. The grounds are huge. When I asked, I was told we’d be driven around them to the hotel, or room. The building was actually a kilometer from the front desk, and a staff member drove ahead of our car to guide us there. We had a dinner-and-breakfast plan and stayed in a building with four rooms. We were the only guests there, so none of the issues mentioned by other reviewers came up. The rooms were really spacious, too. There were four beds across two rooms for the two of us. At other hotels I usually stay separately from my companion in two single rooms, so having all that space felt luxurious and let us relax. The set meal came with a choice of meat or fish and was filling and satisfying. Breakfast had thick slices of bread and a generous salad. I don’t have a photo, but the strawberry jam was amazing. It was so good I almost felt like I was eating jam instead of yogurt. I put in so much that I thought, “This is too much!”

I’ve used this place a few times for competitions. Around a dozen of us had a barbecue, and I was very satisfied. There was plenty of alcohol and the portions were generous.

It might be a nice place to unwind, but the other groups staying that night could make a difference. We were on the first floor, and when a family with children arrived upstairs, their running and jumping made a lot of noise, even at night. I don’t think everyone has bad manners, but people are different, and that’s how it goes. The BBQ smell drifting into our room was disappointing too. Apparently someone had left a window open, which also comes down to manners. I wish there had been a microwave in each room. I was worried people would see me, so I could only warm my food a little.

We were warned when booking that there wasn’t much around, so we did our shopping at a nearby place about a 10-minute drive away before heading over. There’s not much on site, but I think that’s probably a good thing. The grounds are so large that having a car is essential. It’s reasonably close by car to the Hawaiian Center. We ordered a barbecue for dinner and enjoyed it. They handle the prep, so the tricky bit is just getting the fire started. They provide meat and vegetables, but bring your own drinks, snacks, seafood, and anything else. We had breakfast at the clubhouse. There’s a riding club and a golf course on the grounds, so it might suit golfers. Guests aren’t allowed on the course or cart paths, though, and there’s hardly anywhere to take a walk. Some facilities started during the late bubble economy period were never finished. Apparently the site is maintained for various filming purposes. It seems King & Prince’s “Sunset” music video was filmed there too. We’d just been swimming and wished there was laundry, but there wasn’t.