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From a casual and comfortable beach house to a posh and sophisticated condo, there is something for everyone. There are rustic and fun places to fish and paddle board, quiet and charming cottages to decorate in beach chic and homes that capture the best in island ambience.

With so many styles of beachfront properties to choose from, where does one start?  A good place to start is to look at individual needs, passions and how long one plans to be there. For example, if family fun is priority, a sandy beach and easy access to the water is important.  If one travels often or has medical needs, being in neighborhoods that are close to the airport or hospital would be ideal. If writing books in peace and quiet is the ultimate goal, privacy in a natural setting might be just the thing. If sitting on the porch with a glass of wine and enjoying the view is all one really needs, perhaps a beachfront condominium is in order.

It’s important to keep in mind that with beachfront property, the value is in the land and the view, so location is crucial. Once you have some parameters you can begin your search and start to identify neighborhoods that meet your needs. The fun starts with going out and actually seeing what’s available. It’s easy with the help of a knowledgeable agent at Choi International, contact us now and let us help you find your next luxury Hawaii home.

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Al Masini, who personally designed this spectacular residence, was the producer of dozens of TV specials, mini-series and programs including “Entertainment Tonight”, “Solid Gold”, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” and “Star Search”.

His excellence and grand vision extended to all he did, including his design of KEKAULANI, meaning “Placed in the Heavens”.  This is a dazzling, luxury property with sweeping ocean and mountain views. On most days, the islands of Molokai, Maui and Lanai can be seen, as well as the island of Hawaii on other days.

KEKAULANI was built in the style of New York Hollywood elegance combined with soothing tropical ambience.  The exquisite design details seen throughout this 5 bedroom, 7 bath home include curved glass walls with stunning views, granite, onyx, lapis lazuli, Italian marbles, custom lighting and chandeliers, drapery and stained glass art.

Surrounding the home are waterfalls, lush plantings, a koi pond, heated outdoor spa and a custom-made bronze hula dancer.  Built within a prestigious and secure gated community, KEKAULANI is a dream home built and designed by a man with a great vision. Its 5-star resort atmosphere will leave you breathless.

KEKAULANI is offered at $13,800,000. For more information and to download detailed high-resolution photos of the elegant kitchen, 4-car garage, bio-metric entry elevator, personal gym, beautiful master and guest suites, stunning entertainment and grand rooms and more, click here.

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Contact:

Patricia Choi, R, CCIM, CIPS

President & Principal Broker

Choi International

(808) 734-7711

The post Hawaii Estate of Famous TV Legend, Al Masini, Enters the Market. appeared first on The CHOI Group at Hawaii Life.

Choi International continues to be the luxury real estate market leader.  Recently, a luxury Hawaii home listed in Kailua,  was selected by Ocean Home Magazine as one of the nation’s Top 20 Ocean Homes for Sale. You can view more of this Luxury Hawaii Home below.

Ocean Home magazine, the premier luxury coastal lifestyle publication, announces its eighth annual list of the “Top 20 Ocean Homes” for sale in the U.S. from coast to coast. This exciting feature article, which is in the current issue (Aug/Sep), showcases the most exclusive and desirable luxury oceanfront homes currently on the market.     Read More…..

 You can view more of our incredible listing at 123 Kailuana Loop on Kailua Beach by clicking here.

With 125 feet of frontage on world-famous Kailua Beach, this architectural gem on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, is a rare find. Just 20 minutes from downtown Honolulu, the oceanfront stunner is situated on a quiet street in Kailua. Impressively, the estate is LEED Certified to a Gold standard, demonstrating cutting-edge sustainability inside and out. Designed by GAST Architects, based in San Francisco, the home showcases sweeping ocean views at every turn. Standout features include a gourmet kitchen, luxurious master suite, media room, gym and guest suite. Outside, the home’s U-shaped design embraces a resort-size pool, with spa and waterfall, while covered lanais outfitted with built-in barbeque and pizza ovens encourage island-style entertaining.

Bedrooms: 7

Bathrooms: 9 + 2 half

Price: $20,138,000

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As far as activities, there is much to do in Waikiki. Diamond Head, the 500 acre Kapiolani Park, the Honolulu Zoo and Waikiki Aquarium are located at the east end of Waikiki. The fabulous, open-air Ala Moana Shopping Center and Ala Moana Beach Park lie at the west end. In between you’ll find perfect places to eat, shop, browse, go for a walk and people-watch to your heart’s content. And don’t forget that amazing beach! Here one can swim where it’s safe and shallow, soak up the sun on the soft, white sand or take surf or paddle board lessons.

Whether you love night-life or just like to go out occasionally, Waikiki has fabulous live music venues, dining and dancing or the option to just sit out under the sky, watch the sunset and meditate on the gentle waves lapping the shore.

Waikiki has an enchanting and colorful history. Before it was developed, Waikiki was a swamp land, rich with waters providing aquaculture and taro fields for the Hawaiian people. It was here where Kamehameha I landed his fleet of canoes to conquer the island. Later, Waikiki became a vacation retreat for Hawaiian royalty. In 1901, the first luxury hotel, the Moana Surfrider opened to accommodate wealthy guests. Delving into the rich history of Waikiki alone could bring hours of fun and fascination.

To this day, Waikiki continues to exude the ambience of a romantic, seaside get-a-way. Whether you are looking for a full or part time abode, consider taking a look at the convenience of the walk-anywhere luxury condos in welcoming and nostalgic Waikiki.

The post Luxury Condos in Magical Waikiki appeared first on The CHOI Group at Hawaii Life.

Lanikai, meaning “heavenly sea” in Hawaiian is just that. Lanikai Beach is noted as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  Just a few minutes spent on the powdery white sand, gazing out at the beautiful azure of the waters will convince you that you are indeed, in heaven.  The views of the beach and ocean are simply breathtaking.

Lanikai, being a coastal community, enjoys near perfect weather. You can expect the temperature to be between 75 and 85 degrees most of the time, dipping to 65 degrees during the night. The average rainfall is between 4 to 6 inches a year, keeping Lanikai looking like the tropical paradise that it is.

The residents of this small community are fairly affluent and you’ll find luxury homes tucked away along the beach as well as long-term rentals for visitors. The community enjoys activities such as hiking, canoeing, kayaking and paddle boarding, craft fairs, theatre and beach-going. Lanikai Community Park, which is owned and maintained by the Lanikai Association, is is often used for sports as well as for picnics and social gatherings. There is also a fenced play area for children with swings and slides.

Lanikai is a suburb of Kailua town which enjoys all the modern conveniences including health food stores, markets, many restaurants and cafes and locally owned shops and boutiques. Schools, both public and private are nearby.  Even with a modern lifestyle, Lanikai has maintained it’s natural beauty and laid back ambience. You’ll find the people friendly, the weather glorious and the lifestyle one of the best in the U.S.  If you are looking for a luxury beachfront property in Hawaii, make sure to check out beautiful Lanikai.

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Expanded annual report offers insight into more than 80 of the world’s most luxurious real estate markets

Honolulu, HI (May 13, 2015) –‘Trophy’ has become the new buzz-word in luxury real estate. According to a just-released study by Christie’s International Real Estate— the world’s leading luxury residential network of which Choi International is an exclusive affiliate — more properties than ever before were both sold and listed for sale at US$100 million or higher in 2014. As the number of billionaires globally reached new heights, so too did the price benchmarks for their trophy homes, as the world’s most affluent focused more and more on acquiring “collectable”residential assets in prized locations across the globe. US$100 million is now firmly established as the billionaire benchmark for ultra-prime property.

At the more traditional luxury residential real estate price segments, the overall market experienced steady growth in 2014, with US$1 million plus home sales up by an average of 16 percent over 2013 in the 80 luxury residential markets surveyed for the report. Titled Luxury Defined, the third annual edition of the research paper not only examines the world’s top 10 cities for prime property, but also analyzes an additional 70 key regional markets, exploring the dynamics and drivers shaping the globe’s high-end real estate market. Key findings from the white paper revealed that second home resort markets were red hot in 2014, leading the growth in luxury property sales.

The report provides insight into many of the world’s luxury residential markets including Honolulu.

Additional global highlights from Luxury Defined include:

2014 welcomed a return to normality in most major cities with growth showing signs of stabilizing in locations such as Paris and New York.

• Toronto ranked as the world’s ‘hottest’ luxury market, and was the only location to see a faster year-on-year pace with a 37 percent increase in luxury home sales.
• As millennials grow up and baby boomers transition into life as empty nesters, these buyers are increasingly seeking urban amenities. This helped fuel growth in high-value urban market sales, particularly in metropolitan cities, which jumped by 15 percent over 2013.
• Second home markets led the growth of high-value sales in 2014, with ‘Jet set destinations’ recording on average a 28 percent year on year increase, fueled by attractive investment opportunities, below market-peak prices, and a confidence that the market has bottomed and a recovery is well under way.
• International second home buyers are driving market growth, particularly in Marrakech and Turks & Caicos where 100 percent of top end purchasers are from overseas.
• Dubai ranks as the most popular city for second home purchases amongst global HNWIs, who accounted for 75 percent of sales. Meanwhile, 44 percent of the sales in London and 40 percent in Miami were international second home purchases.
• The highest price-per-square-foot achieved in 2014 for a luxury home was recorded in Cote d’Azur at US$22,577 per-square-foot.
• The average starting price for a ‘luxury home’ worldwide is US$2 million. London and Beverly Hills have the highest price entry points at US$6 million and US$8 million, respectively.

“More than ever before, we are focusing on the purchasing patterns of ultra-affluent individuals – as well as what’s driving their investments across the globe — and why the acquisition of luxury real estate has become increasingly important to their portfolios,” said Dan Conn, CEO, Christie’s International Real Estate.  “Whether for safe storage of wealth, lifestyle upgrades or the pure passion of the investment, the intrinsic recognition of the sheer value of prime property ownership could not be stronger among these consumers.”

“Honolulu has always had strong foreign interest from Japan and Korea, but we are now seeing more from China, says Cedric Choi, Executive Director of Choi International.  “The greatest positive impact on the luxury market has been the travel plans of the Chinese,” he adds, noting that the new 10-year visa program between China and the United States is likely to bolster demand for luxury Honolulu residences from affluent Chinese visitors over the coming years.

Contrary to other research real estate studies, Luxury Defined not only comprises standard luxury property market measurements – such as top sale prices, volume of luxury home sales, average sale prices, etc. — but also establishes benchmarks by sub-market in order to assess trends among truly comparable homes.

The study also includes a chart highlighting what US$5 million buys around the world as well as a spotlight on magnificent art and luxury goods and their high-end real estate equivalents.

Christie’s International Real Estate is wholly owned by Christie’s and is committed to its core values of expertise in marketing luxury assets, exemplary client service, and discretion. The Luxury Defined study can be accessed at www.christiesrealestate.com/luxury-defined

The post More Homes Than Ever Before Were Sold and Listed at US $100 Million or Higher… appeared first on The CHOI Group at Hawaii Life.

Oahu has much to offer. Whether you’re looking for an ideal vacation, retirement home or a permanent residence, excitement, adventure and luxury living can be yours.

If your interests lie in the field of natural living, Oahu may well be one of the best places to live in the world. Natural and wellness businesses abound specializing in everything from acupuncture to lomi-lomi massage to yoga. Farmers markets are year-round and can be found in almost every neighborhood.  They are fun and lively, offering locally grown farm fresh produce and mouth-watering delicacies. If you enjoy growing your own food, you will find that you can grow almost anything in your own back yard.

For water enthusiasts there is sailing, surfing, paddle boarding, snorkeling, diving and fishing. Or you can just kick back and soak up the sun. In Hawaii you can live your dream of happiness and luxury, whether it’s entertaining good friends, shopping and dining, browsing an exhibition, reading a great book in the shade or watching your family frolic in the waves.

Hawaii is known for it’s perfect weather, amazing beaches, world-class shopping and beautiful golf courses. But did you know that Hawaii is also a cultural melting pot filled with delicious food, lively attractions, and the Spirit of Aloha?

This Spirit of Aloha is perhaps the most subtle yet important attraction about Hawaii. So, what exactly is this ‘Aloha Spirit’?  You most likely know ‘aloha’ as a familiar greeting for “hello” and “goodbye”. In the Hawaiian Dictionary, ‘aloha’ is defined as love, affection and compassion along with 35 other meanings!  It’s meaning goes deep and the ‘Aloha Spirit’ can be regarded as a philosophy or way of life where we treat ourselves and each other with love and respect.

Choi International specializes in distinctive, luxury properties.  If you are looking for a family beachside retreat, an easy-care luxury condo or an elegant estate, Choi International can help you to find your perfect piece of paradise in the Aloha state.

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