A Fine Shopping Experience
Posted on Nov 22, 2010 under Uncategorized |Visitors staying in the Big Island’s Waikoloa Beach Resort can take a short drive or walk from their hotel or condo to the beautiful Queens’ Marketplace for a range of shopping, restaurant, business, cultural and entertainment attractions. Here, you won’t find major retail giants engulfing the resort’s quiet charm but rather an open courtyard filled with an array of thriving foliage and native trees, interspersed with stone pathways. Storefronts, adorned with colorful awnings and attractive brick facades, blend nicely with the surrounding environment.
Among some of the interesting design features are a high tech waterfall, a large pond filled with koi fish, a towering Chinese pagoda and a tall British-style clock. Numerous bronze plaques pay tribute to prominent Hawaiian queens after which the center was named. And built-in seating blocks and strategically placed wooden benches provide plenty of spots to relax.
Since its opening in October 2007, the Queens’ Marketplace has provided a consistent variety of amusements centered mostly within the mall’s Coronation Pavilion, a covered rotunda surrounded by grass and open seating areas. Daily classes offer lessons in Hawaiian craft making, ukulele or hula dancing. Free afternoon entertainment consists of performances by local musicians and dancers. Movies Under the Stars are presented on Fridays. And a range of Hawaiian cultural celebrations and holiday events take place in this versatile complex, including the Ukelele Festival, Hawaiian Cultural Weekend and May Day is Lei Day.
Queens’ Marketplace boasts an array of dining options, from Charley’s Thai Cuisine to Macaroni Grill. The food court offers a practical mix of local, Chinese and Japanese cuisine along with an Arby’s, Subway Sandwiches and Dairy Queen. The Island Gourmet Markets contains a full service grocery store including an impressive deli stocked with fresh sandwiches, hot entrees, sushi, health foods, pizza, baked goods, and more.
Visitors will find the Vista Waikoloa vacation condominium property an ideal choice for vacation rentals that are situated within easy walking distance to the Queens’ Marketplace and other attractions. Browse through a variety of shops and boutiques, listen to some local music, and enjoy a nice dinner at one of the center’s fine restaurants such as the popular Sansei Seafood and Sushi Bar, which features live music on Thursday nights. This family oriented, pedestrian-friendly complex will provide you with a pleasant shopping experience as well as a little taste of Hawaiian culture.
