Comfort. Convenience. Quiet. Quality. When longtime hospitality executive Paul Horner travels, those are the features he looks for in accommodations.

Two years ago he and his girlfriend stayed in a spacious two-bedroom house that was among the accommodations offered by an inn in Napa Valley. The house featured an open kitchen, a living room with 16-foot ceilings and a wood-burning fireplace, and a second-story sun deck with panoramic views of the surrounding vineyards.

The couple also had access to two pools, a fitness center, a world-class spa and three restaurants. There was even a market where they did their grocery shopping.

"We invited friends to the house one evening," Horner recalled. "Everything we needed to cook and serve dinner was there. As we sipped wine in the courtyard with our guests, I remember thinking how cool and peaceful it was. It truly felt as though we were ‘at home.’"

Today, Horner oversees a similar vacation experience as the general manager of Kukui­‘ula, the only luxury residential community on Kauai with a private club. Meandering over 1,000 acres on the sunny South Shore, it blends low-rise plantation-style architecture with upscale facilities and amenities.

Kukui‘ula means "the red glow of burning candlenuts." Long ago the Hawaiians strung the oily nuts of the kukui (candlenut tree) on coconut fronds and burned them for light. Thus, Kukui­‘ula, the community, is a beacon for those who appreciate a laid-back yet refined lifestyle.

There are three ways to gain access to this exclusive enclave: buy a lot (prices start at around $1 million) and build a home on it, visit at the invitation of a member (all homeowners are members) or book a stay in a Club Cottage.

SIX bright, airy Club Cottages are available to visitors. Fifteen more are planned, 11 of which should be completed by the end of this year.

Each cottage was designed as a home away from home, right down to the measuring cups and spoons in the kitchen. "When you vacation in a Club Cottage, you become an honorary member of Kukui­‘ula," Horner said. "You’re welcome to enjoy everything that we offer."

That includes access to the community’s farm where an array of herbs, flowers, fruits and vegetables flourish. The club’s chefs, residents and guests are welcome to harvest whatever they need free of charge from sunrise to sunset daily.

Free use of a 10-foot boat and 12-foot canoe moored at the adjacent lake is also available. Both vessels seat three passengers. Avid anglers can look forward to catch-and-release fishing for peacock bass without worrying about packing gear; poles, chairs, lures and live bait are provided.

"No other resort in Hawaii has a playground like that," Horner said. "Families often picnic there. They pick lettuce and tomatoes at the farm and add them to their sandwiches. ‘Eating fresh’ doesn’t get fresher than that!"

At the Spa at Kukui­‘ula, patrons indulge in a full range of treatments such as lomi­lomi massage, seaweed body wrap and coconut and papaya exfoliating scrubs. The complimentary "spa ritual" preceding treatments includes a refreshing ginger tonic beverage, time in a dry sauna and steam pavilion, a dip in a cold plunge pool and a soak in a warm whirlpool.

Lunch can also be part of a rejuvenating "spa day." Think sweet potato gnocchi, fresh fish tacos and minestrone soup made with vegetables from the farm.

Overlooking Spouting Horn, Kukui­‘ula Bay and the ninth and 18th holes of Kukui­‘ula’s award-winning golf course, the Plantation House is the club’s main gathering place. Here you can enjoy a meal; play tunes on the jukebox; book an outdoor activity; pick up a complimentary snack of candy, fresh fruit or ice cream; and settle in a chair on the wraparound lanai and watch kids doing cartwheels and throwing Frisbees on the Great Lawn.

"There’s no hustle and bustle at Kukui­‘ula," Horner said. "You and your family have room to breathe and to stretch out. There are no lines, no waits. We help you explore and enjoy Kauai on your own terms, at your own pace. By the end of your stay, you’ll know our staff by name, and they’ll know yours. You’re part of our ohana, family."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.