Two excellent places to spend time with friends and family.
As a longtime member of the Kailua Racquet Club and frequent visitor to social events at Mid Pacific Country Club I have to admit I’m a bit biased. I love both clubs and I highly recommend anyone new to Kailua to spend some time there and see how easy it is to mingle and make new friends for young and old alike.
The Kailua Racquet Club
Location: 629 Oneawa Street, Kailua, HI 96734
The entrance to the club is a through a small private lane off Oneawa Street between Olomana St. and Punaa St.
There is plenty parking right by the courts and the facility is very open and friendly. You have the clubhouse to the left of the main gate and the men’s and women’s lockers right by the pool. The clubhouse has a meeting room and lounge and self-serve area were members can purchase cold beverages and essentials like tennis balls, grips etc. This is all by the honor system, so members just sign in for whatever purchase they make and it will be billed together with their monthly dues.
Most members will gather on the outdoor lanai by Camille’s at KRC especially on Friday nights for dinner and for breakfast and lunch on weekends. Tuesday night is Taco Tuesday at Camille’s. The restaurant does not accept cash, so in order to dine there you will have to be a member or be invited by one. The atmosphere is very casual and friendly and on any given Friday there will be a large number of friends and family out enjoying dinner with a club member. A perfect way to get to know the club and experience Camille’s award winning cuisine are the annual Kailua Men’s Night Doubles ( end of July, beginning of August) and Women’s & Mixed Night Doubles ( beginning of November). These two prestigious tournaments feature the best players in the State vying for bragging rights and prize money. They are free of charge and open to the public and during the tournament the restaurant and bar are open to everyone. All you need to do is go to the script booth and you’re set for food and drinks.
The Club has 9 user friendly courts with water fountains and plenty shaded areas for those hard fought battles in the middle of the day. If you rather play at night there are 5 lighted courts that are available until 10 pm.
All levels of players are welcome and there are plenty opportunities to join a league or casual doubles session. The way the courts are shared is very fair and based on a simple sign up system that limits court time should there be other players on the waiting list for a court. The busiest times are late afternoons, especially Fridays before dinner at Camille’s. There is nothing more rewarding than having an ice cold beer from the bar after playing a hard fought match…
KRC also is home to the Bruce Nagel Tennis Academy which offers a variety of group classes and individual sessions with seasoned tennis professionals. The XR10S classes (think: Exercise and Tennis) are the best way to get back into shape, hit a lot of balls and meet other members. They offer classes for all different types of skill level and are very reasonably priced. Best of all you they are open to non-members too. The Children’s Classes in the summer months are also very popular and open to members and non-members alike.
Joining the club is very easy and the membership is quite reasonable compared to the clubs in town. There even are short term memberships available that make it really easy to experience all that the club has to offer.
For all the details just visit the official KRC website at www.kailuaracquetclub.com.
Overall I can highly recommend the Racquet Club to anyone new to Kailua who is looking for a place to gather, have fun and make new friends in this awesome community.
Mid Pacific Country Club
Location: 266 Kaelepulu Drive, Kailua, HI 96734
This sprawling Golf and Country Club is located in Lanikai, one of the most desired beach communities in the world. Despite the exclusive address and having one of the finest golf courses in Hawaii, the Mid Pacific Country Club is warm, welcoming and family oriented with a variety of amenities. When it comes to golf, this club offers expert instruction with PGA professionals, a very well stocked pro shop with expert service and tournaments for all levels of play.
The Club house is home to a full service restaurant serving lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday and breakfast on Saturday/Sunday. The views from the dining room terrace are amazing and paired with live music (on weekends) make this a perfect setting to entertain friends and family in style.
Mid Pacific Country Club offers a social membership that includes dining privileges and a whole lot more. There is a gym on Club premises that has state of the art Star Trac equipment with a variety of classes for fitness minded members. There is Yoga, Tai Chi, Core Fitness and more.
The pool is also very popular with adults and kids alike and should you get hungry there is food and drink service available.
There are also a variety of Clubs within the Club for activities such as hiking or playing Bridge. Hula lessons are complimentary and members can always count on special events throughout the year. The social membership is very reasonable and also includes one round of golf per month at the guest rate. If you’re interested in Membership, contact Tracy Wong (808-262-8161 ext. 219) or email membership@mpcchi.org.
For all the details please go to www.mpcchi.org
The Kailua Racquet Club and the Mid Pacific Country Club are both excellent ways to be part of this awesome community and I personally have a number of friends that belong to both of them. Some people say that tennis and golf don’t mix well, but in Kailua these two clubs complement each other exceptionally well!