Going with 3 adult, 2 kid, so a room at the Marriott isn’t ideal… 2 rooms gets to around $4-500/nite which makes me think i can get a condo rental which has kitchen etc for less… (prefer $300/nite ish?)
any recs?
Thanks!
I don’t have much of a recco as we almost always do a hotel. I stayed at a condo at Mauna Lani once but it was quite pricey. Stayed at another down in Kona, as well as a couple of hotel stays and find Kona and the properties a bit honky-tonk.
I much prefer staying up in the Waikoloa area. I like the Waikoloa Marriott. I’ve heard it might have become more dated since I was there last about four years back. But the location and grounds are nice. Good beach access is not universal on the Big Isle. I really don’t like that Hilton. Mauna Kea is awesome but expensive and isolated. I’ve never stayed at the Four Seasons.
Condo-wise, as I said, be careful with Kona. Some of the units are run down and the buildings in blocks that don’t feel very island. One recent visit some friends stayed at a place called Kolea?, just north of the Marriott on A’bay. The unit was really nice and the walk to the beach and Kings Shops easy. I have little idea how much they paid but it wasn’t a fortune.
cool thanks John…
so Waikoloa is nicer than the Kailua-Kona area then?
driving to Waimea is closer from up there… and driving to Mauna kea / Volcano seems about the same…
Decent food options up in Waikoloa? (for a family… not just 5 star dining etc)?
Thanks!!
a lot of stuff on airbnb.
Mark,
It’s a tricky call. Kona and Waikoloa are quite different. Waikoloa has much more of a resort feel and has significantly nicer hotels and condos. There are better beaches up there, though as with anywhere on the Big Isle, one has to check accomodation proximity to sand beaches. There very good golf in the Waikoloa-north area.
Kailua-Kona is much more of a working town, even though there are lot of tourists and rentals. But it just is not as beautiful or relaxing as Waikoloa, and IMO parts of it are junky. K-K though has some plusses. It will be cheaper to stay there, though one gets what they pay for. It has more restaurants, especially in the low to middle arena. It is also closer to some sights. It’s a bit closer to the volcano. It’s closer to other stuff along the south road like Honaunau, Capt. Cook, Coffee farms. We stayed a couple of times at the Keahou Beach Hotel and got cool oceanfront rooms for value, but I think it is still closed. But if one were looking at that area, I would suggest that are south of town. One has to make a quick drive up to town but it’s more relaxing and there are some decent coastal properties.
Waikoloa is closer to some stuff of its own. The volcano is a bit farther, and one can go around the north-east route, or just make for a longer day and do the Kona route. Waimea is closer, as are Waipio, the botanical gardens north of Hilo, and Akaka Falls. The general area from A-a beach up to Mauna Kea has various nice beaches. Kiholo Bay just south is pretty cool. Food is a little more challenging. There’s more resort food and just not as much casual/inexpensive. But the truth is the eating on the Big Isle is not outstanding.
Personally, like the Waikoloa area much more even though it typically costs more. I am pretty adeptat and willing to bomb around so get down to Kailua to do a couple of things or pass through, so get there for a couple of meals. There is some cool and very easy snorkeling at Kahaluu Beach Park south of town. The shore is not that attractive but the snorkeling inlet has a ton of creatures.
Mark,
We stayed in a condo at the Hali’i Kai resort in Waikoloa Beach Resort area. It’s a small condo complex right on the ocean and has a pool. The resort is smooshed in between a Hilton and the Mauni Lani resort. (Here’s a link to the pics of the complex http://www.haliikairesort.com/ - we didn’t rent through this link, we found it on VRBO and rented a condo directly from one of the condo owners.) The condo was nicely and fully outfitted with rec equipment - snorkeling gear, buggie boards, chairs, towels, etc as well as everything needed to do meal prep inc a grill on the patio etc. Pricing varies dramatically depending time of year but when we were there in December 2013 at the end of the low season, the 2 bed 2 bath condo that we rented (also had a large balcony facing the ocean) was about $275/night based on a week’s stay.
We didn’t think the restaurants in the area were that great so mainly preferred to cook simple meals ourselves (local Costco helped with supplies and had gas pumps which was terrific).
Some great things to do in the area although some were a little drive bit of a drive - Pu’uhonua National Park was pretty cool about an hour away. Hapuna Beach State Park is not too far - wide white sand beach & gentle enough for swimming, buggie boarding and snorkeling. We also loved the Pololu Valley Lookout which overlooks the ocean in an area with amazing cliffs - a really breathtaking sight! It’s a bit of a drive - 8 miles beyond Hawi on Highway 270 but the road ends at a stunning lookout of a wild, rugged black sand beach. There is a hike that starts at the lookout and winds its way down to the rocky beach - somewhat steep in sections but not very long. Lots of cautions on swimming off this beach as there’s lots of report of rip tides but it was really a neat place - visitors have taken the many oval shaped rocks on the beach and piled them up into really interestingly shaped cairns.
Wow great help thanks guys. I think waikoloa is more our style. Found a nice house on vrbo for a touch under $300 a night. Thanks again guys!
The Hilton time share/condo properties in Waikoloa allow you access to the pools etc at the big Hilton. Not sure how old the kids are but perhaps that would be appealing. I keep saying we’ll give one a try sometime, but for our upcoming trip we got a rate at the Courtyard King Kam that we couldn’t refuse (it’s basic, but hey…).
Mark, Consider getting the book “Big Island Revealed” which, last I looked, was by Diamond Press. It is not completely bulletproof for accomodations and higher-end restaurants. But it has a lot of good info on sights, attractions, and lower-key dining. Some of lit tid-bits aren’t widely publicized. I know that I learned of 69 Beach and Kiholo Bay there, among other things.
100% agree. see my post in the Epicurean Exploits on Big Island Food.
Try Kolea. You can walk to A-Bay and Kolea’s own infinity pool and hot tub, as well as to a few restaurants and a market. Viking grill on every lanai.
(includes pool access at nearby Hilton)
Yes, but no recs!
really tough to recommend airbnb spots since it’s so calendar dependent and location dependent.