Big Island Accomodations

Still deliberating over where to stay - choices include the new beach villas at Waikoloa or the colony villas and have now also found a reasonable deal at the Hapuna Prince hotel - a different atmosphere than condos but beautiful beach - staying 6 nights in August. Also noticed by the reviews that this area is a distance from the busier Kona area - is this a good or bad thing? Looking for r and r, a little golf, beaches, snorkling, and of course the volcano.

Big Island Accomodations

r%26amp;r, beach, golf you are staying in the right area. Some ok snorkeling. It%26#39;s not a bad drive to Kailua/Kona to spend some time in town. I%26#39;d suggest snorkeling in town at Kahalu%26#39;u Beach and maybe a trip to Honaunau/Place of Refuge. Were you planning on a one day trip to the volcano/Hilo side of the island?

Big Island Accomodations

Yes we definitely want to a trip to the volcano.

Aloha,

The Hapuna Prince is very nice, I stayed there for a few day last month as a treat and we had a great time. The beach is the best and the service was wonderful. I did find myself missing Kona by the third day and was happy to get back. Golf up in that area is amazing!

We just came back from The Hapuna Prince Hotel and had a great stay. You have great snorkeling to the right of the beach. We snorkeled with sea turtles everyday. The hotel has its own golf course. 10 minutes up the road in Kawaihae, you can eat at Cafe Pesto. I do have to admit, that at times I did miss going down to Kona. Its a good 35 minute ride down the road and thats where all the dining and shopping is. I guess we were spoiled after coming over from Waikiki.

Make that 35 minutes ride to more like an hour. It takes 35 minutes to get to Kona just from Costco nowadays.

I am far from an expert on the Kona side of the Big Island, but have this to offer. We stayed at Hilton Waikola a few years ago. The entire experience soured us towards the Big Island.

To me, Waikola is a man-made tourist area. The drive in from the airport goes through mostly lava fields. You%26#39;ll know you%26#39;re getting close when you start seeing all the green landscaping maintained by the resorts. If you%26#39;re looking for an area developed for tourists, this is your spot. If you%26#39;re looking for a more authentic Hawaiian experience, I%26#39;d stay clear of Waikola.

We have a trip to Hawaii again soon. We are going to give the Kona area a try.

Oh my, MsShuffler, if you%26#39;re looking for an ';authentic Hawaiian'; atmosphere, you aren%26#39;t going to find it in Hawai%26#39;i. The closest you%26#39;ll come (and it%26#39;s pretty darned close), is at Kona Village Resort, which is a recreation of an authentic Polynesian village. It%26#39;s the kind of place that you%26#39;ll either love--adore--or not like at all. You%26#39;ve gotta check the reviews and go to their website, look at the FAQs to see if it suit you. If it%26#39;s a fit, you%26#39;ll be hooked!

Addendum: If you do get hooked, you%26#39;ll be one of the 80% of us who are returnees and wallow in the lovliness of the place...

Ah, the KVR ... it is lovely!

Well, from the point of view of a lot of people on the island, Kailua-Kona is not in the least a Hawaiian area. It is a tourist and tour, golf, fishing oriented area with lots of concrete condos and shopping centers.

Visitors seem to think it has character, but honestly, there is more character just about anywhere else you go.

If you want a vacation, South Kohala has the amenities without the business and traffic.

If you want authentic, stay in a small town, out in the country, Hilo, Puna, North Kohala, Ka%26#39;u, Hamakua, South Kona ... not Kailua-Kona.

Unless it%26#39;s the Kona Village.

Kailua-Kona offers a lot of lodgings, affordable oceanfront, dining, tours, shopping, and it costs less than South Kohala, but it%26#39;s just not the feel of old Hawai%26#39;i at all.

MHarry, you are not going to get a good volcano hit staying in South Kohala. It%26#39;s a tiring trip 6 hour round trip not counting stops, and driving back at night is the pits, so if you want any nighttime component on the east side, you should split your stay.

Would like to point out that MsShuffler resuscitated a thread that was more than a year old, and the original poster of this thread has most likely long since returned from his trip to the Big Island.

That%26#39;s not to say that the topic isn%26#39;t a good one for other visitors preparing their own trips.

My personal preference for a less ';touristy'; experience is to stay at a B$B in either Volcano or Waimea/Kamuela. B%26amp;Bs are not everyone%26#39;s cup of tea, of course. The Mauna Lani resort is another option for a more authentic slice of Hawai%26#39;i, although it too, is another ';man-made'; resort environment.

The Hawai%26#39;i that Captain Cook encountered of course is long gone.