Where else can you witness fiery creation and swim with dolphins, ponder the stars from the worldʻs tallest mountain and catch a blue marlin, downhill ski and surf the waves in a single day? The following are our family favorites. Please enjoy.
Take the extra walk down to Makalawena, but do not tell anyone else about it. The seclusion is the best part. Signs will guide you, sort of. Keep an eye out. Over a few lava fields and there are the pearly gates.
About as perfect as white sand beaches get. The hike in is straightforward and enough effort to keep many away, so it can feel like you have paradise to yourself.
This beach has a reputation on the Big Island for its pristine white sand and clear blue green water. At one time it could only be reached by four wheel drive or by walking down the rough lava rock road to the shore. Now there is a paved road, and bathrooms and showers are available.
Not a private beach, but it felt like it.
Far enough off the beaten path that few people show up. There is a short drive through the lava field, though vehicles with higher clearance will have an easier time of it. The water is good for swimming, less so for snorkeling or boogie boarding.
Four Seasons Resort at Hualalai
One of our favorite restaurants on the Big Island, and probably the most expensive. ʻUlu has gathered a prestigious list of awards and accolades. Your table sits a stoneʻs throw from the ocean, with some of the best cuisine available in all of the Hawaiian Islands. The ahi, Hawaiian sea bass and Keahole lobster curry are renowned, and the wine list is extensive. Be certain to get there for the sunset.
Four Seasons Resort at Hualalai
This place is magical for us, and if you can come during a sunset it is more magical still. You can sit for hours and just stare out at the ocean, at lunch or at dinner.
Italian and Mediterranean cooking with Californian and tropical influences: gnocchi with oxtail ragout, seafood paella, and hamakua, crimini and fontina pizza, with over sixty wines by the glass, carafe or bottle.
A short, low intensity hike in northeastern Hawaiʻi that pays off with two consecutive waterfalls: cascading Kahuna Falls and the spectacular free falling Akaka Falls. The flat paved trail is more of a walk, easy enough for just about anyone, and the loop takes under thirty minutes. Off Highway 220 at the end of Akaka Falls Road, open daily.
You will hear one question above all others if you tell people you are visiting the Big Island: are you going to see the volcano? Kilauea is the real must see, a four thousand foot mountain that has been spitting, spewing and oozing since 1983 and steadily adding to Hawaiʻiʻs land mass.
If you only have one day, take the three hour hike or the eleven mile drive along Crater Rim Drive, past the Kilauea caldera and through magnificent rain forest. Check the Kilauea Visitor Center for current trails, safety and where to expect lava flow.
Snorkelers come to this remote bay on the west coast for the tropical fish, sea turtles and Hawaiian spinner dolphins plainly visible below the calm, shallow water. History draws the rest: Captain Cook first spotted the bay and stayed here as a guest in January 1779, and was killed weeks later on the same shore. The large white Cook Monument sits high on the hill above.
Historically significant to the Hawaiian people, once one of the most fertile valleys on the Big Island and home to Kamehameha the Great, which earned it the nickname the Valley of the Kings. A mile wide, more than five miles deep, encased by cliffs that climb two thousand feet, and best beheld from the overlook on its southern side. You can also see it by van tour, on a strenuous hike, or on horseback.
Of all the Big Islandʻs interesting sand hues, this one is the rarest: the sand is green, thanks to the Puʻu Mahana cinder cone that circles the shoreline and erodes into it. One of only two green sand beaches in the United States. Allow at least two hours, and expect a dead end road in South Point off Highway 11 followed by a two mile hike.
Probably the most loved water on the whole island, on the Kohala coast. Come for the soft sand, the aquamarine water, or the sunsets. The famously calm waves are only calm for part of the year, and the tide can be rough in winter. There is almost always a lifeguard on duty, plenty of parking, picnic benches and restrooms.
We are on Alii Drive, one mile south of downtown Kailua-Kona and seven miles south of Honokohau Boat Harbor, with Alii Gardens Market Place directly across from our gate. Prior to occupancy we email the exact address, the gate entry code, and the location of your bungalow within the property.
From Kona International Airport, turn right onto the main highway toward Kona, then right on Palani Road, which becomes Alii Drive. The drive takes about fifteen minutes.
Yes. Moana Makai sleeps eighteen and Moana Mauka sleeps twelve, so together the estate holds thirty guests across fifteen bedrooms. Families and groups often take both. You can also book either home on its own.
Both sit behind the same gate and share the lushly landscaped oceanfront lawn, the freshwater pool and spa, the koi ponds, the sandy beach areas among the lava tide pools, the two seating areas along the ocean wall, and the amenities garage.
Beach chairs, beach umbrellas, beach towels, beach shoes, coolers, boogie boards, surf boards, SUPs and a plentiful assortment of snorkel gear. Everything is free for guests to use during their stay, on a first come first served basis.
Yes. There are sandy beach areas among the lava tide pools, reached through the beach access gate in the lava rock wall. Several beaches known for snorkeling and surfing are also just down the road.
Both homes have air conditioning, a full kitchen, laundry, wireless internet, keyless entry, free parking, televisions and an outdoor grill. Moana Makai also has the billiard room and two wet bars.
Both homes are non-smoking, and pets are not permitted.
Send us a note through the inquiry form on this site. Someone will give you a call or send you an email shortly.
Send us your dates and which home you have in mind through the inquiry form. We reply with availability and a detailed quote, along with answers to anything else you would like to know about the property.
Tell us your dates and which home you have in mind, and we will come back with availability and a detailed quote.