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North Kona and the resorts |
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The best of the spectacular sandy beaches along the Kona coast - safe
for summer swimming, though with tempestuous winter surf - lie to the
north of Kailua.
Hapuna Beach
, almost forty miles up the coast, is deservedly the most famous, despite being overshadowed by the giant
Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel
(tel 808/880-1111 or 1-800/882-6060, ; $250+); it's still possible to
rent $20 beachside cabins (tel 808/974-6200), but since opening in 1994
it has lost some of its charm.
For real idyllic seclusion, head instead
for Kona Coast State Park
(daily except Wed 9am-8pm; free), reached via a bumpy dirt road just a couple of miles north of Keahole Airport.
Several extraordinary
resort hotels
lie in the district of South Kohala, thirty miles north of Kailua.
Three separate enclaves - Waikoloa, Mauna Kea and Mauna Lani - have
been landscaped out of this inhospitable lava desert, each one a
self-contained oasis holding two or three hotels, a beach or two, and
nothing else.
Although Waikoloa
is the least exclusive of the three, it's home to the ludicrously ostentatious, mile-long
Hilton Waikoloa
(tel 808/886-1234, ; $250+), said to consume seven percent of all the
island's energy. Guests travel to and from their rooms by electric
boats or monorail.
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North Kona and the resorts 