Hawaii Island is bigger than all the other Hawaiian islands combined and it holds eleven of the world's thirteen climate zones. It rains more than three metres a year on the Hilo side and less than 250 millimetres on parts of the Kohala coast, which is desert by any definition.
That is why the resorts are all on one strip. The Kohala coast on the northwest shore sits in the rain shadow of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, and it is dependably dry, sunny and hot. It is also built on a lava field, which is the first thing visitors notice from the plane: black rock in every direction with green oases where the resorts are.
Why the lava matters
The Kohala coast has very little natural sand. The lava flowed to the sea and set, and the beaches are pockets between rock rather than a continuous shoreline.
So the question here is not which stretch of beach. It is whether your resort has a swimmable one at all, and several of the most comfortable properties on this coast sit above rock with a pool as the substitute. That is a legitimate choice, and it is not the same holiday.
The other half of the island is the reason to leave the resort: Volcanoes National Park, the Hilo rainforest side, Mauna Kea's summit at 4,200 metres with the observatories, and the green sand and black sand beaches in the south. The drive across takes about two hours.
The nine below are grouped by what is in front of them.
The Kohala coast, with a beach
Resorts on genuine sand, which on this coast is the scarce thing.
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai sits on a crescent of white sand at Hualalai with low bungalows, no building above two storeys and the best service in Hawaii. There are seven pools including one cut into the lava and stocked with reef fish. It is the finest resort in the state.
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
Kohala coast · 5★ · $$$$
Seven pools including one cut into the lava
Check availabilityKona Village A Rosewood Resort occupies the bay next door, rebuilt after years closed, with hale bungalows, no televisions and a beach that is among the best on the island. It is the most restrained property here.
Kona Village A Rosewood Resort
Kahuwai Bay · 5★ · $$$$
Hale bungalows with no televisions on a top beach
Search hotels in Hawaii Island (Big Island)Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection sits on Kaunaoa Bay, which is the best beach on the Kohala coast, in a 1965 modernist building with a significant Pacific and Asian art collection through the public spaces.
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection
Kaunaoa Bay · 4★ · $$$$
The coast's best beach and a 1965 modernist building
Check availabilityThe Westin Hapuna Beach Resort occupies Hapuna Beach, the largest white sand beach on the island, with a contemporary interior and the widest stretch of sand of anything on this list.
The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort
Hapuna Beach · 4★ · $$$
The largest white sand beach on the island
Check availabilityMauna Lani, Auberge Collection sits on a sheltered bay with fishponds, petroglyph fields on the property and a spa built around lava tubes. It is the best combination of history and comfort on the coast.
Mauna Lani, Auberge Collection
Kohala coast · 5★ · $$$$
Fishponds and petroglyph fields on the property
Check availabilityThe Kohala coast, with a pool
Comfortable, well run, and above rock rather than sand.
Fairmont Orchid occupies a large site with a lagoon, a good spa and a beach that is small and partly artificial. The grounds are the product.
Fairmont Orchid
Kohala coast · 4★ · $$$
Sheltered lagoon and large grounds above the rock
Check availabilityHilton Waikoloa Village is the enormous resort with a tram, a boat canal and a sheltered saltwater lagoon rather than a beach. It is the family answer on the island and it is very large.
Hilton Waikoloa Village
Waikoloa · 4★ · $$
A tram, a boat canal and a saltwater lagoon
Check availabilityWaikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa sits on the same stretch with reliable rooms, a good pool and rates well below its neighbours.
Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
Waikoloa · 4★ · $$
Reliable rooms below neighbouring rates
Check availabilityKailua-Kona
The town end, south of the resort strip, with restaurants and the historic sites.
OUTRIGGER Kona Resort and Spa occupies a position on Kailua Bay in the town itself, which means you can walk to dinner, a coffee shop and the pier. The swimming is from a small beach rather than a resort one.
OUTRIGGER Kona Resort and Spa
Kailua-Kona · 4★ · $$
In town, so you can walk to dinner
Check availabilityWhat we have left off
The Hilo and Volcano hotels are excluded. Hilo is the wet side and Volcano village sits at 1,200 metres next to the national park, and both are worth a night in the middle of a trip. They are three-star properties, which is the floor this list applies.
What to do
Go to Volcanoes National Park and stay until after dark, when any active glow is visible. Check the current activity status before you go; the volcano's behaviour changes and access changes with it.
Drive to the Mauna Kea visitor centre at 2,800 metres for stargazing. The summit road requires four-wheel drive and acclimatisation; the visitor centre does not and the sky is still extraordinary.
Snorkel or night dive with manta rays off the Kona coast, which is one of the most reliable large-animal encounters in the Pacific.
See the Waipio valley lookout, the Pololu valley on the north coast, and the Punaluu black sand beach with the turtles in the south.
Buy Kona coffee at a farm rather than a shop.
Practical notes
Kona airport on the west side serves the resorts and is fifteen to thirty minutes from most of them. Hilo airport is on the other side of the island.
The Kohala coast is dry year round. December to April is the peak and the whale season; September and October are the quietest and warmest.
A car is essential. Distances are large and there is no useful transit.
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Questions people actually ask
Does every Kohala resort have a beach?
No, and that is the key thing to check. Several excellent properties sit above lava rock with a pool instead.
Big Island or Maui?
Big Island for volcanoes, stargazing and space. Maui for beaches and a shorter drive between things.
Can you see lava?
Only when there is an active eruption, which varies. Check the park's current status rather than assuming.
How many nights?
Six. Four on the Kohala coast and two on the volcano side.
If you only book one
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