Spotlight's Big Island Gold Magazine

The megaresort capital of Hawai‘i lies along the Kona-Kohala Coast. The new hotels have created easier public access to beautiful beaches and amenities that can be enjoyed by visitors and residents alike.

Driving north from Kona International Airport you come to the entry of Kona Village Resort, a hideaway of thatched-roof huts that, intentionally, have no televisions or phones. (The resort offers a complimentary guided tour of their boardwalked petroglyph field, shown above, once a week. For details and reservations, call (808) 325-5555.)

The Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort, with its calm lagoon at ‘Anaeho‘omalu Bay, lies just north of Kiholo Bay and is well worth a visit. Petroglyphs and fishponds, the remains of ancient aquaculture, are adjacent to the coast.

Waikoloa Beach Resort offers maximum amenities for visitors. At the Dolphin Quest research center in the Hilton Waikoloa Village, you can enter the water with a handler and interact with these friendly creatures. There are boats and a monorail for touring the lagoons and gardens. The Kings’ Shops and Queens’ Marketplace offer shopping at the resort.

Just north is Holokolokai, near ancient Hawaiian fishponds, managed by Mauna Lani Bay Hotel. A 1.7-mile round-trip hike takes you to Puako Petroglyph Park.

One of the most prominent historic sites on the island rises above Kawaihae. Pu‘ukohola Heiau National Historic Site is a giant stone temple built by King Kamehameha I for the war god Kukailimoku. This heiau must be viewed from a short distance as walking on the temple itself is kapu — forbidden. Further north is the small commercial town of Kawaihae.