Vacation Rentals Hawaii: There are thousands of vacation rentals in Hawaii. But how do you choose the best one without reviewing all of the listings?
The good news is that you don’t have to spend hours reviewing all of the vacation rental listings. We do this for you and more. We live in Hawaii and we know all about the best and the worst places to stay. We know all about the good and the bad neighborhoods and we even know about the local weather patterns.
Did you know that the rainiest city in the United States isn’t Seattle?
It’s actually in Hawaii. Perhaps you would like to know the name of this city before booking a vacation rental there. So you at least know what you are getting yourself into.
These are things that other mainland websites don’t even consider, because they don’t know about them. Who is better to tell you about the best places to stay than someone who has lived here for decades and whose family has lived here for more than a century?
To start, I am going to tell you about some of my favorite areas in Hawaii, the island also known as the Big Island, not the entire State of Hawaii. Once you know the best areas of the Island of Hawaii deciding where to stay becomes a lot easier.
The Five Districts of Hawaii
In the old days, Hawaii was divided into five districts: Hamakua, Hilo, Kau, Kohala, Kona and Puna, and this is still a good way to breakdown the island in terms of where to stay during your visit.
Incidentally, five is an interesting for the island. Hawaii is composed of five volcanic mountains: Kilauea, Kohala, Hualalai, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. But these don’t correspond to the districts.
Anyway, back to the districts. If you are visiting the island, the very best place to stay is Kona. But because it is the best place to stay it is also the most expensive. So I will also discuss other great places to stay if you are on a budget.
A Few of the Best Vacation Rentals on the Island
Puako: Luxury Beach Front Villa
This is a stunning 4,500 square foot, beach front villa on a white sand beach. Expect to pay $2,200 to $4,500 per night to for this exceptional vacation rental. It isn’t cheap, but it is well worth considering if you want the ultimate in luxurious accomodations.
Kapoho: Ocean View Home
If budget accomodations are what you are looking for, this Kapoho vacation rental is just what the doctor ordered. It runs only $275 to $320 per night, so it is easy on the pocket book. But if you would like to stay in a more secluded, out of the way place with fewer visitors to contend with Kapoho definitely beats Kona.
Kailua, Kona: Ocean Views and Amazing Sunsets
This is another home that won’t break the bank. It is located a little mauka (which means higher elevation) of Kailua. What the higher elevation gives you is cooler weather than the hot Kona winds you will experience at the lower elevations. But this vacation rental is right in the thick of things as it is a short 10 minute drive up the hill from downtown Kailua.
Vacation Rentals Kona
What makes Kona the best place to stay is the weather. If you are staying at sea level, nearly every day of the year is warm and sunny. So the weather is unbeatable.
But if you find that the weather is too hot and the prices are too high at sea level, you can easily find a vacation rental at a higher elevation. In the course of five miles, the elevation can increase to three thousand feet or more. At this elevation, the temperature is much more comfortable and a little more humid. You’ll have to put up with afternoon rains, but nothing that can’t be solved with a five minute drive, down the side of the Hualalai Mountain to one of Kona’s fine beaches.
Kona is home to many fine white sand beaches and vacation rentals because it is so popular with visitors. So you will find a lot of nice places to stay and a lot of things to do in Kona.
When visiting Kona, you’d do best to avoid the month of October. That is when the Ironman Triathlon world championships take place. Kona becomes very crowded during this time and rates on Kona vacation rentals skyrocket. So it becomes very expensive in Kona and that is assuming you can even find a place to rent.
Kona is also the center of Hawaii’s coffee industry. In fact, many people believe that some of the finest coffee in the world is grown here in Kona. While in Kona, be sure to try the coffee and also visit one of the many coffee farms. Many of these farms have been operated by one family for several generations.
A Few Kona Vacation Rentals to Consider
Kona Ocean Hale
Simply put, this one does not come cheap, but it is a real stunner. It is an old style hale (Hawaiian for house) that is situated on three acres of ocean front land in Kona. If you want the true Hawaiian experience this is the place for you, but it will cost $2,500 per night. But when you consider that it sleeps 15 people it is not as expensive as you might think. Just imagine the time that you and and 14 of your closest friends will have as you experience old Hawaii together in this amazing beach front vacation rental.
Budget Beach Suite
At only $49 per night, I really think that you can’t beat the price for this cozy studio. It is a short walk to La’aloa beach park and it can sleep three people. It is located right in the heart of Kailua, Kona which is the place for nightlife on the Big Island of Hawaii. Sure, it isn’t a mansion, but you will really struggle to beat the price for such an excellent location.
Vacation Rentals Kohala
The southern part of the Kohala district is another great place to stay. Like Kona, the weather here is warm and sunny, year round. It is also home to a lot of great vacation rentals.
A lot of what I said about Kona applies to Kohala. In fact, since the land is more plentiful here than in Kona, some of the biggest and best on the island are located here. But you can also find many great vacation rentals here. In fact, many of them are located inside of the resort property.
What makes this great is that you can enjoy the privacy of your own vacation rental, while still enjoying all of the amenities that the resort has to offer too.
The northern part of Kohala is home to a small town called Hawi. Hawi is filled with many quaint shops and art galleries. If you want a vacation rental that is a little more laid back than one in Kona, Hawi might be the place for you. But keep in mind that Hawi is small and the selection of places is much more limited. Another thing to keep in mind is that Hawi can get very windy. In fact, it has a number of windmills that are used to generate some of our island’s electricity. So if you stay here, hold on to your hats.
A great sight to see in Hawi is the Pololu Valley, it is a huge, lush, green valley gorged out of the side of the Kohala Mountain and it extends all the way to the ocean. It is incredibly picturesque and makes for a majestic picture and is a great, but strenuous hike.
Vacation Rentals Kau
The Kau district is also on the dry side of the Big Island, so it is a good place to stay. But it has far fewer vacation rentals than Kona or Kohala.
The best part of staying in Kau is that it is very close to the Volcano National Park, where you can see lava, lava tubes, massive volcanic craters and steam vents. If you are into that type of thing, Kau is a great place to stay.
The main drawback with staying in Kau is a natural phenomenon called Vog. Vog is essentially smog that is emitted by the volcano. Due to the natural wind patterns Kau is frequently blanketed in vog and might not be the best place to stay if you have difficulty breathing.
Kau is also home to Ka Lae, which is more commonly known as South Point. South Point is the southern most spot in the entire United States. It is even further south than Key West. South Point is home to massive cliffs over looking the Pacific Ocean and is also home to a green sand beach. The sand is green because it is composed of a greenish mineral called Olivine which is produced by our volcanoes.
Vacation Rentals Hilo, Hamakua and Puna
The districts of Hamakua, Hilo and Puna are located on the rainy side of our island. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they are bad places to stay and in fact the high levels of rain produce some of the most verdant, green plant life you have ever seen. But just know what you are getting into.
The city of Hilo has the dubious distinction of being the rainiest city in the entire United States and is probably one of the rainiest cities in the world. Fortunately the bulk of the rainfall occurs at night. But if you are expecting unending tropical sunshine, Hilo may not be the best place for you to get a vacation rental in Hawaii.
If you don’t mind a little rain, Hamakua and Hilo have a number of great vacation rentals and there are a number of great sights to see here. Due to the high levels of rain there are a number of waterfalls and gardens in these districts.
The highest waterfall on our island is Akaka Falls. It is over four hundred feet high and is quite majestic. It is located in Hamakua. You can also see a lush tropical garden in Umauma which is also home to another scenic waterfall.