The Big Island of Hawaii is one of the most diverse places on the earth. Given this, there are a variety of unique beaches on the island that offer something for everyone. From green sand beaches to fun filled state parks, the Big Island has it all.
Green Sand Beach at South Point

The Green Sand Beach is located at the very south end of the Big Island. It is in a very remote location but worth the effort to see. To reach the beach, go down the South Point Road. Follow the road to the left and go to the boat ramp. If the soil is dry and you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle, you can drive farther. However, we recommend you park near the ramp and walk the mile to the beach. You will have to descend the remains of a collapsed cinder cone to the beach. This is steep and somewhat precarious. The beach is the result of the front half of a cinder cone collapsing into the ocean, leaving a sandy beach. There are no public facilities in this area.
Click
here to view directions from Waikoloa Beach Resort to the Green Sand Beach.
A’Bay at Waikoloa Beach Resort
A’Bay is the only sandy beach in the Waikoloa Beach Resort, which is one of the top vacation destinations for families. This crescent moon shaped beach spans over a mile in length and sits just in front of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott and Kolea at Waikoloa Beach Resort giving these guests easy access. The Queens Shops are also a short walk away if you decide to take a break for lunch. Given that this beach sits on a bay, it is great for children and there is very little surf. Ocean Sports has a shack on the beach making beach toys, snorkel gear, and water sport equipment readily available. A’Bay is a five star beach for families with small children.
Black Sand Beach at Pololu Valley
Pololu Valley is one of the most beautiful places on the Big Island of Hawaii. Located at the bottom of the valley is a beautiful black sand beach, which offers a setting for amazing photographs and tranquility. Pololu Valley is a hikers dream. It is about a 30 minute hike down into the valley, which great aerial photographs available along the way. Once you reach the bottom of the trail you will find a beautiful beach along with a lot more landscape to hike. The water at Pololu Vally is typically very rough so you will want to be very cautious if you enter. The Black Sand Beach at Pololu Valley is an excellent beach for photographs and for the adventurous person.
View Directions to Pololu Valley From Waikoloa Beach Resort
Hapuna Beach State Park
Hapuna Beach is the most well known beach on the Big Island of Hawaii. Hapuna Beach features is one of the largest white sand beaches on the Big Island of Hawaii. The waters are also very friendly for families, with the exception of the winter months where you can find very rough surf. There are picnic tables, bar b que pits, as well as showers for use while spending the day there. Hapuna Beach State Park is a great beach for anyone.
View Directions to Hapuna Beach State Part From Waikoloa Beach Resort
Mauna Lani Bay
The beach at Mauna Lani Bay is a snorkelers dream. Mauna Lani Bay offers calm waters with a white sand beach just in front of the Mauna Lani Bay hotel. The Mauna Lani Bay hotel has a program where they raise sea turtles and then release them when they are ready. This happens on July 4, Turtle Independence Day. Due to this many sea turtles call the Mauna Lani Bay “home”. While spending a day at Mauna Lani Bay you are sure to see turtles swimming in the waters as well as resting on the beach. Mauna Lani Bay is great for families and snorkelers.
View Directions to Mauna Lani Bay From Waikoloa Beach Resort
Tags: a'bay, beaches, hawaii
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February 16th, 2010
As the economy continues to struggle people are finding it more necessary to take a vacation and get away from the “stresses of life”. Many people that once desired all the amenities and services of hotels have moved to staying in vacation rentals in order to save some money. Just recently there were two great examples of the move towards staying in vacation rentals on the television.
HomeAway, one of the leading vacation rental marketers, launched the first vacation rental advertisement during the Super Bowl. They brought back Chevy Chase and portrayed the hotel experience as a really bad one. Not only was it great for HomeAway, but it also increased awareness of vacation rentals as an option for vacations.
The Bachelor is a television show that has been aired for years. I think they have had close to a dozen seasons. As the show comes to an end the setting is typically in a beautiful location and they stay in one of the finest hotels there. This year it was set in St. Lucia in the Bahamas where many people are familiar with the hotel chains such as Sandals Resorts that operate there. Instead of staying in these notable resorts, they stayed in two and three bedroom luxury vacation rentals with private pools and jacuzzis. It was not something that they really publicized, but it just once again built peoples awareness of vacation rentals.
Tags: television shows, vacation rentals
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January 24th, 2010
Kolea and Halii Kai are the top two vacation rental complexes at the Waikoloa Beach Resort. Both of them are very different and offer a unique experience. Many vacationers who have been to the Waikoloa Beach Resort know which complex is best for them and many people who have not been to the Waikoloa Beach Resort have a hard time deciding which property is best for them. Below is some helpful information about the two complexes.
Location
Kolea is located on A’Bay, the only sandy beach at the Waikoloa Beach Resort. The two hotels and the Waikoloa Kings and Queens Shops are also within ¼ mile of Kolea. Halii Kai is located on the signature hole of the Waikoloa Beach golf course in a more private setting and is roughly a mile from the beach at A’Bay and 1/2 mile from the Waikoloa Kings and Queens Shops..
Views
Both complexes have a wide range of views. The front row condos at Kolea offer ocean, beach, and mountain views. The condos nestled in behind them offer mostly mountain and garden views with a few condos offering ocean views. The condos on the oceanfront at Halii Kai offer spectacular solid ocean views. Other buildings towards the front of Halii Kai offer a view of the signature hole of the Waikoloa Beach Course and the ocean. As you travel away from the front of the property most of the condos have fairway and garden views.
Interiors
The standard finished within Kolea condos are better than what you will find in a Halii Kai condo. The furnishings within each condo are supplied by the owners so that is not better in one place versus the other. The average condo at Kolea is much larger than the average Halii Kai condo. A Kolea condo ranges in size from 1200 to 2200 square feet and a Halii Kai condo ranges in size from 1000 to 1400 square feet.
Pools
Although both Kolea and Halii Kai have nice pool areas, the Halii Kai Ocean Club is a step above the Kolea Beach Club. The Halii Kai Ocean Club is situated on an oceanfront bluff and features a multi layered resort style pool. You will also find a restaurant, which has a very nice menu, and an open air fitness hale overlooking the ocean. The Kolea Beach Club has access to the beach at A’Bay. In addition to an infinity pool and lava rock Jacuzzi, the Kolea Beach Club has a sand bottom kids pool with a waterfall which is great for toddlers, an open air fitness hale, and a shaded lounging area there.
Tags: halii kai, Kolea, waikoloa beach resort
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January 9th, 2010
The Kohala Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii has become known as one of the premier vacation destinations in the world. On this coast you will find the Waikoloa Beach Resort, which has expanded and offers two hotels, over 1000 vacation rentals, shopping, and activities for everyone. It has recently been rated “The Top Vacation Destination in Hawaii for Families”.
The cornerstone of the Waikoloa Beach Resort is the Hilton Waikoloa. This expansive hotel spans over 62 acres and consists of four towers and two large resort style pools. Within the hotel you will find seven dining choices. KPC is the nicest restaurant and is located on a bluff giving an amazing ambiance. The Kona Pool is the most popular pool and consists of multiple jacuzzis, a grotto, and a waterslide. The Kohala Pool is comprised of two pools connected by a “lazy river”. You will also find a few smaller slides at this pool. Since the Hilton Waikoloa is not located on the beach, they designed a lagoon area fed by the ocean. Enjoy water activities and snorkeling here.
The Marriott at Waikoloa Beach Resort is the other hotel and is located on the beach, A’Bay. You will also find shopping just a short walk from the Marriott. The Marriott was just recently renovated and features a large infinity pool and with a small slide.
If you choose to stay in a vacation rental, the Waikoloa Beach Resort has the best selection on the Big Island. From vacation rentals as low as $100/night to luxurious beachfront rentals as high as $600/night, there is a vacation rental for everyone. Kolea is the most luxurious destination with some of its beachfront vacation rentals spanning over 2000 square feet and just minutes from the beach. Halii Kai offers the best views and has the nicest pool area of any vacation rental complex on the coast.
Within the Waikoloa Beach Resort is the Kings Shops and Queens Shops. You will find dining as well as an array of boutique stores here. The Queens Shops has a Marketplace where you can do all your grocery shopping as well as get great local food.
There is a shack at the beach, A’Bay, which has beach toy rentals as well as snorkel gear. The Hilton Waikoloa is home to DolphinQuest, which is another popular activity for children. Here dolphins are raised and it gives you an opportunity to get to know them better as well as have close encounters. If you are a golfer, the Waikoloa Kings and Beach courses offer a challenging game amongst a beautiful setting.
Please contact Waikoloa Vacation Rentals at WaikoloaVRM@aol.com or (808) 987-4519 if you have any questions about the Waikoloa Beach Resort.
Tags: halii kai, Kolea, waikoloa beach resort, waikoloa vacation rentals
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December 20th, 2009
In 2010, ATV Outfitters will be adding mountain bike tours to their list of tours on the north tip of the island. Enjoy top of the line Santa Cruz mountain bikes as you ride along downhill trails with breathtaking coastal scenery.
Contact us at (808) 987-4519 for more information.
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December 1st, 2009
We added some new features to our site for Kolea at Waikoloa Beach Resort.
We added an interactive map to the home page that allows you to select Kolea rentals based on their location. This map is fully updated to show the completion of the private homes on the lots in front of the vacation rentals. Currently there is no construction going on at Kolea on the private lots in front of the vacation rentals at Kolea.
You can come back to this map for any updates regarding construction or updates to rentals in our program.
Tags: Kolea, waikoloa beach resort
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November 27th, 2009
When friends or family come to visit me on the Big Island of Hawaii I always take the time to be a tourist with them and enjoy all the things the Big Island has to offer.
Just recently one of my friends came and was eager to do everything and especially see the volcano. We left Waikoloa Beach Resort at about 10 am and went along the north part of the island. We stopped at Akaka Falls to enjoy the waterfalls there. We got to Volcano National Part at about 2 pm and hiked around for a while. I had been there before so it was not anything special to me. Around 4 pm we left Volcano National Park and headed to the area where you can walk in and see the lava flowing into the ocean. We took about a hour hike in across lava rocks and reached an area where it was roped off and a lot of people were watching the lava flow into the ocean from the distance. We decided we would take our chances and hike in down by the ocean. Once we hiked about 15 minutes further and got down by the water I was pleasently surprised to see a beautiful black sand beach down there. We were probably about 25 feet from the lava and the ocean water was a warm. As we decided to come out we found dozens of people coming to see the beautiful site.
Since then they have predicted that some of the land around their may break off soon so I would not recommend getting too far in or reasearch it first. I would also recommend taking water, pants, hiking boots, and a flash light.
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November 27th, 2009
The Seafood Bar offers a great place to sit back, relax and enjoy a fantastic mai tai. The Seafood Bar has an indoor area with seats around the bar and a wrap around lanai to sit out on an enjoy a beautiful evening in Hawaii. Their pupu (appetizer) menu is limited, but the food that is on there is great. The Harbor Grill is conveniently located next door to give you a place to eat dinner if you would like.
You can often find live entertainment at night. You can contact them at (808) 882-1368 to find out the schedule.
Tags: hawaii, kawaihae, restaurants, seafood bar
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