Archive for the ‘Waikoloa Beach Resort Information’ Category

The Christmas season is the one of the busiest times of the year on the Big Island. Many of the most popular restaurants, activities and area stores are either sold out weeks in advance or are not available at all on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Rental Cars- It appears that most of the rental cars are sold out. Some companies may have extra vehicles that do not show available online so if you are having trouble finding a vehicle, please contact us at concierge@waikoloavacationrentals.com.

Hilton Waikoloa Village Day Use Room- Many guests reserve a day use room during their stay. During the holidays these are very limited so if you would like to take advantage of one of these rooms, the activity needs to be planned a week in advance. The day use room costs $160 for a family of four. If the hotel is full, pool utilization will not be available. Contact us at concierge@waikoloavacationrentals.com so we may help arrange the activity. Currently, the resort will only offer the day use rooms seven days or less from the intended date of use.

Whale Watches/Sunset Sails/Luaus/Helicopter Tours- These are the four most popular activities during the holidays and typically are sold out weeks in advance. Please contact us at concierge@waikoloavacationrentals.com if you have any questions regarding these activities.

Mauna Kea Christmas Day Brunch- Mauna Kea hotel typically has the best Christmas Day brunch from 10am to 1:30 pm. It is about a 10 minute drive north from Waikoloa Beach Resort on Queen K Hwy. This event is typically sold out weeks prior to Christmas Day. Their direct phone number is (808) 882-7222 for reservations.  Guests of Waikoloa Vacation Rentals may contact (808) 333-1910 or email concierge@waikoloavacationrentals.com

The Charity Trees at Mauna Lani Bay Hotel- Each year the Mauna Lani Bay hotel hosts a Christmas tree contest.  This year they are helping local non-profit organizations.   Each agency decorates a Christmas tree, which is placed in the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel lobby for the contest. You can walk through the lobby to view all of the trees while casting your vote for a minimal donation of a dollar per entry.  Cash prizes will be awarded to the non-profit agencies based on a first, second or third place finish. This is a great way to entertain the family and support the local community.

Restaurant Reservations- Most restaurants are sold out for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve weeks in advance. The Hilton Waikoloa Village, the Waikoloa Beach Marriott, the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows and the Mauna Kea Resort have some holiday dining options available. It is recommended that reservations are made as quickly as possible. Guests of Waikoloa Vacation Rentals are welcome to contact us at (808) 333-1910 or email concierge@waikoloavacationrentals.com for reservation assistance.

Recommend Churches- There are several churches on the Kohala Coast offering Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services.
Annunciation Catholic Church in Waimea offers Christmas Eve masses at 5 pm and 10 pm. The 5 pm mass is family friendly. The Christmas Day mass is at 8 am. It is a beautiful church with windows throughout which allows visitors to see the mountainous terrain in Waimea. Please click here to view a map of how to get to Annunciation Catholic Church.
New Hope Waimea is a nondenominational church in Waimea and offers a Christmas Eve service at 6:30 pm as well as a Christmas Day service at 10 am. The Christmas Eve service is typically a child friendly service. Click here to view a map of how to get to New Hope Waimea.
Ascension Catholic Church is one of the closest churches to the Waikoloa Beach Resort. It offers a Christmas Day mass at 10 am and is about a 10 minute drive from the Waikoloa Beach Resort. Click here to get directions.
These times are tentative and may be updated as the holidays get closer.
Church services will be available Saturday, December 24th at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Beginning at 7:30 pm.

Grocery Shopping- The Island Gourmet Market at the Queens’ Marketplace will be open from 7 am – 11 pm both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. If you would like to have your grocery shopping done for you please contact us with a list of desired items. The charge is 30% of the cost of the groceries and will be charged to your credit card on file.

Golf Tee Times- All of the desirable tee times are usually booked well in advance leaving open only afternoon tee times. Currently the Waikoloa Golf Courses offer the best rate if you reserve your tee time through them directly. They can be reached at (877) WAIKOLOA for Waikoloa Beach Courses and (808) 885-6622 for Mauna Lani Courses. If you want to play outside of the resort in which you are staying, please contact us at concierge@waikoloavacationrentals.com and we can help arrange your tee times in advance.
Late Check Outs- We are unable to offer late check outs or early check ins during this very busy season. If you have a late flight on your departure date we can help arrange you a day room at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott or Hilton Waikoloa Village if available. Please let us know if you would like for us to make this reservation for you.

Miscellaneous Holiday Activities- The Hilton Waikoloa Village has activities available for families during the month of December. Please contact the Hilton Waikoloa Village at (808) 886-1234 for further details.
Photos with Santa are available at the Queens’ Marketplace beginning Saturday, December 17th. Personal cameras are necessary to take part in the event.

Guests of Waikoloa Vacation Rentals can call (808) 333-1910 or email concierge@waikoloavacationrentals.com for additional information regarding resort activities or photos with Santa Claus.

We hope you find this information helpful and please contact us for help scheduling any of your activities while you are on the Big Island of Hawaii and staying with Waikoloa Vacation Rentals.

Recently Waikoloa Vacation Rentals had the honor of hosting a family reunion at Kolea at Waikoloa Beach Resort. They occupied a large number of villas and used Waikoloa Vacation Rentals private concierge service to the fullest.

Prior to the arrival, the concierge staff worked with professional photographers, area entertainment and local restaurants to ensure they had everything they needed before, during and after their stay. These events include a private banquet reception, family photographs and a luau all organized by Waikoloa Vacation Rentals.

On a daily basis, Waikoloa Vacation Rentals was available to offer suggestions, inform, and assist the family, as they spent much needed time together ensuring four generations were able to create life long memories. Offering their services, they worked with the entire group along with smaller portions of the family to help create those memories.

The week culminated when the entire group enjoyed a luau at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott. In appreciation for their business Waikoloa Vacation Rentals gave each member a handmade lei for their family picture prior to the luau.

Waikoloa Vacation Rentals has worked with this family on a number of occasions and always appreciates their business and enjoys seeing the growth of their family.

Waikoloa Vacation Rentals would like to be a part of any family looking to have the same experiences. Please contact them if you are looking to enjoy enjoy the same experience.

Quote From the Guests
“This was our second time to Kolea and one of many times to Waikoloa Beach Resort. When we were here years back and staying at the Hilton we were introduced to Rob with Waikoloa Vacation Rentals and he introduced us to Kolea. We brought the family a few years later and decided it was the perfect place for us. On our most recent stay not only were we extremely pleased with the villas, but also with the service. They helped us plan family functions as well as went the extra step and offered up leis prior to our family picture. When we called to ask if we could rent some snorkel gear they brought over an entire tub of nice gear for us to use during our stay. I would highly recommend Waikoloa Vacation Rentals and Kolea is the best spot we have found.”

Kolea is one of the most dynamic locations in all of the Hawaiian Islands. The beachfront property has an array of options including luxury beachfront homes all the way to reasonably priced two bedroom garden view villas. Another unique aspect of Kolea is how the rental of these properties are handled. Kolea is one of the only luxury properties in Hawaii where there are almost as many VRBOs (Vacation Rentals by Owner) as there are vacation rentals offered by management companies. Here are some of the many things to consider when deciding whom to rent from.

First, many owners do not have a licensed property manager available to help you in the event something goes wrong. For example, being locked out when you arrive or a plumbing issue occurring.

Second, given that most owners only own one property, in the event something happens and you are unable to stay in their villa you are left without a place to stay. There are many reasons this could happen (double booking, foreclosure, maintenance issue, etc). Since property managers have numerous properties, they can typically move you to a comparable or better one without too many issues.

Third, the property management companies are on island so they are constantly checking the villas to ensure the cleanliness of the villa and that all the amenities are there. Many owners just have a housekeeper, whom does not have anyone checking their work to ensure that it has been done properly.

Last, licensed property managers have standards and codes to follow in order to help assure that vacationers are getting a good experience. In the event that a vacationer does have a bad experience, they are typically responsive in trying to remedy the issue to save their brand. Since owners do not have a brand, many are not eager to go to any extreme to ensure that the problem is remedied. Not to mention that it is very hard to remedy an issue from the mainland where many owners live.

Sometimes getting Kolea vacation rentals from owners can lead to savings and a positive experience at Kolea, but there are risks involved. If you do rent direct from an owner we would recommend doing further research on the specific villa prior to settling on one.

Click here to view the largest selection of professionally managed villas at Kolea.

The Hilton Waikoloa Village encompasses 62 acres of pristine oceanfront property on the Golden Coast of Kohala. Since 2005, over $100 million has been invested in capital improvements. From the reupholstering of the canal boats and engine replacements, to the system upgrade. You are sure to enjoy a fun day riding on both modes of transportation as you visit each of the four swimming pools.

The beautiful Hilton Waikoloa Village now offers a day use room with pool passes for all Big Island visitors based on hotel availability. It allows up to four persons including children to utilize a guest room, the pools, and slides from the hours of 10am to 6pm for $160. Registering earlier than 10am is possible, however access to both the pools and slide begin at 10am.

Reservations for this activity can be made 7 days or less in advance. Registration begins at the front desk of the hotel and ends at the pool desk. Resort staff will direct you beyond the front lobby.
Parking validation is not included in the price of the room however if any of their restaurants are utilized during the day (minimum of $50), parking will be validated. Otherwise self-parking is $15.

Towels are included; just bring your sunscreen, personal items, and loved ones to enjoy the day in the sun.

Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort specific questions can be directed to (808) 886-1234. Guests of Waikoloa Vacation Rentals may contact (808) 987-4519 or email concierge@waikoloavacationrentals.com for assistance.

To view luxury vacation rentals near the Hilton Waikoloa Village visit www.waikoloavacationrentals.com.

Over the past five years, there has been fluctuation within the leisure travel industry. One thing has become evident; the vacation rental industry popularity is on the rise.

As seen below, 2010 marked a change for the industry as more people are looking to vacation. In early 2010 a national level campaign was started promoting vacation rentals helping the vacation rental industry to see a larger increase in guests than the hotel industry. Though the statistics for 2011 for vacation rentals are not yet published nationally, some trends were sited recently in a survey completed by TripAdvisor, an authoritative company within the travel industry. Of 1,400 travelers who took part in this survey, 40% of the respondents said they would be staying in a vacation rental during 2011. Much of this was attributed to more space, full kitchens and a better overall value than a hotel.

As it stands right now, both the continental United States and the Hawaiian Islands are seeing positive results with the number of arrivals still gaining momentum over the past few years. Though tourism is still below that of 2005, the outlook does look promising.

According to data obtained from the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Hawaii travel industry and the vacation rental market are on faster tracks for recovery than that of the United States travel and vacation rental industries. Below it can be seen that arrivals have been on the rise since 2009 within the state of Hawaii; however, the hotel industry is not experiencing the same growth as the vacation rental industry.

As Waikoloa Vacation Rentals moves further into the 2nd half of 2011, August offered very promising statistics and reservations are continually coming in for the fall. The outlook for both the vacation rental market and Waikoloa Vacation Rentals looks positive. Superior guest service, cutting edge marketing and an overall emphasis on guest experience will continue to push Waikoloa Vacation rentals forward further into 2011 and beyond.

Anyone who has either lived or owns a property on the Hawaiian Islands knows full well that the cost of electricity is extremely high. As technology improves, more avenues for cost savings exist than ever before. Some of these options include:

· Air Conditioning Shutoff Systems
· Energy Star Hot Water Heaters
· Energy Star Appliances
· Lights with Motion Sensors
· New Aerator Shower Heads and Faucets
· Installation of HCFL Light Bulbs
· High Efficiency Ceiling Fans
· Thermostats with Minimum Settings
· Higher Efficiency Air Conditioning Systems
· Energy Star Electronics Such as Stereos, Televisions, and DVD Players

Any of these money saving opportunities listed above on their own will reduce the cost of electricity immediately, and used in combination with each other, will pay for their initial costs in a very short amount of time. Taking such steps to be ‘Green’ will be good for everyone including the environment.

On March 11, 2011 a 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Japan created a tsunami that made its way to the Big Island of Hawaii. This incident damaged parts of the Big Island including A’naehoomalu Bay, A’Bay. This is a stretch of beach directly fronting the Kolea Resort and the Waikoloa Beach Marriott. The damaged area is directly in front of the Marriott. The missing section separated the ocean from the Ku’ualii Fish Ponds, a place of great historical significance to the Hawaiian people.

The concern is that the water is pushing sand into the fish pond, which could cause a loss in sand volume and collapse permanently, making future restoration impossible. This would make a temporary coastline change into something long term.

Sea Engineering, Inc received the proper permits and a temporary solution was created. On July 28th, bulldozers were brought in to repair the area with sand-filled geo-textile tubes. These devices will not allow the force of the tides and ocean currents to continue to dismantle the beach area. The project creating this temporary barrier was completed as of August 3rd, 2011.

The crews worked quickly to ensure residents and visitors were impacted as little as possible knowing this was an extremely important project, not only securing the beach area but the historical fish ponds behind it.

The final stage of the permanent repairs are currently being discussed and will completed at some point in the future. As part of the permanent repairs, the addition of Makahas, or gates is being explored. This will give the fish ponds greater circulation to ensure the longevity of this historical landmark.

To view more photos visit our facebook page.

In December, a very exciting event will be taking place at Mauna Lani Resort. The 8th annual Kona Surf-Film Festival will be held on Friday, December 2nd and Saturday, December 3rd. It is a benefit for the Big Island surf community raising funds for Kulana Huli Honua, the Betty Kanuha Foundation, Protect Kohanaiki Ohana, and the Surfrider Foundation.
Since 2003 Chad Campbell, a local Kona surfer and filmmaker, has brought the Kona Film Festival to the Big Island of Hawaii. This event showcases surf films from around the globe. It was founded for the purpose of bringing Hawaii’s surfing O’Hana (Hawaiian for family) together for their love of the sport. Independent film makers share their passion for a chosen lifestyle. They offer the breathtaking visuals, sights and sounds that they have dedicated their lives to.
This year’s selections have not yet been chosen so check back later in the year. The deadline for film entries is September 31st, 2011. The choices and winners will be made available sometime shortly after that date for December’s event.
For up to date information call (808) 936-0089.
This event has grown in popularity over the years and now helps support ‘Sea-Thos’, a cause aimed at reversing ocean damage.  With supporters such as Julia Roberts and Jeff Bridges, the foundation is surely going to help this extremely important issue.  Please take the opportunity to be a part of this unique occasion only available on the Big Island of Hawaii at Mauna Lani Resort.

The Mauna Lani Terrace offers luxury beachfront villas within walking distance of the festival.

There is never a dull moment on the resort with the planned activities and exhibits hosted by the Kings Shops. Other than Mondays, there is something planned daily to entertain couples, families or anyone looking for something out of the ordinary.

Every Tuesday night, the shops offer local music to both residents and visitors. For the month of July; you can hear John Keawe, Music with an Island Touch from 6-7pm.

Every Wednesday, you can visit the Kings’ Shops Farmers Market from 8:30am-2pm. See local Organic produce, talk to the local vendors and bring the family to see something special.  On Wednesday nights from 6-7pm, come hear some traditional Hawaiian sounds from either Hawaiians Unlimited or Kunia Galdeira.

There are also some great family activities such as Daily Koi Feeding at 9:30am across from the Louis Vuitton store and Hula Fridays from 6-7pm.

A family favorite is Hula and Polynesian Dance Fridays from 6-7pm at the shops. Come treat yourself to rare displays of culture and movement under the Hawaiian sky.

If you are looking for an accommodation try one of our Waikoloa Beach Resort vacation rentals.

Kolea at Waikoloa Beach Resort has many different floor plans for everyone depending on their needs. The villas range in size from two bedrooms, two bathrooms to three bedrooms, three and a half baths with much larger floor plans. All villas have full Kolea Beach Club access as well as the same level of on site personal, service and quality.

3 bedroom/3.5 bathroom Kolea Villa

This particular gem is the largest and most opulent floor plan that Kolea and Waikoloa Vacation Rentals have to offer at Waikoloa Beach Resort. It has 2,147 square feet of living space. The enormous lanai, with an ocean view allows for great family BBQs. This would be perfect for those looking for the ultimate luxury vacation rental.

3 bedroom/3 Bathroom Ground Floor Kolea Villa

These villas are 1,716 square feet, offering plenty of personal space and a lawn area directly off the lanai. This location is perfect for parties with small children. This will give everyone more space to run off their Big Island excitement with safety in mind.  Several “front row” villas off easy access to the Kolea Beach Club from the lanais.

3 Bedroom/2 Bathroom Kolea Villa

These particular villas offer space, functionality and cost consideration for those looking for Kolea luxury on more of a budget. These 1,554 square feet villas are perfect for the family looking to stay together and play together.

2 Bedroom/2 Bathroom Kolea Villa

These villas offer more of a cost consideration with a bit less space. Either a small group or family can enjoy the 1,270 square feet and amenities offered on the resort. The quality is not diminished in anyway, only the size and price.