Waikoloa Beach Resort Vacation Information

Kua Bay

Rob — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:51:43 +0000

Kua Bay is becoming one of the more popular beaches on the island. Just recently the road was paved allowing easy access from the highway. At Kua Bay you will find a large white sand beach with very few rocks around the swimming areas. If you go to the left or the right of the main swimming area there are some amazing areas for snorkeling. During the summer months there are typically smaller waves making it great for young children. In the winter months the waves are a bit larger, which makes for some great boogie boarding. There is limited parking so you will often find yourself parking along the side of the road. The facilities include restrooms along with picnic tables under trees overlooking the bay area.

Kua Bay

Snorkeling at Kua Bay

Picnic Area at Kua Bay

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Waikoloa Vacation Rentals Welcomes 4 Kolea Villas in July

Rob — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 02:58:25 +0000

Waikoloa Vacation Rentals added four new villas throughout Kolea to their vacation rental program giving them the largest selection of vacation rentals at Kolea of any management company. The new villas are spread out among Kolea and all offer unique characteristics helping to give them a great variety of villas at Kolea.

Kolea 4F and Kolea 4D are both three bedroom villas and new to the rental program and still have a very new feel to them. The location of these two villas within Kolea is a very private setting and overlooks one of the few vacant lots remaining at Kolea. Kolea 4F is located on the third floor and offers a spectacular panoramic ocean view and offers a great setting for sunsets and whale watching in the winter. Kolea 4D is located on the ground floor and has a nice spacious lawn area in front of the villa. Due to there being a vacant lot in front of building 4, Kolea 4D still has a nice ocean view.

Kolea 7D just recently switched over from another management company and also is one of the few three bedroom ground floor villas at Kolea that still offers a nice ocean view. The Kolea Beach Club is just a minute away from the lanai of Kolea 7D giving it a very desirable location.

Kolea 9J is a two bedroom villa that was just recently purchased. 9J offers a nice corridor ocean view and offers closer proximity to the Kolea Beach Club and ocean than most two bedroom villas at Kolea.

First Half of 2010 Looks Good For Hawaii Vacation Rentals

Rob — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 02:38:55 +0000

The vacation rental statistics have been released for the first half of 2010. While many people felt that tourism was doing better throughout the US in 2010 versus 2009, the statistics show the two years to be just about even. Hawaii was one of the few states that shows a large increase in occupancy in 2010 versus 2009. Hawaii enjoyed an increase of 24% in the number of nights reserved in the first half of 2010 versus 2009. There are a couple speculated reasons for this.

The first speculation is that many annual Florida vacationers chose to go to Hawaii due to the recent oil spill. Florida had a decrease in 3% in the number of nights reserved. A neighboring state, Alabama had a 15% decrease, which was one one of the largest.

The second speculation is that there were several large scale conferences held throughout the islands in the first quarter, which brought in a large number of people. Due to the economy in 2009, there were several large companies that canceled conferences in Hawaii that typically have conferences every year. A lot of hotels offered unprecedented deals on wedding packages bringing in groups to the resort areas.

The first quarter of 2010 started off strong and has steadily decreased throughout the US. This decrease will more than likely carry into the second half of 2010. From what is currently reserved Hawaii looks as though it will have a strong half of 2010 as opposed to 2009.

Mahaiula Bay

Rob — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:31:26 +0000

Mahaiula Bay offers a great supplement to visitors of Kekaha Kai State Park. To get to Mahaiula Bay you park at Kekaha Kai State Park and walk about 10 minutes north to this beautiful white sand beach. The beach spans about ¼ mile long and although there are some rocks in the water, they are not too intrusive. This beach offers great swimming and snorkeling. After you are done swimming you can go hike behind the beach where there is an old vacant house and lots of wildlife. There are two porta potties here for your use. The other restrooms are at Kekaha Kai State Park.

Mahaiula Bay

Family of Goats at Mahaiula Bay

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Mahaiula Bay is just a short hike north of the Kekaha Kai State Park public parking.

Kekaha Kai State Park

Rob — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:31:16 +0000

Kekaha Kai State Park offers a nice setting for people that like to enjoy the outdoors. The main entrance to the state park is about 2 miles off of Highway 19 along an unpaved road. Once you arrive at the state park there is limited parking so you may have to park in some of the areas along the road further from the water. There are restrooms for your use at the parking lot. Once you head to the beach you will find beautiful white sand and the beautiful blue water Hawaii is known for. The water here is filled with rocks so it is not the greatest area to swim. Mahaiula Bay and Makalawena Beach are also part of Kekaha Kai State Park and offering better areas for swimming. Along the beach you will find picnic tables along with grills nestled under trees. We also ran into a large family of goats, which seemed to be regulars at this beach. If you want to see this area, but want a better beach experience you can hike north to the beach at Mahaiula Bay and if you go even further north you will find a beautiful beach called Makalawena Beach.

Picnic Tables at Kekaha Kai State Park

BBQ Pit and Wildlife at Kekaha Kai State Park

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Mau’u Mae Beach

Rob — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 04:19:02 +0000

Mau’u Mae Beach, pronounced Mow my, is one of my favorite beaches on the island. You can get to the beach two ways. The first is to park at Spencer Beach State Park and hike north about ¼ mile up the coastline along a trail until you reach the beach. The second is to go through Mauna Kea Resort and park at the beach parking. They limit the number of permits they give out to park there so you can not always use this option. Their permit will have directions to the parking area. They give out permits typically from sunrise to sunset. Once you reach the beach you will find beautiful white sand and that extends far out into the water. This is least rocky beach I am aware of on the Big Island of Hawaii. The surf is typically minimal so it is great for children and boogie boarding. There are rocky areas along both sides of the beach that make for great snorkeling. There is minimal shade so you will want to take a beach umbrella.

Mauu Mae Beach

Path to Mauu Mae from Spencer Beach

Path to Mauu Mae from Publick Parking at Mauna Kea Beach

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Directions to Spencer Beach State Park. Mauu Mae is a hike south along the costline from Spencer Beach State Park.

Makalawena Beach

Rob — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:30:43 +0000

This long white sand beach offers amazing views out over the Pacific and is large enough that you feel as though you have the entire beach to yourself. To get to Makalawena Beach you have to park at Kekaha Kai State Park and hike about 30 minutes north partially along a lava rock path and partially along sand. Due to this, once you get to the beach there are few people there. The water is great for snorkeling and swimming. There are a few rocks, which are not sharp, scattered around throughout the water. There is surf there throughout the year, but it typically is not very rough. The surf typically is just large enough to bodyboard. Just remember that it is a pretty long hike out so make sure to just take what is necessary. If you walk north to the end of the beach you will see Opaeula Pond on the right. There are typically several different types of fish and sea life in there. Also to the left of this area is a great place in the ocean for young children if they made it this far. There is a wave break of large lava rocks about 20 feet out into the ocean so it makes for a very calm , shallow area for children to enjoy. Also the nearest restroom is at Kekaha Kai State Park. This beach ends the nice beaches in the Kekaka Kai State Park. There are some other areas just further north, which you can camp at, but the beaches are not that great.

Note: You can get to Makalawena Beach by vehicle from the north, but I do not recommend it. You would have to have a 4WD vehicle and it still is pretty tough from there.

Makalawena Beach

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Marker B is the parking for Kekaha Kai State Park. To get to Makalawena Beach you will need to walk north. Makalawena Beach is the beach located on Puu Alii Bay.

June Happenings at The Shops at Mauna Lani

Rob — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 17:48:44 +0000

First Fridays at the Shops begins June 4 and features music by local artists at center stage. This month the artist is Poncho Man.

They will not be offering the popular hula show at center stage throughout the summer. We will advise when it is available again.

One June 8 Juice 101 will have their grand opening and from 4-5:30 pm they will be offering free smoothies and other giveaways. They will be serving both breakfast and lunch.

On June 26 Jam World will be having their grand opening and a portion of all sales that day will go to the Dream Come True Foundation. There will also be giveaways and live entertainment.

4th of July 2010 at Waikoloa Beach Resort

Rob — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:44:52 +0000

The Waikoloa Beach Resort is known to offer a full day of activities for the 4th of July and 2010 will be no different.

The Kings Shops will be host to the 19^th Annual Waikoloa Rubber Duckie Race and 4^th of July Extravaganza is an all day fundraiser for the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii held at the Kings’ Lake. The Kings’ Shops proudly sponsor this annual event where rubber ducks are adopted for a $5.00 donation and are set to race to the finish line where prizes will be awarded. The Kings’ Shops will also be host to activities and entertainment throughout the day. The race typically takes place mid-afternoon.

The Queens Shops will offer an array of activities, music, and other entertainment throughout the day from 10 am to 9:30 pm. You may find areas for lei making, face painting, and much more. A detailed list of activities will be available when it is released.

Next to the Queens Shops is Waikoloa Bowl, which will be host to the evening activities. From 6 to 8 pm Jimmy Mac and the Kool Kats will be playing. They are a popular band known for performing at large events and playing popular music from the 50s to present to keep everyone entertained. At 8 pm will be a beautiful firework display over Waikoloa Bowl.

Queens Shops Calendar of Events - June 2010

Rob — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 03:54:25 +0000