After years of managing condos on the Big Island of Hawaii we have decided to start one of the first blogs on the Big Island focused solely on Hawaii vacations. If you have an upcoming vacation you will want to check out our recommended activities and helpful information.
We also decided to take it a step further to allow anyone that has vacationed in Hawaii to comment. We included general topics for each complex as well as activities on the Island.
This area is dedicated to anyone posting about any areas that they feel may benefit future Hawaii vacationers as well as future vacationers using it to get questions answered they may have about their Hawaii Vacation.
Due to extensive damage from the Japanese tsunami, Kona Village decided to close for an extended period of time. This has left many of their customers looking for a place to stay elsewhere on the Big Island of Hawaii.
“We are very sad to close Kona Village Resort for an extended period of time, but the damage to the property from this natural disaster is severe enough to render it inoperable,” said Patrick Fitzgerald, CEO of Hualalai Resort/Kona Village Resort. “We are fortunate that our guests and employees were evacuated safely. Our hearts are heavy with this decision’s impact on employees and loyal guests who have visited us over the years. Our thoughts also are with the people of Japan during this difficult time.”
Kona Village has offered full refunds to all of their guests that were planning to stay in 2011. Due to the unique nature of Kona Village, many of their guests are repeat visitors every year. For the first time many of the guests have had to find a new place to stay. Many of them are looking to Kolea at Waikoloa Beach Resort and Mauna Lani Terrace, which are both beachfront vacation rental communities. Rob Dalton of Waikoloa Vacation Rentals stated, “Within the last week we received five reservations from guests that were scheduled to stay at Kona Village. All of them were bummed to not get to stay at Kona Village, but excited to try something new.”
It appears that a fair amount of guests that typically stay at Kona Village prefer vacation rentals to hotels. Given that most guests of Kona Village come to the Big Island annually, not only will the closure have a positive impact on vacation rentals short term, but also long term as the guests look to return to Hawaii for their annual vacation.
We wish for a speedy recovery for Kona Village and will keep you informed as the repairs begin.
2010 was one of the best years the Hawaii tourism industry has recorded in years.With the current economic state along with the increase in tourism many vacationers are choosing vacation rentals for their accommodations versus other alternatives, which fairs well for vacation rental homeowners in Hawaii.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority reported an increase in visitors in Hawaii in all four quarters in 2010 versus 2009.The percentage increase grew as the year progressed leading speculation that there will be continued growth in Hawaii in 2011.
Hawaii Tourism 2009 vs 2010
Looking into the vacation rental industry in Hawaii it appears the vacation rental industry enjoyed the growth of Hawaii tourism plus some more.Instant Software, the most used vacation rental reservation software nationally, reported a substantial increase in vacation rental reservations in 2010 versus 2009 in Hawaii.While Hawaii tourism grew close to 10% in 2010 the vacation rental occupancy grew 20% in 2010.This growth could be attributed to the economy, enhanced marketing efforts by vacation rental companies nationally, Gulf of Mexico issues, along with many other factors.Along with the increase occupancy there was an increase in average daily rate by 5%, which confirms that the increase was not due to “deep discounting” by vacation rental homeowners and agencies.
Looking forward, many speculate the growth will continue well into 2011.Group travel to the Big Island of Hawaii is significantly up in the first quarter, which historically has led to higher single or family traveler airline rates during that timeframe.This displacement in the first quarter will lead people to put off their travel until later dates in the year, which would give the Big Island nice growth in the following quarters in 2011.
The Kolea Beach Club offers Kolea guests and owners a private club on a beachfront setting at Kolea at Waikoloa. Check out our new video of the Kolea Beach Club.
One of the most popular tours on the Big Island of Hawaii has reopened. This fascinating tour takes you on a journey through the landscape Hawaii is known for. The native Hawaiian guides fill the tour with Hawaiian history and folklore.
The tour begins with an exciting off road excursion ina custom Pinzgauer which takes you to a launch site in the Kohala mountains. You will then enjoy a short hike in a jungle setting over a flume bridge with a view of a beautiful waterfall and an earth tunnel.
Shortly after that you will board a kayak on your way on a 2.5 mile journey through lush rainforest with views of water flumes, earth tunnels, and much more.
Kohala Ditch Adventures offers a tour that is sure to help make your stay on the Big Island of Hawaii one to remember.
Please call the Waikoloa Vacation Rentals concierge at (808) 333-1910 for special rates and more information.
Although the popular Twilight at Kalahuipua’a contiunes to have financial problems they will continue the program into 2011. The current scheduled dates are:
January 15 - February 19 - March 19 - April 16 - May 14 - June 18 - July 16 - August 13 - September 10 - October 8 - November 12 - December 10
The program is held between 5:30 am and 8:30 pm and includes local history, music, Hawaiian culture, and is a great setting to enjoy a beautiful Hawaiian sunset. Guests are welcome to bring their own beverages and snacks.
The dates above are subject to change so you will want to call Danny at (808) 885-6622 ext 7065 to confirm.
The humpback whales are back to the Big Island of Hawaii to enjoy the warm waters for the winter. These fascenating creatures are a must see if you have not seen them before.
Every year they show up to the Hawaiian Islands around December and stay until March for mating season. If you stay at any of the oceanfront or beachfront properties you can typically see them from your lanai with binoculars. There are some oceanfront villas at Hali’i Kai that offer some great whale watching. You can spend hours sitting on your lanai and watching then play in the blue waters of the Pacific.
There are several whale watch tours offered on the island that take you up close with the mammels. OceanSports is the most conveniently located at A’Bay at Waikoloa Beach Resort. Many of the whale watches guarantee seeing a whale. When there are a lot of whales many of the snorkeling tours turn into whale watches as you pass so many on your way to the snorkeling destination.
The Big Island of Hawaii is a great spot to spend New Years. It is one of the few spots in the US where you can stand outside comfortable and enjoy the firework display. In recent years every resort had a display of fireworks that were magnificent. This year Mauna Lani Resort is offering the entertainment. The Fairmont Orchid is offering a “Beach Bash” that will go until midnight when the fireworks go off in the resort. If you do not want the hotel experience, Tommy Bahamas at the Shops at Mauna Lani offers entertainment as well as nice dining and bar area. The lanai at Tommy Bahamas is a great spot to watch the firework display.
As 2010 comes to an end we just wanted to extend a special thanks to all of our guests and owners in helping us have a successful 2010. We look forward to seeing many of you in 2011.
This month Waikoloa Vacation Rentals was honored to have the opportunity to open a concierge and beach rentals desk at Kolea at Waikoloa. The goal is to make Kolea a 5 star community by adding great services to go with the already beautiful villas it has to offer.
Waikoloa Vacation Rentals will be operating out of the Kolea Beach Club pavilion daily and offering a wide range of services along with beach equipment rentals. Along with the basic concierge services such as booking activities, they will be offering a broader level of concierge service to encompass almost anything one could desire while on vacation.
Their knowledgeable concierges will be able to do things such as set up dining reservations, tee times, boating excursions, along with any other activity you can think of on the Big Island of Hawaii. How about a private helicopter tour that touches down in a secluded valley for a picnic lunch? They can do that.
Waikoloa Vacation Rentals is also offering a variety of beach equipment rentals at reduced rated for Kolea guests. They offer some of the basic items such as quality snorkel gear, beach chairs, and boogie boards. They are also proud to offer Kolea guests the opportunity to rent our snorkel scooters. Besides Four Seasons Hualalai they are the only operation on the coast to rent these popular items out. To Kolea guests they are offered at over 1/2 the rate of what Four Seasons charges their guests.
While this is a broad look at what Waikoloa Vacation Rentals is looking to do from the Kolea Beach Club, the main goal is to help every guest have an enjoyable stay and offer the services that make their vacation at Kolea “A Vacation of a Lifetime”.
** If you are staying at Kolea, the concierge can be reached at (808) 333-1910.
Within the Christmas season all the resorts on the Big Island try to make the resort and the hotels more festive. None of them do it as well as the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel. Every year I look forward to going to the hotel to see what they have to offer.
The lobby is filled with various Christmas trees decorated by classes at local schools as well as non profit organizations around the island. You will also find the palms decorated with lights as well as beautiful poinsettias spread throughout the lobby.
If you vacation to Hawaii during the Christmas holidays I would highly recommend spending an evening dining at the CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani Bay and walking around enjoying the festive setting.
In addition to a full schedule of activities at Waikoloa Beach Resort, there will several special Christmas activities throughout the month at Waikoloa Beach Resort.
On December 18 Santa comes to Waikoloa Beach Resort and has breakfast at Romanos Macaroni Grill from 10- 11:30 am. From that day on Santa will be seen around the Queens Shops from 12-2 and 5-7 for photos until December 23.
On Christmas Eve Four Chrismases will be shown at Movie Under the Stars at Dusk. The Waikoloa Beach Marriott will also have a luau for those who want to experience a Hawaiian Christmas.
On Christmas Day the Hilton Waikoloa will have a luau and the Waikoloa Beach Marriott will have a Christmas Day Brunch.
For children two great things to do are to visit the Mauna Lani Bay hotel and the Hilton Waikoloa. The Mauna Lani Bay hotel is typically filled with Christmas trees, which many of them have been decorated by children of local schools. The Hilton Waikoloa has a beautiful setup in the entry with a large train track, gingerbread house, and much more.
The humpback whales are back to the Big Island of Hawaii to enjoy the warm waters for the winter. These fascenating creatures are a must see if you have not seen them before.
There are several whale watch tours offered on the island that take you up close with the mammels. OceanSports is the most conveniently located at A’Bay at Waikoloa Beach Resort. Many of the whale watches guarantee seeing a whale. When there are a lot of whales many of the snorkeling tours turn into whale watches as you pass so many on your way to the snorkeling destination.
The Big Island of Hawaii is a great spot to spend New Years. It is one of the few spots in the US where you can stand outside comfortable and enjoy the firework display. In recent years every resort had a display of fireworks that were magnificent. This year Mauna Lani Resort is offering the entertainment. The Fairmont Orchid is offering a “Beach Bash” that will go until midnight when the fireworks go off in the resort. If you do not want the hotel experience, Tommy Bahamas at the Shops at Mauna Lani offers entertainment as well as nice dining and bar area. The lanai at Tommy Bahamas is a great spot to watch the firework display.
This month Waikoloa Vacation Rentals was honored to have the opportunity to open a concierge and beach rentals desk at 
Waikoloa Vacation Rentals is also offering a variety of beach equipment rentals at reduced rated for Kolea guests. They offer some of the basic items such as quality snorkel gear, beach chairs, and boogie boards. They are also proud to offer Kolea guests the opportunity to rent our snorkel scooters. Besides Four Seasons Hualalai they are the only operation on the coast to rent these popular items out. To Kolea guests they are offered at over 1/2 the rate of what Four Seasons charges their guests.
