question
Can I ask for some recommendations? My family is going to Big Island in November and our accommodations are taken care of for part of the trip since we'll be at a conference.

After that we'll be in another conference from **** on Oahu (also arranged). We'll be on our own for lodging and activities from ****, probably on Big Island. We are trying to find a nice, inexpensive (not Uncle Billy's) lodging for that time from which we can access a lot of fun things. We would prefer to be on a beach, but understand beaches are pretty limited on Big Island. We also want to be somewhere different than where we will be for the conference which is the Outrigger at Wailola.

answer


You will really like the Outrigger at Waikoloa - I've stayed there, they have a really nice beach (Anaehoomalu) and are close to the Hilton where the dolphin quest is (you can go watch).

Yes, beaches are in short supply and most of the hotels that have their own beaches are luxury-priced. If you want to be where the action is, you'll want to stay in or near Kona, but be aware that the Big Island is really big, so in Kona you will be more than an hour's drive away from Waipio Valley and the National Park.

In Kailua-Kona, I would suggest the King Kamehameha Kona Beach hotel (they have a small beach very near the hotel) and are right downtown, plus it is a good hotel with decent prices - or the Ohana Keauhou beach resort on the far side of Alii Dr which is right next to Kahaluu Bay - a good snorkeling and turtle beach.

If there's anything else you are looking at you can run it past me and I'll tell you what I know about it.

follow-up
Your recommendation is good. My wife and I stayed at the King Kamehameha 2 years ago. It was inexpensive and close to everything. We also went to their Luau, which was one of the best we sampled. However, I was thinking more of a vacation rental condo or house. We will have a rental car, so we can get to Kailua-Kona area from anywhere. I saw one rental listed on your site near Cook's monument. It was a 3-bedroom home and included kayaks for use. It didn't show a price like some of the others. Have you any experience with any of the private rentals, and what are the advantages/pitfalls of staying at one of them? We are also trying to find discounted tickets to things like luaus, Polynesian Cultural Center, etc. We don't want to have to go on time-share tours like we did last time just to get freebies. We don't mind paying, but want to find the best discounts. When the new Happenings book comes out in August, are there coupons in there we could use?

follow up reply
I have stayed at a few private rentals around the islands, including one in Kapoho Beach lots on the Big Island which I really liked.

The biggest pitfalls are the cleaning deposit (if there is one), which could tip the price for a few days into unreasonable territory

the neighborhood -- if it's not a quiet one, you can't call the front desk and complain

and the availability -- it can be a problem in the popular areas.

Other than that, the rentals are the best option, in my opinion. I always try to stay at a vacation rental when I am running around, but am rarely able to because I almost always am making last minute reservations.

The best thing about the rentals is the homey feel - your own kitchen (probably more important to me than to you) and the stuff available with the house, and the lack of a parking surcharge on the room (I hate that about hotels). Most houses have something available like water toys or guide books or surfboards or coolers.

I am not sure what the Happenings book is - is there a webpage? I usually get the entertainment book.

I imagine you were looking at Hale Keawe -- looks like a nice place, and that Kealakekua Bay is a great place to Kayak - spinner dolphins hang out there all the time. I went through the whole thing, and it appears to me that the house is not directly on the ocean, but close to it. That would lower the price a little - did you e-mail and ask for rates? I would guess that house is $180 a night, but I could easily be way off.

Being right on the water there would be nice, but the only bad thing I would be worried about is the local people who party in the parking lot of the bay playing loud music till late at night sometimes.

There are lots of houses available on Alii Drive in Kailua but they are probably all pretty expensive. Puako is all vacation rentals but I know they are expensive ... maybe you could find something reasonable though - Have you thought about a bed and breakfast?