Flagship
Kohala Coast
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
The barefoot-luxury benchmark, low-rise bungalows and seven pools including the snorkel-stocked King's Pond.
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Comfortable and inclusive
Headline scenery, gently reached.
The island's biggest scenery, planned around real mobility needs without losing an ounce of the luxury.
Design This TripThe major Kohala Coast resorts offer accessible rooms, beach wheelchairs and accessible pools, and Hapuna and Kauna'oa are among the easiest white-sand beaches in the state to reach.
The headline views come without the exertion: the short paved loop at Akaka Falls, the drive-up Waipi'o and Pololu lookouts, and the accessible overlooks inside Volcanoes National Park.
We confirm the details that matter.
Step-free routes, transfer-friendly vehicles, the right room, the right table. We verify each one in advance so the day is simply easy.
What’s inside
- Resorts with accessible rooms, pools and beach wheelchairs
- The easy white-sand bays at Hapuna and Kauna'oa
- The short paved loop to Akaka Falls
- Drive-up Waipi'o and Pololu valley lookouts
- Accessible overlooks in Volcanoes National Park
A sample rhythm
- 01
Easy arrival
A transfer-friendly vehicle and a confirmed accessible oceanfront room.
- 02
Beach day
A beach wheelchair and a calm swim at Hapuna or Kauna'oa.
- 03
Drive-up icons
Akaka Falls and the valley lookouts, all low-exertion.
- 04
A fine table
A confirmed accessible oceanfront dinner to finish.
The Big Islandwe’d build in
The pieces that fit this trip.
Where to stay
Resorts on the sunny Kohala Coast.
The west side is the dry, reliably sunny coast where the island keeps its great resorts, strung along white-sand bays and black lava fields.
Storied reopening
Kohala Coast
Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort
The reimagined 1965 retreat, 150 standalone thatched hales on Kahuwai Bay, deeply cultural and serene.
Visit official siteCultural luxe
Kohala Coast
Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection
Oceanfront contemporary luxury set among ancient fishponds and petroglyphs, with the standout Auberge Spa.
Visit official siteTimeless classic
Kohala Coast
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
The pioneering 1965 Rockefeller resort on the white-sand crescent of Kauna'oa Bay.
Visit official sitePolished resort
Kohala Coast
The Fairmont Orchid
Refined, family-friendly grandeur on a sheltered turquoise cove, home to the Spa Without Walls.
Visit official siteBest beach
Kohala Coast
The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort
Sits above Hapuna Beach, regularly ranked among the best stretches of sand in America.
Visit official siteOn foot
Across a crater floor.
This is the island for walking on a volcano, then chasing waterfalls down the lush Hamakua Coast on the same trip.
Kilauea's eruption status changes often, so verify trail and park access live with the National Park Service before you go.
Volcanic trails
Volcano
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
World-class volcanic hiking, from the Kilauea Iki crater loop to the Thurston Lava Tube.
Visit official siteCoastal cliff hike
North Kohala
Pololu Valley Lookout & Trail
A jaw-dropping North Kohala overlook with a steep descent to a wild black-sand beach.
Visit official siteEasy waterfall loop
Hamakua
Akaka Falls State Park
A short paved loop to the 442-foot Akaka Falls through dense rainforest on the Hamakua Coast.
Visit official siteLookout only
Hamakua
Waipi'o Valley Lookout
The iconic Valley of the Kings overlook, with valley-floor access currently restricted, lookout only.
Visit official siteWhere to eat
The birthplace of Hawaii Regional Cuisine.
The island grows more of its own food than anywhere in the state, and the kitchens show it, from Waimea ranch country to oceanfront tasting menus.
Farm-to-table origin
Waimea
Merriman's Waimea
Peter Merriman's original 1988 restaurant, a birthplace of the farm-to-table movement in Hawaii.
Visit official siteSunset tasting menu
Kohala Coast
CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani
Oceanfront modern-Hawaiian tasting menus built almost entirely from island ingredients.
Visit official siteOceanfront fine dining
Kohala Coast
ULU Ocean Grill
Four Seasons Hualalai's seafood-forward room, drawing about three quarters of its ingredients from island farms.
Visit official siteRomance benchmark
Kohala Coast
Brown's Beach House
The Fairmont Orchid's signature room, long considered the island's romance benchmark.
Visit official siteSushi institution
Waikoloa
Sansei Seafood & Sushi
An award-winning institution for contemporary sushi and Pacific Rim small plates at Waikoloa.
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Accessible Luxury Travel
Let’s design it around you.
Share what you can already picture. A concierge fills in everything still open and sends back a plan, not a quote.