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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For families
A villa, a calm bay, and easy days.
Space to spread out, calm water to swim, and a week that flexes around nap times and teenagers alike.
Design This TripKohala Coast estates and residences at Mauna Lani, Hualalai and Mauna Kea pair private pools with the gentlest swimming bays on the island, Kauna'oa and Hapuna.
Days flex easily: a morning Fair Wind catamaran to Kealakekua Bay, a Kona coffee-and-chocolate farm tour everyone actually enjoys, and the short, shaded walk to Akaka Falls.
The kids will remember the rays.
The Fairmont Orchid's protected cove and the snorkel-with-rays at Hualalai's King's Pond are reliable family favorites, and we keep a private guide on hand so the grown-ups get a turn too.
What’s inside
- A private Kohala Coast villa with a pool and calm bay access
- A family-friendly Fair Wind catamaran to Kealakekua Bay
- A Kona coffee and chocolate farm tour
- Snorkel-with-rays at King's Pond and the Fairmont Orchid cove
- A gentle Akaka Falls rainforest walk
A sample rhythm
- 01
Settle in
A villa welcome stock-up and a first swim in the home bay.
- 02
Out on the water
A morning catamaran sail and snorkel, with an early return for rest.
- 03
Farm and falls
A coffee-and-chocolate tour and the short Akaka Falls loop.
- 04
Easy last day
Pool time, a sunset luau, and a relaxed final night in.
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.
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Kohala Coast
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
The pioneering 1965 Rockefeller resort on the white-sand crescent of Kauna'oa Bay.
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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 and under the water
Manta rays after dark, dolphins by day.
Kona's calm, clear water is the island's headline act, home to the world-famous manta ray night snorkel and the sheltered reefs of Kealakekua Bay.
Manta sightings are wild and never guaranteed, but Kona hosts a resident population and the night snorkel runs year-round.
Manta night snorkel
Kailua-Kona
Manta Ray Night Snorkel Hawaii
A top-rated small-group specialist for the once-in-a-lifetime Kona manta ray night snorkel.
Visit official sitePremier dive op
Kailua-Kona
Kona Honu Divers
Among the most-reviewed dive operators in the Pacific, the gold standard for the manta night dive.
Visit official siteKealakekua catamaran
Keauhou
Fair Wind Cruises
Family-run since 1971, the flagship morning catamaran to Kealakekua Bay and the Captain Cook Monument.
Visit official siteSighting guarantee
Keauhou
Sea Paradise
Two manta tours nightly with a sighting guarantee, a free re-book if no manta appears.
Visit official siteEco shore-entry
Kailua-Kona
Manta Ray Advocates
A conservation-led shore-entry manta snorkel guided by marine biologists.
Visit official siteThe signature days
Stargazing on Mauna Kea, coffee in Kona.
Only here can you stand near the summit of the tallest sea mountain on Earth for the stars, then tour a working Kona coffee estate by afternoon.
Summit + stargazing
Departs Waimea
Mauna Kea Summit & Stars
Hawaii Forest & Trail's permitted 4WD summit sunset and stargazing tour with telescopes.
Visit official siteEstate Kona coffee
Captain Cook
Hala Tree Coffee
A family 100 percent Kona estate with farm tours and tastings under an ocean-view pergola.
Visit official siteOrganic cloud-forest
Kailua-Kona
Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation
USDA-organic coffee in a cloud forest of lava tubes, with free tours and roast tastings.
Visit official siteWaterfall ziplining
Hamakua
Umauma Experience
Nine zip lines over fourteen waterfalls on the Hamakua Coast, plus a guest-only falls viewpoint.
Visit official siteCanopy adventure
North Kohala
Kohala Zipline
A canopy course with sky bridges and a rappel, with resort transport on offer.
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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.
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Private Family Villa
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.