The “Best Areas to Stay on Big Island” guide covers the regions broadly, but the Big Island’s sheer size makes this decision matter more than it would on a smaller island — Kona, the Kohala Coast, and Hilo are genuinely different bases, and picking wrong can mean hours of extra driving over the course of a week. Here’s how the three actually compare.
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- Kona town is dry (about 18 inches of rain a year), walkable, and more affordable — Royal Kona Resort starts around $230/night, the island’s most affordable full-service resort
- The Kohala Coast holds 9 of the island’s 12 resorts, mostly luxury properties running $450-$1,900/night plus $35-65 in nightly resort fees
- Hilo is genuinely wet — 127 inches of rain a year, though most of it falls overnight — and far more affordable, with budget lodging starting around $40-50/night
- Hilo sits less than 40 minutes from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park; Kona and the Kohala Coast are roughly two hours away
- Kohala Coast resorts like Hilton Waikoloa Village and Fairmont Orchid offer genuinely deep family infrastructure — multiple pools, waterslides, kids’ clubs — that Kona town’s two resorts don’t match
- Kona town trades beach quality for walkability; Kohala Coast resorts sit 30-45 minutes north but offer better white-sand beaches directly on property
Kona: Convenient, Dry, and More Affordable
Kona town is the Big Island’s most walkable base, with restaurants, food trucks, and shops within easy reach and a noticeably drier climate — about 18 inches of rain a year, with afternoon cloud cover but rarely sustained rain. It’s also the more budget-friendly option relative to the Kohala Coast: Royal Kona Resort starts around $230 a night, making it the most affordable full-service resort on the island, and there’s more variety in the $200-and-up range than you’ll find north on the Kohala Coast. The tradeoff is beach quality and resort infrastructure — Kona town has only two resorts, and neither matches the multi-pool, waterslide-and-kids’-club setup that several Kohala Coast properties offer.
Kohala Coast: Resort Density and Family Infrastructure
The Kohala Coast is where most of the island’s resort development actually sits — 9 of the island’s 12 resorts are here, ranging from solidly mid-range to ultra-premium, running $450-$1,900 a night with resort fees adding another $35-65 nightly on top. This is also where the deepest family-specific resort infrastructure lives: Hilton Waikoloa Village runs three pools, a 175-foot waterslide, and a dolphin lagoon as a genuinely self-contained destination, while Fairmont Orchid offers a year-round children’s program. The beaches here are generally better than what Kona town offers directly, but the tradeoff is location — Kohala Coast resorts sit 30-45 minutes north of Kona town’s restaurants and shops, so plan on more driving for meals out or activities beyond the resort itself.
Hilo: Wet, Authentic, and Closest to the Volcano
Hilo sits on the windward side and is genuinely one of the wettest cities in the country at around 127 inches of rain a year — though most of that falls overnight rather than during the day, which softens the practical impact more than the raw number suggests. What Hilo offers in exchange is real value and real proximity to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, less than 40 minutes away compared to roughly two hours from Kona or the Kohala Coast. Budget lodging here starts around $40-50 a night, well below Kona’s $100-plus minimum, and the town itself has a more authentic, lived-in character — fewer resorts and tourist-oriented restaurants, more local character. It’s a strong pick for a family building a trip around the volcano and Hilo-side waterfalls and gardens, less so for one prioritizing beach time and resort amenities.
Matching the Base to Your Family’s Trip
A family chasing deep resort amenities and good beaches, and willing to pay for it, does best on the Kohala Coast. A family that wants convenience, walkability, and a lower nightly rate without sacrificing full-service resort comforts does well in Kona town. A family building the trip around Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, waterfalls, and a more local, less resort-driven pace — and comfortable with more rain — should base in or near Hilo. Given the Big Island’s size, splitting a week between two bases (Kona or Kohala for the first half, Hilo for a volcano-focused stretch) is a genuinely reasonable option for families who want more than one side of the island without excessive daily driving.
Things to Do on Big Island
Browse family-friendly tours and activities on Big Island, ranked from real traveler reviews.
Quick Answers
- Which is more family-friendly, Kona or the Kohala Coast? The Kohala Coast, generally — resorts like Hilton Waikoloa Village and Fairmont Orchid offer more pools, waterslides, and kids’ programs than Kona town’s two resorts.
- How far is Hilo from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park? Less than 40 minutes, compared to roughly two hours from Kona or the Kohala Coast.
- Does it rain a lot in Hilo? Yes — about 127 inches a year, among the wettest cities in the US, though most of it falls overnight rather than during the day.
Where to Stay on Big Island
A few family-friendly places to base your trip:
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
Kings’ Land by Hilton Grand Vacations
Fairmont Orchid
Royal Kona Resort
Hilo Hawaiian HotelReady to Plan Your Big Island Trip?
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