Sunfinder Vacations

Families and leisure travelers enter an open-air lobby that leads to a grand, slate-tiled staircase, beyond which lies a snorkeling lagoon with waterfalls. Curved walkways display a $7-million art collection, including rare Hawaiian feather lei. Mahogany canal boats and Swiss-made trams transport guests throughout the 62-acre resort.

The hotel’s curved, slate-tiled lobby provides open-air views of the adjacent Kohala Coast. Upon check-in, guests are greeted with cool towels and passion orange juice. Part of the 1,839-acre Mauna Kea Resort, the hotel primarily attracts leisure travelers with its Hapuna Beach location and proximity to championship golf.

Couples, families, and golfers fill this Kohala Coast beachfront resort.

Inspired by its environment, the hotel set architectural trends when opened by businessman and conservationist Laurance S. Rockefeller in 1965. Its open-air, blue-tiled entryway has sand-colored concrete and seven-story palm trees. Staff and guests here include multiple generations of families.

Set on 32 acres of oceanfront lawns and gardens, this six-story Fairmont has a lofty, marble-floored lobby that opens to a sunset deck overlooking a 10,000-square-foot freeform pool, tropical gardens, and Pauoa Bay. Families and leisure travelers are drawn to the resort for its ocean activities, tennis facilities, and proximity to two 18-hole championship golf courses.

Guests enter through a round, expansive lobby with mahogany trim, stone floors, and open-air views of Keauhou Bay. The 22-acre oceanfront resort draws leisure travelers and families, given its recreational facilities and proximity to golf and ocean activities.

Situated on 15 acres, this hotel is compact enough for families to easily get around, with the pool complex located close to both wings of the hotel. Adults can play golf or relax in the 165-square-foot heated infinity pool with spa tub.

This collection of 36 two-story bungalows is frequented by business travelers, celebrating couples, and relaxing families. Open-air dining and Polynesian-style decor throughout emphasize the backdrop of black-lava rock against white-sand beaches. Although recreational and cultural offerings abound, the pace is unhurried and the setting feels remote.

Budget-minded vacationers find this hotel's central location ideal for strolling around Kailua-Kona Village's shops and attractions and for exploring the Big Island. The atmosphere is low-key.

Kona Village Resort is where celebrities come to relax and be treated like everyone else, which is to say warmly. Legions of guests return annually. Begun in 1965 when access was by private plane on the resort's landing strip, Kona Village Resort has since tripled in size.

Ocean views, famous fairways, stately palms, and fragrant plumeria highlight this gated condominium development. Guests include celebrating couples, golfers, and families interested in beach and resort activities combined with condo convenience.

Opened in the fall of 2003, the Outrigger Fairway Villas comprises 14 three-story buildings bordering fairways and landscaped gardens. Spacious townhouses—popular with golf- and water sports enthusiasts—are adjacent to a large reflecting pond and close to shops and a beach.

Colorful flags mark the entrance to an open-air lobby decorated with a koa outrigger canoe, feather lei, and paintings depicting Hawaiian history. Leisure travelers and families frequent the 10-acre Kahaluu Beach hotel for its snorkeling beach and proximity to shops and golf courses.

Because the hotel steps down the cliffside, there's an appealing sense of isolation and privacy amid expansive lawns and gardens.

ResortQuest Kona By The Sea is set amid rocky shoreline, two miles from the center of Kailua-Kona. Unlike most condominium resorts on this stretch of the Kona Coast, Kona by the Sea has a sandy area—roughly 70 yards wide and 15 yards deep—set between the ocean and the resort’s fresh-water pool. The resort primarily draws vacationing travelers.

Absolute peace and quiet envelops ResortQuest Shores at Waikoloa. The hush extends throughout beautiful gardens and grounds and surrounds the entire complex, notwithstanding an occasional "fore!" from the golf course.

Opened in 2003, this gated community is located in the Waikoloa Beach Resort on the Big Island's Kohala Coast. Overlooking the 15th fairway of the resort's Beach Course, one mile from Anaehoomalu Bay Beach, the villas are popular with families and leisure travelers.

Brimming with the cheerful, hospitable aloha spirit that characterized Hawaii's appeal when the resort was built in 1967, the Royal Kona Resort preserves an easygoing, friendly charm.

Budget-minded international travelers seeking a central Kona location and full resort services find this place suits their wishes. Regulars return annually for the hospitality and casual atmosphere. In the hotel's hallways are numerous Hawaiian artifacts, such as a feathered cape and helmet, and portraits of Hawaiian royalty. Two mounted, record-setting blue marlin are also on display. Both artifacts and marlin pay tribute to Kona's special attractions and fascinating history.