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Restaurants

Lethbridge, Canada
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266 posts
36 reviews
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Restaurants
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We have never been to the big island before and I am trying to decide which area to stay in. We are looking at the Kohala Coast area because I heard the weather and beaches are nicer, but I am wondering which area, Kohala Coast or Kona, is better in terms of restaurants? We like to eat out most evenings but we are looking for smaller inexpensive, local type places to eat, not high end places.

We don't mind driving a bit to a nicer beach if necessary, but love to be able to walk or have a short drive to go out for supper. I would sure appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks.

South Pole
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1. Re: Restaurants
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Hi daisy, there are four top questions in a row that can help you out, on the Island of Hawai'i forum, for a start.

You might want to describe what you mean by local (style of food? type of ownership?)and inexpensive (what price range). What do you like on Maui, even though we don't have the same things here, would give us an idea.

Neither Kailua Kona nor South Kohala have a majority of local owned affordable restaurants, compared to Hilo and the small towns on the island, but they both have some. How many restaurants that fit the bill would you need to be happy for this trip?

When you say drive a "bit" to a "nicer" beach, I'm not sure what is OK. Is an hour each way a bit? What if there are no nice beaches right near you? Is that OK?

Have you read the Top Questions on choosing between Kohala and Kona?

When you say Kona, do you mean the town of Kailua Kona? Or do you mean the North and South Kona districts? By Kohala coast, you mean the South Kohala resorts, right? There is more to the coast, but it doesn't have beach to the north.

What type of lodging are you considering, hotel or condo or something else?

There are hundreds of restaurant topics here for you to browse. Just use the search and search by Date instead of Relevance to weed out the old old ones. Restaurants or dining are two keywords that work.

ON, Canada
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49 reviews
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I can't help with restaurant recommendations because we stay in condos and don't eat out frequently. However, the Kohala Coast is by far the nicer area to stay in IMO. You'd probably have more options for inexpensive meals in Kailua Kona, but I don't think it's worth the trade off in other ways (e.g. nicer beaches & weather, less congestion, convenience to places you might want to visit, by staying on the S. Kohala coast.)

I'm sure you'll be able to find restaurants in your price range on the Kohala coast ... but if you do want to cut back a bit on the cost, Foodland Farms grocery store at the Mauna Lani resort has a decent selection of take out food.

California
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I think your a little confused on locations with the Kailua-Kona vs Kohala Coast area. When people recommend the Kohala Coast area, they are talking about the general area of both the Waikoloa and Mauna Lani Resort area's. You are correct in that this area has MUCH better weather and is the where most visitors stay. (Many people still enjoy Kailua-Kona though).

Although staying in town (Kailua-Kona) might offer more "local" type restaurants, the Kohala Coast area certainly has it's share of good places to eat within a few minutes drive or walk.

Edited: 8 years ago
Big Island, Hawaii
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I honestly don't think Kailua Kona has generally less expensive restaurants and they aren't more local at all, especially if you define "local" as food actually grown on this island, but even if you mean dishes popular with the local population, there aren't more of those places in Kailua Kona. Instead what you find is a number of corporate chains, fast food, and what's locally owned tends to be way overpriced and mediocre. There are some exceptions certainly but overall you'll have more choice or better food on and around the Kohala Coast, and really in all price ranges, from food courts to food trucks, to sushi, and high quality farm to table. Also, whether you stay in Waikoloa Beach, the Mauna Lani, Mauna Kea or Hapuna, you're within ten minutes of all the others so there are dozens of restaurants within that short radius. Waikoloa Beach and the Mauna Lani have several restaurants within walking distance or using the local resort shuttles.

Lethbridge, Canada
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266 posts
36 reviews
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Thanks so much for all the information. We have made the decision to stay one week at the Fairway Villas at Waikoloa Beach Resort and then for a week at Kona Alii. Since this is our first visit this will give us a taste of both areas and then we will know which we prefer. When we are on Maui we always stay in the Kihei area and love to go to food trucks, Coconuts, Eskimo Candy, Kihei Caffe, and those types of places. We can usually find meals for about $12 each or less and often they are big enough that we can share one. I will for sure be looking at all the posts regarding the restaurants in these areas before we go. Thanks again.

Canada
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44 reviews
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Here is a link to some restaurant reviews on the Big Island, many of which are located on the west side. The reviews are submitted by visitors, residents, and locals, and include casual and upscale venues.

http://www.konaweb.com/restaurant/index.cgi

Big Island, Hawaii
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7. Re: Restaurants
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If you have two weeks on the BI, I would spend some of them on the east side. A week in Kailua Kona is too long, IMO. You could do something like a 7/3/3 split between the Kohala Coast, Kailua Kona, and Hilo. There are lots of good local food in Hilo and it's a good base for Volcanoes National Park and the Hamakua Coast. The island is too big to try to do day trips repeatedly from west to east so on,y two west side bases isn't ideal.

Edited: 8 years ago
South Pole
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Well, I think $12 for a dinner (large enough to share) is optimistic here. Even in Hilo, even going to the mall and doing Maui Tacos or doing Panda Express, would not be $12. Lunch is different. I went to Kamana Kitchen the other day, which is in an old mall and has no ambience, and the entrees start at $16-17 and there would be sides wanted to make it feel complete.

A dish of fried rice or Pad Thai at a Thai place is going to be more than your ideal. These are Hilo prices, meaning cheap as the island goes.

South Pole
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I also think you should have a night or two east side if you plan to explore it. If you are looking for good weather and chilling out and are not interested in VNP, you don't need to.

It will be interesting to hear your reaction to the two condo complexes.

I remember looking at a penthouse unit in Kona Ali'i about 15 years ago, for sale. We both did not like the complex at all. It felt claustrophobic. I think the lowrise complexes in Kohala feel much more like island style. We really could not get out of the building fast enough, and it felt old and worn at the time, which was as I said 15 years ago. Oceanfront complexes wear hard due to the salt.

People here who want oceanfront in Kailua-Kona, and can do with a studio, often recommend Hale Kona Kai, which is right by the Royal Kona Resort.

Canada
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44 reviews
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I,too will be interested to hear the OP's take on each accommodation.

It appears that the Fairway Villas are first up….followed by the week at Kona Ali'i….may prove interesting.

Apart from the obvious benefits of staying in South Kohala , we have never seen the need to stay down in Kailua-Kona….as they are only about 40 mins apart. We will head there a few times to get some supplies ( Target, Costco etc) during our visit…maybe some Lunch. We often feel compelled to drive down Ali'i to see what if anything is new. The drive just serves to confirm to us that we continue to make the right decision in regard to accommodation.

On our first visit to the Island , many moons ago…I can recall the big dilemma when deciding when to stay.We narrowly avoided booking a unit at Kanaloa at Kona…..Phew, dodged a bullet there we felt… once we were on Island and got the lay of the land.

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