On our trip to Hawaii’s Big Island, we stayed in a vacation village called Waikoloa Beach Resort, located on the west side of the island, about 30 minutes north of the town of Kailua-Kona. Most tourists book hotels and condos on the west side because it has the best beaches and the driest weather. The east side is beautiful and worth a day trip or two, but Hilo is known as one of the wettest cities in the United States, and the rain can easily put a damper on vacation plans.
Waikoloa is located in the middle of a lava field, which covers a large part of the west side of the island. It is home to well over a dozen condo complexes and hotels, and the groundskeepers have done a wonderful job creating a lush, green oasis in the middle of such desolation. (Don’t get me wrong, the lava fields are beautiful and unique and are one of my favorite parts about the island, but places like Waikoloa tend to feel more tropical.)
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