The manta ray snorkel boats run nightly from Kailua Pier in town and from Keauhou Bay, 20 minutes south. Kailua-Kona is the Big Island’s main visitor hub, 15 minutes from the airport, and it works as a base for the whole west side. For a first trip, start here.
Aliʻi Drive is the walkable part, one mile from the pier south to the Royal Kona Resort. Past that you are driving: the beaches, the coffee farms and the manta boats all sit outside that mile.
Table of contents
- Weather in the Kona district (year round)
- Activities in and around Kailua-Kona
- Kona Beaches
- Restaurants along the Kona coast
- Kona Farmers markets
- Shopping in Kailua-Kona
- Accommodation in and around Kailua-Kona
- Getting around, the bus, and parking
- Directions
- Interactive map
Downtown Kailua and Kailua Bay. Credit: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Heather Goodman
Weather in Kailua-Kona: What to expect year-round
Kona sits on the leeward side of the Big Island and averages about 27 inches of rain a year, most of it arriving late in the afternoon. Mornings are usually clear. The clouds build through the day, which puts average cloud cover at 57%, and temperatures hold between 71 and 78°F year round, so there’s no season you need to plan around.
Our monthly weather guide for Kona has the same data month by month, with hour-by-hour cloud cover and the rainfall spread.
Kailua-Kona average weather by month: rainfall as bars on the left axis and temperature as a line with the daily min/max band on the right. Cloud cover runs as a strip underneath. Around 27 inches of rain a year at 71 to 78°F, with 57% average cloud cover. Data: Giambelluca et al. (2014).
Activities in and Around Kailua-Kona
Most of what people come to Kona for happens outside town, in the water offshore or up in the coffee hills. Downtown earns an evening rather than a full day. Our five favorite highlights in Kailua covers the short list.
Aliʻi Drive in central Kailua-Kona. The restaurants and cafes along the seafront face west, so any of them works for sunset.
While you’re in town, two things are worth the walk. King Kam beach is the one swimmable beach within walking distance of the downtown hotels, and it is best at first light; the other Kona snorkeling spots are all a drive. Late afternoon, walk Aliʻi Drive and end at the pier or at one of the seaside restaurants for sunset. Kona Brewing Company pours its own beer inland on Pawai Place, open daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Outside the town limits the Kona coast holds the best beaches on the west side and coffee country in the hills. There is also a working seahorse farm north of the airport where you can hold one.
Our complete list of things to do in and around Kailua-Kona covers the rest. The two we get asked about most are the manta ray snorkel and a coffee farm tour.
Manta Ray Night Snorkeling
After dark, boats anchor above underwater lights that draw plankton, and the manta rays come in to feed. You float on the surface and watch them roll through underneath, sometimes within a few feet of you. Adult tickets run $118–$135 for about two hours, and you need no diving experience: it’s a surface snorkel and the operator provides gear.
Sunset Manta Ray Night Snorkel at Keauhou Bay
Manta rays at Keauhou's Manta Village feed within inches of the lit flotation board. Sea Paradise has operated here since 1985, making them one of the longest-running operators at this location.
from:
$130
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Sea Paradise is our pick, and it sails from Keauhou Bay, a 20-minute drive south of downtown: $130 for adults, two hours. Ride-along seats are $65 for anyone who’d rather watch from the deck than get in.
Kona Style is the only operator leaving from Kailua Pier in town, at $135 and about two and a quarter hours. Ride-along seats there are $89 and stay aboard. Anyone going in the water has to be able to swim without a flotation device.
Sunset Sail and Manta Ray Snorkel from Kailua Pier
A sailing catamaran leaves Kailua Pier at sunset and lowers a staircase into the water so you can slide in over a manta ray feeding site. Shorty wetsuit tops and prescription masks are included.
from:
$135
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Kona Coffee Farm Tours
The slopes above Kailua-Kona produce some of the most expensive coffee in the world, and most farms will show you around. Greenwell Farms and Mountain Thunder both run free guided tours seven days a week, ending in a tasting. Mountain Thunder’s takes about 20 minutes and needs no reservation.
Paid tours in the Kona belt start around $30 at Heavenly Hawaiian and reach $99 for the two-hour farm tour at Kona Coffee & Tea. Hula Daddy charges $35 and runs weekdays only, minimum two people. Our 17 recommendations for Kona coffee tours go beyond the belt, up to a $190 ATV tour.
Beaches Near Kailua-Kona
Three beaches near town are worth your time. King Kam is walkable from a downtown hotel, Kahaluʻu is 5 miles south, and Kua Bay is 30 minutes north and now charges non-residents to park. Our list of 10 favorite Kona beaches has the rest.
Kona is warm and exposed, so bring reef-safe sunscreen and water.
Kahaluʻu Beach Park
Kahaluʻu Beach Park is the most practical snorkeling beach close to town, about 5 miles south on Aliʻi Drive. The bay is protected by a lava shelf that keeps the water calm, and sea turtles rest on the rocks near the breakwater most mornings. Parking is free but the lot fills by 9 a.m. on weekends. The beach itself is rocky rather than sandy, so water shoes help. A lifeguard is usually on duty.
King Kam Beach (Kamakahonu)
King Kam Beach (Kamakahonu) sits downtown next to the pier. It’s small and calm, the best option if you want to swim or snorkel without driving anywhere. Snorkeling near the offshore rocks can turn up fish and the occasional turtle. Not a beach for waves or open-ocean swimming.
Kamakahonu (King Kam beach), the small calm beach next to the pier in downtown Kailua-Kona
Kua Bay (Maniniʻōwali)
Kua Bay (Maniniʻōwali) is the standout white-sand beach on this stretch of coast, about 30 minutes north of town on the Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway (Hwy 19), which puts it roughly 15 minutes past the airport. Clear water and light crowds on weekdays. The shore break can be strong in winter, and the state’s own warning is blunt: waves over 3 feet are for experts, with rip currents and a pounding shore break on a high surf day. There is no lifeguard.
Parking stopped being free in January 2026. Non-residents now pay $5 per person to enter plus $10 per vehicle to park, credit card only, while Hawaiʻi residents get in free with ID. The park is open 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with the gates closing at 7, and the lot fills by 10 a.m. on weekends.
Kua Bay is about 15 minutes north of the Kona airport, an easy last stop before a late flight. Bring a card: the entry and parking fees are cashless.
Eating in Kailua-Kona
Kona has more restaurants per block than a town this size should. Several of the places with the best harbor views are not worth the money.
The Fish Hopper on Aliʻi Drive is the benchmark for breakfast with an ocean view. Da Poke Shack handles poke as takeout; Umekes does it sit-down, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Big Island Grill is the value pick at lunch, big portions of local food at honest prices. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday.
Magic’s Beach Grill across from Magic Sands Beach is the most consistent takeout for a sunset picnic. Its walk-up Beach Shack runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the restaurant until 8:30 p.m. Arise Bakery is worth the stop for coffee and a pastry in the morning.
If you’re driving south toward Captain Cook, Kaaloa’s Super J’s serves Hawaiian plate lunch 19 miles down the highway. The Coffee Shack has a porch with an ocean view better than anything downtown, open Thursday through Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
See our full Kailua-Kona restaurant guide for the complete list and a map.
Farmers Markets on the Kona Coast
Six farmers markets and farm stands stretch along the Kona coast from Aliʻi Drive south to Captain Cook, 19 miles away. At least one is open every day of the week.
If you’re after fresh produce (local fruit, vegetables, fish, and eggs), go to the Keauhou Farmers Market on Saturday mornings, 8 a.m. to noon. The Kona County Farm Bureau runs it, and the market’s own rules require everything sold there to be grown and produced in Hawaiʻi. It sets up in the parking lot in front of Ace Hardware at the Keauhou Shopping Center, 78-6831 Aliʻi Drive, about 6 miles south of downtown. Arrive before 10; popular items sell out well before the close.
The Kona Village Farmers Market on Aliʻi Drive is the most central option, open Wednesday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. with more than 40 vendors. It leans toward crafts and souvenirs rather than produce. Good for browsing; less useful if you’re stocking a kitchen for the week.
Most vendors at all six markets prefer cash. Bring small bills.
See our full Kona farmers market guide for the hours and a map of all six.
Shopping in Kailua-Kona
The Big Island has about 210,000 residents against just under a million on Oʻahu (source), so the retail here is thin by comparison. Kailua-Kona is still the best place on the island to buy souvenirs, largely because the cruise ships tender here and the town absorbs most of the island’s visitor traffic.
The shops sit on that same 1-mile stretch of Aliʻi Drive, running down to the Royal Kona Resort: cheap t-shirts and souvenirs at one end, jewelry and locally made art at the other. Inland there are a few smaller shopping centers, and a Costco near the Kona airport.
Where to stay in and around Kailua Kona
Kailua-Kona town has the widest range of options on this side of the island. Vacation rentals and condo units within walking distance of Aliʻi Drive run $150–$250 per night, and B&Bs and smaller hotels sit in the same band. Hostels and shared rooms start around $50–$80.
The large resort hotels are 20–30 minutes north on the Kohala coast at Waikoloa and Kohala, at $400–$700+ per night with beach club access and on-site dining.
Stay in Kona if you want to walk to dinner and a beach. Go north to Waikoloa or Kohala if you want a pool and calmer water.
The full accommodation guide breaks the options down by traveler type: families, solo travelers, beach seekers, and first-timers, each with picks at three price levels. Find your match in the Kona accommodation guide.
Getting Around Kailua-Kona
You need a car. The walkable part of Kona is the one mile of Aliʻi Drive between the pier and the Royal Kona Resort, and everything else on this page is a drive: 5 miles to Kahaluʻu, 30 minutes to Kua Bay, 19 miles south to Captain Cook. Pick the rental up at the airport, 15 minutes north.
The county’s Hele-On bus reaches most of the island, but it runs on a commuter timetable rather than a visitor one, and the airport’s own ground transport page calls the airport-to-town service very limited. Don’t plan an arrival around it. It is fare-free through the end of 2028, which makes it worth a look once you are already in town.
Kona International has designated pickup zones for ride-hailing, so a car-free arrival is possible. It’s still a poor substitute for a rental once you start chasing beaches.
Parking in Kailua-Kona
The lots sit between Aliʻi Drive and the Kuakini Highway, one street up. Some are free and some are paid, so read the sign at the entrance before you leave the car.
Park once and walk. The strip is a mile end to end, so a space at the Kuakini end still puts you within reach of the pier, and it’s an easier place to find one than the seafront blocks.
Directions to Kailua-Kona
Kona International Airport is 15 minutes north of town without traffic. Saddle Road cuts across the middle of the island to Hilo, 78 miles and about 1 hour 35 minutes, and it is the fast route. Waimea is closer, 39 miles up the Belt Road, about 55 minutes. Volcano Village is the long one: 95 miles and about 2 hours 15 minutes down the Kaʻū coast.
Kailua Bay, as seen from uphill (Ma Uka). Photo credits: Travis Thurston
Interactive Map of Kailua-Kona
We have put our most important stops and activities in and around Kailua-Kona on an interactive map covering the 40+ mile stretch of coast between Captain Cook and the Waikoloa resorts. Click any icon for more on that stop.
Map with our Kailua-Kona favorites
We also have interactive maps for other parts of the Big Island: