Kailua-Kona

Kailua-Kona is the largest town on the Kona (leeward) side of Hawaiʻi Island. Aliʻi Drive runs along the waterfront for a half-mile of shops, restaurants, hotels, and the historic Huliheʻe Palace. Beyond the strip, the town stretches up the slopes of Hualālai into coffee country.

The Kona side is the dry side. Most of the rain that hits Hawaiʻi Island lands on the Hilo (windward) side. Kona gets about 25 inches a year — almost half on the slopes, not the coast. That makes Kona the resort hub: predictable sun, mellow surf, deep-water sailfishing, year-round snorkel.

Snorkel here is best at Kahalu'u Beach Park (south of town, walking-distance turtles), Two-Step at Honaunau (clear-water cliffs), and Kealakekua Bay (boat or kayak, Captain Cook monument, dolphins). Manta ray night dives off the Kona coast are world-famous — book ahead.

Coffee country is uphill. The Kona Coffee Belt runs between 800 and 2,500 feet, between Kailua-Kona and Honaunau. A dozen farms offer tours; most are $20-35 with tastings. The volcanic soil + afternoon clouds + low rainfall makes some of the most consistent coffee terroir on Earth.