FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

The Island of Hawai'i (Big Island) is the largest of the Hawaiian Islands. The northwestern side, shielded by massive mountains, is the dry side where it rarely rains. This area called the Kohala Coats is where some of the best beaches in all Hawaii are located and where the water is extremely clear as there are not regular streams to cloud up the coastline. The fine white powdery soft sands at Mauna Kea Beach (Kanao'a Bay) and Hapuna Beach are our favorites. Others range from sheltered coves perfect for snorkeling, black sand beaches and secret hidden beaches to get away from it all.

The Big Island is developed into several resort areas. On the Kohala Coast there are three major resort areas; Mauna Kea Resort, Mauna Lanai Resort and Waikoloa Beach Resort. Each resort consists of beaches, two golf courses, two hotels and, restaurants/shops and gated communities where vacation rentals can be found.

Being the furthest south of the Hawaiian Islands and with the biggest mountains to shield us the Kohala and Kona Coast enjoy some of the warmest and driest weather of all the Hawaiian Islands. The Big Island has some of the greatest variations of weather on the planet ranging from tropical rain forests, grasslands, desert, to even near alpine atop the 13,000 foot peaks. In the resort areas the weather is consistently sunny and dry. Temperatures in the winter range from the mid 80s day/low 70s night and in the summer low 90s day/ high 70s at night. The ocean is wonderful to swim in year round.

Hawaii County does have short term vacation rental regulations (STVR). The county is directing all vacation rentals to the resort areas but has allowed many vacation rentals that were in operation before 2019 to continue to operate. All our vacation rentals are licensed and legal to operate.

There are three wonderful shopping areas in the resorts: Shops at Mauna Lani, King Shops and Queens Shops. They include groceries, restaurants and retail stores. They are within walking or biking distance from most of our vacation homes.

The Big Island has a vast array of things to do for adventure seekers, romantic couples, families with older and younger kids alike. Please check out our activities section for ideas.

There are six world class courses directly in the three resorts. There are other great courses on the west side of the Big Island. Please see our golf activities page for images and details

The Kona (KOA) airport is the closest to the resorts. It is a 25-35 min drive to the vacation rentals. It is an international airport with direct flights from LA, SF, San Diego, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, San Jose, Oakland, Anchorage, Vancouver and Tokyo. There are also direct flights to Oahu, Kauai, and Maui.

We do recommend renting a car while on the Big Island. While you can stay in the resort area with beaches, restaurants, groceries and shops there is so much to explore that renting a vehicle is highly recommended.

The resorts were designed to avoid overcrowding the beaches with condo towers and other developments. The gated communities are all set back from the beaches a bit to make sure the beach experience is amazing. From many of the homes you can walk to a beach in 15 minutes or bike ride. All beaches in Hawaii are public with some parking options nearby. This allows you to explore a different beach every day of the trip if you wish. This is another fun part of your Big Island Adventure.

Early May, September, parts of October and early December are great times to visit when there are fewer visitors and better rates on accommodations and car rentals.

YES! While some people book accommodations on the dry side of the island and then pack up and move to another place to stay elsewhere on the Island we hear from experienced guests they would much rather avoid having to pack/unpack, buy groceries all over again and waste valuable holiday time moving around the island. Instead they use one of our homes as a base for day trips. You can drive to Volcano National Park in about 95 minutes with good straight roads and amazing scenery to soak in on the drive.

The Kilauea volcano is 90 miles away behind two 13,000 foot mountains and has been very quiet for the last year. Even during the eruption event in 2018 it did not affect our side of the Island. The National Park is open and it is fascinating to explore, go for a hike or take an aerial tour. It is part of what makes the Big Island unique and should not be missed.

When booking directly with Paradise in Hawaii Luxury Homes you are always assured the best rates. Other bookings sites charge from 10%-20% service fees. You can save these by booking directly with us.

We require 15% deposit when making a booking which can be cancelled with full refund for 48hours after booking. Final payment is due 60 days prior to arrival. If you need to cancel before final payment is due a refund of deposit paid minus a cancellation fee of 10% is due. That cancellation fee may then be applied to a future booking within 365 days for arrival from the original date. If you need to cancel within the 60 day window before arrival we will attempt to re-rent the home and if able will apply the new booking towards a partial or full refund. We recommend Travel Insurance and offer RedSky SunTrip Preserver to safeguard your family or group.

Our vacation rentals provide families and groups lots of space and extremely well equipped homes. All our homes have super comfy beds, beach gear, snorkel gear, smart TVs with streaming services, elaborate kitchens including spices and oils, multiple bedrooms for privacy and in most cases bikes. Some have private heated pools and spas. A vacation rental typically is close to the price of one hotel room making it a tremendous value.

Most of our homes include a pack and play, high chair, bedrails, toilet training seat, step stool for little kids, baby monitors, swim belt/vest, and kids kitchen items. We also offer full cribs, bike trailers, jogging strollers and other items subject to availability. Please send an inquiry with specific questions.

We provide laundry detergent, oxyclean, dryer sheets, dishwasher detergent, jet dry, cling wrap, foil, zip lock bags, assortment of spices, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, popcorn, starter bag of pure Kona Mountain coffee (the good stuff), hand soap, Dove soap bar, high end Float shampoo, shower gel and conditioner, two extra rolls of toliet paper per bathroom, and two paper towel rolls. We have a clean fridge policy so upon checkin the fridge does not have any condiments.

Guests staying in a home in Mauna Lani will be provided with a Mauna Lani beach club access card. The Beach Club is only available to guests staying in Mauna Lani Resort. The Mauna Lani resort includes our homes at KaMilo, Kulalani, Fairways, Villages, Golf Villas, Islands and Mauna Lani Point. The Beach Club provides lounge chairs, cabanas, onsite parking, SUP/kayak rentals, a sheltered beach, outdoor showers, clean washrooms and a restaurant & bar. It is very popular with guests.