A Visit to the Island of Hawaii

The Island of Hawaii-also known as the "Big Island"-offers much of what the other smaller Hawaiian Islands do in terms of tourist resorts, but most of it is conveniently located in one area. The majority of the resorts are concentrated north of Kona in the Kohala Distrcit, a 20-30 minute drive from the Kona Airport. Here you will find a beautiful planned landscape with resort hotels, dining and shopping centers, and parkways-similar to what you would see on the Island of Maui. There are also some large resort hotels in Kona and along the western shore of the main island.

Many of the residential neighborhoods are located in the higher elevations on the island and offer fantastic views of the coastline. Visitors love to enjoy the tropical breezes, the heat, and the complete beach experience. But locals also enjoy the opportunity to feel a cool breeze sweeping over their lanai as the sun goes down. So they particularly enjoy having homes located about 1,000 feet up the mountain.

In the Hilo and Kailua-Kona areas, you'll find malls, sports complexes, theatres, and shopping centers. Both locals and visitors also spend a lot of time on the beach at the coastline. Surfing and sunbathing are popular pastimes.

In the hill country, the Island of Hawaii has many small coffee farms and orchards. Little land plots from 5 acres up to about 50 acres produce coffee, macadamia nuts, and other Hawaiian crops. Many of the small coffee farms have their own unique coffee name brands.

Hilo-on the wetter side of Hawaii-is also the county seat. The town is older than some others and most buildings are 60+ years old. It is largely residential with many government offices in the town, as well. This area is called the "wetter side" of the island because it rains here nearly every day. One minute you may experience a tremendous downpour while only moments later you will stand beneath billowing clouds and bright sunlight. Between Kona and Hilo, visitors can find hidden beaches and rain forest, as well.

Hilo is also the hub of the area for commerce and business. Not far away, Kohala and Kona are far more focused on tourism than Hilo. With all of the recent difficulties in the world economy, the area is seeing fewer tourists these days. However, cruise ships still come in to both the Kona and Hilo harbors after visits to Oahu, and hundreds of passengers disembark daily to spend the day in the area.

Like many other areas of the country, the Island of Hawaii has seen the effects of the recession on the real estate market. Both land and home values are lower than they've been since prior to 2006, as a rule. On the positive side, this makes it the perfect time to invest in property or build or buy a house on the Island of Hawaii. Properties are available in both the Kona and Hilo areas, although the environment and weather in Hilo is a bit more wet and tropical in nature if you like that type of climate. As the economy starts to recover, property values in Hawaii will also begin to rise. But right now, buyers can take advantage of a great deal on properties on the Big Island!

Michael Key has written extensively for 30 years on a wide variety of topics. For more information on Hawaii land located on the Big Island, visit the OomaPlantation.com website.

Hawaii Land at Ooma Plantation
Find more information about visiting and buying Hawaii land at the O'oma Plantation website.