Waiki‘i Music Festival Returns to Big Island

After a long hiatus, the popular weekend-long Waiki‘i Music Festival returns to Waiki‘i Ranch on June 16 and 17, featuring a host of acclaimed Hawaiian music artists including Grammy Award-winning Cyril Pahinui, Amy Hanaiali‘i, John Cruz, Paula Fuga, Makana and Willie K.

A "unique celebration of paniolo, Hawaiian and country music," the event also features country music star Ricky Scaggs and the Kentucky Thunder.

Located off the Saddle Road near Waimea, Waiki‘i Ranch showcases rolling green pastureland and majestic views of Mauna Kea in the enclave of an upscale subdivision. First held in 1990, the festival has always attracted thousands of attendees, before being halted by the homeowner's association in 2005 due to new home building and parking controversies. When Waiki‘i Ranch resident Tim Bostock decided to revive the event, the homeowners came back on board.

Tickets cost $40 per adult and $15 per child per day, if purchased prior to June 1. After June 1, tickets cost $50 per adult and $20 per child, with children under 6 free. Two-day passes are also available only through June 1. You can purchase tickets by phone at 808-885-6868 or in person at Kahili Theatre in Waimea.

Our Kona Hawai‘i bed and breakfast offers a relaxing retreat on 30 lush acres. Holualoa Inn make a great home base for exploring the Island's sites, including making a day trip to the Waiki‘i Music Festival. If you're interested in seeing some of Hawai‘i's best performers assembled in one place, you won't want to miss the Waiki‘i Music Festival!

Innkeeper Holualoa Inn

Free Things to Do in Kona

Whether attending a Polynesian luau, riding a helicopter to the Volcano or booking a snorkel cruise,  activities during a typical Hawai‘i vacation can really add up. Fortunately, if you plan ahead, you can find plenty of things to do in Kona that are free, or almost free.

Instead of paying for a night dive out of Honokohau Harbor, head to the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort on any given evening to see the manta rays in action. The Manta Viewing Area is located adjacent to the Manta Ray Bar & Grill, and features large spotlights that shine directly on the water below, affording excellent views of the mantas as they swim below the lanai each night, feeding on the plankton.

For other marine life encounters, you might have more luck spotting spinner dolphins on your own than by booking an expensive cruise. Dolphins frequent areas like Kealakekua Bay and "Two Steps" at Honaunau, just down the road, where you can easily get in the water and possibly swim near pods of dolphins. To see the green sea turtles, take a short trek to Ke‘ei Beach, which is also near Kealakekua Bay.

To soak up some Hawaiian culture, Historic Kailua Village offers several landmarks that are free to visitors. Ahu‘ena Heiau, located near the pier, is a centuries-old sacred site where King Kamehameha I conducted his affairs of government after uniting the Hawaiian Islands in the early 1800s. There's also Mokuaikaua Church, the oldest Christian church in the state of Hawai‘i, and Hulihe‘e Palace directly across the street, which offers tours for a nominal fee.

Farther up the highway in Kealakekua, Kona Historical Society is a wonderful destination for visitors that includes a general store museum, coffee tours and a Portuguese stone oven, where old-fashioned bread baking takes place every Thursday morning. And speaking of coffee tours, there are plenty of coffee farm throughout the Kona Coffee Belt that offer free tours and tastings.

Here at Holualoa Inn, we look forward to helping you make the most of your Kona Hawai‘i vacation. Our Big Island bed and breakfast is perfectly situated for proximity to all the best that Kona has to offer.




Innkeeper Holualoa Inn

National Parks of Hawai‘i Island

If you're planning a vacation to Hawai‘i's Big Island, make sure the beautiful National Parks are part of your itinerary. There are four national parks on the island, and each one is unique.

Home of the fire goddess Pele, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is a must-see destination on the southeast side of the island. Encompassing the volcano of Kilauea and portions of the Mauna Loa, the park is open year-round, 24/7. Plan your trip so that you'll still be in the park at dusk and witness the orange glow of Halemau‘uma‘a Crater as the lava lake brews close to the surface. Other sites include the steam vents, sulfur banks, Thurston Lava Tube, Kilauea Iki Trail and plenty of breathtaking natural scenery.

Pu‘uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park

Closer to Kailua-Kona, Pu‘uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park is considered sacred ground in Hawaiian culture. For centuries, this beautiful sanctuary served as a place of refuge for warriors, kapu breakers and other seeking to escape death or punishment. The park includes the reconstructed ancient temple known as Hale O Keawe, as well as royal fish ponds, coconut groves, self-guided trails and incredible marine life such as green sea turtles, spinner dolphins and humpback whales offshore.

Pu‘ukohola Heiau

Another park in Kona, Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park is located just a few mile south of the airport. The site of an ancient Hawaiian settlement, the park features enormous fishponds created by seawalls built of lava rock. Visitors can hike, fish, swim, picnic and snorkel here. Farther to the north in Kawaihae past the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Pu‘ukohola Heiau National Historic Site showcases the the great temple built by Kamehameha the Great prior to his unification of the Hawaiian Islands.

Centrally located, Holualoa Inn offers our guests great proximity to the best sites on the islands. Our akamai (knowledgeable) innkeepers are happy to provide you with all the insider tips and travel information to help you make the most of your romantic vacation in Hawai‘i Island.


Innkeeper Holualoa Inn

Places to Eat in Kona, Part II

The best place in Kona to be for breakfast is, of course, Holualoa Inn, where our own Chef Brian prepares tantalizing dishes laden with fresh fruit and produce from our gardens, not to mention newly laid eggs from the hen house and fresh-squeezed juice from our orchard.

The Fish Hopper restaurant

For lunch and dinner, guests of Holualoa Inn have many options of places to eat in town. On the waterfront on Ali‘i Drive, The Fish Hopper restaurant serves up fresh catch of the day, delectable clam chowder made daily and a roster of excellent entrees, salads and desserts. The open-air restaurant showcases great views of Kailua Bay, and is within walking distance of historic attractions like Hulihe‘e Palace and Mokuaikaua Church.

Another good oceanfront find is Don the Beachcomber, located near the lobby of the Royal Kona Resort. A throwback to the Trader Vic tiki era, the venue offers the best view of Kailua Bay, bar none. And speaking of bars, if you want to go out for a sunset cocktail, Don the Beachcomber is the place to go for a lovely night out on the town.

Sam Choy's Kai Lanai

For thai food with a view, we recommend Thai Rin restaurant, also located near the waterfront on Ali‘i Drive. The food here is reasonably priced, the service quick and the cooking, divine. And if you still have room for dessert, don't miss the mango ice cream with sweet sticky rice. Fresh fish, Hawaiian style, can be found at Da Poke Shack, a roadside attraction near Banyans surf spot that prepares traditional poke (raw fish diced into cubes). A visit to the newly opened Sam Choy's Kai Lanai at the Keauhou Shopping Center should also be on your Kona Coast culinary itinerary.


Innkeeper Holualoa Inn

Merrie Monarch Festival in Full Swing

This year's 49th annual Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo brings together the worldwide hula community for the most prestigious event in hula.  Taking place April 8 through 14, the festival showcases a variety of activities proceeding the main events on Friday and Saturday, where halau (clubs) from Hawai‘i and the mainland compete in kahiko (traditional) and ‘auana (modern) styles of dance.

One of the highlights of the week is the Arts and Crafts Fair at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, Wednesday through Saturday. Some of the finest local artists and crafters present their wares, ranging from woven lauhala items, feather art, carvings, tapa, lei and more. Last night, the annual Miss Aloha Hula took place at Edith Kanaka‘ole Stadium, to be followed tonight and Saturday by the group hula competitions.  If you didn't get your tickets for the headlining events, you can always attend the Merrie Monarch Royal Parade on Saturday beginning at 10:30 a.m. Featuring beautiful pa‘u riders on horseback, the parade winds through downtown Hilo along Kilauea and Kamehameha avenues. If you're not in town to see all the festivities first hand, you can watch on KFVE-TV here in Hawai‘i, or online at the station's live stream.

The Merrie Monarch Festival began in 1964 to perpetuate, preserve and promote the art of hula and the Hawaiian culture in general. The festival gets its name from King David Kalakaua, who during his reign in the late 1800s, helped restore Hawaiian cultural traditions that had been suppressed by missionary teachings. He was known affectionately as the "Merrie Monarch." In 1971, the festival opened became competitive, and by 1976, men were also competing at the event.

During your stay at Holualoa Inn, you can book a private hula lesson with an authentic hula dancer, who will teach you basic moves and give you a complimentary music CD as a memento of your lesson. As you plan your next romantic Hawaiian vacation, your Holualoa Inn ohana invites you to make our Kona bed and breakfast your home base during Merrie Monarch week.




Innkeeper Holualoa Inn

Big Island Woodworkers

Best of Show by Marcus Castaing

This year's annual Hawai‘i Woodshow produced six winners from the Big Island, highlighted by Best of Show award-winner  Marcus Castaing, whose gorgeous koa cabinet features the artful use of the wood's natural curl. The 20th annual event, which is sponsored by the Hawai‘i Forest Industry Association, took place in Honolulu on March 30, 2012.

Marcus is among the many fine woodworkers here on Hawai‘i Island who craft incredible pieces of local hardwoods such as mango, monkeypod, cook pine, ohia, milo and more. The pieces featured in the show were predominately crafted of Hawai‘i-grown woods, part of the organization's effort to encourage appreciation for sustainable forestry through the planting of native species. In addition to its annual woodworking exhibition, Hawai‘i Forest Industry Association manages several community forests and serves as an advocate for Hawai‘i's diverse forest industry.

Holualoa gallery owner, Cliff Johns

Our village of Holualoa boasts some of the finest woodworkers in the state, like Tai Lake, whose amazing koa furniture pieces are sought by collectors from around the world. Just around the corner from Holualoa Inn, the Cliff Johns Gallery unveils an outstanding array of works by local woodturners, wood sculptors and furniture makers, including pieces by award winners in this year's show, including John Mydock and J Kelly Dunn. A few doors down from Cliff's, Dovetail Gallery features fine-art woodworking by Gerald Ben, while Holualoa Ukulele Gallery is a must-see for those who appreciate beautiful, custom-made instruments.

Guests of Holualoa Inn are within walking distance of a plethora of fine-art galleries, where the Big Island's unique natural resources are showcased in many different genres, from sculpture and mixed media to photography and woodworking. Our Kona Hawai‘i bed and breakfast puts you right in the heart of the historic artists' village of Holualoa.


Innkeeper Holualoa Inn

Kona's Ranching Tradition

Although Parker Ranch in South Kohala is most associated with Hawai‘i's rich paniolo heritage, the Kona district is actually the birthplace of ranching in the Hawaiian Islands.

It all began in 1793 when Captain George Vancouver presented Kamehameha the Great with four cows in Kealakekua Bay. Soon thereafter, the king commissioned the construction of an enormous cattle pen, "Pa Nui," made of dry-stacked lava rock. Eight to nine feet high in some places, the pen encompassed nearly 480 acres and is still standing on private ranchlands near Honalo. Eventually, some of the herd escaped and began spreading across the island.

Kona paniolo load cattle in Kailua Bay

In the 1800s and through much of the last century, Kona's ranching industry thrived. In 1850, Henry Nicholas Greenwell arrived on the island and became one of the largest landholders and ranchers in the state. His ranches totaled tens of thousands of acres, and were subsequently divided between his three eldest sons, resulting in W.H. Greenwell Ranch, Kealakekua Ranch and Palani Ranch. According to local historians, Hawaiian royalty fully embraced the cattle industry, with Kamehameha V serving as president of the Royal Agricultural Society. Hawaiians became very skilled as ranchers and equestrians. Known as the paniolo, these Hawaiian cowboys developed their own unique saddle, called the Hawaiian tree saddle.

Hawaiian tree saddle

To learn more about Kona's ranching history, be sure to visit Kona Historical Society in Kealakekua, just a few short miles south of Holualoa Inn. The museum includes the old general store, a Portuguese stone oven and the impending renovation of a historic ranch home that has been dismantled and donated to the historical society. When you book a stay at our Big Island bed and breakfast, you'll find yourself in the heart of Kona's historic ranching district.

Innkeeper Holualoa Inn