Route
Kona Airport to Kohala Coast Transportation
The Kohala Coast is a 30-mile ribbon of resorts, villas, and lava field with almost nothing in between. This is the corridor we work every day, from the Waikoloa gate to Hawi at the northern tip.
- Typical drive time
- 20 to 60 minutes depending on destination
- Distance
- 19 to 50 miles north of KOA
What to know about this route
- Waikoloa 20 to 25 minutes, Mauna Lani 30, Mauna Kea and Hapuna 35
- Kawaihae about 40 minutes, Hawi and North Kohala 60 or more
- Waimea, up mauka, is roughly 50 minutes from KOA
- No practical public transport connects these resorts to each other
The detail
What this transfer is really like
What the Kohala Coast actually is
Thirty miles of leeward coastline from Kaupulehu to Kawaihae, made up of a handful of resorts and residential enclaves separated by open lava. Hualalai and Kona Village at Kaupulehu, then Waikoloa, Mauna Lani, Hapuna, and Mauna Kea, then Kawaihae harbor and the road north to Hawi. Nothing connects them but the highway, and nothing runs between them but private vehicles.
Drive times from KOA at a glance
Kaupulehu about fifteen minutes, Waikoloa twenty to twenty five, Mauna Lani thirty, Hapuna and Mauna Kea thirty five, Kawaihae forty, Waimea about fifty up mauka, and Hawi or Kapaau sixty or more. Add ten minutes to any of them in the late afternoon and add luggage time if you are landing during the evening arrival bunch.
Getting between resorts
There is no trolley, no bus of any use, and no reliable rideshare pool along this coast. Guests who want dinner at another property, a tee time at a different course, or a beach that is not theirs need a vehicle. Resort to resort transfers and hourly chauffeur service are the two ways we solve that, and evenings are the busiest part of it.
North Kohala and Waimea
Past Kawaihae the coast changes completely. Pasture, ironwood windbreaks, and old plantation towns at Hawi and Kapaau, with Pololu Valley at the end of the road. Waimea sits inland at 2,600 feet, cool and green, with the best small restaurant scene on the island. Both are easy half day trips from any Kohala resort and both involve narrow, unlit roads on the way home.
Questions
Kona Airport to Kohala Coast questions
How far is the Kohala Coast from Kona airport?
Nineteen to fifty miles depending on the property, so twenty minutes to just over an hour. Waikoloa is the closest resort area and North Kohala the farthest.
Is there transportation between Kohala Coast resorts?
Nothing public and nothing reliable. Private transfers or an hourly chauffeur are the practical options, which is most of what we do here.
Do I need a rental car on the Kohala Coast?
Not for a resort focused week. Airport transfers both ways, a chauffeur for two or three day trips, and evening dinner runs usually cost less than a rental plus parking.
Do you serve Waimea and Hawi?
Yes. Waimea is about fifty minutes from KOA and Hawi about an hour, both regular runs for us.
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