Located up the slope from the airport, about 6.5 miles inland, Bear's Place is a cool upland retreat with good-value apartments that benefit from plenty of light. There's also a breezy lanai for enjoying coffee, and a view to the big, blue ocean. The owners are fantastically helpful and hospitable (and speak German, for what it's worth). Rates drop Apr-Nov.
Bear's Place Guest House
Kona Coast
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
4.8 MILES
If what you're after is an almost deserted, postcard-perfect scoop of soft, white-sand beach cupping brilliant blue-green waters, head to 'Maks.' Although…
5.17 MILES
This sublime crescent-shaped white-sand beach is fronted by sparkling waters in alternating bands of pale cyan, deeper turquoise, and rich blue. Kua Bay…
Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area
20.11 MILES
Hapuna Beach is world famous for its magnificent half-mile sweep of white powder sand and fabulously clear waters. In summer, waves are calm and allow…
Puʻuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park
22.24 MILES
This awesome park is an ancient place of refuge – or puʻuhonua, a sanctuary where kapu (taboo)-breakers could have their lives spared. A half-mile walking…
Puʻukohola Heiau National Historic Site
22.4 MILES
By 1790 Kamehameha the Great had conquered Maui, Lanaʻi and Molokaʻi. But power over his home island of Hawaiʻi was a challenge. When told by a prophet…
5.54 MILES
The water is usually too cloudy for snorkeling at this beautiful hook-shaped beach with a mix of black lava, white coral and wave-tossed shells, but just…
25.3 MILES
This modest, charcoal-colored beach is backed by a steep green hillside. When calm, the bay's waters are good for swimming, kayaking and snorkeling …
10.03 MILES
About 4 miles south of central Kailua-Kona, this small beach (also called White Sands and, officially, Laʻaloa Beach) has turquoise water, great sunsets,…
Nearby Kona Coast attractions
1. Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary
3.09 MILES
Above 3000ft on the slopes of Mt Hualalai, the Kaloko Mauka subdivision is the home of this spectacular 70-acre sanctuary. For the record, a cloud forest…
2. Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation
3.28 MILES
This award-winning farm lies in lush Kaloko Mauka upland, a 20-minute drive from downtown Kailua-Kona or Holualoa village.You can visit on an hourly tour…
3. Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority
3.87 MILES
That funny-looking building with the gigantic solar panels is the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA), a 'zero-net-energy facility' that…
4.09 MILES
With jaw-dropping ocean views from a breezy lanai, this epicurean tasting room and eco-conscious farm is the place to learn about cupping. Ask about the…
4.28 MILES
The gorgeous beaches of Kekaha Kai are all the more memorable for being tucked on the far side of a vast desert of unforgiving black lava. This 1600-acre…
4.66 MILES
Abalone – otherwise known as sea snails – have delicious flesh and gorgeous shells, and as such, this outfit is trying to figure out a sustainable way of…
4.71 MILES
Kekaha Kai (Kona Coast) State Park's largest beach has salt-and-pepper sand, rocky tide pools, shaded picnic tables and pit toilets. Swimming usually isn…
4.72 MILES
At the makai (seaward) end of the access road to the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, this quiet locals' beach is perfectly positioned for…