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Kona Village

By Teresa Plowright, About.com

Kona Village Photo courtesy of Kona Village Resort.

Where is the Kona Village Resort?

Kona Village is north of the Kona International Airport, on the west side of Hawaii's Big Island. Eight upscale properties dot the 20-mile Kohala Coast.

38,000 Conde Nast readers voted these Kohala Coast properties among the "Top Fifty Tropical Resorts Worldwide." Another claim to fame: lots of sunshine year round. (Certain areas of Hawaii are prone to rain.)

What's special about Kona Village?

Unplugged getaway: Kona Village is dedicated to being a true getaway-- with no phones, no radio, and no tv in your room.

hale: Guests stay in individual hale (hah-lay) cottages spread over 82 acres. Nine styles of hale include two-room styles that can sleep five. Some visitors prefer the lagoon area, with bird-life nearby. If you need more pampering, many of the oceanfront hale have private whirlpool spas.

inclusive pricing: Hawaii doesn't have the type of all-inclusives prevalent in the Caribbean; but price at the Kona Village includes meals, and most activities are complimentary, including all-day children's activities; so the end result is a close-to all inclusive price. (And Kona Village bills itself as "Hawaii's Only 'Almost All Inclusive' Resort.)

Complimentary kids programs for ages 5 to 12 includes a focus on Hawaiian culture: activities might include coconut painting, Hawaiian crafts, net throwing, as well as pool games etc. (Note: kids programs are offered daily except for two weeks in May and two weeks in September; children are allowed during these periods but pay the full adult price and there is no children's program available.)

Teens have complimentary programs at Kona Village too: be sure to sign up, as each program isn't available each day. Sample activities are snorkeling tours, sunfish sailing lessons, kayaking.

Activities at Kona Village

Complimentary activities include: tennis; arts and crafts such as shell hunting and lei making; kayaks, boogie boards, surfboards; paddle boards ( -orientation lesson required); snorkel gear. The bay is a marine sanctuary, full of colorful fish.

Activities for the whole family mind include: bamboo pole fishing contests in the resort's ponds, ukulele classes, ti-leaf hula skirt making, hula lessons, lawn games, complimentary historical property tours, tours to the resort's petroglyph field.

Stand Up Paddle Boards: guests 12 and up can try this novel watersport at Kona Village Resort. Guests pay $130 for an initial learning session, and then have unlimited use for the rest of their stay. (Read more about Stand Up Paddle Boards.)

Activities with a fee include: scuba (including certification); outrigger canoe; deep sea fishing.

Further afield: golf at a nearby resort, horse-riding, helicopter tours with pickup on-site, whale-watching, visiting active volcanoes.

Find out more about Kona Village:

This brief profile is meant to introduce this resort to family vacationers; please note that the writer has not visited in person.

* Always check resort sites for updates!

Photos courtesy of Kona Village

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