Ocean Views and Access in Hawaiian Paradise Park
Filed under: Big Island, Big Island Areas, Big Island Beaches
At the bottom of Hawaiian Paradise Park, Beach Road and Paradise Ala Kai run along the ocean. There is no beach in Hawaiian Paradise Park, it is all mostly 30 foot cliffs. The views are very beautiful - sunrise especially. Sunset is on the other side of the island, so you can’t see it, but the sky and ever-present clouds are still beautiful colors at sunset.
Here’s some ocean-related activities in Paradise Park:
If you went down Makuu and took a right at the dead end and parked where the road stops you could see the ocean and find some tide pools but I wouldn’t get in the ocean there - the waves are too big. We sometimes go in the tidepools. If you went down Makuu and took a left at Beach Road and parked your car at the boulders where the road is closed this is a great area to take an evening or morning walk on the dirt road or past and around this whole area. I’ve been walking or riding my bike here for 10 years - I see whales and dolphins and gorgeous sunsets (you can’t see the sun, but the colors are still amazing when the winds are right). The sunrises are probably phenomenal but I don’t get up till 7:30 
. You can also get to this area by going down Paradise and taking a right on Beach Road and parking anywhere.
You also could go down Makuu and take a right on Beach Road and go in for about a 1/2 mile. You’ll see big concrete poles cemented into the ground at the head of what looks like a very long driveway, blocking any vehicle access in. You could park your car (I see people do it, but I would be uncomfortable because I would be afraid someone would break in - we ride bikes down here to avoid leaving cars at the top) and walk in. At the end of the ‘driveway’ there are fantastic tide pools big enough to swim in if the ocean is calm. One of them is over 10 feet deep and there are tons of fish in them. However, if the ocean isn’t calm this is a very dangerous place - the waves come right up over the rocks and drag you across them if you are in the way.
About Hawaiian Paradise Park on the Big Island
Hawaiian Paradise Park is a quiet, large, residential subdivision in Puna, sometimes shortened to HPP. It is located makai (ocean-side) of Highway 130 somewhere before the 3 and just past the 6 mile markers on Highway 130. The main roads of Hawaiian Paradise Park are Shower Drive, Kaloli Drive, Paradise Drive, and Makuu Drive, in that order if you are driving South (from Keaau towards Pahoa). Directly across the Highway is the subdivision of Orchidland Estates.
Kaloli, Paradise, and Makuu all run over three miles to the ocean and are paved. Most of the crossroads are currently red cinder. The top-most crossroad is 32nd Street, and the bottom most complete road is 1st Street. The drive from the highway to the ocean is over 3 miles. The crossroads between Paradise and Makuu and Kaloli and Shower are all about 1 mile long. The HPP community association website has a gorgeous aerial picture of the entire area.
Most of us in the park are on catchement tanks. We have phone, DSL, and electricity. Mail delivery is via post office boxes on the side of the main roads. There is no county garbage pickup (most of us drive to the transfer station and dump our trash ourselves) but some entrepreneurs pick up trash once a week for a fee. We pay $140 or so annually in fees. It’s been going up every year for 10 years by 5 or 10 dollars.
We have no stores and no park in the subdivision. The community association is trying to get the county to put a park in right now and asking the residents for input. There is a gas station and a small grocery store and plate lunch place right across the highway. Pahoa and Keaau are both about 4.5 miles away in opposite directions. Hilo is about 17 miles away. There is only one road in and one road out of Hilo, and the traffic is starting to get crazy.
Most lots in HPP are 1 acre. They have been zoned agricultural in the past and there are plenty of orchid farms and some people have horses or greenhouses in their back yard, but mostly the subdivision is just residential houses with really big yards.
Other roads in HPP are Railroad, Paradise Ala Kai, H Road, K Road, Ala Heiau, and Beach Road. However, there is no beach, just cliffs and some tidepools.
Lover’s Paradise Suite Bed and Breakfast in Hawaiian Paradise Park - Brochure
The Lover’s Paradise Suite is a rather new bed and breakfast located on Makuu Drive in Hawaiian Paradise Park, an up-an-coming, huge subdivision in Puna on the Big Island. I drive past the Suite on the way to my son’s school. I watched it being built with interest, not knowing what it would be. It’s very nice to look at, and currently surrounded by HPP jungle on all sides. I don’t think they have any neighbors right now. The pool is nice - big and well done.
Hawaiian Paradise Park is a quiet, residential subdivision, 20 miles from Hilo, and almost 40 miles from the volcano. It is hot here, and a decent central location for Volcano, Hilo, and lower Puna attractions like Ahalanui Warm Ponds and Pahoa. The Suite is on 10th St, I believe, and that is probably about a mile straight down Makuu to the ocean, but there is no ocean access really. It’s mostly cliffs.
The brochure says the entire suite includes 4 rooms, there is a swimming pool and large pool deck and gazebo, plus a BBQ and picnic available. A lover’s package (honeymooners, anniversary couples, or others, I guess) is available. A continental breakfast is served daily, and a personalized concierge service is offered. The pool includes volleyball, basketball, and snorkel equipment.
About a mile from where this rental is, you’ll find the ocean. Here’s some things to do at the ocean in Hawaiian Paradise Park
Are Bonfires allowed on Hawaii Beaches?
Filed under: Big Island, Big Island Beaches, Camping, Hawaii - general, Laws-Rules
My fiance and I are planning a wedding at the Mauni Lani in February. We’ve scoured the web to see if we can host an informal bonfire on a beach one of the nights we are there? Do you know or can you point us to anyone that would know how to accomplish this? thanks!
Well, I’ve been calling the local DLNR and state parks departments and have gotten quite the runaround. No one seems to know or wants to tell me. I do know I’ve never seen a bonfire on any beach ever. I did find a reference on the Internet from the fire department that says they are prohibited, and I also found another reference from the state parks department that says you have to have a camping permit. My advice is for you to contact the Mauna Lani. Their beach is private in places, I believe, so maybe they can give you permission. If that doesn’t work, check with the concierge. He or she should be able to give you a definite answer, or maybe make arrangements for you. Just be aware that some beaches fall under the state, and some under the county, so who you need to get permission from will change from beach to beach. Good luck and congratulations!
Which Hawaii Island has the Least Tourists?
Hi, I am planning the vacation for two couples and we are having a difficult time deciding which island to go to. We definitely want to avoid Oahu and are considering Maui, Kauai and the Big Island. We are looking for sandy beaches and small communities of local folk with a few restaurants. Two people really want to go to the Big Island but I have heard that the beaches are few and far between and while we may be up for an adventure 2 or 3 days of the 7 most of our time will be spent on the beach. Is this true? I am nervous that Maui may have more tourists than we are willing to handle (coming from NYC and SF). Any advice would be much appreciated.
Well, yes, I think I would avoid Maui also. It’s a beautiful island, but most areas are pretty jam packed with other tourists. It’s following in Oahu’s footsteps. On the Big Island, the strange thing is, even though the beaches are few and far between, there is a stretch of road called the Kohala Coast that is dotted with one fantastic beach after another. Obviously the beach you’ll spend the most time at will be the one next to your hotel or rental, and if you stayed at a Kohala Coast hotel you would only have to drive 15 minutes or so in either direction to reach some of the nicest beaches in all of Hawaii like Beach 69, Kaunaoa Beach, and Hapuna Beach. There’s also A-Bay (Anaehoomalu), and Spencers Beach. However, on the Big Island, the adventures will be a far, far drive from Kohala. Also, there are no local communities really on the Kohala Coast :). There’s some Hawaiian Homelands up North of Kawaihae, and Waikoloa Village and Waimea are pretty local and nice and laid-back, but they are up the mountain and not near the beaches.
Now Kauai is practically just one big beach, and the east side will be pretty local and laid-back with nice beaches and a short drive to anywhere.
I don’t know, I don’t think you can go wrong with what you want if you avoid Maui and Oahu. I stayed at the Waikoloa Marriott on the Big Island last weekend (October) for a mom’s weekend out and we were practically the only people around at the pool and the shops. A lot depends on when you go too.
The Big Island’s Kohala Coast Hotels - Expensive but Worth It
Filed under: Big Island, Big Island Areas, Big Island Hotels
Check Kohala Coast Hotels and Condos Prices and Availability
On the Big Island, the Kohala Coast is the most expensive and most luxurious area available with some of the nicest beaches in all of Hawaii. The coast itself is bordered by the Queen Kaahumanu (call it the Queen K) Highway and stretches from north of Kona to Kawaihae. It’s a road blasted through miles and miles of old lava. Some of the hotels were lucky enough to be placed on a little green oasis in all this lava with a natural beach. Some of the hotels blasted their own ground, shipped in a beach, and planted coconut trees that were already 20 feet high and grown on the Hilo side. Regardless, it almost never rains over here, but every hotel lawn is as green as a rain forest.
In my opinion, the best Kohala Coast Hotel is the Hilton Waikoloa Village - great for families and singles and romance and fun with waterslides, a tram, boats to take you to your room, and the dolphin quest program. This is barely a medium-snooty hotel, so if you want snootiness go to the Mauna Lani or the Fairmont or the Mauna Kea or the Four Seasons.
Kohala Coast Hotel Reviews
More Kohala Coast Hotel Reviews
Now, it’s hard to find Kohala Coast Hotels on the Internet, because if you don’t know the area you don’t know what to look for. Some online sites lump all these hotels under Waikoloa, but this is misleading, because even though a group of them have Waikoloa in the name, they really are several miles from Waikoloa Town. Waikoloa Town is no where near the water, so don’t expect a beach if you are actually staying in town. Some online booking and discount sites say these hotels are in Kamuela, but Kamuela is another name for Waimea, and Waimea is even farther away than Waikoloa, so I don’t know why they do that. In truth, no one city can be said to be near every Kohala Coast hotel.