Hawaii Vacation Rentals ~ Big Island Vacation Rentals

Aloha Vacation Cottages


Big Island Visitors' Information - Kohala Coast Restaurants

When the sun goes down and you are thinking of dinner, with our fully equipped kitchens including barbeques, you can stay home and cook what you like. However, being on vacation why cook when you can eat out, within five minute driving time to fine and casual dining in Waimea town or ten minute driving to Kawaihae with Kawaihae Harbor Grill, Café Pesto or Seafood Bar we have an outstanding array of food to satisfy your pallet and your wallet. We provide sample menus from all the local restaurants.

Within a two mile stretch beginning on Kawaihae Road (Hwy 19) to the west and ending on Mamaloha Hwy (also Hwy 19) to the east you will find more places to indulge your taste buds and satisfy your hunger than anywhere on the island, eateries of gastronomic delight to just filling the tank. I’m not attempting to tell you what to eat or where to eat, only what is available. Let's begin the tour in the west.

Coming into town on your left hand side is Opelo Plaza, with two dining establishments. Merriman’s is probably the most well known of our fine dining restaurants and perhaps the finest Pacific Rim Cuisine on the island, open lunch and dinner. Then tucked in the back of the plaza is Aoli’s, serving a variety of entrées where you will need a reservation, as the seating is limited. You can bring your own bottle of your favorite wine or beer. Across the highway is Opelo Corner where you can find Zappa’s Pizza and stuff. Continuing east, on the same side, we come to Edelweiss, a popular German restaurant serving lunch and dinner…Bratwurst w/ Sauerkraut or Schnitzel and a great German Beer! Over the years, Edelweiss has extended their menu with fresh island fish dishes. Let’s jump across the highway at this point where you will find Hawaiian Style Café, where for breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner you can get choke (lots) of down home cooking local kine food. Whoops, gotta jump back across the highway (watch the traffic). Just a little further east, we come to Daniel Thiebaut’s located in the refurbished Chock Inn and serving steak, fish and French cuisine. Further east and jumping back across the highway where it curves to the right is one of our older restaurants, the Paniola Country Inn, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a good variety. Well that pretty much covers Kawaihae Road, now we turn left at the signal and continue east on Mamaloha Hwy.

The highway in this part of town is four lanes and harder to cross so lets cover the right side first. Just after turning left make a right turn into Parker Ranch shopping center. Lets start on the far right hand side, deli take out and outside tables are available at Healthways (across from the Post Office), our local health food store. Heading east is the food court, which is still not fully rented yet. At this writing, two places are open, Don’s Pake Kitchen (Chinese food ) and Dairy Queen. If you drive around the back of the shopping center you find The Juice Shack, serving a breakfast and lunch of great sandwiches, salads and smoothies. Lets come back around the front of the center. Here you will find Starbuck’s, if you don’t know what they serve you are probably not a coffee drinker. Continuing east we come to the deli inside Foodland market with a large variety of takeout plates. A couple doors east again is KFC what can I say everyone knows those initials. Well that pretty much covers the Parker Ranch Center for food.

Exit Parker Ranch center and turn left at McDonald’s and turn immediately right into the small parking area for Maha’s Café with nice fresh sandwiches. You are now in the KTA Shopping Center, just east of KTA center you will see the Waimea Ranch House featuring mainly Italian cuisine. Within the shopping center itself starting on the right side, you can choose from such establishments as the Kamuela Deli w/ plate lunches and burgers, Greatwall Chinese food, Young’s Kalbi Korean food or our brand-new Charlie’s Thai restaurant, which is one of our favorites (you can bring your own beer or wine!).

Further along you will come to Morrelli’s Pizza and Subways, finally we end our tour at KTA Supermarket, where you get a variety of foods for take out. I count 27 places within a two mile area, enough to satisfy most everyone’s taste and budget. Happy eating!

Kawaihae Restaurants
Coming into Kawaihae the first of the restaurants is Blue Dolphin Restaurant with live-music Fridays and Saturdays. Next one in the row is the new Seafood Bar Kawaihae Harbor Grill and The Seafood Bar with innovative light dining, exotic and tropical drinks and atmosphere. Next to it, you find Kawaihae Harbor Grill. It has been serving the Big Island since 1995. The menu has something for everyone (our favorite is the Pupu Platter). When you follow the road straight to the end, there is Cafe Pesto (another one is in Hilo's King Kamehameha Ave) with great pizzas, pastas and fresh island fish and seafood dishes. In the same building but upstairs, Tres Sombres offers Mexican food but also steak and seafood. Kawaihae Market & Deli and gas station offer sandwiches and sodas. Tip from us: right across from the building, on the other side of Hwy 270, you can buy fresh fish daily at the local Fish market. Kawaihae Fish Market is open daily Mo - Sat 9am - 5pm.

Here is another insider tip from your hosts at Aloha Vacation Cottages. Try Bamboo Restaurant with fresh island style cuisine, located in historic Hawi town, North Kohala, Big Island, just a 30-minute drive from our Big Island vacation rentals. In addition to some extraordinary island food, special old Hawaiian style ambience, you can enjoy live Hawaiian slack-key guitar music of John Keawe. Hawi is John's home town and Bamboo Restaurant is his home place. John plays twice a month. Call Bamboo Restaurant for his schedule 889-5555 or go to his calendar on his website to find out about other Big Island places where John regularly performs. Food at the Bamboo Restaurant is most delicious like at any fine dining place at the Kohala Coast plus one can choose between a petite portion or the regular entre size.

Dining on the Kohala Coast
The Kohala Coast resorts and hotels offer some of the finest cuisine in the world. The many choices of fresh island seafood combined with fresh island tropical fruits and vegetables are amazing.

Mauna Kea Beach Resort
Fine dining is available at The Batik (Mauna Kea Beach Hotel) or the Coast Grille (at Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel). The Golf clubhouses, the ocean front Hau Tree at Mauna Kea and the pool side restaurant at Hapuna offer lunch options. Open air restaurants Ocean Terrace at Hapuna and the Pavilion at Manta Ray Point at Mauna Kea are great breakfast choices. As the sun goes down, enjoy dining at the Pavilion, overlooking Kauna`oa Bay. Just walk down the stairs to the Manta Ray Lookout and watch the graceful Manta Rays having their dinner of plankton. Mauna Kea’s Pavilion at Manta Ray Lookout offers Mondays through Fridays an early bird special dinner at $26 - $28 per person (includes appetizer and dessert). A Sunday Brunch at Mauna Kea’s Terrace Restaurant or a Tuesday evening luau are also available. More about dining at Mauna Kea Beach Resort More about dining at Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel

The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii
The Fairmont Orchid offers Big Island visitors a wide array of restaurants from fine dining to casual take-out: Brown’s Beach House; The Grill; traditional Japanese delicacies at the new Norio''s Sushi Bar & Restaurant, take-out dining at the new Brown's Deli, The Fairmont Orchid Polo Bar and Paniolo Lounge, the new Kahakai (Beach) Bar just steps from the beach, the poolside Ocean Bar; The Grill Lounge; The Sunset Terrace adjacent to the lobby; and the Kohala Coffee Company, a gourmet coffee bar located on The Sunset Terrace. Live Hawaiian music & hula dancer nightly at Brown’s Beach House and The Grill. More about dining at Fairmont Mauna Lani, Hawaii

Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows
Five restaurants offer a variety of cuisine at Mauna Lani. The Bay Terrace is open for breakfast and dinner. Poolside Ocean Grill serves fresh fish, sandwiches, burgers, salads and pizza. The famous Canoe House at Mauna Lani serves Pacific Asian cuisine in an oceanfront setting. A great place for lunch and dinner is the Gallery Restaurant, overlooking the Mauna Lani golf course and the Kohala Coast. At the Honu Bar, wines, cocktails, coffees and incredible liquors accompany a selection of sushi and sashimi.

Hilton Waikoloa Village
Nine distinct restaurants and lounges at Hilton Waikoloa Village offer a wide a variety food and cuisines, from fine dining to casual settings. Check all the different options and find your favorite Hilton Waikoloa Village restaurant for your Big Island visit

Waikoloa Beach Marriott
Fresh, Big Island produce is featured in both American and Pacific Rim styles at Hawaii Calls Restaurant. This open-air restaurant is available for breakfast and dinner. Nalu’s Bar and Grill, poolside, is Waikoloa Beach’s lunch stop with a variety of sandwiches, salads and tropical drinks through sunset. A light bistro menu is offered at the Clipper Lounge, along with live entertainment nightly. On Wednesday and Sunday evenings guests are invited to a royal luau that offers the flavors, music and dances of the islands. See below contact info for luau reservations under Kohala Coast luaus.

Kohala Coast Luaus

We list the luau places on the Kohala Coast according to their distance to our vacation cottages starting with the closest one.

MAUNA KEA BEACH HOTEL
62-100 Mauna Kea Beach Drive
Kamuela, HI 96743
(South Kohala District)
Tel. (808) 882-7222
Tuesdays. $75/adult. Grounds are near the water.

MARRIOTT (was OUTRIGGER) WAIKOLOA BEACH
69-275 Waikoloa Beach Drive
Kamuela, HI 96743
(South Kohala District)
Tel. (808) 886-6789
Wednesdays & Sundays. $62/adult. Located adjacent to the fishponds at Anaehoomalu Bay.

HILTON WAIKOLOA VILLAGE
425 Waikoloa Beach Drive
Waikoloa, HI 96738
(South Kohala District)
Tel. (808) 886-1234
Tuesdays and Fridays. $72/adult. "Legends of the Pacific" including sumptuous buffet.

If you don't mind driving some longer distance, here are your options for the Kona Coast.

KONA VILLAGE RESORT
Queen Kaahumanu Highway
Kalaoa, HI 96740
(North Kona District)
Tel. (808) 325-5555
Fridays. $76/adult. One of the most expensive luaus on the island - but well worth the price!

KING KAMEHAMEHA'S KONA BEACH HOTEL
75-5660 Palani Road
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
(North Kona District)
Tel. (808) 326-4969
Sun, Tue, Wed, Thur. $59/adult, $24/child under 12. On the beach - Hawaiian Royal Court arrives by canoe.

ROYAL KONA RESORT
75 - 5852 Alii Drive
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
(North Kona District)
Tel. (808) 329-3111
Mon Wed Fri. $59/adult. Great location - right next to the water.