Mele Kalikimaka! Many of you may be familiar with the phrase from Bing Crosby’s famous 1950 recording of the Hawaiian-themed Christmas song; But Christmas has a long history in the islands and has always been a natural fit since it takes place during the Makahiki, the Hawaiians’ traditional season of peace, gathering, and thanksgiving. King …
Read More
Posts Categorized: Hawaii Travel
Kona Coffee Cultural Festival 2017
All along the slopes around the Holualoa Inn, coffee trees are bowed by the weight of the green coffee “cherries” growing on their branches. Several weeks ago, the last of the gardenia-scented coffee blossoms dropped to the ground, blanketing the coffee-growing region in what is known as “Kona snow.” In several weeks’ time the first …
Read More
Two Cultural Festivals Showcase Big Island Heritage
Everyone has, at the very least, a general familiarity with Hawaiian culture. The flower necklaces called leis, for example, are known worldwide and might bring to mind warm welcomes in a tropical paradise of swaying palms and Pacific sunshine. Hula dancing is also a well-known practice, one which many visitors are introduced to during the …
Read More
Top 10 Animal Adventures on the Big Island – By Land
As we mentioned last week, the Big Island of Hawai’i is home to eleven of the world’s thirteen climate zone types, creating a paradise both for the creatures that inhabit them and animal lovers from around the world who come to witness the Big Island’s natural wonders. This is the second part of our series, offering …
Read More
Top 10 Animal Adventures on the Big Island – By Sea
Thousands of miles away from any other land source, the Hawaiian Islands are a gem in the middle of the Pacific home to an incredible array of animals. Green Sea Turtles are iconic in the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii is the only place these turtles are known to come ashore to bask in the Pacific sun. …
Read More
Holualoa Inn Reviews
As a recipient of Fodor’s 2014 Hotel Award, BedandBreakfast.com’s Top 10 Luxurious B&B’s, and recurring Certificate of Excellence winner on TripAdvisor, we know we’re doing something right. We have even received recognition from Men’s Health, SFGate, Sunset, USA Today, National Geographic, Frommer’s, Lonely Planet, Huff Post, Trivago, Wedding Wire, Culture Trip, and many more. But it …
Read More
Hawaii’s Other Whales
Each December in Hawaii, the headline “The Whales are Here!” rapidly spreads across the internet, through blogs, onto the front pages of our newspapers, and into local talk story. The beginning of whale season eclipses the other spectacular events that occur around the same time, such as the first snows on the Big Island’s Mauna …
Read More

Top 5 Dives in Kona
The waters off the Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawai’i are renowned by divers for their excellent visibility and the abundance of coral and marine life found just offshore. The possibilities for dives sites are endless, and it was very difficult to choose which five would make it onto this list. Here are …
Read More