North Kona is a wide expanse of plateaus, mountain slopes, vast lava flows and dry scrubland. In the northern area are the noted Kohala Coast resorts. South Kona is a mostly upslope district wrapping around the flanks of the towering volcano, Mauna Loa. Highway 11, the district's primary road, meanders from Kailua-Kona through upslope areas away from the rugged cliffs of the coast.

The famed Kona Coast covers about two-thirds of the western coastline of Hawaii Island — the perfect spot for spectacular sunsets. On the northern end of the Kona Coast is the town of Kailua-Kona, where many of the area's restaurants and tourist activities are clustered. North of Kailua-Kona, on the Kohala Coast, you'll find some of Hawaii's most luxurious resorts.

Kailua-Kona was once a small waterfront village with a historic royal palace and an even older sacred heiau (temple). A few shops, restaurants and dwellings lined the mauka (mountain) side of its main street. Condominiums, shopping malls and upscale homes now cling to the hillsides above the town. Although Kailua-Kona has become a bustling, growing town, some of its past has been preserved — you'll see it as you stroll along the edge of the bay.

You'll want at least two days to participate in Kailua-Kona's main offering — sportfishing — and to see the area's historical and cultural attractions. Watersports and diving are also popular activities. But perhaps the Kona Coast's biggest attraction is its reputation for fine, sunny weather — daytime temperatures average in the high 70s F/23-26 C year-round.

History
The Kona Coast is linked to important events in Hawaii's past. King Kamehameha was reputedly born near Kohala, on the northwest coast of the island. In his bid to become ruler of all of Hawaii, he built an enormous heiau, at what is now Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site, to honor and enlist the support of his war god. Capt. James Cook first set foot on Hawaii at Kealakekua Bay, south of Kailua-Kona, in 1778; he was killed there in an altercation with some Hawaiians in 1779.

Coffee trees were first brought to Hawaii in the early 1800s as ornamental plants. The first Christian missionaries to Hawaii followed, landing near Kailua-Kona in 1820. An American missionary later imported a coffea arabica cutting to Kona, where it flourished. Kona's very rich volcanic soil, higher upslope elevation, and consistent weather pattern of bright sunny mornings, afternoon cloud cover and ample rainfall furnished the right conditions for coffee to thrive. By the mid-1800s, coffee growing and milling was an established industry in Kona. A coffee-market crash in 1899 depressed the industry temporarily, but the hard work of many local Japanese families with small coffee farms kept it alive. The backbone of the coffee industry on the island is still the large number of small family-operated farms on the upland slopes of the Kona Coast.

Kailua-Kona remained a sleepy fishing village until the 1960s and '70s, when it was discovered as a tourist destination. With the rise of the Kohala Coast resorts in the 1980s, the character of the area changed dramatically and real-estate values have skyrocketed.

Nightlife
Although Kailua-Kona is known for its activities during the day, you can find good lounge music and other entertainment after sunset.

Many resort hotel lounges offer live music nightly. Try the Billfish Bar at King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel or the Windjammer Lounge at the Royal Kona Resort on Alii Drive. Elsewhere along the Kohala Coast, you'll find music and action at the Honu Bar in the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel, at the Paniolo Lounge in the Fairmont Orchid at Mauna Lani and also at the Clipper Lounge in the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort.

Amazing Attractions
Kailua-Kona lies at the base of 8,271-ft-/2,521-m-tall Mount Hualalai, where some of the town's residents still grow Kona coffee (and macadamia nuts, avocados and citrus fruit) on farms high on the cool mountain slopes. Modern shopping centers, huge discount warehouses, light industry and a slew of restaurants and modern shops line the streets to the east, north and south of downtown. North along the Kohala Coast are the luxury resorts, which are built upon volcanic flows. The resorts' lush tropical greenery and magnificent golf courses are startling oases amid the expanses of black and gray lava fields.

Downtown Kailua-Kona is geared toward tourists, with many T-shirt shops, boutiques, gift shops and restaurants. But it's still the sort of place you'll want to explore at a leisurely pace, stopping to browse in shops, peek into hotels and restaurants, and sip a cup of Kona coffee or an icy glass of tropical juice.

A major Kona landmark is King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, which is directly opposite the Kailua Pier. On the hotel grounds and immediately next to the pier are the thatch roofs of Kamakahonu, a re-created Hawaiian compound that includes Ahuena Heiau, a restored temple. Kailua-Kona's main street, Alii Drive, extends some 5 mi/8 km south to the Keauhou area. Along Alii Drive are historic sites, including the gracious, two-story Hulihee Palace at the water's edge and Mokuaikaua, a white-spired structure built of lava rock and coral that was the first Christian church in Hawaii. It's an easy 0.5-mi/0.8-km stroll south along Alii Drive to the Royal Kona Resort. Both sides of Alii Drive are lined with shops and restaurants, interspersed with churches and sites of historic interest.

A good way to cover Kona's historical sites is to take the 75-minute walking tour of Kailua Village conducted by the nonprofit Kona Historical Society. It includes Kailua-Kona's historic sites and Hulihee Palace.
• More Big Island attractions

Nature and history are intertwined at many of the area's parks. If you want to view the power of volcanoes up close, drive the 95 mi/155 km to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. You can visit a number of features, from craters and lava tubes to lava flows. Check at the visitors center for the current location of volcanic activity, which changes constantly.
• More about Volcanoes National Park

Dining
From fine Pacific Rim dishes served in grand hotel dining rooms to huli-huli chicken plate lunches on Alii Drive, Kona offers a variety of cuisines.
• Dining options

Weather
Expect dry, sunny days in Kona. The area receives as little as 15 in/38 cm of rainfall annually. The daytime temperature hardly varies throughout the year — on a typical day, the high will be 80 F/27 C. Nights are slightly cooler in the winter months (low 60s F/mid teens C) than during the rest of the year (mid-60s F/upper teens C).

Provided by Northstar Media