On our honeymoon, my husband and I were lucky enough to have enough money to stay in the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. The next year we went back to the Big Island for our anniversary and had to stay within a budget. I booked a trip for roughly 1500.00 that was prepaid through www.hawaiivacationparadise.com; it included airfare, hotel and our rental car. For this budget price, we knew we would have to sacrifice quality in our hotel, and ended up booking Uncle Billy's Kona Beach Hotel.
Uncle Billy's was almost as bad as the name implies. The rooms were clean, but very simple, and run down looking. The biggest drawback was the lack of proximity to the Kohala coast; it was about an hour away. We found we were spending all our money on gas going to our favorite area. We also found Uncle Billy's a little less than romantic for the night of our anniversary. Since everything was already paid for, we figured we'd look around and see if there were any reasonably priced hotels closer to Kohala.
On a day trip to our favorite town, Hawi, we stumbled upon the Kohala Village Inn across from the famous Bamboo restaurant. We decided to walk in and check it out. A myriad of cats greeted us at the door, and we walked in the lobby to discover a quaint welcoming atmosphere. We explained our situation to the manager, about how we were unhappy in Kona, looking for an inexpensive but romantic room. She happily showed us their least expensive room, for just seventy-five dollars a night.
When we walked into the room, we were greeted a warm taste of that "Old Hawaii" feel. It was clean, romantic and reminded me of a comfy guest room at a friend's house. We were very surprised and pleased at the quality of the room for a mere seventy-five dollars. It was much nicer than our bland, prison walled room over at Uncle Billy's. We happily booked the room for two nights.
The convenience of the location was amazing. Kohala Village Inn is located just seventeen miles from Hapuna Beach. This allowed us quick access to the most beautiful beach on the island, and the lounge at the Hapuna Beach Prince. The Kohala Village Inn's prime location made us feel smart that for not having to pay Hapuna Beach Prince Resort prices to enjoy all the great amenities that the resort offered. We were able to relax and sip away on our Tropical Sunburn cocktails in full enjoyment. As we watched the live band, we almost forgot we weren't staying at the Hapuna Beach Prince. We now know where to stay every time we return to the Big Island of Hawaii. The Kohala Village Inn is the Big Island's best hotel steal and we can't wait to return!
