I travel 2 times in a 12 month period to Big Island. And I have figured out how to visit and travel affordably. Thank you for the info. Parking is my biggest gripe.
Not if you visit us! We have free parking at our condo community. Unless you plan to do a lot in Kona which we personally don't spend much time in when on the island.
Oneway Ali'i Drive should be tested for some time before making it permanent. How about repaving all of our streets? Ali'i Drive is a bumpy mess and hasn't been repaved since the sewers were done in the 90s. The number of retail vacancies at The Kona Inn Shopping Village tells you most of what you need to know about trying to have a small business in Kona. Maybe Kimo can help fix some of these issues. Once the mainland homeless catch wind that they can come here for an extended stay and then get free flights home we may get a rise in homeless being sent here. The volcano seems to be moving into something similar to the Mark Twain years. Might be this way for 100 years or so. Like the old paintings that used to be in the Volcano House.
Aloha @LavaPix..it was not my idea for the one way. A traffic study had been done and it was Ross Wilson, the Exec Dir of the Kailua Village Business District who brought that up in our solutions meeting at the public forum..the Mayor wanted to put that on his "items to consider" list and now I am hearing from our Council woman, that before that can be done, the business owners on Alii would be consulted and then it would go to the public for their thoughts, so its a while away from being tried...and they would probably do a 90 day test, too. But just repaving, could be great, but the Council is working on other solutions, too.
@365Hawaii, Yeah, I'm aware it's not your idea. This has been discussed for well over 10 years if not 20. Like many ideas here, it is discussed and forgotten, only to resurface years later.
I did not see anything about the massive unsightly waterfront power lines. I understand some of the issues with running powerlines on a volcano, but there must be some great ideas on how to reroute. The restaurants and business in downtown have insanely beautiful world class views, totally ruined by powerlines. I would think everyone must be thinking of solutions.
Making Ali'i a one way street is a terrible idea. They should make Kuakini double laned heading south through Hualalai road to decrease the back up at Henry Street where everyone tries to merge last minute.
I heard they had done a traffic study on that idea, and hence why the Mayor felt it could be implemented quickly. However, it can not..it would need to go to the business owners for input, then the public..so not going to happen fast.
My husband occasionally watches your videos with me, and asked "why don't they drop a pin and zoom in on whatever they're sharing?" Thought that was an excellent idea for you!!
10:25 - on real estate "limited supply always equals higher prices. Yet. 6:20 - airlines are "hahaha" because they ask more during times of high demand with a fixed supply. 1:00 - yet again with "why does (limited, in demand) parking cost so much!?" Love the channel and content, but a little tired of hearing about the illogical gripes on parking. Should land and housing be free? Just for cars?
Nope...and we certainly can't try and bring the cost of land and housing down, and we need managed parking, so not free, but not out of whack with what other cities charge for parking.
Can you please elaborate on your comment about homeless people being sent there from Anchorage? As in the city of Anchorage in Alaska? Who, why, how would pay for that? Much cheaper to send to them to Seattle. Certainly your new Mayor should have something to say about another city sending homeless people to your island.
At the Mayors luncheon on homelessness, the MAYOR told a group of members of the chamber of commerce that info. The new Mayor is hosting island wide public meetings, so we shall see what he plans on doing.
You asked the mayor to make Alii Drive a one-way street? Please don’t do that to us! That would be a nightmare for everyone who lives on Alii Drive. We all need to contact the mayor and let him know that this is a bad idea. Besides adding miles, gas-usage and time to what should be a simple trip, this idea could lead to accidents, injuries and worse. We would have to go up Luna Pule, and make a left across the highway. There is no light . Traffic would pile up, and there would be accidents. You are trading one problem for another.
@KonaSkies it was not my idea for the one way. A traffic study had been done and it was Ross Wilson, the Exec Dir of the Kailua Village Business District who brought that up in our solutions meeting at the public forum..the Mayor wanted to put that on his "items to consider" list and now I am hearing from our Council woman, that before that can be done, the business owners on Alii would be consulted and then it would go to the public for their thoughts, so its a while away from being tried...and they would probably do a 90 day test, too. The County Council is working on other solutions, too.
I was distracted when I wrote my original comment, so I’m just going to rewrite the whole thing now. Paid parking is a way of life here in Southern California and in Las Vegas. As a tourist, I don’t mind paying a few bucks to park. But the rates in downtown Kona are ridiculous. It would cost more to park for a couple of hours without validation in Kona than it does for me to park all day at Disneyland. A couple of hours of parking in Kona is more expensive than an entire days worth of parking in Santa Monica, Long Beach, etc. Even on Oahu, I haven’t experienced paid parking that is anywhere near what the parking lots in Kona want. When it comes to hotels, it seems to be a big island issue with exorbitant pricing. We used to go to the big island annually before Covid. In 2019 we spent about $120 a night at the Sheraton (now outrigger). In 2021 we stayed at some condos (NOT Airbnb) for about the same price. In 2022 when we were pricing trips, after Outrigger bought the Sheraton, the price had already more than doubled. It ended up being cheaper for us to go to Oahu. For the same dates, rental car, flights, etc, we spent several hundred less than if we had taken our usual trip to the big island. In 2023 it was several hundred cheaper to go to Kauai versus the big island. Same length, same time of year, rental, etc. in 2024 it ass $1,000 cheaper to go back to the Hyatt regency in Waikiki than go to Outrigger and $500 cheaper than the royal Kona. Comparing our Oahu costs from 2022 to 2024 it was roughly the same for the flight, hotel, and car. Parking, food, etc were a couple dollars more here and there. But nothing ridiculous like the pricing on the big island. Basically, last year, when we were pricing Oahu versus the big island, we spent $3400 to go to Oahu. It would have been $3900 to go to the Royal Kona or almost $4500 to stay at the outrigger like we used to. Big Island hotels are pricing themselves out of the market and that’s why big island tourism is down more than the other islands. I would LOVE to go back. Punalu’u beach is my literal favorite place in the world. But if I can go to Oahu or Kauai cheaper, why wouldn’t I? Especially when Kauai is ridiculously beautiful. Hanalei town and the whole north shore of Kauai are almost like a totally different planet. Haleiwa and the whole north shore of Oahu have a lot to offer too. It’s hard to argue which is the better value here when comparing those two to the big island
100% agree. We used to be regulars but are choosing to go elsewhere. We just can’t justify the cost anymore. And with the Canadian dollar as weak as it’s been in a long time, I expect many other Canadians will do the same.
Kailua downtown is shabby, it looks awful, run down, in need of major renovation. The Kona Inn is a fire waiting to happen. The wiring was scary in the nineties when I worked there. The Gertrudes building? The dance floor is ready to collapse and the building across from the pier with the upstairs restaurant... The steel girders holding it up are spalling badly and are very weak, I worked there in the nineties and later as well. Kailua, does anyone have any paint?
$1800 per person for a flight? That's a first class ticket. it feels a bit irresponsible to put that number out there when even at the height of tourism season its not $1800 per person for an economy height. Most people are not flying first class.
I travel 2 times in a 12 month period to Big Island. And I have figured out how to visit and travel affordably. Thank you for the info. Parking is my biggest gripe.
Not if you visit us! We have free parking at our condo community. Unless you plan to do a lot in Kona which we personally don't spend much time in when on the island.
Glad you found some affordable ways to enjoy the island!
Happy New Year, and bless you two for all you do.❤
Thank you and to you, as well!
Thanks guys. Great info for those of us planning to travel there.❤
We’re glad you found it helpful!
Another great video! Thanks for all you do.
Mahalo for watching!
Another great video! Mahalo 🌺
Mahalo for the love!
Oneway Ali'i Drive should be tested for some time before making it permanent. How about repaving all of our streets? Ali'i Drive is a bumpy mess and hasn't been repaved since the sewers were done in the 90s. The number of retail vacancies at The Kona Inn Shopping Village tells you most of what you need to know about trying to have a small business in Kona. Maybe Kimo can help fix some of these issues.
Once the mainland homeless catch wind that they can come here for an extended stay and then get free flights home we may get a rise in homeless being sent here.
The volcano seems to be moving into something similar to the Mark Twain years. Might be this way for 100 years or so. Like the old paintings that used to be in the Volcano House.
Aloha @LavaPix..it was not my idea for the one way. A traffic study had been done and it was Ross Wilson, the Exec Dir of the Kailua Village Business District who brought that up in our solutions meeting at the public forum..the Mayor wanted to put that on his "items to consider" list and now I am hearing from our Council woman, that before that can be done, the business owners on Alii would be consulted and then it would go to the public for their thoughts, so its a while away from being tried...and they would probably do a 90 day test, too. But just repaving, could be great, but the Council is working on other solutions, too.
@365Hawaii, Yeah, I'm aware it's not your idea. This has been discussed for well over 10 years if not 20. Like many ideas here, it is discussed and forgotten, only to resurface years later.
What a great video, with lots of information. Thank you for keeping us updated.
I'm glad you found it helpful!
I did not see anything about the massive unsightly waterfront power lines. I understand some of the issues with running powerlines on a volcano, but there must be some great ideas on how to reroute. The restaurants and business in downtown have insanely beautiful world class views, totally ruined by powerlines. I would think everyone must be thinking of solutions.
All of Ali'i Drive. It could be underground from Kuakini to Ali'i Drive in town. The paid parking could pay for it 🙂
The cost to bury those lines..tearing up Alii Drive..I am sure it has come up, but it would be a VERY big deal to do that.
Making Ali'i a one way street is a terrible idea.
They should make Kuakini double laned heading south through Hualalai road to decrease the back up at Henry Street where everyone tries to merge last minute.
I heard they had done a traffic study on that idea, and hence why the Mayor felt it could be implemented quickly. However, it can not..it would need to go to the business owners for input, then the public..so not going to happen fast.
HOA insurance helped increase costs. At KCV, we saw a 600% increase in our HOA insurance policy. That caused monthly HOA dues to double
It has been a barrier for many to purchase the condos when they have to deal with those higher HOA's now.
My husband occasionally watches your videos with me, and asked "why don't they drop a pin and zoom in on whatever they're sharing?" Thought that was an excellent idea for you!!
Show location on map!!!!
That’s a great idea! We’ll try that out.
The Trader Vics restaurant website says they are planning on opening a place on the BI. Anyone heard about this?
No, I have not! That would be fun
10:25 - on real estate "limited supply always equals higher prices. Yet.
6:20 - airlines are "hahaha" because they ask more during times of high demand with a fixed supply.
1:00 - yet again with "why does (limited, in demand) parking cost so much!?"
Love the channel and content, but a little tired of hearing about the illogical gripes on parking. Should land and housing be free? Just for cars?
Nope...and we certainly can't try and bring the cost of land and housing down, and we need managed parking, so not free, but not out of whack with what other cities charge for parking.
What’s the story with Anchorage sending their homeless to the islands? Hadn’t heard about that.
Send me!
I'm glad someone else heard that
Can you please elaborate on your comment about homeless people being sent there from Anchorage? As in the city of Anchorage in Alaska? Who, why, how would pay for that? Much cheaper to send to them to Seattle. Certainly your new Mayor should have something to say about another city sending homeless people to your island.
At the Mayors luncheon on homelessness, the MAYOR told a group of members of the chamber of commerce that info. The new Mayor is hosting island wide public meetings, so we shall see what he plans on doing.
You asked the mayor to make Alii Drive a one-way street? Please don’t do that to us! That would be a nightmare for everyone who lives on Alii Drive. We all need to contact the mayor and let him know that this is a bad idea. Besides adding miles, gas-usage and time to what should be a simple trip, this idea could lead to accidents, injuries and worse. We would have to go up Luna Pule, and make a left across the highway. There is no light . Traffic would pile up, and there would be accidents. You are trading one problem for another.
@KonaSkies it was not my idea for the one way. A traffic study had been done and it was Ross Wilson, the Exec Dir of the Kailua Village Business District who brought that up in our solutions meeting at the public forum..the Mayor wanted to put that on his "items to consider" list and now I am hearing from our Council woman, that before that can be done, the business owners on Alii would be consulted and then it would go to the public for their thoughts, so its a while away from being tried...and they would probably do a 90 day test, too. The County Council is working on other solutions, too.
Well that’s better news. Thanks for your quick response. Hopefully they won’t actually do this. Thank you.
I was distracted when I wrote my original comment, so I’m just going to rewrite the whole thing now.
Paid parking is a way of life here in Southern California and in Las Vegas. As a tourist, I don’t mind paying a few bucks to park. But the rates in downtown Kona are ridiculous. It would cost more to park for a couple of hours without validation in Kona than it does for me to park all day at Disneyland. A couple of hours of parking in Kona is more expensive than an entire days worth of parking in Santa Monica, Long Beach, etc. Even on Oahu, I haven’t experienced paid parking that is anywhere near what the parking lots in Kona want.
When it comes to hotels, it seems to be a big island issue with exorbitant pricing. We used to go to the big island annually before Covid. In 2019 we spent about $120 a night at the Sheraton (now outrigger). In 2021 we stayed at some condos (NOT Airbnb) for about the same price. In 2022 when we were pricing trips, after Outrigger bought the Sheraton, the price had already more than doubled. It ended up being cheaper for us to go to Oahu. For the same dates, rental car, flights, etc, we spent several hundred less than if we had taken our usual trip to the big island. In 2023 it was several hundred cheaper to go to Kauai versus the big island. Same length, same time of year, rental, etc. in 2024 it ass $1,000 cheaper to go back to the Hyatt regency in Waikiki than go to Outrigger and $500 cheaper than the royal Kona. Comparing our Oahu costs from 2022 to 2024 it was roughly the same for the flight, hotel, and car. Parking, food, etc were a couple dollars more here and there. But nothing ridiculous like the pricing on the big island.
Basically, last year, when we were pricing Oahu versus the big island, we spent $3400 to go to Oahu. It would have been $3900 to go to the Royal Kona or almost $4500 to stay at the outrigger like we used to.
Big Island hotels are pricing themselves out of the market and that’s why big island tourism is down more than the other islands. I would LOVE to go back. Punalu’u beach is my literal favorite place in the world. But if I can go to Oahu or Kauai cheaper, why wouldn’t I? Especially when Kauai is ridiculously beautiful. Hanalei town and the whole north shore of Kauai are almost like a totally different planet. Haleiwa and the whole north shore of Oahu have a lot to offer too. It’s hard to argue which is the better value here when comparing those two to the big island
100% agree. We used to be regulars but are choosing to go elsewhere. We just can’t justify the cost anymore. And with the Canadian dollar as weak as it’s been in a long time, I expect many other Canadians will do the same.
That is what we are hearing, too, about the Canadians..and well, any visitor who doesn't want to pay the fees.
Kailua downtown is shabby, it looks awful, run down, in need of major renovation. The Kona Inn is a fire waiting to happen. The wiring was scary in the nineties when I worked there. The Gertrudes building? The dance floor is ready to collapse and the building across from the pier with the upstairs restaurant... The steel girders holding it up are spalling badly and are very weak, I worked there in the nineties and later as well. Kailua, does anyone have any paint?
Don't get me started. The landlords should/could be doing something more.
$1800 per person for a flight? That's a first class ticket. it feels a bit irresponsible to put that number out there when even at the height of tourism season its not $1800 per person for an economy height. Most people are not flying first class.
We meant to say $1100 per person and that was NOT first class. But the fare WOULD be more if you want leg room and choose your seats, and luggage..