Driving from the Kona airport to Hapuna Beach it looks like there are two routes that might be taken. One goes up the coast (Hwy 19?) and the other goes inland and upcountry (Hwy 190?). On the latter route, it looks like you can cut over through Waikoloa and get to the Hapuna Beach Prince Resort that way. Which would be most scenic? Seeing the views of the coast from the inland route looks appealing. Would it add quite a bit of time to the trip? We'll be getting to the airport about 1:30 pm. Mahalo!

Though more congested in our experience, 19 offers the better view of white rock/lava graffiti and some near KOA.

Hwy 190 offers closer views of some neat cinder cones, but other than that the landscape is lava flow -- just like Hwy 19. 190 takes you into Waimea, which adds about 20-25 minutes from KOA to Hapuna.

Thanks. Sounds like I need to stick to 19. Isn't there a road that heads upland from 19 toward the coffee farms and affords a nice view of the coast? Seems like I read about it in Big Island Revealed - but it's probably a good ways out of the way...

Maybe you're thinking of Hwy 250, which runs from 19 just west of Waimea to Hwy 270 at Hawi, on the northwest coast. It's a very scenic drive and offers some great coastal views, but I don't remember seeing any coffee farms along the road. Most coffee (and mac nut) farms on the island are in South Kona.

I'll look it up. I remember it as branching off from 190 and curving all zig-zaggy upland, so it is in South Kona. The author mentioned it provides coastal views of the Kona area.

Now I see that the authors were talking about the drive to the "Cloud Forest" on the slopes of Hualalai. This might be better done the morning before departure rather than upon arrival. It looks close to the airport but not sure how long that windy road would take. Has anyone done this?