Hi there,

Would anyone recommend staying in Puako on the BI in June? I can't convince myself that I want to stay in a resort.

Is the Kona area more desirable, or is it much too crowded?

Does anyone strongly recommend a resort?

My husband and I will be spending three weeks in Hawaii, ending our trip on the Big Island. We're spending a few days at the Waikiki Mariott, renting a house in Hanalei on Kauai for a a little over week and then moving on to BI.

Is there a resort in Puako? I don't recall anything that one would consider a resort. I recall condos and homes.

Are you maybe thinking of Hapuna or Waikoloa?

Puako is a lovely community and as Marginal said there are homes and condos. Be aware that most of them are not air-conditioned so if that is important to you, re-consider a resort. We always stay at the Hapuna which is a short distance from Puako and we often go to just sit on the beach and chill out. It is very quiet.

We stayed in the one and only condo building in Puako last September, and liked it very much. The building is only 4 stories and we stayed on the top floor, $180/night for 2 bedrooms I think it was. Had a nice deck with BBQ and a view over neighboring rooftops. The building was from the '60s and a bit aged, but OK. No AC but a stiff breeze, perfectly comfortable. With this building, the higher the floor the better, or your balcony will be looking over the parking lot.

We rented from this company, they were fine:

http://www.hawaiioceanfront.com/

There are many rental houses, $250 a night or so and up. Puako is just a quiet little neighborhood with one dead end street,very peaceful. Excellent snorkeling and lots of turtles, the ocean access is rocky, but you are just about a mile from Hapuna and the gorgeous sand there.

We stayed at a great house directly on the water in Puako a couple of years ago, and are going to be there again next month. The view takes your breath away (one afternoon we sat on our lanai and watched whales breaching for hours, maybe 200-300 yards directly in front of us!). The beach in front is rocky, but there are good accesses into the water at intervals up and down the road. Check it out: http://www.letsgohawaii.com/v-rental...wai/index.html