21 Reasons to Visit Waikoloa: Best Things to See and Do

8. Dolphin Quest

Within the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort is Dolphin Quest, a hands-on dolphin interaction. 

You’ll spend 30-45min interacting with dolphins overseen by a marine mammal specialist, swimming with dolphins below or beside you (bringing goggles is encouraged to watch them in action underwater), and getting your memento dolphin photo session. 

Choose from different programs for kids 2+, kids only, or whole families in small group settings of 6ppl max. Or upgrade to the Marine Mammal Trainer for a Day. 

9. Waikoloa Luxury Cinemas

While going to the movie theater isn’t a top Hawaiian attraction, if it’s a rainy day, going to Waikoloa Luxury Cinemas may not be a bad option. 

Reserve your assigned luxury loveseat with removable armrests and order from a full service bar/bistro to have your food and drink delivered to your seat while you watch the latest blockbuster film. See what’s playing here.   

10. Queens Marketplace/Kings Shops

If you need to do some shopping therapy while on vacation, Waikoloa is the place to do it. 

Queens Marketplace and Kings’ Shops are two outdoor malls along Waikoloa Beach Drive, offering a mix of over 70 stores, galleries, and eateries.

Queens Marketplace features more chain stores and restaurants like PacSun, Crocs, Volcom, and Sunglass Hut.

Kings’ Shops leans more boutique-y, with art galleries and island-chic fashion.

Kings Shops hosts a farmers market, night market, and free hula performances throughout the week.  

11. Kuleana Rum Shack

Kuleana Rum Shack isn’t just a restaurant and bar serving delicious food Asian/Hawaiian fusion plates with rum-based sauces and my favorite Mai Tais on the island, they also offers a variety of rummy tours:

• Guided rum tasting class – sample four of their rums, learn the “Four Rules of Rum,” discover how it’s made, and pick up tips for your next rum purchase. 
• Mai Tai class – start with a tasting of their award-winning rums and then master the art of crafting the perfect Mai Tai. 
• Farm-to-glass tour – begin on their 44-acre Hawaiian sugarcane farm, explore the distillery, and finish with tastings in the Tasting Room.

12. Biking

The Big Island is home to the Ironman World Championship Triathlon and the biking portion passes right by Waikoloa on Hwy 19. 

Whether you want to cruise the beach resort roads, tackle the Ironman route, or mountain bike up Mauna Kea, Bikeworks Beach and Sports will hook you up with different rental bike choices:

• Cruiser bike
• Sport road bike
• Gravel bike 
• Carbon bike 
• Electric bike
• Hybrid bike
• Triathlon bike

13. Golfing

Waikoloa is home to two world-class championship golf courses, offering oceanfront and lava field views, challenging layouts, and exceptional playing conditions for golf enthusiasts.

• Mauna Lani Golf – two courses totaling 36 holes, has challenged the best (Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Lee Trevino) with one of the most photographed over-the-water holes at and a hole tucked into a natural lava amphitheater
• Waikoloa Beach Resort Golf – Golfers can choose between 3 courses to mix ‘n match in a build-your-own-course fashion; it’s “Hawaii’s premiere 27-hole golf experience”. 

14. Lava Lava Beach Club

Everyone’s favorite go-to spot for a sand-on-your-toes/beachfront sunset view restaurant is Lava Lava Beach Club, so I feel like I need to put it on the list. 

Expect a long wait to be seated, especially for dinner. (First come, first served; no reservations)

💁‍♀️ Tab’s Trip Tip: If you go between lunch and dinner you will likely be able to be seated right away.

An entertainment lawn is set up as a waiting area if it’s busy and you have to wait. But they have lots of lawn games and a spiffed up VW van bar for a pre-game drink to keep you distracted.

The most popular seating request is on the beach sand under the palm trees. If these tables are full or perhaps you don’t care about the sand, they have many other covered seats with the same ocean view. 

I know I’m in the minority, but frankly I was disappointed with Lava Lava’s food and drinks. My mai tai was pretty tasteless, and I’m not the first person to have said it. The food was fine, nothing wrong, just no wow-factor. 

You are definitely paying for the venue and not for the food quality, imo.

15. Shave Ice

If you are looking for ice-cream-smooth shave ice with housemade real fruit syrups then look no further than the Original Big Island Shave Ice Co. 

With a menu of 30 syrup flavors and 20 topping choices, choosing your combination can get overwhelming. They simplify it for you by having a Specialties menu with pictures for reference. 

Expect long lines to order their gaudy ice mound creations. But don’t worry, it’s worth it! 

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Waikoloa Historical & Natural Sites

16. Beaches

Beach bumming is probably one of the most popular Waikoloa activities. And there’s plenty of beach to be had!

• Anaeho’omalu Bay Beach (A-Bay)/Waikoloa Beach – a 0.25-mile stretch of white sand (well, technically salt and pepper) and a palm grove; water rentals available onsite; Lava Lava Beach Club and Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort.

• 49 Black Sand Beach – the Kohala Coast’s only black sand beach (well, technically a salt and pepper beach), offering amazing snorkeling and clear waters, but heads up—parking is super limited behind a gated community, so get there early! Get more details here.
• Makaiwa Bay Beach – a small cove with white sand and great snorkeling, accessible to the public either through Mauna Lani Resort or via a 0.75-mile hike from Kalahuipua’a Historic Park; water rentals, lessons, and tours available onsite
• Holoholokai Beach Park – isn’t your typical beach as it’s made up of coral and lava rocks; tidepools to explore; trail leads to the Fairmont Orchid

17. Petroglyphs

Petroglyphs are ancient rock carvings created by the early Native Hawaiians found on lava rocks throughout the island. These carvings come in a variety of symbols, including human figures, animals, plant life, and geometric shapes and their meanings are not fully known.

Waikoloa Petroglyph Reserve

Behind the Kings Shops and adjacent to King’s Golf Course is Waikoloa Petroglyph Reserve. This century old petroglyph field has about 30,000 carvings strewn all over the field. 

📍 To access this field of stone carvings, park next to the Shell gas station in the Kings Shops parking lot then follow the sidewalk along Pohakulana Pl until it dead ends at the field. 

It’s best to visit during early morning or late afternoon light when the sun is at a lower angle which enhances the carvings’ shadows. During “high noon” the petroglyphs appear faint and washed out. And don’t even think about visiting them at night with a flashlight, they will seem to disappear completely.

💁‍♀️ Tab’s Trip Tip: I tend to get heatstroke-y out there, so be sure to stay hydrated and wear sun protection.

Puako Petroglyph Archeological Preserve

Next door to the Fairmont Orchid is the Puako Petroglyphs, my favorite petroglyph field in Waikoloa. Park at the Holoholokai Beach parking lot and walk the .75-miles through a kiawe forest until you reach the field. 

If you visited the Waikoloa Petroglyphs, you’ll notice that Puako has many more human symbols. Perhaps this field was used for census taking, as the human figures seem to cluster into family units. 

Circumference the field (never walking on the field or carvings), and enjoy different vantage points. This 233-acre preserve contains over 3,000 carvings (only 1,200 visible in this public viewing area) dating back to 1200AD.

18. Kalahuipua’a Historic Park

Adjacent to the Mauna Lani resort is a 1.5-mile stroll through Kalahuipua’a Historic Park, a lava field and winding paths around ancient freshwater ponds full of…wait for it…jumping fish! I really enjoy walking around this area.

Use the small, but often full, parking lot for Kalahuipua’a Historic Park that is off of Pauoa Rd.

The paved path begins by rolling over lava flow. Collapsed lava tubes can be seen along the way and then a few minutes in you will see a side path to the left that leads to a non-collapsed lava tube. An informational sign explains how ancient Hawaiians used this tube as shelter.

Hike inside and take a photogenic pic under the natural “skylight”. This lava tube is very rocky and is more like a cave than a tunnel compared to others on the island. 

Continuing on you’ll cross the rocky King’s Trail. If you detour a hair to the left of this trail, see if you can find the helmeted warrior and fishermen petroglyphs (I couldn’t find them but I know they’re there).

From here the path crosses a golf cart road and continues on as a flatter, smoother paved trail shaded with palm trees through the Kalahuipua’a Fishponds. It’s fun watching the jumping fish and various birds that pass through.

This serene park encircles and winds through many fresh water ponds that were used to feed ali’i (Hawaiian royalty), even King Kamehameha himself. If you were not royalty and ate a fish from this pond, your punishment would be death.  

When you reach the ocean you can continue around the ponds to find your way back to the trailhead or continue on to Napua Restaurant and Makaiwa Bay beach to the left or to the Mauna Lani hotel to the right.

19. Kings Trail

The Kings Trail is an ancient trail used by Hawaiians as a footpath highway for trade and transportation as well as ali’i (Hawaiian royalty) traveling to and from religious ceremonies. 

It is part of the National Historic Trail collection Ala Kahakai that runs 175 miles from Hawi to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. 

You will undoubtedly pass by part of the trail during your stay, especially driving Waikoloa Beach Drive as it crosses it twice.

💁‍♀️ Tab’s Trip Tip: If you are to hike this lava rocky trail, even for just a portion, be sure to stay hydrated and have appropriate sun protection. The path traverses mostly exposed lava rock fields with little to no shade. I would start early in the morning before the rocks start baking, then find some body of water to jump into afterwards, whether it be the ocean or a resort pool.

20. Ku’uali’i Fishpond Trail

Along Anaeho’omalu Bay Beach sits two freshwater fishponds, Ku’uali’i and Kahapapa. 

Ku’uali’i, being the larger of the two, sits between Lava Lava Beach Club and the Waikoloa Beach Marriott hotel. 

Behind the pond is a cute historical stroll only about 0.10-mile long with ruins, a petroglyph and relaxing tropical flora. Each historically significant site is labeled and given a little historical explanation down this easy paved way. 

You’ll likely see an ungodly amount of feral cats in the area as well!

21. Waikōloa Anchialine Pond Preservation Area

Adjacent to Hilton Waikoloa Village is the Waikoloa Anchialine Pond Preservation Area maintained by the University of Hawaii. Anchialine ponds are lava rock pools filled with brackish fresh and salt water giving a home to small fish, mollusks, and shrimp. 

While these bodies of water are technically landlocked, there is a subterranean connection between the pools and the ocean due to the porous lava. Because of this, the pools do rise and fall with the tides. 

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Where to Stay in Waikoloa

If you’re looking for a place to stay, Waikoloa resorts are destinations all in themselves. Book an ocean view room or just visit for the day, they are little oases in the Kona lava desert. 

Hilton Waikoloa Village 

Check Rates and Availability for Hilton Waikoloa Village

As a mini-theme park resort, the Hilton Waikoloa Village is a popular stay for families. You’ll never have to leave the property to stay entertained for a week: 

• A saltwater lagoon and freshwater pools for swimming with waterslides
• Free daily cultural activities: ukulele lessons, lei making, and kukui nut bracelet making
• Complimentary tram and boat rides to get from one end of the property to the other
• Museum walkway
• Water toys to rent: kayaks, paddle boards, pedal boats, water trikes, and snorkeling
• Poolside cabanas to rent
• Book a swim with the dolphins experiences
• Attend the Legends of Hawaii luau
• Boutique shopping
• Professional photography on property
• Tennis
• Restaurants
• Day passes available if not staying on property

Fairmont Orchid

Check Rates and Availability for Fairmont Orchid

Separated from the hubbub of the main resort area of Waikoloa, Fairmont Orchid sits with its own white sand beach and lagoon.

• Free daily cultural activities: coconut frond weaving, Hawaiian language lessons, lei making, hula lessons
• Free active activities: canoe rides, aqua aerobics, Hawaiian games
• Free tour guided talks: Turtle Talk, Botanical/Bees/Chefs Garden Tour, Cultural Walk
• Evening Storytelling
• Seaside morning or sunset yoga
• Fun & Sun Pass: pay once for full use of water toys (snorkel gear, boogie boards, SUP, kayaks) for entire stay
• Spa Without Walls 
• Tennis
• Restaurants
• Boutique Shopping
• Poolside cabanas to rent

Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection

Check Rates and Availability for Mauna Lani

With intimate, white sandy beaches gracing the property, Mauna Lani, an Auberge Resorts Collection, reeks of luxury. 

• Resort, adult-only, and kid pools
• Cultural lessons: ukulele, coconut frond weaving, lei making
• Adjacent to Kalahuipua’a Historic Park
• Learn about the sea turtle conservation through their Malama Honu program
• Interactive Hawaiian historian guided tours
• Water toys to rent: surfboards, paddle boards, and snorkeling
• Signature Experiences: Canoe Paddle, E-Bike Tour, SUP Lesson
• Beachside and SUP yoga
• Attend the Hale Hoaloha luau
• Poolside cabanas to rent
• Golf
• Tennis
• Boutique shopping
• Restaurants

Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

Check Rates and Availability for Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

Sitting oceanfront to Anaeho’omalu Bay, Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa is the closest hotel to the shopping district

• Direct access to Anaeho’omalu Bay
• Infinity pool and kid pools with waterslide
• Boutique shopping
• Restaurants
• Tennis
• Attend the Hale Hoaloha luau
• Mandara Spa: massages, facials, hair, and nail treatments
• Poolside cabanas to rent
• Resort hosted activities like: Crafts & Cocktails