Getting Around

By Car

You'll need a rental car on the Big Island; not having one will really limit you. All the major car-rental firms have agencies at the airports and at the Kohala Coast resorts.

There are more than 480 miles of paved road on the Big Island. The highway that circles the island is called the Hawaii Belt Road. On the Kona side of the island, you have two choices: the scenic "upper" road, Mamalahoa Highway (Hwy. 190), or the speedier "lower" road, Queen Kaahumanu Highway (Hwy. 19). The road that links east to west is called the Saddle Road (Hwy. 200). Saddle Road looks like a shortcut from Kona to Hilo, but it usually doesn't make for a shorter trip. It's rough, narrow, and plagued by bad weather; as a result, most rental-car agencies forbid you from taking their cars on it.

By Taxi

Taxis are readily available at both Kona and Hilo airports. In Hilo call Ace-1 (tel. 808/935-8303). In Kailua-Kona call Kona Airport Taxi (tel. 808/329-7779). Taxis will take you wherever you want to go on the Big Island, but it's prohibitively expensive to use them for long distances.

By Bus & Shuttle

For transportation from the Kona Airport, there are three options: two shuttle services that will come when you call them, and a discount shuttle that leaves the airport every hour on the hour and drops you at your hotel. Door-to-door service is provided by SpeediShuttle (tel. 808/329-5433; www.speedishuttle.com). Some sample rates: From the airport to Kailua-Kona, the fare is $21 per person; to the Four Seasons, it's $21; and to Mauna Lani Resort, it's $46.

The islandwide bus system is the Hele-On Bus (tel. 808/961-8744; www.co.hawaii.hi.us/mass_transit/heleonbus.html); as we went to press, the Hele-On Bus had the best deal on the island: ride free. The recently created Kokua Zone allows riders in West Hawaii to travel from as far south as Ocean View to as far north as Kawaihae for free; in East Hawaii, riders can ride free from Pahoa to Hilo. Visitors to Hawaii can pick up the free, air-conditioned bus from the Kohala hotels or from the Kona International Airport and ride the bus south to shopping centers like Costco, Lanihau Center, Kmart, Wal-Mart, and Keauhou Shopping Center. The Hele-On Bus also stops at the Kona Community Hospital and provides wheelchair access.

In the Keauhou Resort area, there's a free, open-air, 44-seat Keauhou Resort Trolley, with stops at the Keauhou Bay, Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa, Kona Country Club, Keauhou Shopping Center, Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort, and Kahaluu Beach Park. In addition, three times a day the Trolley travels round-trip, via Alii Drive to Kailua Village, stopping at White Sands Beach on the way. For information, contact concierges at either the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa (tel. 808/930-4900) or the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Hotel (tel. 808/322-3411).