• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 31 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 31st anniversary: Happy 31st Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $24,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $24 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    Tens of thousands of subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Help Need Advice ASAP about Big Island!!

Quimby4

Quimby4

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2007
Messages
1,902
Reaction score
206
Location
S. California
Resorts Owned
Marriott DSV II
Riviera Beach Spa Resort (deed back 2018)
Which property and location and do you think is better on the Big Island?

2 bedroom at Paniolo Greens or 2 bedroom at Kona Coast Phase 2

We are traveling with our 2 teen sons 16 and 14 years old.

Thank you
 
Paniolo Greens is inland, and you have to drive everywhere.
 
Paniolo is close to one of the best beaches on Hawaii but it is away from most
Everything else. It is also pretty windy up there too.
 
I've stayed at both. My pick would be Kona Coast.
 
slip said:
Paniolo is close to one of the best beaches on Hawaii but it is away from most
Everything else. It is also pretty windy up there too.
Click to expand...

Paniolo Greens is a better location for driving over to see Volcanoes National Park, but for most other things Kona would be better. We spent a week at Paniolo Greens a couple years ago and it was fine. I am glad we stayed there once, and I would be willing to stay there again, but I am not looking for a repeat stay. It would be a backup choice.
 
Great, thank you for all of the comments.
Now of course I cant pull the 2 bedroom Kona with my week, but I can get the 2 bedroom Paniolo, I am going to wait it out and hope it matches my ogs overnight.

I am still concerned about the mosquito fever, so I will buy the Eplus just in case we have to cancel :)
 
Last edited:
Quimby4 said:
I am still concerned about the mosquito fever, so I will buy the Eplus just in case we have to cancel :)
Click to expand...

It's a concern, but I've never been bit by a mosquito on Hawaii. I actually haven't even seen any the times I've stayed there. Just use the suggestions already made about deet and covering up, etc.
 
presley said:
It's a concern, but I've never been bit by a mosquito on Hawaii. I actually haven't even seen any the times I've stayed there. Just use the suggestions already made about deet and covering up, etc.
Click to expand...

I've never been bitten either, and I'm one that mosquitoes love. But I'm concerned due to the increase in reported cases. It's gone from none to over 100 in the past couple of months.
 
Luanne said:
I've never been bitten either, and I'm one that mosquitoes love. But I'm concerned due to the increase in reported cases. It's gone from none to over 100 in the past couple of months.
Click to expand...

Ditto, but the mosquitoes luv my younger son and he swells us, so I am concerned. The outbreak lasted 10 months on Maui early 2000's so I am hoping it will be done by June...if not I'll Eplus to Cabo or somewhere :)
 
Update:

I played my cards right, I cancelled the 1 bedroom at Kona Coast II and left my OGS for a 2 bedroom there. I could see the 2 bedroom with my Marriott 2 bedroom but not my Riviera Beach Spa Resort II 2 bedroom....a few hours later the OGS matched the 2 bedroom at Kona Coast II!!

Not sure if it matters, but it is Shell Vacations at Kona Coast II (KN1)
 
Quimby4 said:
Update:

I played my cards right, I cancelled the 1 bedroom at Kona Coast II and left my OGS for a 2 bedroom there. I could see the 2 bedroom with my Marriott 2 bedroom but not my Riviera Beach Spa Resort II 2 bedroom....a few hours later the OGS matched the 2 bedroom at Kona Coast II!!

Not sure if it matters, but it is Shell Vacations at Kona Coast II (KN1)
Click to expand...

So, it was your Riveria Beach Spa that matched? If so, it's nice to know that ongoing searches will pull stuff that we can't see.
 
You definitely made the right choice. We've stayed at both. Liked the units a PG but it is a lot more time in the car because you're far from pretty much everything.
 
presley said:
So, it was your Riveria Beach Spa that matched? If so, it's nice to know that ongoing searches will pull stuff that we can't see.
Click to expand...

Yea, that doesnt really make sense...I couldnt see it when searching online with Riviera Beach Spa, but it matched my OGS...II is not a perfect system, really shouldnt feel like a mini lottery win when I get a confirmation, but it really does, lol
 
slip said:
Paniolo is close to one of the best beaches on Hawaii but it is away from most
Everything else. It is also pretty windy up there too.
Click to expand...
What beach? Paniolo Greens is quite a few miles from any coast. At least 20 minutes of driving if memory serves me right.
 
BocaBoy said:
What beach? Paniolo Greens is quite a few miles from any coast. At least 20 minutes of driving if memory serves me right.
Click to expand...

Yep, about 20 minutes sounds right. That would be to Hapuna Beach.
 
Yep, 15 to 20 minutes from Hapuna.
 
You really have to drive to get anywhere of interest from either resort. Kona Coast is a good location for Kona and attractions south. Paniolo Greens is better for beaches and attractions north and east. I have stayed at both and both are decent resorts. If it is your first trip and for only a week, either would likely be OK. If you are a beach family , personally I would opt for Paniolo Greens.
Merry Christmas,
Mahlon
 
Mahlon said:
You really have to drive to get anywhere of interest from either resort. Kona Coast is a good location for Kona and attractions south. Paniolo Greens is better for beaches and attractions north and east. I have stayed at both and both are decent resorts. If it is your first trip and for only a week, either would likely be OK. If you are a beach family , personally I would opt for Paniolo Greens.
Merry Christmas,
Mahlon
Click to expand...

This was more my point when I mentioned being close to Hapuna. I wasn't
Necessarily recommending Paniolo though. To me it depends on what you plan
On doing. I know people that go to the Big Island every year because they love
Hapuna and go there three to four times during their stay so being 15 minutes
Away would be a plus.
 
slip said:
This was more my point when I mentioned being close to Hapuna. I wasn't
Necessarily recommending Paniolo though. To me it depends on what you plan
On doing. I know people that go to the Big Island every year because they love
Hapuna and go there three to four times during their stay so being 15 minutes
Away would be a plus.
Click to expand...

When we stay at that end of the island, either at Paniolo Greens or the Bay Club, we were at Hapuna Beach every day. :D When we stay in Kona we tend to go to Kahaluu Beach Park for the snorkeling.
 
Hapuna is one of my favorite beaches of all the islands. :D
 
slip said:
Hapuna is one of my favorite beaches of all the islands. :D
Click to expand...

Probably still my most favorite is the beach at the Mauna Kea. That is right next to Hapuna so the two are very similar. The parking is more limited at the Mauna Kea. But it's my favorite because it was the very first Hawaiian beach I was ever exposed to. In 1968 my parents brought my sister and I to the islands for the very first time. We landed in Hilo (that was "THE" airport back then) and stayed overnight in Hilo. The next day we drove to the Mauna Kea which was the only resort hotel there at that time. That first day when I walked out onto the beach I was in love. And I was a southern California kid so it wasn't like I'd never seen a beach before. :D
 
Luanne said:
Probably still my most favorite is the beach at the Mauna Kea. That is right next to Hapuna so the two are very similar. The parking is more limited at the Mauna Kea. But it's my favorite because it was the very first Hawaiian beach I was ever exposed to. In 1968 my parents brought my sister and I to the islands for the very first time. We landed in Hilo (that was "THE" airport back then) and stayed overnight in Hilo. The next day we drove to the Mauna Kea which was the only resort hotel there at that time. That first day when I walked out onto the beach I was in love. And I was a southern California kid so it wasn't like I'd never seen a beach before. :D
Click to expand...

That's a great memory to have! I love seeing older photos taken on the islands during the 50's,
60's and 70's. It looks like it was a totally different experience than today.
We took our family trips in the late 60's to Devils Lake in Wisconsin. That's still
A beautiful place and has great memories.
 
Last edited:
I guess I should have specified, we are beach lovers and that I live to snorkel...

Hopefully we can get up tp Hapuna beach a few times. I didnt realize Kona and Waikoloa were that far apart :(

Actually I just remembered that I bought E-plus..I could retrade if I wanted to.
So which resort would be better for teen boys Paniolo or Kona Coast...more activities, possibilities of meeting other teens?

My 15 year old loved Ko'Olina over spring break, meeting all kinds of fun teens :)
 
Last edited:
You will be almost walking distance from Kahaluu Beach Park. I'm not a huge fan of snorkeling but really enjoyed it there. It can be crowded but it's safe and you are definitely going to see a lot without going out very far. I have underwater pictures of my husband literally swimming beside a sea turtle. You had to be careful not to touch them one year when we were there.

You are also closer to the beach by the City of Refuge, which is good for snorkelling.

Hapuna Beach, to me, is not a place I think of going for snorkeling. It's just a great time to sit on the sand, love to body surf or boogie board there. Pack a lunch, a beach chair and a book and it's a day worth doing.

And Mauna Kea is fabulous, but the parking is super limited. Unless it's been expanded, the hotel controls the parking and they have about 20 to 30 spots a day that are available to the public. So if you don't get there really early, you're out of luck. Plan to go there early on a weekday.

As for where the teens will be, neither Paniolo or Kona Coast are "destination" type resorts. SO I can't really suggest that one would be better than the other for your kids. We did find that the pool and hot tub at Paniolo were really small for the size of the resort. It was almost impossible to get into either.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top