Where You’ll Find a SmallTown Feeling on the Big Island

LIKE many visitors to the Hawaiian Islands, Donna Rehling was smitten right away with the lush landscape, temperate breezes, indigo ocean and, of course, the near-perfect weather year-round. She even invested in a time share on Maui 14 years ago, so she and her family could revel in it all at least once a year.

Skip to next paragraph Multimedia Map Kailua Kona, Hawaii Three for Sale

But when it came time to fulfill her dream of buying a second home on the islands, she picked Hawaii, better known as the Big Island - and specifically Kailua Kona, a community on the western coast - over more populated places on Oahu or Maui.

"We found it more laid back and so much bigger to spread out in," said Ms. Rehling, 59, who lives in Westerville, Ohio, and is a vice president with a skin-care company. "And the prices weren't as high."

Her three-bedroom, 2,500-square-foot house, which she bought in fall 2005 for .2 million, is above a cliff just minutes from the center of town, and she says her views of the Pacific couldn't be more breathtaking.

A growing number of second-home buyers are being drawn to the area, known locally as the Kona side of the Big Island, for the same reasons Ms. Rehling was: relatively lower prices and a small-town atmosphere. Then there's the diverse topography that includes everything from tropical rainforests and breezy beaches to active volcanoes and snow-capped mountains. (At about 4,000 square miles, the Big Island is the largest in the archipelago, making homeowners less susceptible, perhaps, to that all-too-common island ennui.)

"We're the new frontier still," said Cindy Griffey, an agent for Century 21 All Islands in Kailua Kona. "We're big, and we have a lot more space to grow,"

Andrew Schiller, the founder and president of Location Inc. of Woonsocket, R.I., which specializes in relocation software and runs NeighborhoodScout.com, a home-search site, agreed, calling the Big Island and its western region a hidden gem.

"We've long identified the area as one of the emerging markets that provides incredible value and is well positioned to go up in value in the future," he said, noting that buyers should not be surprised to find condominiums - some makai, or toward the ocean - in the 0,000 range.

An earthquake that rocked Kona on Oct. 15 has had little impact on buyers' interest, local real estate agents say. Right now, though, as the region weathers the same market slowdown that is affecting the mainland, there is growing inventory, which, the agents say, could mean better deals for buyers than a year ago.

New developments with luxury amenities are also sprouting up or being planned, particularly along the Kona-Kohala Coast, just north of Kailua Kona proper.

The Scene

Sunrise ushers in a flurry of outdoor activities. Surfers flirt with the waves large and small, and the local fishermen plant themselves on lava-rock beaches or the Kailua Bay seawall. Teenage boys roll to their school bus stops on skateboards, and after school, they'll trade them in for surf or boogie boards at the public beaches. (The resorts and condos are also required by the local government to offer public access to at least part of their beaches.)

By midmorning on most days, the open markets are up and running, with a wide variety of bargain-priced produce (seven papayas for or extra-sweet Maui Gold pineapples for each), along with handmade jewelry, strands of pink fresh-water pearls from China and local trinkets.

Kailua Kona's downtown sparkles at night with lights from restaurants, shops and clubs like the Hard Rock Cafe and the boisterous Lulu's, while cruise ships in the distance help light the water.

Leisure travelers can snorkel and scuba dive, especially at Kahaluu Beach Park, where sea turtles roam, and there is tennis and golf at resorts and condos alike. The Aloha Theater and Performing Arts Center, meanwhile, offers a range of performances, including indigenous music and dance and musicals like "Bye Bye Birdie."

One of the busiest times for tourism is in mid- to late October, when the Ironman World Championship triathlon is held in Kona. Leading up to it, local roads and highways become training grounds for the 1,800 or so athletes who compete in the event.

Pros

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