There seems to be two ways to visit Hawaii's Big Island. There's a stretch of beach, not even a couple miles long, that seems to have dozens of hotels and resort-type things all right next to each other, with little shops and restaurants all within walking distance. If you're just there for the beach, and don't really care about the rest of the island (or don't want to rent a car), this might be a nice place to stay.
The other thing you could do, though, if you have a car, is find a bed and breakfast among any of the small towns near the island's coast. If this is what you're doing, and I strongly encourage you to do it this way, then you should go to Captain Cook and stay at the Luana Inn.
We stayed in one of the rooms attached to the main house (there are also a couple set back from the house). We never felt the way I'm always worried B&Bs will feel: like we're splitting a house with a bunch of strangers. Our room had a door to the outside and its own bathroom. The weather was pretty comfortable while we were there, but our room also had an air conditioner. There was also a little refrigerator and free wifi access (the latter worked fine with my laptop, but my phone had a weirdly difficult time staying connected). The beds have Temperpedic mattresses, which are a complete pleasure to sleep on.
The house and yard were wonderful. The back side of the house has a great view of the ocean and nearby beach. The downstairs of the house is a common room with a book exchange and a diverse collection of DVDs to rent. There's a door out of the common room to an outdoor pool and hot tub (the pool & hot tub area also has comfortable chairs for reading or sunning).
In the morning either Ken or Erin (the owners) made breakfast, and it was amazing. There was typically some kind of fresh fruit and local grown coffee. They were careful to verify our dietary preferences or restrictions upon arrival, and every morning they had at least one vegetarian option (my dietary preference). Keep in mind that most of the food on the Big Island is imported, which can make restaurants expensive. Breakfast is included at the Luana Inn, which would be a strong argument in favor of staying there (one less meal you have to buy each day) even before you consider how good the breakfast actually is. We actually ate really well on the Big Island, but breakfast was always great.
Erin and Ken are each terribly friendly and fun to talk to. They seem to have a deep, well-infomed knowledge of the island's beaches, activities, and resources. They had good answers for all of our questions, and and were invaluable resources throughout our stay.
The Luana Inn is less than an hour from the Kona Airport (on the Big Island's west coast) and is also an easy drive from a grocery store, a coffee & fruit co-op, and some thrift and antique stores. It seems like there are a handful of B&Bs around, but if I went back (and I would love to) it wouldn't occur to me to stay anywhere else. read more