A quiet section of Hawaii's Big Island with airport and beach access
Located along the Island of Hawai’i’s western coast, the city of Kaiminani has a quieter atmosphere than the tourist hub of Kailua-Kona to the south. Not only is it home to Kona International Airport, but it also offers access to white-sand beaches. “We have up to thirteen climates on the island, including cactus and jungle; it’s all about elevation and rainfall," says Realtor Denise Nakanishi with Real Broker LLC. "On the coast, it’s a little bit drier, but you can create whatever you want to create.” Kaiminani is home to under 13,000 people, most of them retirees, tourism industry employees and second homeowners. Though Kaiminani may have a sleepy residential character due to its lack of a downtown area or nightlife options, a massive shopping complex sits just down the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway, ensuring that residents of this community will never have to sacrifice convenience for tranquility.
Older and brand-new homes sit along hillsides and offer ocean views
Partly due to its proximity to both Kailua-Kona and the airport, and partly due to the underdevelopment of the Big Island’s western shore, Kaiminani is a continually growing city. Its oldest homes date to the late 1970s and 1980s, but the vast majority of its housing stock was built from the 2000s to the 2020s. The median home price is $1.42 million. Condos can sell for as low as $500,000 and site-built properties can go for as little as $610,000, while the most expensive residences sell for up to $14.5 million. Because of Kaiminani’s steep terrain, split-levels are common on hillsides. Vast hilltop homes may feature expansive backyard swimming pools in addition to greater sizes.
White-sand and volcanic-rock beaches
While the Big Island is known mostly for its rocky shorelines, Kaiminani had multiple beaches for swimming, surfing and fishing. Kekaha Kai State Beach features a rare white-sand beach. Beachgoers share this stretch of sunny oceanfront with sea turtles. At the same time monk seals and humans alike travel to the nearby Makalawena Beach, known for its lava rocks and unusually soft sand. Kaiminani is also just 13 miles down the Mamalahoa Highway from the Pu’uwa’awa’a Forest Reserve, which includes a trail leading up an ancient mound that offers panoramic views of the ocean and towering volcanoes. As western Hawai’i continues to be relatively underdeveloped, vast swathes of hilly terrain have been converted into golf courses like the public Makalei Golf Club and the private Kohanaiki Private Club.
Proximity to a major shopping hub
Kaiminani is divided between the residential neighborhood of Kalaoa and a shopping district situated along State Route 19. Here, warehouses mix with big-box retailers like Costco and The Home Depot and diverse restaurants that serve Neapolitan pizza and poke bowls. Kalaoa has a Matsuyama Food Mart, a sizeable convenience store that also sells ready-made bento boxes and mochis.
Creating global citizens at Kealakehe High
All of Hawaii’s students attend the state’s singular school district, which scores an A-minus rating from Niche. Kealakehe High School, which scores a B, offers a unique Advanced Global Citizenship pathway that educates students about the rest of the world through involvement in Model UN and debate programs. Hawai’i Community College, the Big Island’s community college system, has a campus just north of Kalaoa.
Crime and environmental concerns in Kaiminani
Kaiminani and the larger Kailua-Kona urban area have crime rates 41% below the national average and slightly below the state average. Kaiminani has historically contended with “Ring of Fire” tsunamis and earthquakes in addition to the occasional volcanic eruption.
Traveling to Kona and beyond
Kaiminani sits just 9 miles up State Route 19 from Kailua-Kona, accessible via both car and the 203 bus. “A lot of the big hotels are in Kona, so people often commute to work at the resorts," Nakanishi says. “They’ve widened the roads so they look like football fields, but you’re going to sit in traffic if you’re driving into the city. You’re close to the airport and Costco so that you can skip on the crosstown traffic.” The Kona International Airport in the city is known for its open-air setup, in which Hawaiian huts replaced traditional airport gates. Healthcare needs are met at the local Kealakehe Family Health clinic and at Kona’s Queen’s Health Care Center.
Written By
Jacob Adelhoch
