Kona Luxury Resort Communities: A Guide to Kohanaiki, Kūkiʻo, Hualālai, Hōkūliʻa, Keauhou and the Kohala Coast

Oct 21

4 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Kona's luxury market is built around a small group of resort and private club communities along the West Hawaiʻi coast. Each one has its own club, rules, and kind of buyer. This guide gives a short overview of each community and links to the full buying and selling guides.

Key takeaways

North Kona has three private club communities close together: Kohanaiki, Kūkiʻo, and Hualālai. Most luxury buyers compare all three.
Hōkūliʻa in South Kona offers larger homesites of a full acre or more and many custom home and lot sales.
Keauhou offers resort living at the south end of Aliʻi Drive without a private club, with condos and homes near the bay and golf.
Waikoloa and Mauna Lani on the Kohala Coast offer condos, townhomes, and luxury homes near beaches and golf.
In the club communities, buyers ask about membership, dues, design guidelines, and rental rules first.

Kohanaiki

Kohanaiki is a private oceanfront club community about ten minutes south of the Kona airport. It includes custom homesites, estate homes, and townhomes, with a Rees Jones golf course with oceanfront holes, a large clubhouse, and a spa. Club membership comes with ownership, so every sale involves both real estate and a membership.

Kūkiʻo

Kūkiʻo Golf and Beach Club is a private residential club community of about 1,100 acres next to the Four Seasons Resort Hualālai, about 15 minutes north of the Kona airport. It opened in 2002. The club includes an 18 hole Tom Fazio championship course, a 10 hole Fazio short course, a clubhouse, a spa and fitness center, and a beach club. Kūkiʻo is an equity club, so a buyer pays a membership fee along with the purchase.

Hualālai

Hualālai is an 865 acre oceanfront resort community a short drive north of the Kona airport, anchored by the Four Seasons Resort Hualālai. Membership in the Hualālai Club is open only to owners and is bought separately from the home. The club has two 18 hole golf courses, one by Jack Nicklaus and one by Tom Weiskopf, plus a sports and tennis club, spa, and canoe club. Homes range from villas to custom estates on golf course, ocean view, and oceanfront sites.

Hōkūliʻa

Hōkūliʻa sits on roughly 1,260 acres of South Kona coastline near Kealakekua. It is a private golf community built around a Jack Nicklaus Signature course with ocean views from nearly every hole. Homesites are a full acre or more, homes are custom built, and membership in the Club at Hōkūliʻa is included with a purchase. Many sales are of land rather than finished homes.

Keauhou

Keauhou is the resort and residential area at the south end of Aliʻi Drive, about 15 minutes from Kailua-Kona town. It has Keauhou Bay, Kahaluʻu Beach Park, Kona Country Club, and a shopping center, with condos and single family homes, many with ocean views. There is no single private club, and buyers should check tenure, condo fees, and rental rules on each property.

Waikoloa and Mauna Lani on the Kohala Coast

Waikoloa Beach Resort and Mauna Lani Resort sit on the sunny Kohala Coast, north of Kona. Both offer condos, townhomes, and luxury homes close to beaches, golf, shopping, and dining. They are popular with second home buyers. Association fees and rental rules differ from one complex to the next, so buyers who plan to rent should confirm the rules before making an offer.

How to choose between them

Buyers who want an oceanfront private club near the airport usually compare Kohanaiki, Kūkiʻo, and Hualālai. Buyers who want more land and privacy often look at Hōkūliʻa. Buyers who want resort living without club membership look at Keauhou and the Kohala Coast resorts. In every community, there are few sales each year and no two homes are alike, so pricing depends on recent sales inside the community and in the communities buyers compare it with.

For more on pricing, see How to sell a luxury home in Kona and Multimillion Dollar Homes and Estates in Kona: What Buyers and Sellers Should Know

Common questions

What are the private club communities in Kona?

In North Kona, the main private club communities are Kohanaiki, Kūkiʻo, and Hualālai. In South Kona, Hōkūliʻa is a private golf community with membership in the Club at Hōkūliʻa included with a purchase.

Is club membership included when you buy a home in a Kona resort community?

It depends on the community. Kohanaiki membership comes with ownership, Hualālai membership is open only to owners and is bought separately, Kūkiʻo is an equity club with a membership fee, and Hōkūliʻa membership is included with a purchase. Current terms and dues should be confirmed with each club.

Which Kona resort community has the largest lots?

Hōkūliʻa homesites are a full acre or more, and many sales there are of land for a custom home.

What should buyers ask first in a Kona club community?

Ask about membership, dues, design guidelines, and rental rules first. There are few sales each year in every community, so ask how the price compares with recent sales inside the community and in the communities you are comparing it with.

For shoreline rules, flood zones, and upkeep on the water, see Oceanfront Living in Kona: What Buyers Should Know.

Sources: County of Hawaiʻi Real Property Tax Office; Hawaiʻi Real Estate Branch, consumer resources.

About the author: Maile Woodhall (pronounced Miley) is a licensed Hawaiʻi REALTOR (RS-88019) with The Agency Team Hawaii, eXp Realty (RB-21841), born and raised in Kona. Questions? Call or text (808) 482-5800.

Last updated: October 2026.