Move To Hawaii? But Where?
That is the Great Big Question for today’s retirees who have put in their time, raised their kids and are ready for as many of the good years as they can get. The clock is running, the future is bright, but just where in Hawaii makes the most sense? Kauai? Maui? The Big Island?
The State of Hawaii is a collection of Islands, and each has its own distinct personality. For instance, Oahu, home to most of the people and the City and County of Honolulu, offers more high-rise living, a faster pace of life and access to the University of Hawaii and its continuing education programs. If city life has been a pleasure for you, Honolulu may be high on your list.
Kauai is the northern most of the main Islands and is just drop-dead beautiful. It is a smaller Island, however, and slow traffic may come to vex you if you’ve been used to whizzing along on un-crowded roadways. Still the scenic wonders of Kauai are worth giving up a lot!
Everyone has heard of Maui and the splendors of Mount Haleakala. Maui just has that wonderful vacation feel to it. The restaurants are great, the beaches are long, wide and beautiful, and the emerald green fields of cane climbing up to the mountain towns of Kula and Makawao will take your breath away. If you like condo living on a budget, there are places on Maui where you can get by without the luxuries quite nicely.
Molokai is not on my list of retirement destinations at the moment, because it has lagged behind the other Islands in developing services for retirees, but it is a fabulous Island with down-to-earth folks who like living out of the mainstream.
The Big Island of Hawaii is twice as large as all of the other Islands put together! It rises right up out of the ocean to well over 13,000 feet in the air and has snow-capped peaks in the winter. In fact, the Big Island is so unique on all the earth that it contains virtually every weather zone known to man. Wow! Because it is so large it contains several very different places for retirees to consider:
Hilo is the largest town on the Island and has a university presence as well as direct access to the Volcanoes National Park. The Hilo hospital has long been treating the people of Hawaii and is one of the few hospitals you will ever see so near a lovely water course, the Wailuku River. Hilo offers great shopping, old-Hawaii charm and relatively reasonable real estate in its vast suburbs of Keau and Puna. Hilo has a reputation for being rainy, and, well sometimes it is.
Kailua Kona is a sun-drench, bustling town on the steep leeward slopes of Mount Hualalai known for its wonderful coffee and big game sport fishing. It offers some of the most spectacular weather known to man as well as gorgeous sunset views. Need we say more? It is a paradise for many retirees.
The Kohala Coast is probably the most spectacular resort area in the State of Hawaii, but it isn’t cheap. There are world-class resorts and golf courses galore along with picture perfect weather. If you can afford to spend a million or two or six or eight, or even $70,000,000 as one successful new owner did in recent years, you will be happy, happy, happy!
Waimea, otherwise known as Kamuela, sits high above the Kohala coast in the breezy uplands of Waikoloa. Nestled at the foot of snow capped Mauna Kea it is just one of the nicest places on earth. It is home to a wonderful hospital, the world famous Keck Observatory, Parker Ranch, Hawaii Preparatory Academy and Parker School. If you haven’t enjoyed dinner at Peter Merrimans you haven’t yet had one of life’s most enjoyable experiences!
This blog is running long, and that is on purpose. As you can see, even the briefest of overviews such as this can overwhelm you with new things. That’s why you need an Exclusive Buyers Agent to help you make the kinds of decisions that honor the person you are. The last thing you want is someone trying to sell you something, right?
Aloha and Mahalo!
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