Flight Arrived in Kona Before Hotel Check-In? Here's the Perfect First Stop
Most flights from the US mainland to Hawaii arrive in the late morning or midday and your hotel check-in isn't until 3:00 or 4:00 p.m.
Chance is you already had a long day, after a long flight, carrying luggage, you are a little tired, and you're wondering how to make the most of those first few hours.
The good news? You don't have to spend them sitting in your rental car or waiting in a hotel lobby.
Make Your First Day Part of the Vacation
Don’t waste your first day by simply waiting for their room. Instead, treat your arrival day as the first chapter of your Hawaiian adventure. Traveling with luggage? No problem. You'll park just steps from the foot soak area, where your vehicle remains within sight while you relax.
A Relaxing First Stop Near the Airport
Just a few minutes from KOA Airport, the Kona Salt Farm sits on a beautiful oceanfront site and offers an easy, relaxing way to ease into island time. Get Directions
Instead of rushing from the airport to your hotel, you can:
- Enjoy a complimentary Hawaiian salt tasting of our 14 different flavored and smoked salts with fruits and veggies
- Relax with a refreshing 47-degree cold deep ocean magnesium foot soak overlooking the ocean. Reserve your foot soak online or simply stop in. We are only minutes from the airport and happy to welcome walk-ins when space is available.
- Take a guided tour of Hawaiʻi Island's only working salt farm and earn how Hawaiian sea salt is naturally harvested using deep ocean water drawn from 2,200 feet below the Kona Coast and our unique site, the Hawaii Ocean Science Technology Park.
- Browse the farm store for our deep ocean magnesium and electrolytes that are wonderful to get over long distance travel and our hand harvested salts and salt gifts
- Pop into our breezy and ocean-view Moku Nui room where we show a beautiful informational video on the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and its stunning beauty and marine life.
Coming to the Kona Salt Farm is an experience that's educational, peaceful, and unlike anywhere else in Hawaiʻi and our ocean views are stunning.
No Need to Worry About Your Luggage
One of the biggest concerns travelers have is what to do with their bags. Your luggage will be completely safe in your car parked on our site.
Great for Your Last Day, Too
The same idea works in reverse. If your hotel checkout is at 11:00 a.m. but your flight doesn't leave until later in the afternoon or evening, you don't have to spend hours waiting at the airport. A relaxing tour, oceanfront foot soak, or a little shopping makes for a memorable final stop before heading home. On Sundays and Mondays we even have sunset tours. Book Tours
Start Your Vacation Feeling Refreshed
Instead of watching the clock, spend those first few hours discovering something uniquely Hawaiian, enjoying the ocean breeze, and easing into island life.
Location
- 📍 Kona Salt Farm
- 73-907 Makako Bay Drive
- Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
- 8 minutes from KOA Airport
- Free parking available
- Open daily 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
Other Great Arrival-Day Ideas Near Kona Airport
If you have extra time, consider combining your visit with other nearby attractions:
Kaloko Honokohau National Historical Park: A cultural and historical site on an ancient Hawaiian settlement on 1,600 acres of land showcasing traditional Hawaiian way of life. Explore ancient Hawaiian fishponds, petroglyphs and beautiful coastal walking trails along the coastline. Keep an eye out for native seabirds, green sea turtles and the occasional Hawaiian monk seal. Visitor Center 8:30 am to 4:00 p.m., Access Road 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
https://www.nps.gov/kaho/planyourvisit/index.htm (Luggage safety ok, public parking)
Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation: Just a few minutes mauka (or upland) of the Kona Airport. You will be amazing how quickly you are in a completely different climate zone. Take one of the free educational coffee farm tours or enjoy the self-guided lava tube and enjoy seeing the native vegetation nature walk and if you haven’t yet, bring some of Kona’s delicious coffee with you. Thursday to Tuesday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
https://mountainthunder.com/ 808.325.5566 (Luggage safety very good)
The Vanillerie: Visit this small and lovely vanilla farm, owned and operated by Guy and Jeannie Cellier and learn about growing vanilla and taste vanilla and visit their cute shop to take some great gifts home. Tuesday to Friday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
https://www.thevanillerie.com/ 808.331.8535 (Luggage safety very good)
Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm Tour: An organic seahorse farm that raises seahorses to people do not harvest from Hawaii’s reef system for aquariums. A fun and educational tour, you will see thousands of seahorses and sea dragons.
https://seahorse.com/ 808.329.6840 (Luggage safety good)
Hawaiian Star Compass and Canoe House at Kohanaiki Beach Park: Also known as Pine Trees is a great stretch of beach and popular location for surfing, barbeques and watching the sunset. It is located on Kohanaiki Trail, the very end of the trail will take you into a historic area with a variety of things to see, a canoe house, fish ponds petroglyphs, a Native Plants Garden and a Hawaiian Star Compass. Knowledge of the night sky is the most important of the mental constructs of knowledge needed for wayfinding. The star compass was devised to help navigators memorize this knowledge. Gate Open 5:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
(Luggage safety beach front, no valuables for sure)
Big Island Abalone Tour
Tour: Tour the largest Abalone Farm in the US and learn the background story on Abalone, how they reproduce and you can taste Abalone on the Tour. And you can rent their venue for self-cook BBQ as well. (Luggage safety ok, public parking)
Monday to Saturday by reservation only https://www.bigislandabalone.com/farmtour
Hungry?
Patricio’s Taqueria: Also just a few minutes from the Kona Airport, this super casual Taqueria offers food with healthy and natural ingredients.
Daily 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
https://www.patriciostaqueria.com/ 808.334.1008 (Luggage safety ok, public parking)
Pine Tree Café: One of the best plate lunches on the island! And just minutes from the Kona Airport
Daily 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
http://www.pinetreecafehi.com/
Your vacation begins the moment you land, not when your hotel room is ready.
Whether you're arriving early, waiting for check-in, or looking for the perfect final stop before your flight home, Kona's airport area offers much more than most visitors realize.
