Hotel occupancy rates for each of the state’s major islands show that the Big Island’s is typically the lowest, which means it’s where you’ll be competing with fewer fellow travelers for rooms. State tourism officials don’t expect these trends to change much in the near future, either.
Now for some specific suggestions: We have a soft spot for the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Sure, the six-story concrete structure looks a bit like the headquarters of a Fortune 500 company—but one designed by Mike Brady, given its open-air lobby planted with Lawai ferns, Phoenix palms, plumeria, and red ginger. The rooms are cheerful too, in a neo-retro way. Across the island, the waterfront Hilo Hawaiian has freshly renovated rooms. Summer 2014 marked the return of another popular waterfront stay, the Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. It’s still off many visitors’ radar screens, so you’ll have a good chance at snagging a room.
Try to avoid visiting around the third Friday in August, Admission Day, when locals will be making their own long-weekend getaways. And remember that in the summertime, most visitors to Hawaii are families, so if you aren’t traveling with kids, look for hotels without waterslides, playgrounds, and wave pools.