Many of you are doing internet research about moving to the Big Island of Hawaii. You may already have made the decision to take a leap of faith and fulfill your dream of living the Hawaiian lifestyle and getting comfy in a beach chair in front of the ocean every day. Some of you are thinking about making a move in a few years when you retire or the kids are finally out of the house. Take it from us at LUVA Real Estate, there are so many things that make you pinch yourself when you wake up every day in Hawaii to the sounds of tropical birds trilling in the plumeria with another warm day ahead. Here are five things you will love about moving to the Big Island.
5 Things You WIll Love About Moving to the Big Island
1. The Ocean:
Every. Single. Day. Whenever you drive anywhere around Kona or the Kohala Coast, you will always see the blue Pacific Ocean stretching out into the horizon. You will find yourself healthier and happier here thanks to the positive ions that all those beautiful crashing waves put into the air 24/7. You wonder why Hawaii has the healthiest people in the nation five years running according to this study? Count on that beautiful azure expanse to give you a few extra years in your life! Of course, getting into the warm waters and having all your cares washed away, including getting a complimentary sand scrub if you like to body surf, will make you cherish each moment you spend anywhere near a beach.
2. The Aloha Spirit:
Tired of living in places where people honk at each other? Or refuse to let you into traffic from a side street or driveway? That does not happen among people who live on the island. They let you in, make mistakes and give you the shaka, not another gesture. How about actually having people, ABSOLUTE STRANGERS, look you in the eye and smile? At first you may be uncomfortable with how much hugging and cheek kissing you are going to get vs a sterile handshake, but you’ll get used to it. And you’ll find yourself “a hugger” before you know it! Also, the Aloha Spirit will imbue everything you do. You’ll find yourself picking up beach trash, going out of your way to help a stranger, talking story to people around you. You’ll see it is infectious and everyone who lives on the island has caught it!
3. Living outside:
When you look at available home listings, you may wonder why there are not many 4,000 square foot homes on the island or the real estate description always talks about lanais, decks, sliding glass doors, bringing the outside in, etc. It’s because we live outside more than we do inside. It will take you about a year or so to realize how free you are to enjoy Hawaii’s phenomenal year round climate. Each night is a chance to catch a sunset or stargaze or during the days, sit in the sun or entertain with friends. All outdoors! All the time! In shorts and slippahs! When you acclimate, you may say it’s chilly in January at 72 degrees. Memories of sitting in coastal fog, mountain snow, sleet and freezing rain, or anything below 69 or above 89 will be a distant memory. And you will smile…as you sit in a deck chair.
4. The Food:
No, we don’t have 10,000 restaurants with every type of food from around the world. You’ll have to travel to Honolulu, SF or NYC for that. What we do have is what Chef James Babian, owner of Pueo’s Osteria, calls “RSA”. Regional, seasonal and artisanal cuisine. In the health study that puts residents of Hawaii at the top of the health spectrum is the ability to eat local and fresh, and with limited processing and pesticides. You will find that you will eat more mangoes, papayas, lychee, lilikoi, pineapple, local grown lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms and grass fed beef than crackers, cereal, chips, popcorn, pastries and such. You will find yourself having conversations with the farmers that actually produce your food and the chefs who love to prepare it. Really! There are so many different kinds of food festivals, you will give all kinds of new local delights a try. (The Taste of the Hawaiian Range, the Mango and Avocado Festival and the Big Island Chocolate Festival will give you local meat, fruit and cacao!)
5. Understanding a new culture:
When you move to Hawaii, you move to a whole new life outside of the mainland. The Hawaiian culture is front and center as soon as you arrive at the airport. Leis greet guests. Hawaiian words are interlaced into the language of everyday life. You’ll be saying “Pau Hana” “Keiki” “Mahalo” “Pupu’s” and “Hele On” before you know it and you will understand the deeper meaning of Aloha, mana, kuleana and pono. You may find your curiosity piqued to learn more about Hula when you see the islandwide fervor for the Merry Monarch Festival and Hawaiian history when you see the King Kamehameha Parade and Hulihee Palace in downtown Kona. It’s a lifelong learning experience and you may find that you enjoy learning the language, customs and the food and sharing with others. Go ahead and become immersed as a resident by joining a halau or outrigger canoe team.
Those are just five of a hundred reasons why you will love living in Kailua-Kona, West Hawaii or the Big Island of Hawaii. Our agents at LUVA Real Estate are Hawaii lifestyle experts and welcome a chance to talk story about living on our beautiful island with you. Give us a call! Mahalo!