This is a big island — take the name literally
Hawaiʻi Island is larger than all the other main islands combined, and its two main visitor bases sit on opposite coasts, roughly 1.5–2.5 hours apart by road. Choosing the right side matters more here than on any other island.
Kona & Kohala (West side)
Dry, sunny and resort-heavy — home to most of the island's large hotels, the Kona coffee belt, and the main international airport (KOA). The Kohala Coast, further north, holds several of the state's most acclaimed luxury resorts, often built around historic fishponds and petroglyph fields.
Good fit for: classic sun-and-resort trips, manta ray tours, coffee farm visits, easiest airport access.
Hilo (East side)
Lush, rainy and far less touristed — a real, working small city rather than a resort town, and the closer base for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (about 45 minutes) and the island's waterfalls. Accommodation here is smaller-scale: B&Bs, inns and vacation rentals rather than big resorts.
Good fit for: volcano-focused trips, waterfall hikes, travelers who want a genuine local town over a resort bubble.
Waimea & the uplands
A cooler, green ranching town between Kona and Hilo, historically the center of Hawaiʻi's paniolo (cowboy) culture. A handful of B&Bs and inns make it a workable, if unconventional, base for splitting time between both coasts.
A realistic two-base itinerary
Given the drive times, most well-planned Big Island trips of 5+ days split accommodation across two bases — a few nights on the Kona/Kohala side, a few nights in or near Hilo — rather than commuting across the island daily from a single hotel.