Eight coastal communities, compared on the facts.
Club structure, what each official source actually publishes about membership and fees, County rental rules, and the land itself: lava zone, flood and tsunami exposure, water and the drive to KOA. Where a fact isn't published, this page says verify.
Independent guide. Hayden Fennoy and eXp Realty are not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any community, resort, club, association or developer named here. Names are used only to identify them. Club membership, where offered, is subject to each club's own rules and approval.
Side by side
| Community | Club | Published fees | Zoning · General Plan | Lava zone | Flood / tsunami evac | Elevation | To KOA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HualālaiNorth Kona | Residents' club; type: verify | Not published; verify | RM-10 · Resort Node | 4 | X / No | 61 ft | ~16 min |
| KūkiʻoNorth Kona | Equity club (per official site) | Not published; verify | PD (residential sample point) · Resort Node | 4 | X / No | 190 ft | ~13 min |
| KohanaikiNorth Kona | Equity membership (per official site) | Not published; verify | V-1.25 · Urban Expansion | 4 | X / No | 31 ft | ~9 min |
| HōkūliʻaSouth Kona | Member-owned club (per official site) | Golf initiation $150,000; dues $36,420/yr (undated GM profile; confirm) | A-1a · Resort | 3 | X / No | 261 ft | ~37 min |
| Mauna Kea ResortSouth Kohala | Yearly membership, optional | Not published; verify | V-1.25 · Resort Node | 8 | X / Yes | 59 ft | ~41 min |
| Mauna LaniSouth Kohala | Mandatory resort assn.; optional golf membership | Resort assn. $113.67/mo per unit (as of 1/1/2022); golf: ask | CV-10 · Resort Node | 3 | X / No | 57 ft | ~33 min |
| PuakōSouth Kohala | No club | Association dues: verify | RS-10 (adjacent lots); some CV / V · Low Density Urban | 3 | AE / Yes | 7 ft | ~38 min |
| Kohala RanchNorth Kohala | No club | Association dues: verify | RS-20 · Open Area | 9 | X / No | 1,134 ft | ~52 min |
Four terms that change the true cost.
Equity club
Members buy an ownership interest in the club, usually through an initiation deposit or fee, and the membership controls the club once the developer turns it over. Look for whether any part of the initiation is refundable or transferable when you sell, and how capital calls work.
Non-equity club
The club is owned by a company. Members pay for the right to use it, usually through dues and sometimes an initiation fee, but own no share of it. Ask what happens to your membership if the club is sold.
Mandatory or optional
Some communities tie club membership to the lot, so buying the home means joining and paying dues. Others leave it optional, or limit it by invitation or waitlist. That one detail changes the true monthly cost and how easy the property is to resell.
Resort association vs. HOA
Large resorts often have a master resort association that every owner belongs to, plus a separate association for each neighborhood or condominium. You may pay both, and they are different from any club dues.
Short-term rentals: two layers of rules
Hawaiʻi County's short-term vacation rental rules (Ordinance 2018-114) allow unhosted rentals of under 30 days in resort (V), general commercial (CG) and village commercial (CV) zoning. They also allow them in residential and commercial districts inside General Plan Resort and Resort Node areas, and in qualifying condominiums. Elsewhere, only rentals that held a nonconforming use certificate from before April 1, 2019 may continue, renewed each year. Agricultural-district parcels created on or after June 4, 1976 can't operate one. Private covenants that ban rentals still apply. Separately, Ordinance 25-50 requires transient vacation rentals of 180 days or less to register each year. Registration opened in September 2026, and more changes (Bill 147) are pending before the County Council as of Oct. 22, 2026.1234
On top of County rules, each community's CC&Rs, house rules and club policies can limit or ban rentals, set minimum stays, or require an approved rental program. A home only works as a rental if both layers allow it.
Questions to ask before you write an offer
- Is club membership mandatory with this property, optional, by invitation, or waitlisted? Is it tied to the lot?
- Is the club equity or non-equity? Who owns and controls it today?
- What is the current initiation fee or deposit, and is any part of it refundable or transferable when I sell?
- What are the annual dues, food and beverage minimums, and any capital or assessment calls in the last five years?
- What do the master association, neighborhood HOA and (if any) condominium association each charge, and what do they cover?
- What do the CC&Rs and house rules say about rentals: minimum stay, number of rentals per year, approved rental programs, guest fees?
- Is the property in a zoning district where County rules allow short-term vacation rentals, and is it registered?
- What is the parcel's USGS lava zone, FEMA flood zone and tsunami evacuation status? What do insurers quote for it?
- Who supplies water (County, private utility or other), and is the property on sewer, septic or a cesspool?
- Are there pending special assessments, reserve shortfalls, lawsuits, or design-review rules that affect remodeling?
FAQ
What is the difference between an equity and a non-equity club?
Members buy an ownership interest in the club, usually through an initiation deposit or fee, and the membership controls the club once the developer turns it over. Look for whether any part of the initiation is refundable or transferable when you sell, and how capital calls work. The club is owned by a company. Members pay for the right to use it, usually through dues and sometimes an initiation fee, but own no share of it. Ask what happens to your membership if the club is sold.
Are club fees on this page current?
Only where an official or clearly identified source published them, and each one shows its source and the date we checked. Everything else says verify. Clubs change fees, so confirm them in writing and in your escrow documents.
Can I rent my home short-term in a resort community?
It depends on two layers: the County zoning rules (Ordinance 2018-114, plus annual registration under Ordinance 25-50) and the community's own CC&Rs and club rules, which can be stricter. Both have to allow it.
Is Hayden affiliated with these resorts or clubs?
No. Hayden Fennoy and eXp Realty aren't affiliated with or endorsed by any community or club named here. Membership is subject to each club's approval.
Hayden Fennoy and eXp Realty are not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any community, resort, club, association or developer named here. Names are used only to identify them. Club membership, where offered, is subject to each club's own rules and approval. Fees, dues and rules change: everything here reflects what the cited source showed when it was checked, and must be verified in the current club, association and HOA documents during escrow. Hazard, zoning and elevation readings are from one public-GIS sample point per community. Parcels vary, so verify each property by its TMK.
Sources & method · checked October 22, 2026
Each community page lists its own club and fee sources. Land readings were taken on October 22, 2026 at one sample point per community from the Hawaiʻi Statewide GIS Program (County zoning, State Land Use Districts, General Plan LUPAG, FEMA DFIRM, County tsunami evacuation zones), the USGS lava hazard zone layer, USGS 3DEP elevation and the UH Rainfall Atlas. Drives were routed with OSRM to the KOA entrance.
- County of Hawaiʻi Planning Dept., Short-Term Vacation Rentals (Ordinance 2018-114): planning.hawaiicounty.gov (checked October 22, 2026)
- County of Hawaiʻi, STVR Application Packet (permitted districts; agricultural-lot rule): records.hawaiicounty.gov (checked October 22, 2026)
- County of Hawaiʻi, Ordinance 25-50 (transient vacation rental registration): records.hawaiicounty.gov (checked October 22, 2026)
- Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Oct. 22, 2026: County Council action on Bill 147: hawaiitribune-herald.com (checked October 22, 2026)
- Hawaiʻi Statewide GIS Program: County zoning, State Land Use Districts, General Plan LUPAG: geodata.hawaii.gov (checked October 22, 2026)
- USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: Lava-flow hazard zone maps: usgs.gov (checked October 22, 2026)
- Hawaiʻi Statewide GIS Program: FEMA DFIRM flood zones, Hawaiʻi County (FEMA data as of June 2026): geodata.hawaii.gov (checked October 22, 2026)
- Hawaiʻi Statewide GIS Program: Tsunami Evacuation Zones, County of Hawaiʻi (March 2025): geodata.hawaii.gov (checked October 22, 2026)
- USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP): epqs.nationalmap.gov (checked October 22, 2026)
- Rainfall Atlas of Hawaiʻi, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa: hawaii.edu (checked October 22, 2026)
- OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data (drive estimate to the KOA entrance): project-osrm.org (checked October 22, 2026)
- Hawaiʻi Dept. of Health, Safe Drinking Water Branch: regulated public water systems list (May 15, 2025): health.hawaii.gov (checked October 22, 2026)
Kona-Kohala Club Communities, compared.
All eight communities side by side, plus a checklist of questions for clubs and associations. Free PDF.
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