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WEST The Sites! Where to eat! Martini Yacht Club Visitors to the exclusive Coconut Grove Marketplace would be remiss if they passed on dinner at this hip, trendy eatery, which made a big splash on the Big Island's restaurant scene when it opened in the late '90s. Local ingredients (fresh seafood, produce, and herbs) are used in most dishes, and appetizers like carpaccio, grilled shrimp cocktail, seafood risotto, and tomato-avocado and lobster salad earn particular praise. Noteworthy entrees include rack of lamb, seafood ravioli, and macadamia nut-encrusted mahi mahi. Reservations are recommended. ---------- Keei Cafe Ask a local or a frequent visitor where to go for the island's best fresh fish and seafood, and you'll likely hear this Captain Cook treasure named among the top suggestions. Nestled between the highway and the coastline, Keei Cafe serves up spectacular American-Hawaiian fusion dishes. Savor the flavorful likes of herb-rubbed rib eye steaks, pork chops smothered in peppercorn gravy, tofu fajitas, Thai-style curry dishes, or even Brazilian seafood chowder. Although the décor will not knock your socks off, the food very likely will. Reservations are recommended. ---------- Best Beaches Kahalu'u Beach Park Easily one of the Big Island's most popular beaches, this is the most popular beach on the Kona Coast. A reef far offshore prevents the waters from getting too rough, making a terrific snorkeling opportunity. These reef-protected lagoons attract 1,000 people a day almost year-round. Kahalu'u is the best all-around beach on Ali'i Drive, with coconut trees lining a narrow salt-and-pepper-sand shore that gently slopes to turquoise pools. The schools of brilliantly colored tropical fish that weave in and out of the well-established reef make this a great place to snorkel. It's also an ideal spot for children and beginning snorkelers to get their fins wet; the water is so shallow that you can literally stand up if you feel uncomfortable. Be careful in winter, though: The placid waters become turbulent, and there's a rip current when high surf rolls in; look for the lifeguard warnings. Kahalu'u isn't the biggest beach on the island, but it's one of the best equipped, with off-road parking, beach-gear rentals, a covered pavilion, and a food concession. It gets crowded, so come early to stake out a beach blanket-sized spot. In our opinion, it's simply the best place to snorkel on the Island.
---------- White Sands Beach As you cruise Ali'i Drive, blink and you'll miss White Sands Beach. This small, white-sand pocket beach about 4˝ miles south of Kailua-Kona--very unusual on this lava-rock coast--is sometimes called Disappearing Beach because it does just that, especially at high tide or during storms. It vanished completely when Hurricane Iniki hit in 1991, but it's now back in place. (At least it was the last time we looked.) Locals use the elementary waves here to teach their children how to surf and boogie board. On calm days, the water is perfect for swimming and snorkeling. In winter, the waves swell to expert levels, attracting both surfers and spectators. Facilities include rest rooms, showers, lifeguards, and a small parking lot. ---------- Old Kona Airport State Park Ideal for a family outing, Old Airport Beach is easily accessible and features picnic facilities, showers, lifeguards, tennis courts, and an events pavilion. The wide-open beach's calm waters are ideal for tidal pool exploration and snorkeling, and there's no telling what mysteries await discovery amid lava rocks that litter the beach and extend into the shallows. The waters that batter the beach's northern section are a favorite with surfers and boogie boarders. ----------
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