Kona is on the Big Island.
Sorry I shouldn't have capitalized the word. Up 'mauka' means the mountainside, or to go up the mountain. 'Makai' means oceanside. I live 'up mauka' from Kailua-Kona, about 5 miles up a long windy road. It is cool and subtropical here. You guys were mentioning that the Western sides of the islands aren't all that great, but a lot of people only see Kailua-Kona (only 39 sq miles) and think it's Kona but it's not. The Kona district extends from South Kona where Ocean View starts all the way to North Kona close to Waikoloa. The total sq miles of the island is approx 4,000 and Kona takes up almost 1/2. Our side is so much more than the little shopping village called Kailua that is way overpriced and so expensive to live in. We still have to shop there. There are so many really beautiful spots up mauka, like Honaunau, Kaloko, Kealakekua Bay, City of Refuge. <3