Huliheʻe Palace stands on Aliʻi Drive at the edge of Kailua Bay in Kailua-Kona. High Chief John Adams Kuakini, governor of the island of Hawaiʻi, built it of lava rock, and it was once a summer vacation home for Hawaiian royalty. After Kuakini it passed to his hānai son William Pitt Leleiohoku I and then to Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani, who preferred to sleep in a traditional grass hale pili on the grounds. King David Kalākaua later bought the palace, renamed it Hikulani Hale and covered the lava rock with plaster for a more European look. In the early twentieth century it fell into disrepair, and the Daughters of Hawaiʻi took it on, turned down pressure to give it up for hotel development and restored it as a museum. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. Inside, six rooms on two floors hold koa furniture, feather standards, royal portraits and heirlooms from the time of Princess Ruth, King Kalākaua and Queen Kapiʻolani. The Division of State Parks administers the palace, and the Daughters of Hawaiʻi manage it under a long-term lease.
No parking at the palace; free public parking is within walking distance on Kuakini Highway. The palace has stairs, and staff will make other arrangements for visitors who have trouble climbing them.
