Kona is on the 'big' island, which is not as touristy as the other islands. It is also the island with the active volcano. It's my favorite because the are several different climates all on the same isalnd. The Hilo (capital) side is kinda rainy & gray, there's a mountain that you can even ski on! Also rain forests (inland) with awesome hiking, sandy beaches, rocky-lava beaches because of the volcanic activity, and it's all not too crowded with tourists.

I sound like a travel agent now

ps- you can even stay in a rental house that is situated in the middle of where the volcano erupted and is still somewhat active
It's this lonely looking little cabin in the middle of hardened lava. We saw people hiking around down there when we took a helicopter ride to see the volcano.