The Big Island has started off the summer by winning some big awards. First, the readers of Travel+Leisure magazine voted the Island of Hawaii as one of the Top 10 Islands in the World, making the list along with Maui and Kauai in the magazines August issue.

In the same issue, Travel+Leisure readers voted the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai as Hawaii’s #1 resort and spa in the region. Also making the list were the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows, the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and Kona Village.

ISLANDS magazine’s August issue named the Big Island No. 1 on its “Top 20 Best Islands to Live On” annual survey. The magazine referred to the wide variety of weather, golf, surf, volcanoes, big and small towns alike as some of the reasons.

Finally, in last month’s Conde Nast Traveler they published the 14th Readers Choice Survey for to Golf Resorts. Of the Top 15 Hawaii Golf Resorts, six were on the Big Island: Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, The Fairmont Orchid, Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows, Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and Hilton Waikoloa Village.

First quarter sales of condos on the Big Island have been in a steady decline for the past four years in a row. The first quarter of 2010, however, showed a marked increase of over 122% from the previous year’s first quarter sales.

Looking at the two graphs above it is interesting to note that the median price of condos continued to go up even while the unit sales were dropping. One explanation for that is that there is a lag until prices reflect increasing unsold inventory. Conversely, if unit sales continue to rise, decreasing the inventory, the median price will eventually rise as well.