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If anyone has visited the Big Island in Hawaii, I would like some tips.? |
Travel Info My husband and 7 year old daughter are planning a vacation to Hawaii's "Big Island" this August, and from what I can tell, it is a very big island. If you've visited, I love to hear what towns you stayed in and what your opinions are of them. Which is nicer, Kona or Hilo? What natural wonders are a must see! And anything else you found really memerable. Just keep in mind we will have a little girl with us, so nude beaches and such are out. Thanks for any input. Travel Tips I have been to The Big Island Many times. I love Kona side best as it has more sun. You should visit Hilo as they have at least 3 big waterfalls that are easy to get to and see. Rent a car. You must go see the volcano's. There is the City of refuge and the painted church. Also the captain cook monument. As you have a 7 year old you need to space out your trips. It is a 8 -10 hour day to do the Hilo side and see the volcanos. You may even consider spending one night there. There is a large macadamian nut farm you can tour. One big waterfall is only about 1 mile from the center of town. Shopping is better as it is less expensive. Stay near a beach in kona and do not stay at the King Kamahmea hotel it has bugs. My nephew was bitten several times ugh!! If you can afford a resort hotel like the Hilton or raddison they are at the other end of the same side of the island as Kona . Waimea is a lovely mountain town and it is cool with nice restaurants and good shopping. It can rain there and be sunny in Kona. You can go to the top of Kilauea and drive there yourself even though the signs say you cannot. Remember it is 13000+ fet so if you have breathing problems the air is thin. Can have snow up there in December while summer on the ground below. Enjoy Others well i thin hilo is much better it is a kid friendly enviornment and has much to do. i would not go to see the volcano because i went last agust and u have to walk out about 2 miles for a glimps of smoke (not worth it if u have a daughter) the helicoptor ride over the volcano was great though. also u should visit the black sand beach which is a normal beach(nothing dirty) with all balck sand it is incredable. u may also go on the night hike to the volcano because that is when you can see the lava very well. have fun The pages I quote are from Big Island Revealed, 3rd edition. Activities 1. Kayak across Kealakekua Bay - we rented our kayak from Kona Boys (808-328-1234) and they were great! 2. Hike out to flowing lava - drive down Chain of Craters Road (in Volcanoes National Park) to the end and hike out to where the current flow is. If you want to call ahead, the number is 808-985-6000. They have a pre-recorded update as to where the lava is flowing. I highly recommend staying in Hilo overnight or at a B&B in Volcano Village if you decide to go to the volcano. It will give you the chance to really explore the park and you won't have to drive ALL THE WAY back to Kona in the same day! Very relaxing. Volcano Village is a great place. Aloha Junction (www.bbvolcano.com) is a nice little inexpensive B&B we enjoyed. They have a jacuzzi -- there is nothing like soaking in a hot jacuzzi in the mist after a night of walking around on the lava! 3. Walk to a secluded waterfall - if you have Big Island Revealed (3rd edition), check out pages 228-229. That's all I need to say except this: TAKE INSECT REPELLENT! We loved this hike and would do it again (it's more of a wet walk than a hike), but we got chewed big time by the mosquitoes! Be prepared and be smarter than we were -- you'll LOVE this! It's amazing and we never saw another soul the whole time we were out there. 4. Place of Refuge (Pu'uhonua O Honaunau) south of Kailua-Kona - page 71 in Big Island Revealed. Very pretty, very Hawaiian place. Important and interesting. 5. Waterfalls of the Hamakua Coast - Rainbow Falls (you can drive right up to it), Akaka Falls, Uma Uma Falls, and Kahuna Falls. All are well worth getting to! I think the best time to see all of these falls is in the morning when the sun is right. Morning is prettiest in Hilo and these falls are all on the Hilo side. Be sure to look out (if you're not the person driving!) for the little unmarked waterfalls along the side of the road as you drive down the Hamakua Coast! 6. Beaches - Mauna Kea Beach (Kauna'oa), Hapuna Beach, and Kua Bay are my favorites. Kona Coast State Park (Kekaha Kai) is also really nice, but you need 4WD to get to it. Really rocky road in! Make sure you spend AT LEAST one day hanging out and enjoying the sun. Use sunscreen! :) The Hawaiian sun will fry you in minutes if you're not careful. Kahalu'u Beach right in Kailua-Kona is a good beach for snorkeling. You can rent snorkel gear for about $9/week at Snorkel Bob's in Kailua-Kona (right near Huggo's restaurant on Ali'i Drive). 7. Punalu'u Black Sand Beach - You can drive right up to the black sand! Very cool. Lots of green sea turtles (protected in Hawaii, endangered species) there. Some will rest right on the beach and you can take pictures! Just don鈥檛 get too close. Respect their space or people will report you. Trust me on this! (I鈥檝e reprimanded people myself for harrassing the turtles.) The water is beautiful and really cold in lots of spots. It is fed by fresh water somehow and that makes it cold. Great place to spend some time hanging out on the way to the volcano. 8. Green Sand Beach - page 173 in Big Island Revealed. Either hike or drive out in a 4WD vehicle. Don't take any of the sand either here or at Punalu'u (or anywhere else, really). :) The green and black sand in particular are finite and if everyone takes just a little, there won't be any left in a few years. Sorry for the lecture, but I get so steamed when I see people filling up little vials (or big bags!) with green and black sand! 9. Ahalanui - page 117 in Big Island Revealed. Don't miss this if you can help it! Really, really neat ocean water hot spring to swim in. Off the beaten path and like nothing you've ever seen before (probably)! The water is warm because it鈥檚 heated by lava. Pretty neat! 10. Pacific Tsunami Museum - Nice little museum focusing on the 1946 and 1960 tsunamis that devastated Hilo. Inexpensive, very informative, and interesting. Only about $5 to get in. Closed Sundays. 11. Kalapana - This is the name of the town that was overrun by lava in 1990. Page 119 in Big Island Revealed. Not much to see there, but it's interesting and there鈥檚 a little snack stand that sells hot dogs and stuff there. 12. Kaumana Cave - page 146 in Big Island Revealed. This is a nice little lava tube that you can walk into just a few feet off the Saddle Road. If you don't want to drive the Saddle (it's not that bad a road but the rental car companies don't want you driving it), you can come in just a couple of miles off the Hilo side and find the cave from there. It's very damp and pretty. We took our Christmas card picture there in 2000! Restaurants, etc. 1. Tex Drive Inn in Honoka'a (on the way to Hilo) - they make the best fresh malasadas! They're a Portuguese donut without a hole and they're delicious! There's nothing like sitting on the lanai at Tex when it's raining on the roof and you're eating a malasada and drinking a cup of coffee. Ahhhh... 2. Lava Java on Ali'i Drive in Kailua-Kona - great Kona coffee and stuff. Yum! 3. Huggo's on the Rocks on Ali'i Drive in Kailua-Kona - This is the place next door to Huggo's. On the Rocks is a little bar-type place situated right on the sand. The view is great and at night they have live music and hula. The service is usually slow and even sometimes rude, but just enjoy the pupus (appetizers) and the view and you won't care! 4. Kona Brewing Company (Brewpub) in Kailua-Kona - great locally made beers and terrific pizza! Not near the beach, but nice atmosphere anyway. The Kohala pizza is great and I LOVE the roasted garlic appetizer! 5. Ken's House of Pancakes in Hilo - If you're over that way, it's worth a stop. Ken's is open 24 hours, which on the Big Island is a rarity. Their menu is huge and the waitresses are almost all old-timers. Good local grinds (food) at good prices. Fun atmosphere; very 'local.' 6. Punalu'u Bakeshop in Na'alehu (south island, on the way to the volcano) - really yummy taro and guava bread -- and cool T-shirts that state it's the "southernmost bakery in the U.S.! -- as well as mac nut ice cream sandwiches dipped in chocolate! 7. Roy's (in Waikoloa) - upscale Pacific Rim food. Roy's is a chain and they're all throughout the islands as well as on the mainland. I LOVE Roy's food and the chocolate souffle is to die for! Well worth a drive up to Waikoloa...and you can shop at the King's Shops afterward! 8. Kona Mix Plate - local style fast food. Try the loco moco or even SPAM musubi! My son loves it. Best thing is to grab a plate lunch and go out to the beach for sunset. Very relaxing and local type thing to do. 9. Java on the Rock - same location as Huggo's on the Rocks but Java on the Rock is just for breakfast. Their fruit plate is great -- you HAVE to try rambutan! It's a freaky little hairy fruit that is just delicious! Good coffee and pastries and the view is incredibly clear in the morning. We ate breakfast here almost every day on our trip in 2002. 10. Buns in the Sun - another nice little breakfast place. The food is good (ham croissants and stuff like that) but there is no view. It's in Lanihau Plaza near Kentucky Fried Chicken off Palani Road in Kailua-Kona. Good for taking breakfast to go and heading off to the beach or where ever. 11. Shave ice - Scandinavian Shave Ice on Ali'i Drive is pretty good. My friend Danicita owns the shave ice stand in Lanihau Plaza (right near Long's) and hers is great! My favorite is li hing mui (like a really sweet plum flavor) with soft serve ice cream in the bottom! Delicious. Try it with azuki beans too. 12. Tropical Dreams ice cream - this is sold at a little antiques store on the way down south called Antiques-Art-Ice Cream (near Kealakekua, I think), in Hawi, and at the Kress building in Hilo. It is unbelievably good! Try it if you鈥檙e in any of these areas. You won鈥檛 be disappointed! Aloha :) Just remember this, Hilo is on the windward side and averages 125 inches of rainfall per year. Kona is on the leeward side and averages about 20 inches per year. Go to the Hilton Waikaloa Village. It's awesome for kids because there are lots of pools with water slides. There is also a huge lagoon that is like an actual beach. There is sand, fish, turtles and corals and at the back of the lagoon is a waterfall. Its a great place for snorkeling. There's a program for kids called Dolphin Quest and its for kids. They get to feed the dolphins in a lagoon or if they want to, they can play with them. The hotel has a few quality restaurants and also has a boat which is very nice, that you can ride for free at the hotel and there is also a tram system for getting around the hotel. There are 3 different buildings you can stay in. Hilo vis a lot cheaper to stay. I live in kona & it is not cheap. Kona is the sunniest coast |
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