TravelDiva

Hi All,

My BF and I are heading to the BI in mid-Feb. for a 6 day trip. This will be our first trip to the island.

Here's what I have planned so far:

Thurs: Arrive late, check into the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
Fri: Hit the beach, play some tennis, dinner at the hotel restaurant
Sat: Stop @ Tex Drive in for Portuguese masaladas; hike @ Waipio Valley; lunch @ Merriman's or Daniel Thiebault in Waimea (if we feel up to it); Valentine's Day dinner @ Hualalai Grill
Sun: Brunch @ Mauna Kea; check out Kona; Afternoon/night Manta Ray dives w/Jack's Dive Locker
Mon: Hapuna Beach; play some tennis; Sunset drive up to Hawi/dinner at Sushi Rock
Tues: Check out of Mauna Kea; breakfast @ Hawaiian Style Cafe; quick jaunt to Akaka Falls State Park; lunch @ Hilo Bay Cafe; check into Volcano Village Lodge @ 3pm; Lava Roy's Sunset boat tour @ 6pm; dinner @ Kaleo's
Wed: VNP; quick stop @ Green Sand Beach (if we can find it); pick up some sweet breads from Punaluu Bake Shop in Naalehu, grab our last bite on the island before getting on our flight for home at 10:30pm

Some questions I have are:
- I'm trying to decide between the sunset lava boat tour vs. a helicopter tour. We did a helicopter tour on Maui a few years ago, but on BI we'd be getting a chance to see a live volcano and waterfalls from the air. The post about the Kauai copter crash isn't swaying me towards changing my mind about the boat tour, but I appreciate people's thoughts on this.
- Any decent waterfront restaurant recos in Kona?
- Should we make a point of having a dinner at either Merriman's or Daniel Thiebault...say, instead of Sushi Rock on Mon. eve?
- Since we're only the island for 6 days, I tried to select the top attractions that appealed to me most (e.g., Waipio Valley, Akaka Falls, VNP and Green Sand Beach)? Have I missed any must-see? I realize my itinerary is already really packed.

Appreciate any and all feedback!!!

Thanks
traveldiva

bfrac

To answer your questions first:

I would prefer the helicopter tour rather than the boat. Make sure to reserve in advance.

IMO you have picked better choices for dining rather than in Kona.

Saturday you said perhaps lunch at Merriman's or Thibeaut. Personally, I would rather have dinner there than take time out of the middle of the day. Dinner you could relax and really enjoy. Maybe after your hike in Waipio Valley take the Mountain Road in Waimea to Hawi and have lunch at Sushi Rock then make your way back to Mauna Kea. Look at the map and you'll see what I mean.

Monday,be sure to use the hotel beach. You have full access to all the facilities at the Hapuna as well as charging privileges.

Sorry, not familiar with where Kaleo's is.

There is no "quick stop" at the Green Sand Beach. It is about an 1-1.5 hour hike each way, depending on how fast you walk.

Keep in mind that the Big Island is very big and driving times are most likely much longer than you imagine.

Enjoy!

JohnD

For oceanfront dining & in Kona we Bubba Gumps:
http://www.bubbagump.com/locations/kona.html

Songdoc

For us, the Place of Refuge was a definite highlight of the B.I. I'd include that for sure -- not for the historical significance (which was interesting) but because it was such an incredibly beautiful place to see and walk.

crazy4Hawaii

Tuesday will be challenging for you. We planned a similar day coming from Hapuna Beach Prince Resort and ended up screeching into Volcano Village shortly after 5 pm.

I LOVE the Big Island. With only six days, I'd not bother with Kona at all and make a point of visiting the Place of Refuge. We also loved stargazing atop Mauna Kea but realize this is not everyone's cup of tea.

Kailani

Be sure to take binoculars, as the whales should be wild!

I love the drive north to Hawi, stopping at Lapakahi for whale watching. Continuing on through the charming town of Kapa'au to Pololu for a beautiful view and hike to a black sand beach. Then, the drive from Hawi to Waimea is considered the most beautiful in the world with the view of the ocean and Mauna Kea.

Another great place (but low key) to eat is Pico's Bistro in Kapa'au, with a darling tiny museum, "Kenji's place" and art gallery cooperative.

Sushi Rock is very casual. Be sure to make reservations as it is tiny and may have varying hours. I don't think it is open for lunch.

The helicopter ride over the volcano is impressive. I've taken the Blue Hawaiian 2 hour trip of the whole island, and a last minute, much cheaper, 45 minute flight out of Hilo. I would recommend either.

I've had lunch at Merriman's and Daniel Thiebaut's, and I agree it's more of a dinner place, but prices are cheaper at lunch.

In Kona, I like the Kona Village Inn for koa wood ambiance and ocean view, not necessarily food, but it's fine.

I think your schedule will allow some flexibility to stop and discover some of the many fantastically quirky treasures of the Big Island, and certainly you will experience the Aloha spirit.

nobigdeal

Just a reminder to keep in mind elevation restrictions after diving. Depending on the length/depth of your dive, you may not be able to drive to certain areas on the island for the next 24 hours. Check with your dive operator before planning any sightseeing/dinners the next day. We had to move around our schedule a bit so that we weren't driving to dinner at Merriman's the day after our dive.

And I do highly recommend dinner at Merriman's. A fabulous and truly memorable meal with fresh and local ingredients. Made all the better by the fantastic service -- I sometimes forget what a huge difference attentive and helpful service makes until I experience it again!

TravelDiva

Thanks all, for the great feedback.

I think we'll replace the dinner at Sushi Rock with either Merriman's or Thiebault. If you had to choose one, which would you go with? I've read a lot of mixed reviews about Merriman's lately.

Tuesday and Wednesday are definitely action packed. Maybe we should plan on taking a helicopter tour instead of trying to make it to the lava boat tour. Hmmm. Green sand beach is probably out as well. Is Place of Refuge fairly accessible by comparison?

Thanks again!

travelinandgolfin

Travel, your itinerary sounds great. We live on Oahu and visit the BI quite often, usually staying at Hapuna or Mauna Lani.

If you need to pare anything down, I'd consider skipping Kona town. It is crowded and there just isn't a whole lot to see. Alii Drive is sort of the "touristy" shopping area, but it's rundown (IMO) and not really worth it.

Of course, if it's your first time on the BI, I can see where you may want to visit the town. I think a quick drive through might be all you need though.

Definitely don't miss Hawaiian Style Cafe. Service is slow, but the food is great. Very tiny, so you may have to wait for seating.

JohnD

Yes Place of Refuge is easily accessible since ancient times:
http://pahoahi.tripod.com/kona/refuge.htm

FrankS

Mauna Kea trumps the Orchid in all areas but a romantic oceanfront dining experience. If you get a chance, spend a night there.

bfrac

I prefer Daniel Thibeaut. We have been there three times, Merrimans once. Our favorite restaurant is The Canoe House at the Mauna Lani.

I agree with all the others to skip Kona or at best a quick drive through.

connecticut_lady

Last time we were on the BI Merriman's Waimea was closed for lunch on Saturday & Sunday.

In agreement with other posters regarding skipping Kona. Better oceanfront eating elsewhere -- Pahu I'a at Four Seasons, Brown's Beach House at Fairmont Orchid to name two.

My only concern for you is the amount of time you will spend driving during your six days.

TravelDiva

Hmmm, so still seems like people are split on the Merriman's vs. Thiebault question.

I think we'll have our dinner in Waimea on Fri. eve instead of the hotel's restaurant, Manta, so we can avoid the diving bends problem. Now if I can only decide on which. I was originally leaning toward Merriman's but some of the bad service reviews were scaring me off.

I hear you guys on the Kona-tourist-trap thing. The only reason we were going to head to Kona was b/c that's were the dive boats leave for our manta night dive. I'm wondering if we could hit Place of Refuge on that day.

My BF and I are "car" people and don't mind seeing the island that way...but I must admit I'm concerned about it as well. I'm hoping I've planned my days in order to help avoid a lot of unnecessary backtracking. Would love to hear if there's a smarter way to organize things.

Can hardly wait!!!

DebitNM

We did the Blue Hawaiian full island tour in Oct. 2006. It was an amazing trip! Our pilot was excellent, gave a great narration and terrific flight. We left from Waikoloa Heliport, landed in Hilo to refuel, booking online saves a few $$. I didn't want to book ahead, so I called them from hotel when we landed on BI. They gave me the same price as online.

We saw lave, the flow into the ocean, amazing waterfalls, black and green sand beaches, things we would never have been able to see using a car.

We had never been on a helicopter before and it was an excellent adventure. We felt perfectly safe and Blue Hawaiian has a terrific record.

We flew on the Eco Star and it was comfortable. We were able to sit in the front seats, next to pilot.

Harrington's in Hilo was a great place for dinner after the flight.

We stayed at Hapuna Beach and loved it, we went to Mauna Kea for an afternoon. It was lovely too. This was 3 days before the BIG earthquake.

Have a wonderful time!
Deb

TravelDiva

OH, and one other question...will there be any dining options at all after 9pm on a Sunday night? (We won't be getting back from our dives until 9pm.)

Kailani

Check out the websites. Both restaurants are very good. I like the "Macadamia Nut Crusted Tofu Napoleon with a Cilantro Tahini Sauce" at Daniel Thiebaut's as I am a vegetarian, and I like the atmosphere of the old general store.

http://www.danielthiebaut.com/index.html

Merriman's is also very creative and high quality. On their website I noticed they offer a farm tour which sounds interesting.

http://www.merrimanshawaii.com/index.php

The Waimea tomatoes, lettuce, and strawberries are so flavorful, grown in the lava rich soil and salads and vegetables are delicious.

And, maybe try some Lilikoi (passion fruit) or Kona fudge at the Hamakua Fudge shop on the main street of Honoka'a. http://hamakuafudge.com/ (when you go to Waipio and Tex's).

There is a quaint smoothy shop "What's Shakin'" in Pepeekeo near Akaka Falls off the 4 mile scenic highway. I'm sure it's in most guidebooks. There are guava, mango, lilikoi, and other tropical smoothies.

climber45

we did the nite manta ray dive or snorkle and it was one of the best adventures.we went with a small boat .SUNLITE SOMETHING.tHEY also do a wild dalfin swim(sorry about the spelling).We also spent some of our time in a pond house on the other side of the big island.It was kind of like we had are own fish pond.we have done the heli tour.there are also some good markets on the big island.We really liked snorking at turtle beach,(not real name)close to the outrigger in kona.This city park has the best snorkling,and you often swim with turtles

bfrac

I think you have it worked out better now so you aren't doing so much backtracking.

Dinner after the dive may be difficult that late and I never eat in Kona so can't help you with that. If someone else doesn't have a suggestion, contact the hotel concierge for advice.

FrankS

On my last 3 visits to the Big Island, I didnt eat in Kona once. The last time I ate in Kona, there was a Jolly Roger(full dinner on the water for $9) and Chart House to give an idea how long its been. They would have some pretty unbelievable fish specials too. But even if they were there today, I would avoid Kona.