You can fly from Hono to Molokai - but think you could also take a ferry? see this for more info. http://visitmolokai.com/faq.php

For visiting the leper colony - it used to be down the mountain trial - by mule - but there may be other tours available.

And yes, I would suggest a car if you want to see the beauty of both Molokai and the Big Island.

From Molokai to Hilo - probably best through Maui and down the beautiful east side of the Big Island into Hilo - and then after checking out Akaka Falls and the Volcano, etc - from Volcano over to Kona is about a 2 hour drive - longer if you want to stop and enjoy some of the sights.

From Kona - direct flights back to Hono.

No one calls Honolulu "Hono".

If you want to drive from Volcano ot Kona, you should allow 4 hours. It is not a 2 hour drive.

nickieToHawaii: "Where to stay that beautiful but reasonable.

Reasonable could mean pretty much anything. What is your actual budget?

You'll want a car on the Big Island

Marginal: "No one calls Honolulu "Hono". "

Except for one who calls Yosemite 'yo' (yes - seriously)

Marginal: One can make the drive in about 2 hours - maybe a little more - if necessary.

BTW - since you live on BI - how do you know what others call Honolulu? Heard it called Hono since the 70's./

And of course, Janisj has to chime in on everything.

And the arguing begins. I feel sorry for the OP and suggest nickie just go to Trip Advisor for a better experience and avoid the mess this will turn into.

We absolutely loved our 4 nights on Molokai with the soul purpose of visiting Kalaupapa by mule. This was a few years ago. Not sure if you were considering a fly in day trip or a couple of nights on island. Check in with the Buzzy and he'll update you on options. He's a great guy.

http://www.muleride.com/rates.asp

Tomsd might mean well but flying into Maui only to travel to the ferry is not a viable option, or cost effective option.

We stayed on the very east end, which is 1 1/2 hours out of town - although some of the most beautiful miles you'll drive. So do rent a car. Here is an old trip report I posted under a previous screen name.

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/molokai-and-lanai---a-trip-report.cfm

I'd consider a couple of nights.

On your cruise, I would schedule a rental car for the days you are at port on Maui and Kauai and explore on your own, unless there is a ship sponsored excursion that really grabs you. There are plenty of day trips one can do on their own rather then be shuttled around in a bus. Much more time effective.

Good luck with your plans.

I don't know how you could get from Volcano to Kona in two hours. Call it three at least. Hilo side of the Big Island is pretty, very tropical jungle-looking, but of course the reason is that it rains. A Lot. Like nearly every day. Hilo is much more down-home than Kona as a result, though.

You will absolutely need a car to get around the islands.

You need a rental car on every island except Oahu.

I have never once heard Honolulu called "Hono".

The drive is more than 2 hours.

I visited Kalaupapa in the late 60's. I was a nurse in Honolulu at the time and we were invited to the colony by a couple of the residents - who we met at the hospital. We spent 2 or 3 nights there as their guests.

We flew into the colony in a small plane- I don't know if they still do that. It was a fascinating experience especially since we had our personal tour guides and historians.
When we visited there were only 12 active cases of leprosy - there may not be any now since it has pretty much been eliminated.

mms- what years were you in Honolulu?

Sunbum--We were never stationed there, but DH was there often for work. Most of his time there was in the late 90's/up to 2004. We have visited as a family, and will be back in a month, staying at the Hale Koa. Which, DH being career military, never referred to Honolulu as Hono, and neither did any of his shipmates, and I have never heard it called that when we have been there.

I agree with Suze, no rental car is needed in Honolulu. Most things can be done on foot, but the bus will work for some of the further out attractions.

Nickie, Molokai and the Big Island aren't typical destinations for first-time Hawaii visitors. Do you have particular reasons for choosing them?

Honu is a strange name to call the city. It is no more acceptable than San Fran, IMO.

charnees, or worse yet "Frisco"

If Marginal hadn't associated Honolulu with Hono I would've thought Hono was some little town I hadn't heard of yet. It certainly looks like it could be a separate town on some island. The names of Hawaiian towns/cities are hard enough to spell/pronounce without adding in Hono as a shortcut for Honolulu. Please, for clarity's sake just type the 4 extra letters and save everyone the confusion.

My last comment on "Hono". Was used all the time in the Military and even by some of my law school classmates who were from Honolulu. It was especially used in "traffic" - aka messaages - which means - communications that were used prior to people having the internet.

Know that must be hard for some of ye to imagine.

And from the Volcano webpage - they indicate it's about a two and a half hour drive from Volcano to Kona:

http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/directions.htm

It doesn't matter what locals or those familiar with Honolulu call it. Visitors on this board are usually completely unfamiliar with Hawaii and have never heard of Hono - so you just wind up confusing people. I know that must be hard for you to imagine but it's true.

If you want to give good advice, type out the 4 extra letters. If you want to be stubborn and try to show how you have some special inside knowledge of the area, keep calling it Hono and leaving newbies to wonder what the hell you're talking about.

One has to decide what is the motive of a response to a travel question:

1. Is it to provide useful and clear information?

2. Is it to promote one's ego or let others see one's personal experience.

They may not be the same.

I'm unclear about the intent of your post 22Tango, or why you surmise what a typical first time visitor would want to see.

The OP seemed very clear to me that after touring the islands via cruiseship, they would like to visit Kalaupapa and Volcano.

I hope I have offered some bit of help.

If you read more closely, Lookin_Glass, you'll see that first time visitors typically don't visit (especially) Molokai and the Big Island. It's usually Oahu and Maui and/or Kaua'i and/or Big Island for the volcano. So I was trying to get a sense of what Nickie is hoping/expecting to see/experience. It's different from island to island, you know. But I don't know why I need to explain my post to you! Are you the forum moderator?

s/b "If you read more closely...you'll see I said that..."

Did not the poster ask about Molokai and Hilo and Kona and Big Island?

"I would like to visit Molokai (leper colony) and then to big Island - Hilo for a couple of days then Kona for the balance of our stay."

You should also take into consideration that December is *winter* in Hawaii. Northern shores will likely have wind and rain and rough oceans. Hilo will be wet. Higher elevations will be wet.

Won't you have had enough of Hilo on your cruise?

I suggest you stay in the Kohala area on Big Island rather than in Kona. There are nicer hotels and condos there. It's more likely to be vog-free. It's where that island's relatively few easy-access beaches are located. You can drive up to Waipio and back through Waimea quite easily.

I would want a car at some ports rather than take expensive and limiting ship's tours. I'd want a car for at least a day to drive Oahu's pretty east and north shores.

Will you be arriving and departing Honolulu?