Help with Big Island Itinarary
Jul 5th, 2006, 03:16 PM
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Help with Big Island Itinarary
Help with Big Island Itinerary
Hi,
My husband and I will be visiting Big Island at the end of October/early November for 7 days. I have read lots of posts and still cannot come up with good itinerary. This is my tentative itinerary:
day 1
a. Arrive to Kona at 1 pm
b. Drive to VNP (view lava at night)
c. Stay overnight at Volcano House
day 2
a.hike in VNP
b.Leave late afternoon for Hapuna Prince Hotel.
day 3 and 4
a.Stay at Hapuna Prince Hotel and do day trips
day 5,6,7
a.Stay at Outrigger KEAUHOU BEACH RESORT and do day trips from there
day 8
a.leave in the morning for Honolulu
I already booked airfare for Kona, so I cannot change it for Hilo which makes more sense with starting the trip from VNP. It seems like a lot of hotels for 7 days. Is it doable to take day trip from Outrigger to VNP and not to stay overnight there? I would love to stay in Hapuna and skip Outrigger for all 6 days, but it is a bit pricy, that is why I am splitting the stay with Outrigger.
I would very much appreciate your advice and suggestions.
Thank you,
MariaX
Hi,
My husband and I will be visiting Big Island at the end of October/early November for 7 days. I have read lots of posts and still cannot come up with good itinerary. This is my tentative itinerary:
day 1
a. Arrive to Kona at 1 pm
b. Drive to VNP (view lava at night)
c. Stay overnight at Volcano House
day 2
a.hike in VNP
b.Leave late afternoon for Hapuna Prince Hotel.
day 3 and 4
a.Stay at Hapuna Prince Hotel and do day trips
day 5,6,7
a.Stay at Outrigger KEAUHOU BEACH RESORT and do day trips from there
day 8
a.leave in the morning for Honolulu
I already booked airfare for Kona, so I cannot change it for Hilo which makes more sense with starting the trip from VNP. It seems like a lot of hotels for 7 days. Is it doable to take day trip from Outrigger to VNP and not to stay overnight there? I would love to stay in Hapuna and skip Outrigger for all 6 days, but it is a bit pricy, that is why I am splitting the stay with Outrigger.
I would very much appreciate your advice and suggestions.
Thank you,
MariaX
Jul 5th, 2006, 04:02 PM
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MariaX,
I do not recommend doing day trips from Kona to HVNP, it is simply too much driving. The Big Island is just that. Big. I like your plan, I think it is sound and you should have a good time. Don’t forget to give yourself enough time on the way from Volcano to Hapuna to check out Hilo, Akaka Falls, Onomea Bay etc. You can day trip from Hapuna to Waipio, Tex Drive in, Hawi, and Pololu easily enough, but Hilo and surrounding would be easier done on the way from Volcano to Hapuna. Keep your belongings out of sight in the trunk and don’t access the trunk when at parking lots for tourist stops.
Also, since you must travel from Kona to HVNP and back to the West side, consider going the south route once and the north route the other, and when going the south route be sure to stop at Punalu’u and check out the black sand beach, and pick up some sweet bread in Na’alehu.
Consider also B&B or a vacation rental in Volcano.
Consider the Sheraton Keauhou (check Hotwire for prices) it is slightly better than the Outrigger and usually about the same cost.
http://www.sheratonkeauhou.com/
Good luck and happy travels!
I do not recommend doing day trips from Kona to HVNP, it is simply too much driving. The Big Island is just that. Big. I like your plan, I think it is sound and you should have a good time. Don’t forget to give yourself enough time on the way from Volcano to Hapuna to check out Hilo, Akaka Falls, Onomea Bay etc. You can day trip from Hapuna to Waipio, Tex Drive in, Hawi, and Pololu easily enough, but Hilo and surrounding would be easier done on the way from Volcano to Hapuna. Keep your belongings out of sight in the trunk and don’t access the trunk when at parking lots for tourist stops.
Also, since you must travel from Kona to HVNP and back to the West side, consider going the south route once and the north route the other, and when going the south route be sure to stop at Punalu’u and check out the black sand beach, and pick up some sweet bread in Na’alehu.
Consider also B&B or a vacation rental in Volcano.
Consider the Sheraton Keauhou (check Hotwire for prices) it is slightly better than the Outrigger and usually about the same cost.
http://www.sheratonkeauhou.com/
Good luck and happy travels!
Jul 6th, 2006, 06:51 AM
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We just got back from doing a circle trip around the island...and you are doing some extra driving/back tracking that might not be necessary. My suggestion would be to stay at Hapuna in the beginning (don't know where you are flying from, but even from California I wouldn't want to jump in the car and drive to VNP after a long flight). I would stay 2-3 nights at Hapuna to relax and sightsee when you first get there, then go south and stay one to two nights in South Kona at the Outrigger or Sheraton, then continue south to Volcano for a night, and then back through Hilo with a final night or two in Kona. Agree with the previous poster that you could find a nice B and B and skip Volcano House.
Hope this is helpful and not confusing!
Hope this is helpful and not confusing!
Jul 6th, 2006, 07:12 AM
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Thank you both Echolynch and Patinegypt.
We are flying from California and think we will be ok driving for 3 hours to VNP. Do you think that we should stay at VNP 1 or 2 nights? Do you know if we have to drive from Volcano House for the day hikes? Or is it better to stay at Volcano village?
Also, we have rented a convertable before I realized that 4WD is a better option. Do you think that we will be ok with convertable?
Thank you very much for your help.
MariaX.
We are flying from California and think we will be ok driving for 3 hours to VNP. Do you think that we should stay at VNP 1 or 2 nights? Do you know if we have to drive from Volcano House for the day hikes? Or is it better to stay at Volcano village?
Also, we have rented a convertable before I realized that 4WD is a better option. Do you think that we will be ok with convertable?
Thank you very much for your help.
MariaX.
Jul 6th, 2006, 09:45 AM
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MariaX,
Dump the convertible and get the smallest car your party can be comfortable in. Remember you will be driving a lot, and gas is about $3.50 a gallon right now. Most of the highway stretches on the BI you would have the top up anyway on a convertible, so it isn’t really worth the cost, and a 4*4 is a complete waste of money and gas. The only place on the entire island one would need a rented 4*4 is to summit Mauna Kea, and for that only Harpers permits that. If that is the goal, switch into the 4*4 for just that day. Recommend hotwire, Priceline or Costco for cars. When I go home I usually get a mid size since it is just the two of us. Not sure where you got the advice for the 4*4, but ignore it.
As for one or two nights in volcano, that is up to you. It will likely be colder than you expect, but if the volcano is a big reason you are there, then you may enjoy being there. By staying there you will also be able to participate in ranger led hikes, which are free and only in the mornings. Check with the NPS and they can provide more info. Check out the website and see what interests you in the park. Some folks could spend a month in the park and not see everything, others could spend a day and that’s enough.
Good hiking, bring good hiking boots, bug spray, h2o, flashlights and a lightweight waterproof jacket. http://www.nps.gov/havo/home.htm
Where you stay doesn’t really matter too much. Likely you will get an early start (use the time change to your advantage and get up early) so parking will not be an issue.
Good luck and happy travels!
Dump the convertible and get the smallest car your party can be comfortable in. Remember you will be driving a lot, and gas is about $3.50 a gallon right now. Most of the highway stretches on the BI you would have the top up anyway on a convertible, so it isn’t really worth the cost, and a 4*4 is a complete waste of money and gas. The only place on the entire island one would need a rented 4*4 is to summit Mauna Kea, and for that only Harpers permits that. If that is the goal, switch into the 4*4 for just that day. Recommend hotwire, Priceline or Costco for cars. When I go home I usually get a mid size since it is just the two of us. Not sure where you got the advice for the 4*4, but ignore it.
As for one or two nights in volcano, that is up to you. It will likely be colder than you expect, but if the volcano is a big reason you are there, then you may enjoy being there. By staying there you will also be able to participate in ranger led hikes, which are free and only in the mornings. Check with the NPS and they can provide more info. Check out the website and see what interests you in the park. Some folks could spend a month in the park and not see everything, others could spend a day and that’s enough.
Good hiking, bring good hiking boots, bug spray, h2o, flashlights and a lightweight waterproof jacket. http://www.nps.gov/havo/home.htm
Where you stay doesn’t really matter too much. Likely you will get an early start (use the time change to your advantage and get up early) so parking will not be an issue.
Good luck and happy travels!
Jul 6th, 2006, 11:04 AM
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Echolynch,
Thank you for the advice. I will try to change the car. I think that we will stay on VNP for 2 nights and then take north route to Hapuna, stay 2 nights there, Then over to Outrigger for 3 nights. The Outrigger is running ‘special’ for 5 nights with 1 free nights and it is tempting to stay there. But Hapuna has such a great reviews that I don’t want to skip it.
MariaX
Thank you for the advice. I will try to change the car. I think that we will stay on VNP for 2 nights and then take north route to Hapuna, stay 2 nights there, Then over to Outrigger for 3 nights. The Outrigger is running ‘special’ for 5 nights with 1 free nights and it is tempting to stay there. But Hapuna has such a great reviews that I don’t want to skip it.
MariaX
Jul 6th, 2006, 11:18 AM
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you can always drive over to Hapuna Beach, less than an hour from Keahou. The beach is very nice, you're not going on vacation for the hotel. Outrigger is nice and convenient to the restaurants, shops and activities in Kona, Hapuna Prince you're kind of stuck there with the expensive food, though could drive to Waimea or Kawaihae for dinner. More options staying at Keahou. 5 nights 1 free is a great offer, save the money for other activities: deep sea fishing, snorkeling cruise to Kealakekua Bay, submarine, dinner cruise, horseback riding etc.
