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3-4 days on the big island...what would you do?

We are planning to stay at the Outrigger on the Kohala (?) coast of the Big Island. We would love to play golf at the nearby courses but also would like to see the "live" volcano. Would you recommend a helicopter ride over the whole island rather than spending a long drive in the car. We plan to fly in and out of Kona airport. Also, what are the other "must dos" on the BI?

Hello, my wife and I returned from a 3 night stay at the Outrigger Waikoloa Beach Marriot last week. We are not golfers but found plenty of other things to do there. Your best source of info. would be to pick up a copy of "Hawaii The Big Island Revealed", (nicknamed "The Blue Bible") which is available at Barnes & Noble etc. We did not do the helicopter tour do to time constraints but a shuttle leaves right from the hotel for a local airstrip operated by the Blue Hawaaiin company. The tour from the hotel lasts 2 hours and costs double (~$300/person) what the tour from Hilo costs (Hilo tour lasts only 1 hour, but focuses on volcano). Check the blue bible for other companies and price breakdowns. We skipped the helicopter tour and instead drove to the Volcano national park by car through Hilo, rather than Kona. The Hilo route has scenic turn off side roads and you can also drive to some waterfalls along the way and we personally did not find the drive to be too long. In the park you should check in with the rangers welcome center for 5 minutes to ask about the conditions on chain of craters road, and last week it was OK to drive within about a half hour walk to the oozing lava flow. Try to arrive at the flow between 5-6PM to see it as it gets dark, and flashlights and bottled water are helpfull as the walk is somewhat tricky (but not dangerous) and it gets hot there. I also would recommend snorkeling in A-Bay in front of the Outrigger Marriot, which is best when it is not windy and the water is clear. We also took an outstanding snorkeling boat trip from Keahou (near Kona) aboard the FAIRWINDS II takes you to snorkel near the Captain Cook Memorial Monument where the water was very clear and we saw amazing fish and reef activity. Overall I enjoyed driving around the Big Island because the landscape is ever changing and often dramatic, and if you like coffee there are at least two Starbucks serving delicious Kona Coffee. Last week there was construction/noise on the (Hilton) side of the Marriot, but our ocean front room in the middle of the Marriot (facing the fish ponds) was unaffected by this nuisance, also the A/C in our room was amazing! Enjoy your trip!

I love the north part of the island up by Hawi. It's very lush and rain forest like. Beautiful to drive around, excellent parks with craggy bluffs and b&b's. The town of Hawi itself is small and charming. Don't miss this part of the island if you have a car. Wendy

Not sure how flexible your plans are, but I would urge you to consider splitting your nights between the Hilo side of the island and the Kohala coast, especially if you are interested in seeing live volcano. (It's a loooong drive from Kohala to Volcano and back.) One of the great appeals of the BI is its great variety, and if you stay in one place the whole time you are there I fear you will be missing out on a lot. Last year I spent four nights on the Big Island as follows (highlights only): Flew to Hilo on day 1 and visited Akaka Falls and Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, both in the Hilo vicinity. Stayed the night in the Volcano area. Day 2: Visited Volcano National Park, and drove around the southern side of the island to Kona, with stops at Punahuu Black Sand Beach, South Point and Pu'uhonua National Historic Park. Stayed in the Kona vicinity this night and for the balance of the stay. Day 3: Lazy day. Visited Hulihee Palace and a coffee plantation. Day 4: Snorkeling at Kahaluu Beach Park. If I could do it again, I probably would have spent two nights on the windward side and two nights on the leeward side, and not the one and three I did. I regret not having having enough time to explore Hilo town or to see lava flow at night. Also I'm sorry I didn't get to see the northern side of the island. BTW, if you like luaus, the one at Kona Village on Friday nights is a good one. Hope this helps.

I second the vote for The Big Island Revealed guidebook -it's fantastic. Skip the helicopter tour and drive to the volcano park. It's great for driving around in, lots to see inside besides the volcano. The volcano is the most amazing thing I have ever seen, and to get up close to it was amazing. The drive around the island is fantastic too.

On our eight day trip last year, we stayed in the Kohala area. We saw the volcano area as part of a massive one day drive around the island. The drive was wonderful, well worth doing. But we really didn't have enough time at the volcano area to do it justice. In particular, we ran out of time to actually drive to where the lava was flowing (that would have been four extra hours of driving). If I had to do it again, I'd spend at least one night on that side of the island, probably at the Volcano House or maybe in Hilo. On a previous trip, I went horseback riding in the upcountry near the Parker Ranch. I'm not a big riding type, but it was absolutely fabulous to ride over these grassy hills and gaze down at the ocean. It's a memory that has stayed with me for years. Some people might view Dolphin Quest at the Hilton Waikoloa as a must do. For me, it was fun but did not live up to my high expectations. There have been other posts on it here if you want details. Watching the sunset over the ocean is a must do. Every night if possible!

How long will it take to drive from Waikoloa to Hilo? And how long from Hilo to the Volcano National Park? If we start out in the morning, can we visit Hilo and the Park and be back by 9 or 10 pm? We're not big "hikers", but would like to explore the scenery. Also for those of you who stayed 2 days on each side of the island: Did you fly from side to side or drive and leave the car in a different location?

Driving time Waikoloa to Hilo - 2 hrs. Hilo - Volcano Natl. Park 50 mins. Yes you can make it in one day...long day...start early Drive...enjoy the scenery...It's Hawaii! If you do plan to drop a car off @ different airport. Hertz is only rental car co. that doesn't charge drop off fee.(last year they didn't 2002) You are close to the Kohala....Hawi, eat at Bamboo Restuarant, go to Kapa'au and see the original King Kamehameha Statue...continue down the road to the Pololu Lookout (just a suggestion) enjoy

for JohnD: what did you think of the Outrigger? would you recommend it as a place to stay for a week??? thanks!

We flew into Kona and out of Hilo in January--rented from Avis and they didn't charge a drop-off fee. We spent one night at Volcano Park and hiked out to see the lava flow. If you don't wait until near dark or dark, all you'll see is steam as the lava enters the ocean (at least that's all we could see until it started to get dark). So if you want to see the lava other than steam, you'll have to stay until it starts to get dark. So whether you'd be able to do that and get back by 9 or 10 depends upon when it starts to get dark when you're there. We spent three nights on the Kohala coast and one at the park and were glad we weren't driving back that night. The park has wonderful things to see and was one of the highlights of our trip. Also, we talked with some folks staying at our B&B and they had done the helicopter ride to see the lava and said it was wonderful. They flew out of Hilo, I believe.

Reply to Dolciani: You do not have to be a hiker to experience the amazing features of Volcano Natl Park. One highlight I forgot to mention was the Thurston Lava Tube, at which you park your car and walk down a few flights of steps and can walk underground in an electric lighted former lava tube. Also one of the large volcano craters is about 100 yards from where you park your car and easily accessible. Also during our visit last week I noticed that the steam vents in the park, which you can drive your car up to and stop right next to, were very active compared with our visit in Feb. 2001. The walk to the one of a kind, spectacular, active lava flow at the end of chain of craters road requires more effort as we walked about 20 minutes from where you park car on a closed highway, before you walk another 15 to 20 minutes over a heaved previous lava flow that is uneven surface but not dangerous as there were elderly people with canes attempting this walk. 1 or 2 rangers were also present in this area, but most people under the age of 70 and as young as ~10 years old seemed to be OK with the hike. In fairness, however I did notice one elderly woman (70 to 80) was given a ride out of the area by a ranger with an ACE bandage around her leg.

REPLY TO STELLALUNA: I would rate the Outrigger Waikoloa Beach Marriot to be a four (out of five) star resort. The hotel prices in the Kohala coast area seem to be much higher than comparable accomodations on the mainland. We reserved a partial ocean view room with King Bed for ~$200/night, but when we arrived we were previously upgraded to an ocean front room with 2 twin beds at no additional cost, probably because the hotel had vacancies, though the parking lot was usually near full capacity. We did not receive any room services or eat in the hotel, because across the street are the "Kings Shops" which includes a Starbucks, several restaurants, clothing and general stores. Alot of people seemed to be using the hotel indoor/outdoor eating area throughout the day. Prices in the Outrigger's shops seemed high to us. Best shopping for souvenirs and general items of course, is at WalMart or Kmart, in Kona area. Although we had an ocean front room, it was about 100 yards from the water, behind some historic fish ponds. The hotel can book you with helicopter tours (includes a shuttle service), whalewatching, snorkeling tours etc., right from the resort's own beach known as (A-bay). The snorkeling was good in A-bay when the wind was not blowing hard, 2 out of 3 days it was OK. There was some construction on the Hilton side of the hotel, but the noise did not reach us at the pool, or lanai. The distant beep-beep-beep reverse warning of trucks was audible when on the resort's beach. We saw many fish and a turtle came within 10 feet of us while snorkeling in A-bay. We also enjoyed the swimming pool and were able to get alone in one of the 2 jacuzzis at night. Our room included awesome air conditioning, TV, refrigerator, coffee maker, private lanai, & safe. There is a shoreline trail that connects to the Hilton (some call the Hilton, Hawaii's disneyworld). We saw a few distant Humpback whales while exploring this 20 to 30 minute trail. I highly recommend checking out the Hilton if you have not been there, perhaps have dinner at one of the many restaurants, however at $300 night we chose not to stay there. If I had a week of time, I would rent a condo at less than $200 a night in the Kohala coast area. You can use the local hotel facilities as needed. We previously rented a condo in 2001 at Kona Reef Resort, near Kona and enjoyed it, though the beach was unusuable due to the presence of lava rocks. In short if you want a lot of activities at your fingertips without any stress, the Outrigger is a decent value, though if you are willing to drive a little you can find better deals, in particular we found much better snorkeling on a boat tour (FairwindsII) of the Capt. Cook memorial monument area, that departed from Keahou. Enjoy your stay in paradise!

My husband and I are considering staying at the Outrigger Waikoloa Beach Marriot in October using Marriott points, during the Ironman triathlon. (My sister's competing in it, not us!) Can anyone tell me how long the drive is from the Outrigger to Kona, and/or if any of that route is blocked because of the triathlon?