I'm a 52 year old female, traveling solo, planning a 10 day trip to BI late August. Been to Kauai but thought I'd check out the BI.

I spend the majority of my time snorkeling and hiking; no nightlife; prefer small quaint towns as opposed to populated touristy areas. I will be renting a car so will definitely be checking out the entire island but would like to be "based" near the best beaches and hiking.

My question is which side of the island would be best for me? Also, any lodging recommendations? I prefer staying at a small house/cottage instead of a condo, B&B, hotel.

Thanks for any and all suggestions!

If you're going to see the whole island, it's difficult to be "based" in only one spot. The travel times from Hilo to Kona, for example, can be several hours. It makes commuting for the day tiring. The fastest way between the two is the Saddle Road, but I believe most car rental agencies prohibit using this road.

If you like quaint towns, I would suggest Waimea (aka Kamuela), which is located more toward the northern part of the island, at a higher elevation (so it has a cool, country atmosphere). It's convenient to travel from there to Mauna Kea, Waipio valley, Kona, and the very northern tip (where Kamehameha I was born). I think it's not that long to Hilo, either, traveling along the eastern coastline. It may be far from the volcanoes, though.

An even more remote location is the Kau area, near the south of the island. It is near the location of the southern most tip in the US, and the green sand beach. There are mostly farms and rugged coastline in the area. This area is closer to the sea, obviously, then the higher land in Waimea.

I don't know of any specific lodgings in these areas, though. You could try a google search.

Basically, I love all of the BI. I don't think you can go wrong no matter where you stay. Good luck.

Pick up the "revealed" book for the Big Island, great tips on hikes in out of the way places.
Enjoy the Big Island

I was on the Big Island by myself at the end of September. I love snorkeling and hiking too and have an extremely detailed trip report here: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34542623. Although I stayed in hotels and not little out-of-the-way places. It does have lots of beach/snorkel/hikes info though.

If you're going to be there for ten days I would split my time between the Hilo/Volcano side and the Kona/Kohala side, with the number of days depending on what you like to do; if you want to hike hike hike, you should spend several days Hilo side to see Hamakua, Volcanoes Park, the Puna area, etc. Best beaches and best hiking are on opposite sides of the island for the most part (beaches = Kona side, hiking = Hilo side). It's about 2.5 hours from Hilo to Kona, a long hot trip, and not really one you want to make every other day.

For "quaint", besides Waimea, you might also check out the little lodgings in the Captain Cook/Kealakekua area south of Keauhou (which is a few minutes south of Kona)...little towns near coffee country with a quaint flavor and near beaches and snorkeling, especially if you want to kayak across Kealakekua bay for the snorkeling at Cap'n Cook monument or check out Pu'uhonua O Honaunau Nat'l Park and the adjacent, glorious snorkeling at Honaunau Bay (see my trip report for both).

Let me know if you have any questions!

love
roxy

Thanks everyone for your quick responses and feedback.

Sounds like I should consider spending 5 days Kona side and 5 days Hilo side.

I am going to bet that you're going to get several responses telling you that a five-five split is too much, the problem being on the Hilo side of the split. People will tell you there's no reason to spend more than two-three days there, but only you can say...if you really want to explore the many diverse places on that side, I myself would love five days. I don't know, I've just seen the comment made a lot here about more than three days being "too much". But then, I am one of the ones who could spend a week exploring the lush area around Hana, Maui, and most people would rather die than spend so much time in boring old Hana! If you love to hike and explore, go for it, you will discover some really unique Hawaiian gems!

love
roxy

Roxy, yes, I've seen postings saying 2 to 3 days Hilo side is enough. I don't know.....it's going to be a toss-up. Maybe I should go back to my original plan and spend the entire time on Kona side and drive over to Hilo on two separate days.

Well, August is still 8 months away so I have some time to make a decision.

Mahalo!