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Big Island - 1st trip - October - 2 more days where?

Big Island - 1st trip - October - 2 more days where?

Old Jun 27th, 2006, 04:21 AM
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Big Island - 1st trip - October - 2 more days where?

My husband and I are celebrating our 25th anniversary in October by going to the Big Island! We've been to Maui, Kauai and Oahu, but not the Big Island.

The plan right now is for 8 nights:
6 nights Fairmont Orchid (relax, snorkel, boat trip, explore west side of island);
2 nights Country Goose B&B (volcano stuff).

We could extend our stay by 2 nights (using our frequent flier miles -- there is still availability), and we're thinking about doing that.

What we're interested in (I think) is spending a couple of nights on the north side of Hawaii. I've seen a couple of places (Hamakua Hideaway Cliffhouse looks nice -- we've e-mailed them regarding availability).

What are some suggestions for 2 extra nights in Hawaii? We will be flying out of Kona back to Atlanta at 11:50 p.m.

Since we're spending so much money at the Fairmont for the first 6 nights, we're trying to find somewhere that doesn't cost so much, but at the same time we don't want to end our trip at a place we don't enjoy.

Any ideas? Thanks very much!
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Old Jun 27th, 2006, 05:02 AM
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The Big Island is really the best of all the Hawaiian islands in our opinion. There is just so many differnt things to do and see there, and there are many different climates/landscapes all on one island that it makes for very interesting sight-seeing. We suggest staying on the eastern side around Hilo, it is very beautiful,tropical-looking, and laid-back with a lot of local flavor. The people we met there were so sweet and helpful. There are some good hotels there, and lovely waterfalls and lava caves close by. The hotel prices are generally much lower on the eastern side than on the Kona (west)side of the island. An absolute must see is Waipio Valley, you need to take a tour to get into this lush unspoiled valley but it is worth the cost. We drove to the valley rim and took a horseback-riding tour of the valley with Naalapa Stables. It was the highlight of our trip, like riding through Shangri-La!Make sure to take a drive up the Mauna Kea volcano road and check out the sunset view near the observatories, its phenomenal. Stay to watch the stars come out, you've never seen so many stars in your life! The road is not as dangerous as the rental agencies make it out to be, but if your nervous about it take a tour van. Another great area to visit is the Waimea cattle ranching area in the northern section of the island. It looks so different, almost like a rugged California pastureland with tropical touches. If you are up to it try to do some hiking at Volcano National park, bring lots of water and film. You will see landscape that defies description. We took a long hike through A fern forest and down onto a still-steaming caldera (with the kids) and even though the climb back up the switchback trail was a little steep, it was well worth it!Chack out the Volcanoes National Park website.There is just so much to see on this island that I'd be writing all day. If you like adventure this is the place to be.have fun!P.S. snorkeling can be a little dangerous because of the strong ocean currents stay close to shore and watch out for the sharp coral and volcanic rock. Wear watershoes, a life jacket, and bring first aid supplies with you. We brought a first aid kit with us wherever we went and ended up patching up many other tourists besides our own family.
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Old Jun 27th, 2006, 05:42 AM
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Thanks, Bon100, for all that great information! I will definitely print this out and research all your ideas.

Do you have a name of a particular hotel, either near Hilo or more near the northern coast? We'd like something nice, but not expensive (I guess we want it all!)

Thanks so much.
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Old Jun 29th, 2006, 04:32 PM
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When we went we rented a house because I have four kids and my neice came along to babysit, that made 7 people. There are a few nice hotels in Hilo, check out gohawaii.com I think we ate at a hotel called Uncle Billies that seemed nice, right on the water at Hilo Bay right on the famous Banyan Drive and next to a beautiful beach Park called Lilikoi. The Hilo side is more relaxed, you won't find the glitzy 5 star hotels there, those are on the Kona side.But there are plenty of small B&b's all over the island. Its paradise, wherever you go you'll have fun.
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Old Jun 29th, 2006, 04:50 PM
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The Dolphin Bay hotel in Hilo is supposed to be great in terms of service , very friendly and helpful staff.Homemade muffins in the morning.
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Old Jun 29th, 2006, 07:01 PM
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Thanks. I'll check that out.
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Old Jun 29th, 2006, 09:42 PM
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skip the dolphin bay hotel...it's actually a motel. after staying at the fairmont orchid, you'll feel like you time warped into a 70's brady shack. friendly service though.

for a silver anniversay trip such as yours, you might want to go a bit more upscale (very rare on the east side although i love it there) along the hamakua coast/hilo area by staying at the palms cliff house

http://www.palmscliffhouse.com

in hilo, you might want to consider the historic shipman house where jack london visited

http://www.hilo-hawaii.com
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Old Jun 30th, 2006, 07:28 PM
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Hilo itself is in kind of a time warp, don't you think? I mean the downtown area hasn't changed at all (because of the last tsunami, it was restored but never built up).But I think that Kitzchiness (did I spell that right?)is part of Hilo's charm. Uncle Billie's is Brady-like in it's charm but it is reasonable and in a very desirable location.
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Old Jul 1st, 2006, 03:53 AM
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After doing tons of research, I think we've decided on the following:

Day 1) Fly from Atlanta to Kona; stay at Hale Hualalai B&B (tripadvisor reviews are fantastic).

Day 2) Explore southern part of island; stay at Hale Hualalai B&B

Day 3) Snorkeling trip (maybe with Fairwinds?); stay at Hale Hualalai B&B

Day 4) Drive to Volcano; stay at Country Goose B&B

Day 5) Volcano stuff; stay at Country Goose B&B

Day 6) Explore Hilo; drive by Northern Route to Fairmont Orchid (on Kona side)

Days 7, 8, 9, 10) - Fairmont Orchid - We'll maybe golf one day, go exploring, go snorkeling, enjoy relaxing at resort.

Day 11) Check out - thinking about getting a day pass to Four Seasons - is this possible? Flight at 11:50 p.m. back to Atlanta.

Thanks so much for all your suggestions. We wanted to stay at the Fairmont at the end of the trip because it's the nicest, and also because by that time we would have already explored a lot of the island, so the Fairmont is a good resort to spend the day and relax, we think.

If anybody has any more suggestions, please let us know! Thanks very much.
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Old Jul 1st, 2006, 05:06 AM
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That sounds like a great plan!

You'll love Country Goose, Joan is an excellent host!
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Old Jul 1st, 2006, 03:33 PM
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We did a similar trip (just returned in fact and it was great!) of 6 nights near Kona, 3 near the volcano area, and then two near Hilo and two in Waimea. The property we stayed at in Waimea is called Mana Ranch, and they have a small private cottage. You can go horsebackriding either near Waipio Valley or off of Hwy 250. We drove that highway all the way up to Hawi and very much enjoyed the views and scenery. There are excellent restaurants in Waimea, and I think it gives a nice contrast to the rest of the island. Enjoy! Mana Ranch is www.manaranch.com
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Old Jul 1st, 2006, 03:40 PM
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stayed at the Fairmont for a week last summer: fantastic resort!!!!!!!
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Old Jul 2nd, 2006, 04:04 AM
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I tried to look at the manaranch.com site, but it was under construction. Thanks so much for all your help.

Now we're off to Florida for our family vacation! See you in about 5 days!
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Old Jul 4th, 2006, 11:11 AM
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Mana Ranch can be reached via 866-399-5842. Paniolo Cottage was very tasteful and comfortable. Another fun place we stayed is Paradise Vacation Rentals in the Puna area. A cottage with kitchen, and there's a pool and tennis court on-site. Phone is 1-800-555-8764. Ask for Cyndie. It's a bit off the beaten path, but we liked that about it.
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