Big Island- Is doing both sides a must?
 

We are planning a trip for 14 days to the Big Island. Right now, we are looking at booking a great cottage on a tide pool in Kapoho for the entire stay. I'm getting cold feet that we'll be sorry we decided to stay on one side of the island once we get there.

Should we think about doing 4-5 days on the west coast (Puako) or in Hawi? Everything I've read says that we will see sun in Kapoho but is the lack of white sand beaches frustrating? Is the distance to everything on the west coast just too far to make day trips feasible?

About us: On vacation in the tropics we love:

secluded, private single family cottages with a funky and relaxing vibe

hitting the farmers' market and health food store (and local fisherman if possible) for ingredients to cook and eat on our lanai looking at a gorgeous view.

hiking, snorkeling, shore diving, exploring, reading

funky small towns with local music

We don't enjoy: resorts, crowds, mass-produced fun food, noise, wild nightlife, getting dressed up, golf, tours, or shopping.
(not condemning any of these things, we are just "granola" types)

We usually go to Maui and we always rent a little cottage down the highway from Paia, which we love (the town and the cottage). We do drive over to the south shore (Makena Beach/Wailea) for diving, body surfing, and beach time at least a few of the days we are there.

So...my gut (and my research) is telling me that if we want to body surf, scuba dive, and sit on a sandy beach, we need some time on the west side and that driving from Kapoho isn't really doable for day trips.

My hubby is telling me that it will be much more relaxing to stay in one place and just enjoy the Hilo side of the island and what it has to offer.

Any insights from people who know the island well? No marital counseling necessary- He always fights for the one location option and I always think we need to explore more locations:). Once we get there, we seem to always enjoy ourselves either way!

Where are you flying into? I think the Kona side is definitely worth seeing - and if you fly in there - why not stay there a couple days - drive up to Hawi, Waimea, etc - and then kick back the rest of the time over in Kapaho - and also from there - get up to see the Volcano - and above Hilo - Akaka Falls, etc.

BTW - from down in Kapaho - it would take at least a couple of hours to get over to Kona side. Doable if you left early - and then you might come down from Waimea - along the east side.

We scored the frequent flier tickets from Virginia to Oahu, and still need to book the short flights to the Big Island, so we can fly into either.

Kohala Coast Kona have least rain my fav stayhawaii.com will have many options.Usually fly into Konaweb.com carrentals.com
bop around stay in neat places have circumnavigated the
whole island even did the UltraMan Hawaii which was a swim
run bike around the whole island got a proclamation from
the state legislature for that.Can get super rainy around
Hilo usually spend most of my relaxation time on the dry side. Havi is nice ran to Kona from there a bit more than
a double marathon. Have fun!

Just edged this guy marshallulrich.com out
to win the masters it was a great race.

Stay half the time on the west side.

You are really going to want some nice sunny sandy beach time after a couple of days of rain and bugs in Kapoho.

we had 10 days on the BI, and split it with 4 on the Hilo side and 6 on the Kona side. I was very glad we did both. its really very long to do daytrips, and there are lots of things to see and do on the west side. I would split the time.

set up your flights to fly into one side and out of the other.

I think you might get very tired of spending the entire 2 weeks on one side. While you can drive back and forth, that's a lot of driving and it would not be all that restful [My hubby is telling me that it will be much more relaxing to stay in one place and just enjoy the Hilo side of the island and what it has to offer. ]

When is the trip?

As has been said, east side has more rain, west side has better swimming, snorkeling etc. With 2 weeks, it would be really easy to spend a week on each side and not have to do lots of driving back and forth and changing accommodations would be easy since it would be only once.

IF you are going to split your time, fly into one side and out of the other to save you from doubling back at the end of your trip.

We are going in a few weeks and are splitting are time between east and west. We want the lushness of east, but the more protected swimming and snorkeling areas of the west. This is our second trip, so we have a bit of knowing what it's like to drive there etc.

IF you need a car rental site that so far has the best prices, check out: HAWAIICARRENTALS.NET and keep in mind IF you want to drive from Saddle Road up to Mauna Kea Observation area, only Enterprise, Dollar and Thrify allow you to do so.

"? Is the distance to everything on the west coast just too far to make day trips feasible?"

Depends on how many day trips you're talking about. If you're talking 4 or more in 2 weeks, then it probably makes sense to just split up the trip between 2 locations and spend less time driving and more time doing.

Would you really want to drive a couple hours or more one-way just to go to a beach or body surf?

Sometimes it's nice to be in a place where you can just walk to a restaurant or a beach. Kapoho ain't it.

Thank you all for the great advice! Now to convince my better half.

If you can fly into Hilo - it's a beautiful flight (assuming it goes down the East side) - and maybe you stay a week at the Kapoho villa and then decide if you want to do more exploring, etc.

Moi - I would definitely spend at least some time on the Kona side, and don't miss getting up to the Volcano. They have some nice B & B's at Volcano Village - or the Volcano Inn at the Visitor center is also a trip.

You all convinced us! We were able to change our tickets to fly in and out of Kona. We are thinking of doing the east side first, so that if we do see little sun, we can look forward to it for the second half of our trip.

Now we need to figure out where to stay for the west side week. I am looking mostly at Puako, which seems low key with some affordable ocean front beach houses and proximity to great snorkeling and beaches. Any negatives to Puako?

On a post from a few years ago, when we were thinking of this same trip (but had to stay home for family reasons) someone mentioned humidity and bugs being an issue there. We are from DC and New Orleans, so our tolerance of humidity is pretty well honed (but we are used to battling it with AC and most rentals don't seem to have it.)

Any VOG issues in that area we should be aware of?

We are also thinking we should spend the first night in a hotel near the airport (plane arrives around 8:00) and do the drive to the east side in daylight so we can enjoy the views (and find the rental house!). Any good budget options for one night?

Mahalo everyone!

Oh- and we will be there in August if that makes a difference weather-wise.

BlueSwimmer, we rented a home in Kona at the end of August a few years ago. We found the temperature comfortable--the tradewinds help a lot when you're close to the ocean. We encountered some tiny ants and the occasional roach, easily vanquished by the can of Raid in the cottage, but no mosquitoes. We loved our stay on the Big Island. Here's the link to my brief trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...big-island.cfm.

Another vote for a few days on the dry side, especially if you are snorkelers/divers.

We rented a condo in Puako in the one several story building there, no charm, but serviceable. Puako is very cute and peaceful, snorkeling is good if the water is flat, loads of turtles. Very close to the gorgeous Hapuna Beach. Restaurants are a bit of a drive, though. You have the expensive Kohala resorts, uphill to Waimea, and a couple of places at the little harbor to the north (name is forgotten). It's about a 40 minute drive down to Kona. Heck, with your 14 days you could even do a few days in Puako and a few in Kona! Like someone else said, don't miss the volcano.

A night snorkel with the mantas is an adventure, plus do not miss Kealakekua Bay and Honaunau (Two-Step). You can actually hike down to Kealakekua, 2 miles down then 2 sweaty miles back up, but it beats going on a crowded or expensive snorkel boat. There is talk of limiting the number of kayak rentals allowed in the bay.

The snorkeling on the west side of this island is drop dead incredible.

The sandy parts of the beaches in Puako are fairly small and rocky. I had some problems avoiding small sea urchins on the rocks. For a big long sandy beach more suitable for swimming or playing in the waves, Hapuna or Mauna Kea beaches are much better. Not any places to eat in Puako. The Waikoloa or Mauna Lani areas have more restaurant and beach access.

<<The snorkeling on the west side of this island is drop dead incredible.>>

Yes, it is!!

I still remember the snorkeling day we spent there. We just went to one of the public access beaches (behind one of the big hotels) and snorkeled from the shore. There were TONS of beautiful fish, and several turtles came by and checked us out. It was really like snorkeling in a big aquarium!

Definitely go up and see Haiwi. Neat little village with a real artsy, funky vibe. Oh, and go have a malasada donut at Ted's Drive In. Mmmmm...

Blue Swimmer- did you ever decide where to stay and for your trip? We sound like we have very similar likes/dislikes and I am planning a trip for our family as well. We absoultely love Paia but want to try a new island! I was thinking about splitting the time between the 2 sides and possibly staying in Kapoho and either Puako or Kealekakua Bay (S. Kona). If you have any leads I would love to hear about them! Some of the comments on this thread have me hesitant about Kapoho now. We love to be able to walk to restaurants, town, etc.

Puako is not too far south of Kawaihai (the harbor gigib mentioned) and there are a few restaurants there that will not be as expensive as the big resorts somewhat further south. Hawi (ha-vi) is about 20 miles past Kawaihae. The Bamboo Restaurant is fun, and has live local music on weekends.

Public access to the good beach at Mauna Kea resort is restricted to about 60 cars at a time, and it usually fills up by 10:30. Then you have to sit in line and wait until someone leaves. The beach at Waikoloa has a big public access parking lot and there's no problem there.

The very best snorkeling is at Kekalakakua Bay. In fact, it is a National Marine Reserve. But if you don't take a kayak or snorkel boat the hike down the Pali is steep and sunny for two miles. The climb up is tough. Not one to take in flip-flops!! the other great snorkeling is right in Kona at Kahalu'u Park, but it is crowded because it's so accessible to tourists.

I suggest you buy "The Big Island Revealed" for the best info,

Hi emhelmke-

Yes- we finally decided and booked some cottages! After reading The Big Island Revealed (yes Charnee- it is a great resource- highly recommended!) and doing more research, we ended up settling on THREE locations for our 15 days.

We decided that we wanted to start on the sunny side or it wouldn't feel like we were really on vacation. Yes, I am a sun-worshipper! I can't imagine being on vacation in Hawaii and not being tan. I know it is wrong but I am olive skinned and never burn, and I love being in the sun. We also love to dive and snorkel, we LOOOOVE having a view, and we love small funky towns of the beaten track, so we kept coming back to Puako. I really had my heart set on walking out of the door and onto the beach with my coffee each morning but our budget was limited. We looked at all kinds of houses and ended up booking this one in Puako:

http://leecaptures.smugmug.com/Aloha...2925&k=T94JVDP

The house is sort of dumpy with no AC but look at the view! and the pool! and cheaper than a resort (which we would hate anyway.) We heard the warnings about heat and bugs in Puako, but we are from ultra humid, 95 degree DC, with tiger mosquitos all over our neighborhood, so we think we can tough it out for that view. We actually lived with no AC for our first few years together here, and took cold baths before bed every night to cool down enough to sleep, so we figure the pool right next to the bedroom nook will serve that same purpose. We are not super picky about fancy furnishings and amenities as long as the view is great, so we hope we will love it.

We also heard the warnings that the beach in Puako is mostly coral/lava, not white soft sand, but we usually go to Bonaire to dive so we are accustomed to iron shore rather than sand- the raves about the snorkeling and diving in this area make us see the shore there as full of interest rather than lacking in white sand. We are excited to explore the sunny side and do a lot of snorkeling and diving.

From here we head over to Puna for 4 nights on the Kapoho tide pools. In the end, after more research and talking to a friend who went to the BI last year, we decided to spend less time on this side of the island. We do tend to prefer sunny to lush but misty, so we think this should give us enough time to explore this part of the island. We aren't too worried about long drives to other areas because it looks like all the drives are gorgeous and we enjoy driving, actually. We are also perfectly happy spending an entire day at home relaxing, cooking stuff from the farmer's market, and looking at the view. Here is where we are staying:

http://www.vrbo.com/147778

Love the tide pools right outside the door! And the hot tub!

I've always loved driving around upcountry when we go to Maui, and I've always had a fantasy of moving to a farm, so when we read about the Puakea Ranch, we just knew we had to spend a few nights there. They bring you free range eggs every day! You can pick veggies from their garden! There's a hot tub!! (Is is the Big Island the northern California of Hawaii? So many of the houses we looked at had hot tubs, which we love.) We also decided we needed to spend some time in the Kohala area with easy proximity to Hawi, so this fit the bill in many ways.

http://www.puakearanch.com/james-cottage.html

We are excited about all three locations. I love the process of researching and looking for vacation homes, and I agonize while making the choices, but once we decide, I just get pumped for where we are staying and forget all the other options. Good luck with your search and planning!

You will have the best time. The places in Puako & Kohala look gorgeous. I'm in Hawi/Kapa'au now. It is paradise. Many good restaurants. Wonderful spirit and musical traditions, and interesting history.

I've written a bunch about this area, if you want to search Kailani and Hawi.

Puako is gorgeous, and there are many sleepy Honu (sea turtles).

One thing about driving, is that the scenery is beautiful. So, plan to explore it all, and experience treasures along the way.

Spot on plan. I have been to Big Island for our Honeymoon (a week back in '86 - couple nights up at Volcano House and a week in a condo on Ali drive south of Kona) and 3 or 4 times since - and pretty much all over. My wife and mother in law loved being at an artist's retreat up at Volcano Village (daughter in law of my mother in law's neighbor) - Kate's Volcano Village Inn - and I did drive east of Hawi when I stayed up there for a coople of days and the Ranch you have selected seems perfect.

We also loved a night dive off Kona side - where the Octapus were moving fast - and I touched down once - during the day - at 130 feet - on just air. Came right back up though. :)

Have a blast.

BlueSwimmer: We just returned from the Big Island and I just finished posting my trip report, except I need to add photos. You'll love it! Since you like snorkeling, I recommend you snorkel at a place called Two Step. My husband watched an octopus swim and change colors there and saw tons of fish, and everybody who got out of the water was excited about what they had seen. If you park at the nearby park (cost you a few dollars to park), you can walk to Two Step. The nearby park is worth seeing, especially at sunset...the Place of Refuge. It's the Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park.

We had the Big Island Revealed book with us...along with "Lonely Planet Discover Hawaii the Big Island" guidebook. We found the Lonely Planet guidebook to be more useful when you are driving around, because it has a better index. Using the lonely planet guidebook, you can look up all the little tiny towns in the index as you are driving around, and it is really helpful. But the Big Island Revealed guidebook makes it a lot more difficult to find little towns in the index or to find anything quickly. When you are on the Big Island, you won't have time to fuss around with a book that takes too long to find things in. Just read the Big Island Revealed book at home and mark some things. If you have the Lonely Planet guidebook bring that with you.

The locals can best guide you to the good places to eat. The guidebooks get quickly outdated about the rapidly changing restaurant scene. I included our favorite spots to eat in my trip report.

Have fun! WE loved exploring all the sides of the island...ran out of time to go to the southernmost part. We stayed in Hilo on the east side, and also in Mauna Lani hotel on the Kohala coast (west side) for our 30th anniversary trip. WE love finding good casual local spots to eat.

Thanks for the tips Kailani, tomsd, and Melissa- We are excited about the Place of Refuge and Two Step (and turtles and octopi!).

Melissa- we will check out the Lonely Planet guide- thanks for the tip. I loved your restaurant reviews and trip report. Congrats on conquering your fear of snorkeling. I faced my irrational fear of sharks years ago to get scuba certification with my husband and have loved it ever since (although I still do an underwater scream whenever we actually see a shark!) Can't wait to drink the Kona coffee every morning while looking at the view and feeling the soft breezes!

We just got back too. I am working on trip report. I will be the descending voice re <b>Two Step</b>. We found it very difficult to get out of the water. I am a very experienced snorkeler, and I was almost in tears trying to get out of the water. There were tons of sea urchins tucked into holes in the rocks/lava all along the areas to exit. There was so surf, but not any warnings and I had a terrible time getting out. A kind man helped me out without injury but it wasn't fun - at all. There were so many other great spots, that I would pass this one up.

When you land - pick up some tourist mags at the airport. They have good maps and the island broken down in sections - and a lot of coupons, places to see, etc.

Blue Swimmer- I am very interested in the Puako house, but your link to the website brings up a site that is full of fotos, but short on info about the house, such as location, rates, a physical description of amenities(washer-dryer,internet connection, etc.) Can you help me out here, please? Thanks.

Blue Swimmer and everyone- thank you so much for the info! Great to have and much appreciated!

Here is the link to the rental agency website for the Puako house.

http://www.hawaiioceanfront.com/puako_OF_cottage.asp

The rental agency is called Aloha Debbie. Lots of great vacation homes on this island!

Suggest a 2:1 ratio of East:West side - Please see my thread "World's Worst Mexican . . " sorry about the title, but I have some recommendaiton in this trip report - esp. the restaurant "Thai Thai" in Volcano.