I have a few specific questions before my wife and I go to the BI. We're staying at the Hilton Waikoloa Village.

1. Anyone familiar with this property in terms of bars and lounges? We'd like a quite place to find a drink and maybe listen to a little mellow music.

2. Any suggestions on renting snorkel gear? In the past we would just rent for a few hours. Is it economical to rent for the entire stay, and if so any suggestions close to where we are staying?

3. Are tennies ok for walking around the volcano?

Thank you for any help you can provide.

Aloha!
Waikoloa Village is a very nice place to stay. Unfortunately our trip was too brief (a sideshoot weekend of a business trip to Oahu) and we spent all our time running around the island so I can't give you the bar/lounge recommendation.

We brought our own snorkel gear, but as I recall you can rent it from the resort and also I believe it is supplied if you take a snorkel cruise like Body Glove (wasn't as nice as Oahu's Hunauma Bay past the reef).

Tennis shoes are a must for the volcano area, especially if you plan on doing the night trek to get close to the lava. That stuff is so sharp!
It's quite an uneven surface and so tennies are the way to go. We didn't know that and ended up in flip flops. I am an expert flip flop wearer so I did okay but my husband was having a time with it.
Also, make sure you bring 1 flashlight per person to the volcano if you do go at night and plent of water to drink.

Thank you so much for the information. I was nervous that tennies would be too soft and get cut up on the lava rocks.

Quinty, any hotel information aside from bars/lounges? Did you spend time at any of the pools and if so which one?

Any other information you can share on the hotel, the island or the area around the hotel?

One more question. I read on another board where someone suggested buying and using a bug bomb in the rental car. Does anyone have any experience in doing this or suggest doing this?

mdtravel,
One more note on the tennies, I'm assuming you mean fairly stable ones, not Keds or something like that with the flimsy soles. I would use a runner, walker, or cross trainer.
Thinking back to the resort, we stayed in the Ocean Tower executive rooms. That tower has an adults only pool which is nice if you want a little peace from the kiddos. The names are a little fuzzy, but I think it was the Kona pool that you just drift along in and the lagoon (name?) is a nice touch with the fish in it. It's not like being out in the depths of the ocean, but it sure is convenient.

I wish we had taken part in one of those dolphin quest programs. I know they're geared for kids but I'd love to pet the dolphins too! We were just too busy out snorkeling and seeing the volcano park (long drive, by the way).

Oh, and the bug bomb was pretty hilarious. I've never seen a bug in the car or jeep over there. Someone who posted that must've been renting from a pretty shady car company!

One quick mention of a restaurant. In Kona on your way to the volcano there is a restaurant just before you get to the Royal Kona Resort called Huggos, it's not a fancy place but you sit out over the water while you eat. The food and service was fantastic there - a great place to grab lunch along the way. Also, I think it is Thursday they have ribs (only on that day) and everybody goes there to get them (sold out in 30 -40 mins usually) and they are MMMmmm good!

It's no joke. We rented an SUV from Dollar on Big Island and it was infested with cockroaches. We had heard rumors of this and were not happy when it happened to us. We returned the vehicle and got another one. We did not have any problems with the new vehicle.

Next time we go we may bug bomb the car we get as a pre-emptive strike.

If you haven't done so already, check out the website. It is fairly comprehensive, with decent photos etc...
I am not sure of the exact site address, but it something like www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com. It is a very cool place, you will enjoy yourself for sure. The King's Shops at Waikoloa (walking distance within the Waikoloa resort)also offers one or two restaurants, one with a nice upstairs lounge. The Hilton itself does not have a beach, but again within walking distance is the beach that fronts the Outrigger Waikoloa Beach Resort. However, if you want a gorgeous beach and don't mind a short drive, check out Hapuna Beach just up the highway about 5 or 10 mins. Especially nice at sunset.
In the past, we have found it much more economical to rent our snorkel gear from places like Boss Frogs(maybe in Kona?)The difference is something like 5 or 10 bucks for a set for the week, compared to 4 to 5 dollars each time you rent at resorts. It gives you the freedom to snorkel where ever, whenever. Again, you will love Wailkola, just the tree lined drive into the resort is worth the trip!

I've been to Kona, twice to watch Ironman (2001,2002). I love it there!
YES, HUGGOS

oops, ( i was so excited about Huggos, I hit a wrong key) My sister and I went to Kona October, 2002, and ended up at Huggos for dinner 3 out of 8 nights. (why mess up a good thing?)
It is on the ocean, the wait staff was great, and the seafood great. It's next to Huggos on the Rocks? Bar, looked fun.
Jamison's By the Sea (restaruant)was just so-so. We liked Bubba Gump Shrimp, which also had breakfast.

The Hilton is about 20-30 min. outside of Kona. Those resorts out there are sort of isolated. You feel like you are driving on the moon, with the lava and dry country. If you have been out to New Mexico, that is sort of what it is like. Near the coast it is more lush greenery. We stayed in a condo, 7 miles south of main Kona.
BUGS: Yes, our van had a few cockroaches! I never thought about a bug bomb, and tried not to think about them. For Hawaiian stuff to take home, we liked Long's drugstore. We took home Kona coffee. Macadamian nuts are the same sold in my town, and are cheaper at home!
There is a Macys, KMart, Borders, etc; all in Kona. Sunsets are earlier there, so try and be seated for dinner around 5-5:30. Really! You can toss your rolls to the turtles off of Huggos deck!
Have fun!