Big Island logistics
 

Hello all
We will be traveling to Kauai and the big island in Feb. We'll only be on the big island for 4 days and flying home from Kona.
I haven't booked my inter-island flight yet. Do you think this can be booked 1 week in advance without a problem ? Also We want to see volcano national park and rainbow falls. We'd also like to see some of the nice beaches on the east coast. We were planning on staying in Kona, but do you think we should fly into Hilo stay there for a day or 2, then drive to Kona and stay the last couple of days there ? What do you think is the best way to do it ?

Jay, it's been a few years since I've been to the Big Island {6}, so perhaps someone with a fresh memory can be of more assistance. I can tell you that Kona and Hilo are entirely different. We divided our time in both, but then, we stayed for 3 weeks.

One idea: fly into Kona, stay a couple of days, then drive to Hilo, stay another couple of nights, drop off your vehicle {we did this, and the drop-off charge wasn't prohibitive}, then fly back to Oahu and home.

This wasn't terribly helpful, I know, but it will bump the post up, so hopefully someone with a better memory can respond. Have a great trip!

I would fly into Hilo, stay in Volcano (the town, not the actual cauldron!) for a night or two, then end my vacation at one of the beautiful resorts 1n the Kohala area. Kona, I thought, was crowded and touristy. The Kohala resorts are exquisite - you can probably get a reasonable deal on the website for the Mauna Kea or Hapuna.

The interisland flights go up in price as you get closer to the date, so your booking-late strategy will cost a few dollars.

We have flown into Hilo and out of Kona. Do remember however that there will be an additional drop of charge for the rental car. It is still worth it given the inconvenience of having to go back to Hilo after being on the Kona side.

Thank You for the replies !! and Molly you were very helpful : ) I think we may fly into Hilo stay there for a day or so and then go to the Kohala area for a few. I can't decide...If that's the worst of my problems, then I'm doing alright : ) It's 15 degrees outside right now 'o'....my head nearly froze coming home from work....bbbrrrrrr. I just wish I were in Hawaii now !!

The Big Island deserves its name. Therefore, splitting the trip is a good idea.
We didn't because my girlfriend wouldn't stay in Hilo when she heard how rainy it is. We stayed for five nights at the Mauna Lani (fantastic)on the Kohala coast but never got to the volcano because we decided after several other sight-seeing trips around the island that the volcano was too far for a one-day trip.

Well, OK, I'll be the dissenting opinion. I don't think it's that bad of a drive, and I don't think you necessarily need to stay on both sides of the island. We made the trip from Kohala to the other side of the island twice during our 6-day stay in June 2003. Sure, it takes a couple of hours or so, but it's a very beautiful drive, and there are many places to stop along the way. I got more tired on the Road to Hana drive. Just get up early and get an early start!

Jay....
Big Island / Hilo my favorites:
Couple ideas to keep in mind.

Flying into Hilo is busy...lots of commuters...book early...lots of times the flights are booked. Kona is eaiser to get flights.

Would plan to stay in Hilo at least two days...If it rains, this could make the volcano trip a bit slow...so the next day may be better....especially if you plan to walk out to the lava. Pass to the park is good for 7 days.

Check the rental car agencies...Was told that one of them does not access the drop of charge...[will look and see if I can find the post]

Lyman House and musuem, Tsunami Museum are inside activities [rainy day]

Hawaii....it's all good!

Fly into Kona, drive to Hilo one day. Stay on Kohala coast side of island. I think this side of island has better weather if you like sun and warm breezes. Hilo has a much higher chance of rain although that side is much greener and thats where the waterfalls are. So both sides are very scenic. Nicer resorts on west side. Hilo seemed more like city life versus Kohala Coast which is much more resort oriented.

We spent 8 days on the Big Island back in October as part of our honeymoon. Flew into Hilo, spent 2 days in Volcano area, then drove to Kohala Coast/Kona. I would recommend flying into Hilo and spending at least one night near the volcano (I recommend Kilauea Lodge without hesitation. Be sure you make dinner reservations at same time you book room.). The drive from volcano to Kohala Coast is a good 3 hours. It's a nice drive, but I would not want to drive 3 hours there, see the volcano, and then drive 3 hours back. Volcano National Park can easily consume a full day or more. To do it justice, stay one night in the area.

Our flight from HNL to Hilo was packed. It was a mid-morning flight in October, not exactly peak time/season. I would strongly suggest booking your inter-island flight well ahead of time.

We booked National Car rental in Hilo (in advance) and dropped car at Kona Airport. NO drop-off charge.

I've been going to Hawaii since 1959 and we just spent Christmas for a week on the big island. Hilo was awful in '59 and it is worse now! Funky and rainy. This trip we stayed at the Hapuna Resort on the Kohala Coast, rented a car from Kona and spent a full day on Sunday driving from the hotel to Waimea (went to church and had a big brekkie after at the Paneolo Cafe...yummy) then on to Hilo, drove thru for a quick lookie, not much to see-as usual, but a funky turn of the century western town. Then headed up the volcano went into the volcano park and had a completely awful lunch at the Volcano hotel (bring sandwiches and picnic overlooking the volcano) drove all around the crater, then downhill to black sand beach...very interesting and saw a sea tortoise resting on the rocks.
Then the big mistake...we attempted to go to the "green sand beach" only 12 miles off the main road, according to the sign. Over an hour later, some kind fishermen informed us it was a 4 wheel drive and steep hike access to the beach and it was getting dark. Back to the main road over an hour to Kona and then up to Kohala coast and our hotel.
We left at 8 am and returned about 7:30 pm and SAW IT ALL...AGAIN!! That should hold us for another around the island drive for about a lifetime! But it is definitely worth it and you will SEE IT ALL in a day. Go for it!!!

I liked "funky" Hilo - seemed like a real town,though Kona was more tourist-friendly.

Our reason for basing ourselves in Kona, Jay, was largely financial. We wanted to stay on the Big Island 3 weeks, and we were able to get a lovely condo unit sleeping 3 people for only $50 per night. For a shorter stay, it would seem that the Kohala Coast would indeed be a good bet.

There are several really charming-looking cottages located near Volcano, which I rather wish we had stayed in. Depending on your interests and budget, might be worth checking out.

Molly2 - we will be staying on the Hilo for 2 days during our trip in Sept.for our honeymoon. I can't make my mind up between staying at Palms Cliff House which is about 45 minutes from the Volcano Nt'l Park, right on the ocean cliff with and Kilauea Lodge which is very near the VNP.

Do you/ or anyone here have an opinion about which one of these to choose?

Nancy, I don't know much about either accommodation. We traveled with our teenage son, so it wasn't exactly a honeymoon {:!

If memory serves, {and it might not!}, the rooms at Kilauea Lodge are somewhat more basic than other options. The cliffside lodging sounds very romantic! On the other hand, you would be "at the scene" at the Lodge if maximum time spent hiking and early morning birding is your passion. As far as volcano viewing, we didn't feel we missed anything by staying in Hilo and driving in. We took a plane ride {a whole other story!}, several medium-length hikes from the lodge, and a nighhthike over lavafields to view the activity. Hope this helps

nancy, it occurs to me that I may have confused the Kilauea Lodge with the lodge that is located directly on the crater rim. Scrap what I said about it being "basic"!

Keep this in mind, the scenery is on the Hilo side. Nothing on the Kona side but great weather. It depends on what you want, do you mind moving every couple of days, do you mind driving from the Kona side to the Hilo side to visit Volcano park? If moving is not a problem, fly into Hilo, stay two days, then go over to the Kona side for the balance and fly out of Kona. I would NOT wait much longer to make your inter-island arrangements, especially if you are using FF miles. They have decreased the number of flights so it fills up pretty quickly. Call the airline and see if the flights you want are filling up. We will be there in Feb and made our inter-island arrangements several weeks ago.