longtail

Hi everyone. Thanks to all my fellow travelers for the great advice on Kauai. Now that we've figured out where to stay and places to go, we're ready to begin thinking about the 2nd week of our anniversary trip (next June) on the Big Island. We will be staying either at the 4 Seasons (golf view room) or the Fairmont (haven't made reservations yet)for 5 nights. Can anyone give us advice on things to see and do. Only thing we know for sure is that we'd like to visit Volcano National Park. What are other must do's within relatively short driving distance of the Kohala Coast? Anthing first timers must see?

beachgirl86

Hi Longtail: We just got back from our honeymoon, and we visited Oahu, Big Island, and Maui. We were on the BI for 4 nights. We took one whole day and visited Volcano National Park, which was awesome. We did it in a day trip, and on the way stopped at the Place of Refuge and a black sand beach on the way (saw turtles at both places!) to break the trip up a bit.

We went to Kailua-Kona a few times for dinner/lunch/shopping and to rent snorkel gear. Snorkeling was great off Hapuna Beach. The Big Island is so big and entails a lot of driving so we missed a lot of what we wanted to do. (Which just means we have to go back someday soon!) Make sure you give yourself some relaxation time at the beach/pool, too. We loved the BI.

Meesthare

Here's my to-do list, for what it's worth:
Parasailing from the Kailua-Kona pier
Going up to the Mauna Kea summit at sunset with one of the tour outfits
Horseback riding in the Waipio Valley
Seeing the Volcano Park
Visiting the Place of Refuge
Snorkeling just about anywhere that it seems calm enough - even the public beach in Kailua isn't a bad spot, if you've never snorkeled before
Seeing the Hilo farmers' market
Not sure what you'd consider "driving distance." We've driven all around the island in one day, although it was a long day - but not an exhausting one.
Have a fantastic trip - we plan to go again as soon as finances permit!

ChristieP

Some of my favorite Big Island memories:
Seeing the black sand beach at Puna'a'lu'u
The waterfalls at Rainbow Falls, Boiling Pots, and Akaka Falls
Touring the Parker Ranch
Exploring all of the cute shops and art galleries, especially on the North Kohala coast!

travelinandgolfin

Have a MAC pie (macadamia nut pie) at Rocky's Pizza in Keaohou Kona Shopping Center.

Best pie you'll ever have. Guaranteed!!!

longtail

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Lots of great ideas to explore. We will definitely do the horseback riding excursion in the Waipio Valley. So many things to do in just a few days. Any favorite swimming beaches if you only had a chance to visit 1 or 2? I'm thinking the Mauna Kea beach and maybe 1 other. Thanks for your advice.

jacketwatch

On the way to VNP stop at Punu lua (spelling?) to see the black sand beach which is easily accessable by car. I agree about the Place of refuge and would suggest dining at Roys in the Kings shops across from the Marriott. The food is delicious. Also you may want to consider driving 19 no. and them east to Hilo. Its really not too far to go. Lastly consider the observaory. I hear raves about that. Congratulations, Larry

AmandaF

I went to the big island in July and stayed one night on the volcano side and the rest of the time at the Fairmont Orchid. I'm sooo glad we decided to stay a night at the volcano. We rented a beautiful cottage that sat in a rainforest of ferns....absolutely gorgeous! We visited Volcanoes National Park (took about 3 hours total). It was a little chillier than I expected. That night we hiked out to the flowing lava, it is awesome at night! The next day we took a little known hike to the Pu'u O'o Vent (the beating heart of the volcano). We were able to get surprisingly close to it while still staying a safe distance. It was an amazing hike through a rainforest before ending at the vent. Read the Big Island blue book to find out more. If we had just tried to drive to the volcano for a day trip from the Kohala Coast we would've missed so much, so I would recommend staying at least a night if possible. At the Fairmont Orchid we stayed on the Gold Floor. I would highly recommend the gold floor because of all the extras it offers (access to the lounge with free sodas, bottled water, snacks, breakfast, your own personal concierge and much more). I had 2 massages at the "Spa Without Walls" located in the hotel. I would recommend 2 because you'll want one in the tiki huts over the waterfalls and one oceanside. I also had several friends who tried the coffee body scrub treatment and just raved about it. The snorkeling at the hotel was great. Sea turtles are in abundance there. We took a Captain Zodiac rafting trip to snorkel at the Captain Cook monument. I have snorkeled in Maui, Kauai, and Bermuda and this was the best I've ever seen. We also took a mule carriage ride thru Waipio Valley. It was nice but I wish I could've done the horseback ride. I waited till 3 days before to try and book it and they were already full. We also drove around Waimea and had lunch one day. Waimea is a beautiful town and shouldn't be missed. We did the Dolphin Quest at the Hilton Waikoloa and it was definitely worth the money.
The only regret I have is not doing a helicopter tour of the island. Good luck planning your trip. I hope my advice helps.

beachgirl86

For swimming beaches on the Kohala Coast, I would say Hapuna Beach and A-Bay at the Waikoloa Resort.

fdecarlo

longtail: The beach at Mauna Kea Hotel is located almost immediately north of Hapuna. Both are excellent swimming beaches -- the best on the Big Island.

Keep in mind that the Kohala Coast consists almost entirely of barren lava flows (except of course for the resorts, which are lush but not natural). If you're looking for real rain forests, they're on the east and north sides of the island. Be sure to visit Akaka Falls and Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens if time allows.

longtail

Thanks for the great ideas and suggestions. We've got a lot to fit in for 5 days (actually only 4 - the first day is a travel day). We'll take one day to go to the Volcano National Park and see the black sand beach on the way, another to see the Waipio Valley (horseback riding excursion) and a third to see the Place of Refuge and the surrounding area. We may also try a snorkeling trip in this area. If time permits (and I hope it does), we'll check out the Hilo area, the National Botanical Gardens and Akaka Falls. I don't really have a good sense of where things are located yet (distance wise), but I'm hoping we can visit a couple of places each day. I do want to save one day for just relaxing (both at the resort and at the Mauna Kea/Hapuna beach. We'll be coming from the East Coast, so will most likely have a bit of jet lag of the first day. Thanks again. I've got a lot of research to do. All comments are greatly appreciated. I'm sure I'll have more questions as our trip gets closer.