Planning a trip to the Big Island in January for about 4 nights in Hilo. We've never been there and wondered what the town is like,. . shopping, restaurants, etc. Also, what is the weather like on that side of the island? Is is really necessary to rent a car and what are the car rental costs? (A little 3 year old child is going to be with us on this trip.) Thanks. Toni

I haven't spent a lot of time shopping or dining in Hilo, but I can tell you a bit about the weather. It rains a LOT on that side of the island, which makes it very lush and beautiful. And there is sunshine sometimes! You definitely need to rent a car because there are wonderful things to see on the Big Island and no other way to get to them. There's an interesting farmers' market in Hilo - Saturday mornings, I think. I would suggest a trip to the Waipio Valley at the very least; your little one is too young for the horseback ride, but you can go through the valley in a mule-drawn wagon, which would probably be fun for everybody. I would suggest you do some research about car rental costs; they can vary, and personally I would not recommend Alamo (there was a big discussion on this board about them a year ago) even though their rates are good. They might nail you some other way - hidden costs, false statements about how much insurance you need to buy, substandard cars, etc. What made you decide on Hilo rather than Kona? I suggest you try to spend a night on the sunny side of the island so that your little one can play in the ocean, see some tropical fish, etc. Have a great trip!

Dear Cindy,
Thanks for your response, but, I was mistaken and we are staying on the Kona side of the Island. We are booked at the Royal Kona Resort and the brochure shows how huge a place it is. (Personally, I'm not for huge resorts, but we're tagging along and are the grandparents.) What have you or others heard about this resort and what about their luau? What is the town of Kailua-kona like? And what are recommended places to eat? I think that we should rent a car, but others feel that it isn't needed. Maybe tours will cover things we want to see. What is best to do? WE don't want to spend a fortune on the tours. I haven't read anything about this resort. Thanks.
Toni

I just spent 12 days on the Big Island and stayed at Royal Kona Resort,got back on the 29th....It is big and currently under renovation,but for It's price and location to Kona it was perfect(didn't spend much time in the room,you can walk to Kona)....get a ocean front room for the fantastic sunsets....Personally I didn't go to the luau but I heard it was OK..I did sneak a peak at the entertainment..A typical Luau..hula,fire,emu celebration..price was reasonable...If you want better resorts you have to go to Wiakaloa for Outrigger,Hilton,Hapuna Prince or Manu Kea resort but you will pay for it....For only 4 day visit try Roberts Hawaii they do a tour of the Island...It's long about 12 hrs and mostly on a bus but you do see allot of the island,Hilo,Volcano,Wiapu Valley...I spent 12 days and put 1600 miles on the rental car and still didn't see everything,thats why they call it the Big Island.....Rental car for 4 days would be better,try expedia.com for prices also for hotel,air...Kona has plenty of good dining,Chart House,Bubba Gumps,Sam Choys..Try Huggos which is right next door to Royal Kona and oceanfront...great food,Hawaiian music nightly.....Royal Kona breakfast Buffet was good..I do recomend Big Island Air for a air tour of the Island..Flying over a active Volcano was great and so was the pictures..Have fun and without grandparents there would be no parents...so your not tagging allong.... enjoy and have a great time... P.S. Grab those coupon books and use them...you will save on tours,Luaus,dineing

Hi, Toni - I think you got some good advice there. And I'm glad you're staying in Kona, because especially with a small kid, it will probably be more enjoyable because of the more consistent weather. There is a website you might try - konaweb.com - they have lots of information and one of the regular contributors to the "visiting the Big Island forum" works at the Royal Kona Resort. I would still recommend renting a car, although there are lots of fun things to do in the Kailua-Kona area. The town is bigger than you might think, but the main road that runs alongside the ocean, Alii Drive, could keep you busy for a while; that's where you'll find a lot of the stores and restaurants. Up the hill there are a couple of shopping malls, one of which has one of my favourite restaurants - Oodles of Noodles. It's a few doors over from the Safeway supermarket. Since you're interested in tours and don't want to spend a fortune, you're ripe prey for the timeshare people: watch out for them. They will offer to discount any tours or activities that interest you, but the price is that you have to sit through a 2-hour high-pressure timeshare presentation. Unless you're knowledgeable about this and/or in the market, it's not a great idea. I think there is one discounter on Alii Drive that isn't connected with a timeshare outfit. I think it's wonderful that you're going along and will get to see some of these lovely places with your grandchild! Last year when I was there, I was wishing I had my grandkids along; they would have loved it. The King Kamehameha Hotel on Alii Drive has a beach that's great for kids - shallow and sandy, with lots of tropical fish. You should know that ALL beaches are public property in Hawaii so you can swim or snorkel anywhere you want. Even the hotel beaches have to provide public access (although the Hilton Waikoloa has a private "fake beach" - a man-made lagoon with imported sand - kind of ridiculous in my view! - their real beach is much nicer and we saw whales breaching while we were there). Have a wonderful trip.

Thank you all so much for replying so quickly. We are looking forward to this trip and I'll let you know how it was.

Again, thanks.
Toni