I am considering the Big Island of Hawaii for a couple of nights during my honeymoon next August. We would love to see the Volcano Park, of course, during the day and night, and also some other beautiful sights that can be found on the BI (waterfalls, Mauna Kea, Waipio Valley, black sand beach, etc...) We are going to try to split 12-14 nights (if budget allows) on Hawaii between 2-3 islands. I don't want to spend a ton of time on the BI (want to spend the most time on Maui), but I would like to see these sights. How long would you suggest and where would you suggest the best place to stay would be in terms of driving distances? Are these sights close by each other, or hours apart? Thanks as always!

I forgot to add, if possible, we'd also like to take a snorkeling trip on the BI as I have heard the best snorkeling in the islands is here...

I thought I should be more specific in the things that we would want to see on the BI:
1.) Kilauea Volcano and its lava flow
2.) Waipio Valley
3.) Akaka Falls
4.) Snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay

Where should we stay that would be the most central for a couple of days? Whichever other island(s) we chose, we will be staying near or on a beach, so that is not as important on the BI. Hoping for a nice bed and breakfast here, maybe.

If you are only planning to spend a few days on the BI, then I would recommend staying on one side or the other and passing on some of what you want to do. The driving distance is about 2.5 to 3 hours from the volcano over to Kailua-Kona one-way with no stops and there are really no centrally located accommodations to both sides.

We returned from our honeymoon just over a week ago and spent 2 full days on the Hilo side in the volcano area and 6 nights on the Kona side. Stayed at Kilauea Lodge near the volcano and can strongly recommend it. But staying near the volcano will make Waipio Valley and Kealakekua Bay too far away for an enjoyable trip.

Staying in Hilo will give you access to 1, 2, and 3 but 4 may be too far(perhaps you need to delete this one). What do you consider a reasonable driving distance? If you're interested in nighttime viewing at the volcano, you might want to include one night there too.