First time, First Night, Big Island
 

My first trip to the Big Island. I'm staying at the Kona by the Sea Resort. After a long day of flying I would like to find a restaurant that is close by. I really don't want to spend my first night getting lost trying to find a place to eat. Nice and relaxing, up to any choice of menu. Any thoughts?

Head north on Alii Dr. a mile or so into Kona, or south a few miles to Keauhou. The choice of restaurants is much better in Kona than Keauhou.
As long as you stay on Alii Dr. you won't get lost.

Kona Inn gets my vote for most relaxing atmosphere, although several others are also very nice.. Huggo's, Bubba Gump's, Outback Steakhouse etc. Check hours for these places because some of them stop serving dinner relatively early, even on weekends (9 or 10PM).

Aloha! We are recovering from our first trip to the Big Island - returned 4 days ago and can't wait to go back! We also stayed at Kona By The Sea. Our best meal was at Quinn's Almost by the Sea on Palani Road. We considered some of the others but went for the non-chain fare and were very pleased with our meal. The ono (both Cajun and fried) was delicious! The waitresses were friendly and the portions were large. It wasn't fancy but it was relaxing and delicious. Let me know if you have any specific questions about Kona by the Sea. Have a great trip!

jchop: I will be there in April. Got a deal through the entertainment book $150.00 for ocean front. Are the rooms as nice as they look on the web? It's just my husband and myself so I think we'll have plenty of room. We're there any downfalls to the resort? Staying six nights there, would like to know ahead of time what to expect. Thanks.

We stayed there in Oct. of last year everyone was real nice but the room we were in could have use a new coat of paint. It was clean and housekeeping did a good job of cleaning every day.

We are visiting the BI next week!!! We're staying at the Hilton Waikola Resort but we're interested in eating in restaurants off of th resort property.

fdecarlo - are the restaurants you mentioned near the Hilton Waikola Resort?

azgrl: If you're paying for oceanfront they'll almost certainly put you in a nicer unit. Some are better than others. The views can't be beat at this place, they're even better than what's shown on their website.

Traveler: No, Kona is about a 45 minute drive south of the Hilton Waikoloa. But there's no shortage of great restaurants on that part of the island. One of the best, Roy's, is right next door to you in the King's Shops. Big Island Steak House, also at King's Shops is also good. Near you in Waimea is Merriman's. Cafe Pesto is just north of you in Kawaihae.

There are some wonderful resort restaurants along the coast: The Canoe House at Mauna Lani, Brown's Beach House at the Orchid, Pahu i'a at the Four Seasons (although that's quite a hike from Waikoloa, about 30 minutes), etc. Trust me, you won't go hungry! :)

There is also Merriman's Cafe in the Kings Shops which, for lunch at least, sells gourmet sandwiches, cheeses, breads, wines, yum.... We also liked Grand Palace in the Kings' Shops for Chinese food (and my husband worked in a Chinese restaurant for 8 years if that means anything). Finally, there was a Japanese restaurant in Kings Shops although we did not have the opportunity to eat there. And, there is always the food court.

In response to the first poster, we ate at Oodles of Noodles our first night - it is in one of those strip malls between the airport and Kona. Not much in the way of a view but the food was delicious! It's BYO and there is a grocery next door to buy your wine, beer, whatever.

Thanks everyone for some good information.
fdcarlo: thanks for the reassurance about the condo.

fdecarlo: sorry for the spelling mistake!

azgrl - Wow! You did get a great deal. Was that for a 1/1?? We paid more than twice that for a 2/2 oceanfront.
Is it as nice as the Aston website?? I don't want you to be disappointed but I've decided that Aston uses retouched and maybe digitally enhanced photos on their website. We stayed at an Aston property on Oahu before our Big Island adventure. It too was different than I had expected - based on what I had seen on the website. It's part of advertising! There were many pros: Location was awesome! Oceanfront (if you truly get "oceanfront") views were spectacular - you can't beat the sound of the crashing waves at night, the desk attendants were attentive, the cleaning personnel were attentive, the unit was clean, you could borrow their pool towels to take to the beach, our kitchen had more dishes than we could use our entire stay! Cons: our beds were hard, the interior could use a fresh coat of paint, the decor was dated but not dirty. About the beds - I slept 2 nights on the hard bed before complaining about it to the front desk. They sent someone out immediately (and I do mean immediately - I hung up the phone and poof! The housekeeper was at the front door!!) to add "padding" to the bed. They told me several times that if I was still displeased they'd be more than happy to change units. Since we were a party of 6 with all our belongings already unpacked, I just made do and slept on the sleeper sofa which was much more comfortable. Truly, I should have said something after the first night. The lesson I learned is that from now on I will check the bed as soon as I check into a place. I'm not such a princess when it comes to my bedding but these mattresses were like box-springs with a sheet over them. I need a little more padding than that. My in-laws said that the twins in their bedroom were the same. Hope this helps without discouraging you. I would definitely return to KBtS - I'll just check the beds....and I'll check to see if I can get a good rate with the entertainment book! Make sure you grocery shop at the KTA on Palani. We made the mistake of going all the way to the end of Alii and paying more than we would have at the KTA. Have a great time and let me know if you have any more questions! Make sure you snorkel Kahalu'u (just 5 minutes south of your condo -if you want to swim with turtles) and please make it out to Mauna Kea beach - take your towels and a mat!

jchop: Thanks for letting me know the"ins and outs" about the condo. The entertainment book offers 1 bed, 2 bath for half the price. So worth the $35.00 I paid for the book. You can choose what view you want. I decided to go for it with the ocean front. Thanks again for the info.

My mistake again, the entertainment book was $25 not $35.