Leaving in a few weeks for the Big Island and my first ever trip to Hawaii! We are staying at the Mauna Lani Hotel for a conference, so the mornings are taken up with meetings for my love and with me reading by the pool/beach and visiting the spa. We will have afternoons and evenings free so I'm hoping for some recommendations for activities and good dinner spots. Also appreciate the heads up on places to stay away from... maybe you've had consistently bad meals or service... or tourist things that just aren't worth the time.

Thanks in advance!

The Mauna Lani is gorgeous. We enjoyed snorkeling off the point, which is an easy walk on the path from the hotel's pool area. As I recall, we were there 5 nights, and didn't leave the property except to walk to the Orchid and look around there.

Enjoy!

Just in your neck of the woods: Drive north to Hawi and have lunch or dinner at the funky Bamboo restaurant (http://www.bamboorestaurant.info/; be sure to have a lilikoi margarita or iced tea); from there to the end of the road for gorgeous views at the Polulu Valley lookout (it's a steep hike to the black sand beach, if you like).
At nearby Kawaihae Harbor, there's Cafe Pesto (http://cafepesto.com/cafe-pesto-kawaihae-location/), in close proximity to the Pu'ukohola Heiau, a national historic site (http://www.nps.gov/puhe/index.htm), scenic and interesting. (There's another Cafe Pesto in Hilo; it's ~1 hour to Hilo via 200 (Ken Onizuka highway, formerly Saddle Road; I really like the new setting of the Hilo Bay Cafe [http://www.nps.gov/puhe/index.htm].)
The beach north of Puako (close to Mauna Lani) has nice snorkeling, and might have sand again after the winter storms. Of course, Hapuna Beach is lovely, well worth a visit, and Mauna Kea Beach also (but you need to get there early for the limited parking spots).
There are many archaeological sites to see (some marked, some you have to figure out beforehand) on the way to Hawi, if that interests you.

I would check with your love and see if they would like a few afternoons by the pool or spa before planning all your mornings and making all of their afternoons evening activities. You might do a couple of morning drives on your own to see things. If that interests either of you.

We adore going to the Beach Bar at Four Seasons mid afternoon to get a lounge chair for a marcipone, procsuitto, arugala, parm pizza and adult beverage. We also adore Hawi and the road to Polulu and the hike down, but really enjoy Sushi Blues mo bettah. Take the mountain road one way and humback highway ocean road the other way. Both glorious drives. Hawi also has a wonderful farmers market on Sat mornings, although I doubt you have a kitchen.

Can you be more specific (links?). is Hawi a restaurant? Where is Sushi Blues?

Snorkeling and paddleboarding at the Beach Club is a wonderful way to spend the day. Napua there is a great place for a lunch or dinner. Do you golf? The South Course at the Mauna Lani or the course at the Mauna Kea is great. Walk through the fishponds at the Mauna Lani.

If you want to explore other beaches, go to Kuana'oa at the Mauna Kea or Hapuna or Waialea (Beach 69). All nearby.

Fun Farmer's Market in Waimea on Wednesday. Hike to Polulu Valley if you are visiting Hawi anyway. There are Heiaus to visit along the way. Go to the Waipio Outlook.

Some good restaurants. Merrimans in Waimea. Monstera at the Shops at Mauna Lani. We like the Beach Tree at the Four Seasons and LOVE Ulu Grill at the Four Seasons. Da Fish Truck in Kaiwaihae is good.

Hawi is a cute little town. Sushi Blues is a cute little restaurant in the town of Hawi that makes some great inventive fish dishes and fantastic salads.

tai tai, I got flagged by a pert on tripadvisor for using the term Beach/Pole 69. They actually got me kicked of the forum when I defended that I was told about it from a number of locals. She wouldn't have it and pulled the ' you must use the real hawaiian name regardless of what the locals and natives call it....

The Manta Ray night snorkel is a bucket list type of activity. Look into doing that.

All respect and power to those that love it, but every time someone recomends the night manta ray swim I think of the Aussie that stuck his head in crock's mouths and got taken down by a freak accident with a Manta Ray. I just don't feel interested and always think of little Bindy

Thanks for all of these suggestions so far!

I don't think I'll be snorkeling at all. I have a few times ( Santa Catalina Island, St. John, GBR) but the last time on the GBR I had a panic attack and I'm not keen to experience that again. I would like to try paddleboarding, that always looks fun.

Keep the favorites coming!

lynni, I second the recommendations you have already received and I will add a few. But first a disclaimer, in our 20+ trips to the Big Island, DH and I have never stayed on the Kohala Coast so I will leave recommendations about things to do/restaurants at the resorts to those who have been there. (We usually spend a few days at a charming BandB outside of Honokaa, and a few days in Puna at Kapoho and the rest of our time in south Kona in rental houses).

Here is my list of restaurants we like and activities we have done:

I think the sushi restaurant in Hawi that others have called Sushi Blues is actually Sushi Rock--we ate there last month and it was wonderful as always http://sushirockrestaurant.net/

Here is the website for Merriman's in Waimea (already suggested)-- we always have dinner there once and have never been disappointed http://www.merrimanshawaii.com/

If you want a good burger and are in Waimea got to Village Burger http://www.villageburgerwaimea.com/

The Harbor House Restaurant is at the Honokohau Harbor, south of the Kona Airport, a real local place--really, really fresh fish sandwiches and ice cold schooners of beer http://www.harborhouserestaurantkona.com/

Holuakoa Cafe is a very good restaurant in the little town of Holualoa--the town is interesting also--lots of galleries and shops--right above Kailua Kona http://www.holuakoacafe.com/

Two of our favorite restaurants in south Kona right on the Mamalahoa highway (highway 11) are
Ke'ei Cafe http://www.keeicafe.net/
Mi's Italian Bisto http://www.misitalianbistro.com/

Some tours we have enjoyed in the past
Hamakua Mushroom Company --see how they grow them and you get to sample some-- on the Hamakua Highway (highway 19) http://hamakuamushrooms.com/

Onomea Tea Company http://onomeatea.com/-- we've done tea tasting there a couple of times -a beautiful home, get to see how tea is grow and processed; then you get to taste along with homemade scones etc--also on Highway 19--very close to the Hawaiian Tropical Botanic Gardens (http://www.htbg.com/

Hawaiian Vanilla Company--the vanilla luncheons are very good-- located close to Honokaa http://www.hawaiianvanilla.com/

Also located close to Honokaa in a beautiful setting on the slopes of Mauna Loa--no formal tours--but you can call and the owner might give you one--also the best coffee I have ever had http://www.hawaiiancloudforestcoffee.com/

Located in Kona, the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory does tours of their cacao orchard and their little processing plant and you can buy chocolate there http://www.ohcf.us/

(Oh a couple of corrections to the previous information you received--the Saddle Road is now officially the Daniel K. Inouye Highway--named for the late senator from Hawaii

and Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter, was killed by a sting ray not a manta [different species].)

Thank you for calling me to task. I think Sushi Blues is a bygone era in Hanalei, Kauai. I adore both towns.

Is the saddle Rd no longer allowed to be referred to its name? Must all who are familiar now call it in memorium?

We can agree on Village Burger

Annie's Burgers on the way to or from the Place of Refuge.

Village Burger in Waimea.

Monstera at the Mauna Lani Shops. No view but great food!

I have no issue with the Saddle Road being referred to as such--I only mentioned the new name because a previous poster thought it was the Ken Onizuka highway (probably thinking of Ellison Onizuka, the astronaut from Hawaii, who was killed in th Challenger explosion.)

We did a helicopter ride over the volcano in 1998 (yes I know a lifetime ago) and it was really cool.

Have any of you been to a sea horse farm?

It sounds goofy to me but a coworker says it is a " do not miss." I am a skeptic.

I see that I called the former Saddle Road after the astronaut (even got his name wrong), instead of the Senator! Have no idea where it came from, but at least part of the spelling was correct...
apologies!

We went to the sea horse farm quite a few years ago. I found it fascinating. I think their website is www.Oceanrider.com.

Oops it's www.seahorse.com