Hawaii - Big Island - Volcano stay
 

I currently have 1 night at the Koa cabin of Carson's Cottages reserved in July and I am curious if (a) anyone has observations about this cabin/company and (b) if 1 night is sufficient or should I get 2 nights.

As context, it will by myself, my wife and our 6, 9 and 12 year old. We will have just finished about 15 days of touring in Oahu, Maui and Kauai before we get to the Volcano and will have another 5 or 6 nights on the Big Island and 3 more nights on Oahu.

Is there enough to do, or is it enough to get there by midday or late afternoon (coming from Maui), do some touring/hiking and then get up early the next morning and do some more volcano touring/hiking?

Thanks in advance.

Are you flying into Hilo or Kona?

Having just done this a few months ago, I might consider two nights (we only had one). That would give you some time to see a few of the other things near Hilo (Akaka Falls, National Tropical Botanical Garden, orchid farm, etc.) before heading up to the Kohala Coast.

So, if you flew into Hilo in the afternoon, you could visit some of the sights around Hilo then go on to your B&B. Then you could spend a leisurely day in and around VNP and do some hiking. Then you could drive on up around the south and west sides of the island the next day, stopping at the black sand beach and the Place of Refuge on the way.

Volcano Village is only about a half hour from Hilo, so it wouldn't be hard to go back in that direction on the second day if you wanted to. It is much longer to go back there from Kohala.

Just an idea.

Totally agree with Ms_Go...... was going to post the very same thing. I would recommend two nights at Volcano Village, and do just that. Also, a friend stayed in one of the Carson's Cottages, and really enjoyed it!

Thanks. I am totally new to Hawaii travel so forgive my ignorance. I have not made my flights yet (interisland), but was planning to fly into Hilo and rent a car to go to check in the hotel and go to VNP. I did not plan on hitting any non-VNP sites while on this volcano portion of the tour, but since I will be staying at the Mauna Lani the remaining 6 or 7 nights, would it make sense for me to stay another nite at Carson's and do some touring on this side of the BI? What would you guys recommend if I were to do that?

Oh, and one more thing -- I highly recommend dinner at Kilauea Lodge while staying in Volcano Village. You may need to book well in advance to get your choice of time.

We stayed there in March and I was unable to get my choice of time when I inquired in January.

YES, definitely make your reservation for dinner for Kilauea Lodge NOW. It's the best! I would fly into Hilo, stay at Carson's for two nights, and plan to sightsee around Hilo and Volcano Village, then drive on around to the Mauna Lani for the remainder of my stay. You wouldn't want to miss that area north of Hilo (IMO, the prettiest area of the B.I.)

Excellent suggestion on dining. I will look into it now. Thanks for all the tips.

Just got dinner reservations for 5 at my choice of time for July 18th. Thanks for the tip.

Great, when we stayed at VNP, we stayed at Kilauea Lodge, and ate there both nights.......... the food was so good! In terms of how you arrange your sightseeing on the East side, I might go directly to VNP from the airport that day, spend the rest of the day in the park, then the next day drive back up north of Hilo and see all that area (including the things ms_go mentioned above), then come back to finish exploring VNP...... hopefully see lava flows at night. Then after your second night, you could drive around the southern tip, on round to the Place of Refuge, etc., and on up to the Mauni Lane.

At "alternative-hawaii.com", you can click on their driving profiles of different islands, and see lots of beautiful photos, and get info for driving around the Big Island. It's my favorite Hawaii site!:-)

sorry...... meant Mauna Lani! duh:-d

Sorry, erousseau11, thought they would have the Big Island driving guide up by now.:-( The others are terrific...... do look at the photos of the Big Island, though...........

erousseau11, if you haven't done so already, I would suggest going to the bookstore and picking up copies of the Wizard Pubs books -- The Big Island Revealed, Maui Revealed and The Ultimate Guide to Kauai (no book out yet for O'ahu). You won't be sorry. Invaluable for planning your activities. You should be able to find them at Borders or Barnes & Noble, or order them from Amazon. The BI book will give you loads of ideas for VNP alone.

I took my mother to most of the islands for two weeks in March. I've included links to my trip report and pictures below in case it is helpful for some ideas.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...een_name=ms_go

http://community.webshots.com/user/go_family

I went to the Big Island with my 14 and 16 year olds as well as my husband last summer. We flew in Hilo from Maui at around 4:30pm(only flight available fairly far in advance). By the time we got our car, checked into the hotel(very close by in Hilo)and got a quick bite to eat it was dark and raining(did you know that Hilo and the local environs get the most rainfall than any other city in US). Sunset is fairly early(you may want to check into this) so we drove up to the park anyway...noone there...a no go....Went very early the next day(an early start is the key to avoid the crowds) for what was THE highlight of an amazing vacation. We hiked(sometimes the flow is close and easily accessible and sometimes not) for over 1.5 hours(not strenuous) with some moaning from the girls(I never told them how long it would be-I checked with the park service- and brought a quart of water for each of us-not a drop left by the end)and we were all in awe!!!! Pictures only tell part of the story ...you need to hear the sounds, and smell the smells!!!unforgettable. any other quesitons ...just email ....good luck...I am jealous....wish I was going again

Thanks for the website information and trip report guides. Very helpful and I will absorb it all in over the next couple of days. I will be trying to get reasonably early morning reservations from Maui to the BI so we can get there without wasting too much time, but I will post if I am unsuccessful at doing that at this late date. I will also be springing for the Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tour (the longer one) to really get a view of the volcanos and the BI. I can't wait and will report back. Thanks all.

Given your overall schedule, I would definitely plan two nights in the volcano area. If the lava is flowing in an accessible area, it is an unforgettable experience to get up close to it. While the park visitor center is very close to Volcano village, the current active lava flow is much further; allow an hour drive plus whatever the hiking time. It can be worth seeing the lava both during daytime and at night.

Carson's Cottages have a very nice setting, but they are not shiny and new. I thought of it as clean, but a little worn. We were quite satisfied, but then we weren't expecting the Hilton, either.

Thanks for the tips. I am not expecting a super luxe resort room at Carson's (mostly a kind of mountain cabin feel), but its nice to know going in that it will be a little worn. Is there a nicer place to stay up by the Volcano, since my cancellation cost at Carson's is very minor (about $20)?

Kilauea Lodge is WONDERFUL! We always stay there......... and not at all "worn" that I saw. Don't think I've ever heard anything bad about it........:-)

E, go to kilauealodge.com, and look at their rooms and cottages. That's exactly what the place looks like........ and is immaculate, relaxing and cozy.

There are definitely a couple of newer, fancier places (Bonnie mentions Kilauea Lodge, I don't remember the names).

I don't want to give the wrong impression on Carson's; we certainly wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. We liked the "old Hawaii" feel to the place best, though, and others may not find charm in the same things we do.

Here's where we stayed: The Country Goose B&B in Volcano. http://www.countrygoose.com/

The rooms were great! Joan puts a soft featherbed on top of the mattress, and each room has nice, homey touches, like a DVD player and movies, ponchos for rain, flashlights for going to the volcano at night, etc. Her breakfast was great, and we really felt at home.