SnRSeattle

I have searched and followed links, and bought the book Hawaii, the Big Island Revealed, AND looked at their web site, (although, to be honest, haven't read every word nor followed every link, so I might have missed it) but still confused about a good (but not outrageously expensive) place to stay where you can snorkel off your hotel's site. Any help here? Correction: I saw one place, near the Kahaluu Beach Park, but the review on Trip Advisor was so so and BI Revealed, also. My husband, sister and her husband are interested in going to the BI in Sept/Oct of 2006. Is that a good time, snorkeling-wise? We are interested mainly in the snorkeling and plan to drive to the highlighted places and take the boat tours, but we also like a little "recreational" snorkeling opportunities within walking distance of our place. Thanks for any help you can give us.
Sally in Seattle

MerryTravel

My husband and I stayed at the Fairmont Orchid and enjoyed the snorkeling from its beach. There is a small beach and lagoon (both probably manmade), but once we got between that and the outer reef we saw lots of turtles and very nice coral.

matnikstym

stay at the sheraton keahou hotel, the beach next door is excellent for snorkeling and usually has a couple of turtles

fdecarlo

Sept is a great time to go to the BI. The winter seas usually haven't kicked in yet and snorkeling is easy. October is also not bad, but the throngs for Ironman start arriving a week or two before the event takes place in mid-Oct, so getting around the island can be a major pain.

The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and its sister hotel, the Hapuna Beach Prince have some fantastic snorkeling directly offshore. Not sure what your definition of 'outrageously expensive' is, but the hotels often have $220/night specials.

SnRSeattle

Thank you, fdecarlo, matnikstym, and Merry Travel, for your excellent advice. I will look up the hotels mentioned. Thanks also for the "heads up" on the Iron Man crowds. Don't want to be there with that traffic headache. Thanks for the reassurance that Sept. is a good month. We are looking forward to experiencing the BI, especially the snorkeling and the volcano. Ours only has ash, not lava, at least not flowing.
Sally in Seattle

CaliNurse

Hi Sally! Kahuluu Beach is RIGHT next to the Outrigger Keauhou Beach resort -- a one minute walk. (BTW--there's an open air covered sandwich place between the (hotel grounds and beach that makes grrrreat sandwiches. I dreamed of their tuna melt in the yrs betwen visits, and it was still delicious!!) We stayed at the hotel when it was still a Sheraton, back in 2000. It was perfectly fine then, and i'm sure if anything, it's improved. Anyway, I've always found Outrigger front desks very responsive at changing your room if you're not satisfied.There are loads of tidepools there wtih sea turtles. The grounds are lovely, including a heiau. Try for oceanview or even oceanfront room--where the balconies jut out over the water. (Zoning laws changed afterwards, according to BI Revealed, I think?-- so it's the only BI hotel where you can have a room literally over the water.) Prices should be reasonable and defintely not "outrageously expensive." Check outrigger.com site for "best rate" and/or see if there's "travel club" (ie Entertainment cards) rate available for Sept/Oct.
Aloha, and happy planning!

CaliNurse

Greetings again, Sally. I just plugged in Entertainment Card ("travel club") rate under "other search options" on the outrigger.com site for Keauhou Beach Resort. For Deluxe Ocean View for Oct 1, for example, it's only $135/night, an excellent price. From these"deluxe" ov rooms, you look over the lanai and see sea turtles directly below you in the tidepools! It was a wonderful first view on our first day on the BI!

christy1

I've stayed at the Outrigger mentioned above and liked it just fine-it's proximity to the very protected beach/snorkle site was a big plus for me. It was GREAT being able to simply walk from the beach to the outdoor shower near the hotel pool, then back to my room. I got a garden view room for only $109 during high season, and it actually had an ocean view from the balcony. The bar is FANTASTIC since you can look straight down into the water and see fish and turtles-its also a great place to watch the sunset. I think the reason it has some mediocre reviews on trip advisor (besides the fact that there are always at least a few people who hate almost every hotel listed on the site) is that it's not a fancy resort with all the amenities. The rooms are pretty much like any standard, decent motel room-they aren't luxurious, but they were perfectly comfortable. The grounds are nice but not as spacious and lush (no waterfalls or exotic wildlife) as the larger resorts. I wouldn't particularly recommend the restaurant (it was standard blah hotel food), either, but you're near enough to everything in Kona that that shouldn't matter. I also liked that the Outrigger was on the southern end of Kona, so I didn't have to fight through traffic to get to the neat sights on Kona's south end (like the great snorkling at the Place of Refuge National Historical Park).

I stayed at the Mauna Kea, too, on that same trip, and I got a special that was $275 a night. There is snorkling but I wouldn't call it great. While it's a great hotel, I came away from that trip remembering what a great value the Outrigger was, and feeling a bit like the MK wasn't quite worth the splurge (if you can afford it and it's not such a splurge to you, that's another matter).

SnRSeattle

Dear CaliNurse and Cristy1, thanks for your input. I was wondering about the Outrigger since it fulfills our requirements, but any review that mentions mold or musty smell makes the place suspect since I have allergies. However, I know to take the tripadvisor reviews with caution since there seems always to be a spoiler in the bunch. Nice to hear that the staff were nice because again the reviews had some not so nice ones. The idea of seeing turtles in their natural environment is a big draw to me, being a "turtle person". Thanks for the comparison to the Mauna Lea--resorts are usually not our style, but we were wondering if we had to go that route because none of the BI Revealed descriptions of places in Kona sounded very inviting except the Outrigger. I especially like its location for the place of refuge and for taking off to see the volcano area. Thanks again.
Sally

rjscott

We stayed at the Keauhou Beach Resort and enjoyed our stay there. Kahaluu Beach is a wonderful place to snorkel and to see lots of turtles. The Verandah Bar at the Keauhou is great for having evening drinks and pupu's. There is entertainment, and if you get there before the sun goes down, you can watch the turtles and fish, and also an awesome sunset.

JohnD

Another vote for the one of a kind, Keauhou Beach Resort!
Here is a couple T.R.'s including KBR:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34549308

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34542623

beachkomer

I thought that Outrigger hotel was fine. I've stayed their twice. I never noticed "mold". It's not fancy, but it's a nice little place, beautiful gardens, small pool near the ocean, a quick walk to a snack area then to the beach. It's exactly what you are looking for! It is better to be near town anyway for shopping and restaurants. The big resorts are very isolated up on the coast and the food is a lot more expensive.
I go to the BI FOR Ironman. I don't find the traffic unbearable and we love to watch the race. It's a great experience. The athletes are so inspirational. If you want to avoid that time the race is Oct 21.

Have a great trip!!

girlonthego

We stayed at the Kohala end at the Hilton. There would be less kids there in Sept., but it was full of kids when we were there. It depends on what you want in a resort. The Hilton is huge and has nice pools and restaurants. There is a man-made lagoon with turtles in it. As a family, it was perfect. My husband and I would stay there without kids because we like resorts. The Fairmont was quieter, but also very nice.
We went to the beach in question. I can't say it, but it is the one near the outrigger. It was one of the best snorkeling spots. It is very rocky though. So, be sure to wear water shoes. My husband cut up his feet. The beach was also crowded. We did see lots of turtles and beautiful fish there.
We did the Fairwinds tour to Captain Cook. That area was like swimming in a fish tank. Many beautiful fish. If you want to do lots of activities in Kona, than you would be better staying at the Outrigger. If you want more of a resort feel, than the Kohala coast has the Hilton, Marriott, Fairmont and some condominiums there.

kureiff

We snorkeled at Mauna Kea and Hapuna Beach and Kahalu and Two Step at the Place of Refuge. We had the best experiences at Kahalu'u Beach (right next to the Outrigger) and at Two Step.

You might want to consider looking at the Kanaloa Outrigger condos. They're very reasonable and are large. There isn't any snorkeling right there, as they are located a few miles south of Kona. It's a little bit shorter trip to Captain Cook and Place of Refuge. It's also a short trip to Kahalu'u Beach Park.

We liked the location because we were close to Kona but also closer to the Captain Cook area.

Have a great trip! The snorkeling is fantastic!

beachkomer

The condos are called "kanaloa at kona" and are nice. I've stayed there twice. Small pool overlooking the ocean. Good for families, but no beach nearby. (walking)

I love the Hilton too, but I feel they ignore the ocean. They need to have a big ocean front restaurant BAR, tiki style. Not a fancy restaurant. We got kind of bored there. We wanted a bit of nightlife.

Maybe that Sheraton Keauhou is a good compromise: not toooo expensive, pool, bar, snorkel next door, but nearer to Kona.

The great thing about the BI is that it is not over developed...the bad thing about BI is that it doesn't have as many options!

kureiff

I think it's an Outrigger hotel that's next to Kahalu'u Beach not the Sheraton.

beachkomer

Yes, I am talking about a different
hotel, www.sheratonkeauhou.com

This hotel is further south of Kona than the Outrigger. Maybe 3-4 miles?

I thought someone posted that there was snorkeling near the Sheraton too?
The hotel is just not ON the beach.
It looks like it might have some dramatic views overlooking the ocean.

It looks like the Sheraton would be a bit more "upscale" than the Outrigger. The Outrigger is a basic motel, I would say two stars. It is nice to be near that beach, but you usually have so much stuff anyway it's nice to have the car to put the beach stuff in!

I have the Sheraton reserved in October. I will post a review.
Keauhou Shopping center is a great place to stock up on food, snacks, etc; and isn't as far away as the Walmart. There are about 4 places to eat there and a grocery store, drug store, movie theater. Very handy when you are at the Kanaloa condos.