My wife and I are traveling to the BI for 9 nights this summer. We are outdoorsy people (hikers/etc) and would like some opinions on our itinerary and suggestions for lodging.

We are flying in to Kona and thinking 2 night there just to catch our breath - see the town/snorkel Cook's. Suggestions for clean reasonable lodging?

We're then going to travel south to see south point and its beaches and spend the next 3 nights at Volcano - hiking various trails & Mauna Kea. Is three nights too many? Can we explore the rest of this region from here or should we adjust our time?

The next 2 nights are up in the air now - we'd like to explore Waimea and hike the Waipio Valley, but not sure where to stay. Again any clean reasonable suggestions? Or changes/additions to itinerary.

The final two night we want to spend living it up and relaxing on the Kohala coast - resort choice?

Thanks for all your help. Our biggest questions are the hotel in Kona & days in each location.

Thanks.

I don't think three nights to stay in Volcano Village is too much at all! It's an easy area from which to explore Puna and not far from Hilo either - IF you get your fill of VNP. From your Kohala resort you can easily visit Waimea and Waipio Valley. Why not spend your first nights in Kohala (not a long drive from Kona Airport) and the rest of your vacation in Volcano Village? I'm just not that fond of the Kona area...

Although, if you want to visit Kealekekua Bay, a night or two in Kona/Keauhou wouldn't be a bad idea. What about the Outrigger Keauhou? We stayed there one night, the Forest House at My Island B&B in VV two nights (not enough), and three nights at Hapuna Prince (not enough) - loved all of our accommodations.

Thanks. We're putting Kohala on the back-end, because it seems like a nice way to end a trip which I'm sure will involve a lot of hiking/driving/activity.

As far as Kona - any other lodging suggestions (outrigger is booked)

Also, would you stay in Waimea and explore that region from there? Or tack on another night in Kohala and do it from there?

I don't recommend staying 3 nights in Volcano as the base to explore other areas. It could be a pain and time wasting traveling back and forth.

We did a counter-clockwise trip on BI last Nov and found it worked out great. Two nights in Kona, 1 in Volcano Village, 1 in Hilo, 2 in South Kohala. Since you're going a few days longer, you could stay in the Puna area too.

We were extremely active on BI, hiking and snorkeling, summitting Mauna Kea. Loved the place!

May I as what resorts did you stay?

In South Kohala, we stayed at the Marriott Waikoloa. Loved the ancient Hawaiian fish pond in the back before the beach. It was not too big (like the Hilton, etc.) and convenient--opposite of a small shopping center with restaurants. Plus, we pricelined it, and with taxes and resort fee ($15 per day), it came out like $130 a day.

Its beach was nice but the water was very murky. We snorkeled here a bit and coudn't see anything other than a big turtle almost bumping right into us. Maybe it was too murky for it too see too!

In Kona, we stayed at the Royal Kona and hated it. Fodor's (the book) had a decent review of the hotel, but the room was so horrible--dirty and dark. It was undergoing renovation. Maybe it's better after the renovation.