Hilo & Honolulu B&B on Beach
 

Looking to go to Hawaii in October. We want to stay at a B&B (or similar atmosphere) with immediate beach access and good snorkeling. Would like to be no more than 15 minutes from main activites (i.e. restaurants, shopping, etc.) Anyone have any suggestions?

Don't know of any in Honolulu.

The Royal Hawaiian feels like a B&B to me. Fresh banana bread in your room. Older decor...etc.

if snorkeling is your main focus, then Hilo is the wrong place to be! There is no snorkeling on the east side of the island due to all the rain and runoff. Honolulu, the best snorkeling is Hanama Bay, but ists a short drive away and can be extremely crowded.

There IS great snorkeling on the east side of the BI south of Hilo at the Kapoho lagoons, but it is not beach access, it is lava rock access. We love to snorkle there, but if your main focus is snorkeling and beach, you should probably be on the west side (Kona) side of the island. Terrific snorkling at Kahalu'u and at Two Step, both south of Kona on the west side. I haven't stayed there, but I've always thought the Dragon Fly Ranch B&B looked interesting on the Kona side. Best snorkling is south of Kona and the best beaches are north of Kona.

Thanks. I haven't been to Hawaii in about 27 years so things have changed. I can only do 2 islands and the 1st one is Honolulu. I'm open for the 2nd choice. However, I do not want to go all touristy. I'd like to do some tourist things (i.e. the Cultural Center) since my boyfriend has never been. But I'd like to stay mostly away from tourist areas. Snorkeling is a must and I'd like to wake up to the ocean outside my door. A shack with an outside will work for me. Suggestions from all are welcome!

If you want to stay away from tourist areas, then I'd avoid Honolulu! It is crawling with herds of Japanese tourists, all yakking away on their cell phones! The traffic is awful, and Waikiki Beach is not really all that pretty when compared with others I've seen, especially since it is right next to the noise of Honolulu.

We stayed on the Big Island, and I went over to Oahu for the day to see Pearl Harbor. (I went with Polynesian Adventure Tours and it was GREAT!) Now that I have been there once, I have absolutely no desire to ever go back.

There is a lot to Oahu that many people who visit have never seen. There are isolated beaches, you can look up the coastline from and it seems to go on forever. The ones I've had a chance to visit are on the windward & North Shore areas. There are lots of private rentals and a few b&bs in that area, even on the beach. You can find them at vrbo.com. If your bf hasn't been you can stay there and then Waikiki and the South shore attractions are still within driving distance, so he can get a chance to see what that's like too and decide for himself how he feels about the crowds. Many people like Oahu just for that reason...variety.

rebroc, also a good book to find both touristy and non-touristy stuff is Driving and Discovering Oahu book. I read about it on these boards and was glad to have it with us on our trip. There are handy comparison charts about most of the beaches on the island, noting facilities, snorkeling, swimming conditions & more.