I am going to VNP in four days. I still have not made a reservation for Friday night after exploring VNP. I have contacted many lodging places and they mentioned that the Artists’ Hui studio tour/sale is going on that weekend and it is the busiest weekends of the year for Volcano Village. I found one place that has a queen size bed, but we have three people. If it is worth it to stay in VNP overnight we will, if not we will be staying at the Hilton near Kona.

My question to all of you: Since there is no volcano flow (http://www.nps.gov/havo) that is accessible for hiking in the park, is it somehow worth it to still do a night hike? Or should we plan on hiking in the day and going back to the Hilton at night?

What is the best one day itinerary for VNP if there is no volcano flow?

I would NOT do a night hike if there were no flow.
I stayed at the Hilton and also spent the night in Volcano. We stayed at Hale Ohia Cottages. Really enjoyed staying there.

Thank you for the advice! I was assuming that would be the answer, but I was not a 100%.

I think we will extend our stay at the Hilton vs. three of us trying to cram into a queen size bed. On a good note, we were on the right track with a place to stay-- in Volcano we were also planning on staying at Hale Ohia Cottages.

Do you have any other suggestions of what we should do in VNP since there is no lava flow? We were thinking about heading to the visitors center in the late morning to find out the best one day itinerary. From other Fodorites posts, it sounds like we should check out the Thurston Lava Tube and Chain of Craters Road to the ocean. Please help! T-3 days until we leave! Thanks!

The Kilauea Iki hike was nice. Takes you from lush rainforest down onto the crater floor where it looks like you are on the moon. We also did Thurston Lava Tube and drove to the end of Chain of Craters which was neat, and you can see where the most recent lava flows went right over the road (2004 I think).

We stayed one night at Kilauea Lodge which was fantastic!

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HVNP):

This is a good driving tour with stops on Crater Rim Drive. It will only take about 2 1/2 - 3 hours:

http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/craterrimtour.htm

Also add about 40 minutes for this:

Chain of Craters Road to the end where lava closed the road.

Hilo is about 45 minutes from HVNP.

In Hilo:

Banyan Drive, Liliuokalani Gardens, Rainbow Falls, Boiling Pots

North of Hilo:

4 Mile Scenic Drive, Akaka Falls State Park

It would make for a long day if you drive back to Kona the same day, but doable.

You can stay one night in Volcano Village or Hilo.

Lots of info. You can ignore the Oahu things. There are about 10-15 sites good for all islands:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34812564

Thanks for the information. T-2 days until we leave. You have both helped complete my interary!

The Thai restaurant in Volcano is VERY good. Just a small, family owned restaurant, but the owner brings her spices back from "home" (Thailand). One of my best Thai meals ever!

Oh, and the chicken curry at the Hilton is FABULOUS (or at least it was). It was so good I had it twice in one week. We stayed so busy during the day that many nights we came back to the room and ordered room service and enjoyed it on the lanai. The room service prices really weren't that bad. This was about 5 years ago.

Second Starrsville's recommendation for the Thai Thai restaurant in Volcano Village, where we enjoyed our best meal on the island.

DH had the Red Chicken Curry (U$13)which turned his face pink and eyes to water, and he still talks about how wonderful it was! I loved the Pad Thai noodles (U$11).

We also loved our two-night stay in Volcano Village, in a private cottage at Kate's Volcano Places,
and could quite happily have stayed longer.

Have a wonderful trip,
Jackie

Another vote for Thai Thai. It was the best red curry and pad thai that we have ever had. Get there early, though, as it's a small place.

It was a toss up between that and Merriman's in Waimea for our favorite meal on the island.

You can call ahead for a reservation. They answer at the hardware store next door during the day (same family).