Please help with Big Island Planning!!
 

Hi,

We're heading out to BI this Thanksgiving for 6 nights, and we haven't booked any hotel or car. We're concerned about the weather in Nov.--lots of rain--and we'd like to go to Mauna Kea, Volcano NP, and Hilo when the weather is more cooperating. Can we just wing it out there, or we should book everything now?

Please help us with what area of BI we should stay in. The sights seem to be very spread out, so it's hard just to stay in one place all the time.

* Fly into Kona on Thanksgiving night. Prefer to lodge somewhere not too far from airport at least first night or maybe 2. Please recommend area. We want to get our bearings of the area at the beginning.

While in Kona, is there any happening area at night? We want to hang out a bit late. Any markets or shops or restaurants, etc. stay open late on BI?

* Lodge in Volcano Village 1 night later in the week

* Lodge in Hilo for 1 or 2 nights after that? Go to Mauna Kea from Hilo side?

* Should we be staying up north Kona afterwards? We want to do Waipio Valley.

* Or south Kona? We want good snorkeling.

I've read Fodor's guidebook and read many postings on this forum, but it sounds there are so much to do on BI! Before, I naively thought I should do 2 islands in 6 days, but anymore..

Anyway, please advise. Thanks!

Thanks!

Arriving in Kona on Thanksgiving -- for a week-long vacation during "high season" here in the islands, and you have no lodging booked yet???

You would be wise to reserve a car ASAP, so at least you'll have some place to sleep. 8-)

First off, if you're concerned about rain, don't stay in Hilo at all ... it's always raining, or so it seems, in Hilo!!! Beautiful area, but not my idea of a vacation spot! I would do two nights at Volcanoes National Park, and four nights on the Kona side, either a Kohala Coast resort (my favorite area), or down in Kona.

November is the beginning of winter there, so you will have more rain than you would have May to October (Summer there.) By staying on the Kohala Coast/Kona side, you will lesson your chances of rain greatly. Have a wonderful trip.

I would do as Bonnie suggested. Stay in the Kona area and spend one or two nights in the Hilo or Volcano Village area.

Hilo and Volcano Village are only 45 miles apart and it is a good highway between them.

Good sites:

www.bigisland.org

www.gohawaii.com

www.spotlighthawaii.com

www.thisweek.com

www.101thingtodo.com

www.alternative-hawaii.com

www.hawaiiweb.com

www.driveguidemagazines.com

Tony and I flew into Hilo, drove to the Kilauea national park and spent one night. Drove to Kona and spent 5 nights. From there we did our other day trips, which included Mauna Kea, Pololu valley (didn't get to Waipio valley), and S. Kona. You can read the details here: http://www.luvtotravel.homestead.com/HIJrnl2005.html

Monica ((F))

Hi JC98

Last year we spent 10nights on the Kohala coast and Thanksgiving night in Hilo (in the middle of our stay).

We did a lot of driving but as a family of 4 this was easier than repacking and moving around the island.

We did separate day trips to Kealakekua Bay and The Place of Refuge plus 'Two Steps'(for snorkeling) and separate daytrips to Waipio Valley and Polulu lookout (including Hawi) for hiking and sightseeing.
Each of these trips took up maybe a half day and we either relaxed by the pool or on the beach at our hotel (either in the mornings before venturing out or late afternoon/ evening on our return).

The long drive over to VNP from Kohala was beautiful (take the Northern route). We stopped at the Waipio lookout, The Botanical Garden (Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens)and in Hilo before heading to Volcano NP.

We found 1 night in Hilo wasn't enough for us considering the length of the drive and the fact that we only saw Akaka falls in the rain!This year we're staying 2 nights on that side of the island!

I agree with Bonniebroad, dusty and monica that you should spend most of your time in Kona/Kohala and one or two nights in Hilo/Volcano area. Maybe 2 nights if you want to see all the attractions on that side of the island.

Note some B&B's have a 2 night minimum.

BOOK SOON!!

Thanks all for your replies. You really got me scared, so I booked my car. Now, it's accomodation...

Is Kohala a happening place? It looks like all the big resorts are there? Kona sounds like a bigger place.

Has anyone stayed at the Sheraton in Kona? I think it's new and it's not in the 2005 Fodor's book I have. Any opinions?

Also, how's the Royal Kona Resort? The writeup in Fodor's makes it sounds very good, but I've seen lesser opinions from travelers on tripadvisor.

Again, thanks for your enthusiasm and help!

Go to tripadvisor.com for many recent reviews on the Sheraton Keauhou. The pools look nice! In the same area, the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort would also be a nice option. Other than those two, I'm not sure anyplace else in the Kona area would come even close to the wonderful Kohala resorts. Look at the Hapuna Beach Prince Resort if you want a gorgeous beach for a pretty moderate price compared to many other resorts in that area.

We stayed at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort and although a lovely resort, the rooms need updating. I tried to post my comments on trip advisor but having connection problems. My notes for hotel description can be found here:

http://www.luvtotravel.homestead.com/hawaiihotels.html

Monica ((F))

Hi - We just got back from the Big Island and I will be posting a trip report either today or tomorrow with the details. We did two nights in Hilo and three nights in Kohala - this worked pretty well for us, though we could've used more time overall. The road to Mauna Kea is better from the Hilo side, but you could easily do it from the Kona side as well so go with whatever works timing wise. We found that things shut down early on the Big Island - with the exception of a few bars, etc., the shops and restaurants in Kona close down at 9pm everyday.

JMHO, but I don't think any of the Kona area hotels compare to the least expensive resort on the Kohala Coast (Marriott Waikoloa Beach, one of my faves), but that is fine because they're not nearly as expensive! :-) If you can swing it, JC98, I think it's worth the money to stay at one of the Kohala resorts, but you will have a wonderful time wherever you stay, I'm sure! ((r)) (But, really, stay in the village around Volcanoes Nat'l. Park rather than Hilo; the Park is such an unusual place to sleep, and Hilo is so rainy!)

JC98: The Royal Kona is a nice place, as long as one's expectations aren't too high. I think part of the problem with negative reviews are from people who a 3 or 4-star resort for $100/night. I'd call the RKR a solid two-star property.

It sits right on the water, has a decent restaurant, nice pool and a saltwater lagoon. They also have a luau several times a week, which is touristy but might be fun if you've never been to one. Like almost all Kona properties there's no natural beach here, just lava rock.

If you decide to stay here, request a room in either the south or main building. The north building is closest to Kailua town and noise from nearly bars/restaurants can be a problem.

Thanks to your rave reviews of Kohala, I booked 2 nights at the Waikoloa Marriott at the end of the trip, for relaxing before we head home.

How long is the drive from Kohala to the Place of Refuge and Kealakekua Bay? We'd like to kayak to Captain Cook monument and snorkel, and visit the Place of Refuge and snorkel. Can both be done in one day or I need two separate days? What's the strategy here?

I'm still contemplating of staying in Kona for the first one or two nights when we fly into Kona, if the drive from Kohala is too long. And do Captain Cook and Place of Refuge during that time.

In the middle of the trip, we'll move to Volcano for one night and after that another night in Hilo.

Is this too much moving around for nights? 2 nights in Kona / 1 night in Volcano / 1 night in Hilo / 2 nights in Kohala?

I haven't booked anything else except for the last 2 nights in Kohala.

Thanks for your help!

Also, we'd liket to snorkel the kayak and snorkel Captain Cook and Place of Refuge on our own, and not joining a tour. We're snorkeling nuts and would like to spend more time there than a typical tour would allow. We'll bring our own snorkeling gear but would have to rent a kayak.

Based on your experience, please recommend the best way to go about this and where to rent the kayak. Many people recommend Kona Bob, and hopefully, we'll get the kayak on the day we want. Any other alternatives?
Should we rent it the day before as Big Island Revealed recommends?

Thanks!

If you are up for a fairly grueling hike, you can hike down to the Cook Monument and snorkel. It took us about 1 hour down (2 miles one way) and around 1-1/2 sweaty hrs. back up, but we figure that the time spent was probably less than getting the kayak, launching it, paddling the 1 mile across the bay to the Monument, etc. Snorkeling is INCREDIBLE here! BI Revealed has directions to the trailhead.

It is not too far from here to the Place of Refuge, where you don't need a kayak to snorkel.

Also, while you are staying at the Mariott, excellent snorkeling up at Hapuna Beach, at the north end of the beach, there's a little cove in front of the hotel.

Can you do 2 nights at VP and skip the night in Hilo?

I think it's a pretty good idea to stay both at Kona and Kohala, it's a long drive getting from one to the other.

FYI the Marriott Waikoloa is undergoing major renovations right now ....

Volcano is close to Hilo so you could stay 2 nights there instead of moving.

Not tried kayaking but if you do a search there are a few threads on the subject.

My wife and I just returned from visiting BI (4 days) Maui (4 days) Kauai (3 days) and Oahu (3.5 days). This was our first trip. We used priceline for all rental cars except BI because we flew into Hilo (5:30 AM fight from Honolulu on Oct 19) and flew out of Kailua-Kona. We had excellent weather. We had rain in Hilo and the the N shore of Kauai....while we were sleeping. Rain was never a factor in our 15 days. I loved Hilo area. If you like touristy areas you will like the Kona side with its honky tonk town and mega resorts. We stayed 2 nights at the Old Hawaiian B& B on a street near the Boiling Pots State Park in Hilo. I find B&Bs and cottages to have a personal touch not found in hotels. We visited the Japanese park on the waterfront. Had great pancakes at Ken's House of Pancakes. Visited the Farmer's Market. Visited the Tropical Gardens just N of Hilo. In the afternoon, went to the Volcano Park: lava tube, museum, drove Chain of Craters to end. Walked 3/4 mile & at sundown looked at the lava ( a bright red glow through binoculars about 2 miles down the coast). Ate at a decent Thai restaurant in Volcano.
Next day, after seeing Rainbow Falls, we toured the Puna area: thermal pond & tidal pools (recommend reef shoes for walking on lava) and drove through a hippie town. This is a very interesting area to look around. Late afternoon, we stopped at Richardson's beach in Hilo (our first black sand beach) Ate dinner at the Hilo Bay Cafe. Highly recommended and somewhat pricey.
Next two days, left for Kohala. Stopped at the Akaka falls on the N route, had masaladas and lunch at Tex's Drive-in on the turn after leaving the view of Waipio Valley. Stayed 2 nights at the Hilton. I won this for $135 a night on priceline. I would not choose this place again. Kohala was not high on my list of favorite areas. Went to Hapuna Beach after we checked into the Hilton. I found more enjoyable beachs on Oahu and Kauai and Maui than the Hapuna. The next morning we left the hotel at 6 Am to make a snorkel cruise with SeaQuest (a 11 person raft) that stopped at the Place of Refuge and Cap'n Cook monument for snorkeling. The latter was the best snorkeling I found along with Hanauma Bay in Oahu.
We enjoyed this trip: the boat trip was enjoyable as much as the snorkeling. I used an entertainment coupon for it. Later that day we visited a coffee plantation, the Place of Refuge and ate at the Kona Brewing Company in Kona. Regarding travel from Kohala to Keauhou (where our cruise originated, they had suggested 75 minutes from the Hilton. It was more like 45 minutes, but the coastal roads are one laners and we were there during the low season. Hope this helps.

krueger, thanks for the detailed report. I'll look into the B&B and the snorkeling cruise that you took.

Was the Botanical Garden worth it? We're thinking of skipping it, to save something out in nature. And we've been to the one in Oahu before.

Has anyone been to the Umauma Falls in Hilo? The picture in BI Revealed looks good. Is it worth going there and the admission price of $8 pp? What else can you do in there other than taking photos? Any hiking trails?

Thanks!

Skip Umauma Falls and visit Akaka Falls instead. The paved walk is about 1/3 mile through gorgeous rainforest with beautiful bamboo groves, stands of giant torch ginger and ferns, over streams and mini-waterfalls, with breathtaking views of both Kahuna Falls and Akaka Falls, and...It's Free! Have lunch at one of the shops in Honomu, or at the roadside place, What's Shakin', on the 4-Mile Scenic Drive that takes you down to the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. This one is about $15 per person, and everyone who goes says it is well worth it. They supply umbrellas, just in case, and sell OFF! in their gift shop. Plan on about 2 hours in the garden.

There's quite a bit to do on the Hilo side, and B&Bs are definitely the way to go. (Check www.stayhawaii.com for the B&B Association members.) Hilo is central for visiting the warm ponds in Puna, the eruption at Volcano, the waterfalls, snorkeling in either Hilo or Puna, stargazing from the 9,000' level on Mauna Kea (which is free every night from 6-10 pm, but very cold!), surfing, visiting parks and museums, or just watching people. Hilo also has some really good restaurants, and the biggest Farmers' Market in the islands is here on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Rain happens, but that's what umbrellas are for, and often the shower will pass in a few minutes. It keeps this side of the island cool and lush...and unspoiled.

Topping to topple those who would ruin this forum with childish protests. Ban them all!

I don't understand...

I may be wrong but I think WxWyWz is trying to drown out the plethora of silly Free Patrick threads...