Spring Break in Hawaii-The Big Island 2013
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Spring Break in Hawaii-The Big Island 2013
I am looking for ideas for what to do and see in Hawaii for early April, 2013. It is spring break for us, and we are traveling with my two daughters (elementary and middle school age), my wife, and my parents. We will be flying into Kona. We have been to Oahu and stayed in Honolulu, but none of us have been to any other island.
We are open to suggestions. We are staying at the Hilton Waikaloa Village and will have a rental car.
Thanks,
Jason
We are open to suggestions. We are staying at the Hilton Waikaloa Village and will have a rental car.
Thanks,
Jason
#2
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Jason
We are going for Spring Break as well and also staying at the Hilton. A couple things on our list
- Visit Volcano National Park (we actually are double booked and got a hotel there for a night)
- Merrie Monarch Festival
- Snorkel Place of Refuge
There are so many activities, I am sure you will not struggle to fill the days.
taitai
We are going for Spring Break as well and also staying at the Hilton. A couple things on our list
- Visit Volcano National Park (we actually are double booked and got a hotel there for a night)
- Merrie Monarch Festival
- Snorkel Place of Refuge
There are so many activities, I am sure you will not struggle to fill the days.
taitai
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The 2 best sandy beaches for kids are Hapuna beach and Mauna Kea beach. We took the Blue Hawaiian helicopter trip over the active volcano and it was a stunning experience. Walking thru the main tourist shop street in Kailua is fun for all ages. If you like scenic drives, a drive up to the ranching town of Waimea is pretty.
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The Big Island is great for culture, natural beauty, history, music, dance, sports.
The King's & Queen's Shops (at Waikoloa) offer free daily or nightly activities and entertainment, so check out their calendars. John Keawe, a well known slack key guitarist, and singer-songwriter, usually plays Tuesday nights. He puts on a beautiful show, and it is well worth seeing.
http://www.kingsshops.com/index.php/calendar/monthly
Across the street, the Queen's Marketplace has a full calendar, too.
http://queensmarketplace.net/index.php/activities
The hula is wonderful. I think your girls (and your parents) will love the Keiki (children's hula).
There are shops and nice restaurants (Roy's), and a shuttle from the hotel.
There are lots of places to see petroglyphs, including a tour from the King's Shops.
For history, scenery, exercise and some inspiration I especially like Pu'ukohola http://www.nps.gov/puhe/index.htm and Lapakahi http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/park...cfm?park_id=50
Both are beautiful state or national parks, free, informative, and great places to watch whales and see colorful fish off the shore. These are pretty easy hikes, too.
I've written a lot about the Big Island if you want to search Hawaii under my name. (2008-11)
Pick up lots of brochures at the airport, and read local papers for festivals.
I was disappointed by the Seahorse Farm, but lots of people rave about it. http://www.seahorse.com/
There are some beautiful places in North Kohala for activities and hiking. Driving out to Pololu, hiking down to the black sand beach, stopping at the original King Kamehameha statue (this is his birthplace), getting pizza at the café across the street http://www.kingsviewcafe.com/, or having a fantastic dinner at Bamboo http://www.bamboorestaurant.info/ or Sushi Rock http://www.sushirockrestaurant.net/. (Make reservations) Café Pesto is pretty good too. http://cafepesto.com/
You can even Flume da Ditch http://www.flumindaditch.com/ and ride through irrigation channels through old sugar fields and jungles.
While Kona is touristy, it is still charming and manageably small. Great people watching during canoe racing, etc. Once a month on Sunday is a free concert at the Huilihee Palace. http://www.huliheepalace.net/
The Talk Story at the Mauna Lani Hotel is really special, so if you are nearby on a Full Moon Saturday, grab a picnic and check it out. http://www.maunalani.com/a_s_evawoods.htm (free, but get there early).
Say, spend a day exploring Kona, a day exploring North Kohala, drive through Waimea and Hamakua to Hilo and the Volcano. Explore different beaches and enjoy the resort.
Buy fragrant plumeria leis when you arrive at the airport to transport you into the aloha spirt.
Seek out music and hula. Explore every unusual store. Kimura's Lauhala. http://www.holualoahawaii.com/member_sites/kimura.html
Hawi Ukulele http://www.weblogtheworld.com/format...-crafts-music/
The King's & Queen's Shops (at Waikoloa) offer free daily or nightly activities and entertainment, so check out their calendars. John Keawe, a well known slack key guitarist, and singer-songwriter, usually plays Tuesday nights. He puts on a beautiful show, and it is well worth seeing.
http://www.kingsshops.com/index.php/calendar/monthly
Across the street, the Queen's Marketplace has a full calendar, too.
http://queensmarketplace.net/index.php/activities
The hula is wonderful. I think your girls (and your parents) will love the Keiki (children's hula).
There are shops and nice restaurants (Roy's), and a shuttle from the hotel.
There are lots of places to see petroglyphs, including a tour from the King's Shops.
For history, scenery, exercise and some inspiration I especially like Pu'ukohola http://www.nps.gov/puhe/index.htm and Lapakahi http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/park...cfm?park_id=50
Both are beautiful state or national parks, free, informative, and great places to watch whales and see colorful fish off the shore. These are pretty easy hikes, too.
I've written a lot about the Big Island if you want to search Hawaii under my name. (2008-11)
Pick up lots of brochures at the airport, and read local papers for festivals.
I was disappointed by the Seahorse Farm, but lots of people rave about it. http://www.seahorse.com/
There are some beautiful places in North Kohala for activities and hiking. Driving out to Pololu, hiking down to the black sand beach, stopping at the original King Kamehameha statue (this is his birthplace), getting pizza at the café across the street http://www.kingsviewcafe.com/, or having a fantastic dinner at Bamboo http://www.bamboorestaurant.info/ or Sushi Rock http://www.sushirockrestaurant.net/. (Make reservations) Café Pesto is pretty good too. http://cafepesto.com/
You can even Flume da Ditch http://www.flumindaditch.com/ and ride through irrigation channels through old sugar fields and jungles.
While Kona is touristy, it is still charming and manageably small. Great people watching during canoe racing, etc. Once a month on Sunday is a free concert at the Huilihee Palace. http://www.huliheepalace.net/
The Talk Story at the Mauna Lani Hotel is really special, so if you are nearby on a Full Moon Saturday, grab a picnic and check it out. http://www.maunalani.com/a_s_evawoods.htm (free, but get there early).
Say, spend a day exploring Kona, a day exploring North Kohala, drive through Waimea and Hamakua to Hilo and the Volcano. Explore different beaches and enjoy the resort.
Buy fragrant plumeria leis when you arrive at the airport to transport you into the aloha spirt.
Seek out music and hula. Explore every unusual store. Kimura's Lauhala. http://www.holualoahawaii.com/member_sites/kimura.html
Hawi Ukulele http://www.weblogtheworld.com/format...-crafts-music/
#6
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Volcano Natl Park is a must see--we took a whole day to hike around. Hilo is a fun place to explore--especially the farmers market. Akaaka falls is interesting. We went to the beach at Mauna Kea and it was awesome. We did a snorkel boat ride to the bay at Captain Cook monument. They had an awesome naturalist on board. That was a great day!
#7
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You and the girls might enjoy the hike down to and across the floor of little Kilauea Iki. Takes about 2-3 hours - and you start and end going through a rain forest.
We did it on our honeymoon way back in '86 - and even though it hadn't "blown" since '59 - when a steam vent would hiss - you seem to pick up your pace.
http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisi...kilaueaiki.htm and for pics: http://tinyurl.com/a29skw6
We did it on our honeymoon way back in '86 - and even though it hadn't "blown" since '59 - when a steam vent would hiss - you seem to pick up your pace.
http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisi...kilaueaiki.htm and for pics: http://tinyurl.com/a29skw6