Volcano Natl Park - Big Island
 

Can this be a day trip from a BI hotel or is it best to stay at a hotel right near the volcano? If we check into, say the Marriot in waikoloa then we would have to check out to do VNP our last 2 days I guess, THEN fly to Kauai. Any thoughts?
Laura

We wanted to hike out at night to see the lava flow and didn't want to be doing a long drive after dark, so we stayed at the Kilauea Lodge. We stayed in a cute cottage there that had a fireplace. The lodge has a nice restaurant where you can eat by the big stone fireplace - it's pretty cozy because it gets chilly at night in that area. We stayed in 3 different places on the BI because the driving distances were so far.

We're leaving for the BI and Kauai on Friday!

I know lots of people stay in the volcano area for a night or two, but we have never done that. We prefer the resorts on the Kohala coast (we're staying at the Marriott this year) and we always make a day trip out of the volcano. It's a LONG day, no question, but it's certainly do-able. Have a great trip!

Here's a link you may want to check out so you can plan accordingly nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lava2.htm
The recent earthquakes have made alot of changes.

We do several nights at a hotel in Kohala, usually the Waikoloa Beach Marriott, then spend two nights at Kilauea Lodge right outside VNP, a wonderful place to stay with a great restaurant. We usually fly into Kona, then out of Hilo.

We stayed at the Marriott Waikoloa and did a day trip to the volcano. We left early in the morning and arrived back around dusk. We did a day trip because our children were too young to do a night hike to see the lava flow and we did not want to pack and unpack for a night or two.

Kilauea Lodge is an experience in itself! I really liked it and enjoyed the close proximity to the VNP! We spent two nights & flew out of Hilo to Kauai. It was the perfect way IMHO - except maybe 3 nights would have been better!

Thanks as always for taking the time to post, very helpful info.
Laura