Four of us plan to stay in Big Island for three days. We really would like to know where should we stay for the three nights. Should we stay in the same hotel or should pick three different hotels located in different area of the Big Island? Also, do anyone have any suggestions on cheap hotel/motel in Big isand( Below $100/night)! Thanks in advance for all the suggestions.

Hi Emmelina! We were not too sure which side of the
island you would like to stay. In Hilo, we would like to recommend the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel and on the Kona side, Royal Kona Resorts. We have lived in Hawaii all our lives (on Oahu), so please feel free to ask away with any questions you may have at our email address

My husband and I went to the big island for eight days in June and stayed at the Royal Kona Resort. We really liked our room and we could see dolphins jumping out of the water when we ate breakfast in the morning. The breakfast buffet was included in our package and it was also very hearty! Make sure to get a room in the main builing(same as lobby) and get a ocean view or partial ocean view room. All rooms come with small refrigerators. You can find a picture of the hotel on the WWW.

I was on the Big Island for 3 1/2 weeks this past July. There is alot of cool stuff in Hawaii. RENT A 4WD. There are some really great places only accessible by 4wd vehicles. You will miss out if you don't circle the island. From Kona a 2hr drive (45min offroad) south will take you to Green Sand Beach. The sand is really green, the surf rough, but an awesome little beach in the middle of nowhere, minutes from the most southerly point in the U.S. By mid afternoon I'd cruise through Volcano Village. We stayed on the rim of the world's most active volcano and it wasn't that impressive. Sure it's neat but if you want to see lava flowing you must take a helicopter tour because the current lava flow is inaccesible otherwise. Book your chopper ride ahead of time- you can take a tour from Waikoloa, Waimea, Kailua-Kona, or Hilo. By far Hilo is the cheapest and most interesting because of nearby waterfalls. From Volcano we cruised through Hawaii's 2nd lgst city, Hilo, and checked out Rainbow Falls (very accessible) Heading out of Hilo towards the north coast somewhere is Akaka Falls. If you can stop here, it is very beautiful and well worth the ride. After this stop you should head for Waipio Valley. This is the Valley where they finally find land in the movie "Waterworld" You can walk down to the valley but the dangerous 4wd only road is the way to go. After this cruise towards Waimea on the way back to Kona. We did all of this minus Gr. sand beach in 2 days. We left 1:30 p.m. from Kona and stayed at the Volcano. Then left early (8ish) and did the rest. It really isn't that hard. Just plan ahead. I suggest leaving earlier so you can visit Green Sand Beach. It takes 1hr to get to it by 4wd off the road going towards Hilo. So figure an extra 3-4 hrs in. Just don't loose your keys here. That would be a nightmare. (I speak from experience) Have fun!!!

Hey!! Anybody going to the Big Island will seriously benefit from purchasing the guide book "Hawaii: The Big Island Revealed- The Ultimate Guidebook" Authors- A. Doughty, H. Friedman (Wizard Publications) We followed much of their advice and the book proved its worth.

We recently stayed on the Big Island. Can recommend the Hilo Hawaiian also. Very nice hotel. On the Kona side, stay away from the Kona Islander Inn. We had bugs in our room. Yuk.

We always stay at the Mauna Kea which is a terrible extravagance, but we do it anyway! The hotel is worth a visit to see the beautiful Rockefeller Asian art collection and you can have a reasonable lunch at the golf course restaurant. If you stay in Hilo, be prepared for much hotter and humidity! Kona side is drier. As to the bugs---cockroaches live outside in Hawaii and just walk through the doors--shake out your bags before your return flight even at the most posh resort!! It's by far the most interesting and varied of all the islands--have fun!