odywithaj

Ok.... have read many posts on this topic and am still confused.
We are going to be on BI the end of Oct.
Not sure if we need to rent a Jeep or not? I owned a YJ in the 90's and know that the ride is not super comfy, but would like to do the road to Hana. Some say don't need Jeep, some say yes you do..
Also
Still not sure where to stay, want to do Kona coffee plantation, probably Greenwell farms at this point, and do some snorkeling. I am assuming we will be well on hawaii time by this point and am not trying to cram to much in to the holiday. We would also like to do road to Hana, and possibly a helicopter flight?( was wondering if flight better taken on Maui? which one more scenic??)
Sorry for the ramble.
But that being said not sure which side to stay on, Kona or Hilo?? Have not found anything really nice in either area that we have to stay at. Also have looked in Volcano, but anything with a King bed (a must) is a little steep on our fairly tight accom. budget. ( would rather spend$$ on doing things)
We are staying 5 nights and have considered splitting up the stay. Any suggestions would be greatly appriciated

JohnD

Recommend convertible for road to Hana on Maui, you really don't need a jeep.

The Big Island is the only place with a chance to see active lava so the air tour on BI has more variety in that respect. We usually stay in the Kona area for the nice weather and also rent an AWD vehicle on the BI, mostly for the increased ground clearance.

Marginal

Hana is on Maui, not TBI.

You don't need to rent a Jeep.

odywithaj

oops told you guys I was rambling.. we are staying on Maui and BI... getting totally confused... going to bed soon though.. tackle the accommodation problem BI , and car rental situation tomorrow.. hopefully things will look clearer..

makai1

We also enjoyed renting a jeep on the BI... enabled us access to many areas not accessible by car. Loved flipping the lid off the Wrangler, and gave our son some thrills driving down some pretty rocky terrain. Also drove to the top of Green Sand Beach which was spectacular.

Enjoy your trip. Aloha.

ejcrowe

since most rental companies don't allow you offroad in their vehicles, you don't really need a jeep or SUV for extra clearance. We personally opted to save gas and blend in more with the locals by renting a two door car with good milage. What I didn't realize, however, was that I would be given a bright yellow car that wouldn't blend in anywhere! Oh, well. But we went everywhere we wanted in our little car.

bfrac

Don't rent a Jeep if you want to drive off road because it will violate your contract. It is unlawful to drive to the Green Sand Beach and you risk damaging the vehicle. Hiking to the Green Sand Beach is worth it and I would recommend doing that. I have read on TA that you may need a permit or at the least notify some governing body (can't remember the name but if you search it on TA it will come up) that you will be hiking there.

Having said all that, we have rented a Jeep in order to sit higher than in a compact car and the views when riding along the coast are much better.

beachkomer

I rented a wrangler and couldn't secure my items as it was a soft shell that you could just open. This was a hassle. I would have to go back to the hotel to take purchases.

I like sitting higher too and have been getting an SUV on priceline or hotwire just before getting on the plane. My suv rates were half of published prices. (orbiz prices)

You could always do Priceline for your hotel stays and get a better deal. Research it on 'bidding for travel'. You just can't change anything. We stayed at the Sheraton and Hyatt in Maui thru priceline and got great deals.

bfrac

Here is the information on the Dept of Hawaii Homeland from TA that I mentioned in my previous post: DHHL, Hilo Phone: 808-974-4250. I hope it helps and can give clarification to what is actually allowed by law.

swblouisiana

Just returned from the Big Island. We rented a van, parents rented a car, and cousins rented a jeep. The jeep was fun but not necessary. I have to say I was not prepared for the overwhelmingness of the lava fields on the Kona side---as far as the eye can see with a few resort areas carved out of the lava (complete with imported grass). Hilo is much more beautiful, but as I understand it the beaches aren't that accessible or swimmable. The beaches in Kona were beautfiul (we particularly liked Mauna Kea and Hapuna) but, again, the lava fields are a bit depressing after a few days. The Hilton is a well designed and fun resort, but very pricey. We stayed at Resort Quest Coloney Villa and could access the Hilton pools for the kids. But my vote...skip Kona and go to Kauai. Unbelieveably beautiful.

beachkomer

YES, Kauai is gorgeous. wow! I spent a week there in May by myself and can't wait to go back there with dh.

All of these Hawaii posts that I am reading are dangerous on my bank account...lol..

ashta

Question for swblouisiana : how were you able to access the Hilton pool for the kids when staying at the Colony Villas - is this part of the rental agreement, or ??

I am considering the Hilton mainly because I think my kids will love the pool area & grounds for 2-3 days, but if there is a way to access the pool while staying in a condo I would almost surely prefer that - your help appreciated...

beachkomer

We loved the Hilton, you can read my posts from 2003. We stayed here twice. Kids would love it. If you can access the property, go for it!
They would love the boat and the tram.

My husband still says the Hilton BI is his fave, even though I remind him there is no beach there (real) or no beach bar. Still we loved it.

bk

swblouisiana

Hi ashta--

From my experience, the Hilton does not enforce a policy of not letting outsiders go to the pool. Rather, they seemed to welcome those who wanted to eat at their establishments and check out all they had to offer. My son did the "swim with the dolphin" program one day and had a blast. It is a very friendly environment. You can also get a one-day pass from either the Hilton or your resort if you agree to listen to the Hilton's spiel on their vacation program. The only time we were asked for the pass was when we went down the water slide--you can only go down it once without a Hilton wrist band--but the fact that they let you go down it once without it confirms the experience that we had--that they didn't tell non-guests that they couldn't use the pool. Also, if you do get the one-day pass it allows you to get up to four wristbands but they didn't take it from you, so it really had a longer shelf life.

I hope this is helpful. FYI, we stayed at Resort Quest Colony Villa--the Villas were very nice and close by to the other resorts/villas and amenities in Waikaloa Resort area.