Big Island, Hawaii....any advice or suggestions?

[Scarpozzi]

Airfare prices are way down so I booked 6 flights to Honolulu for my wife/kids/in-laws and dropped all my Hilton Honors points on some rooms for the week.

My wife and I have been to Honolulu and Kauai before. We've never been to the big island, so we're going to hit it up for 6 nights. I've seen a little about Volcanoes National Park, but don't know what else to expect or what sights we should see. I know they had all the lava flows issues last May..I'm assuming things have calmed down since then. We're staying on the west side of the island around Waikoloa and flying into KOA when those prices drop a few months from now.

Any planning advice or suggestions on restaurants is appreciated.

 

[lytalbayre2]

This is my favorite of the islands. It has much more of a local feel to it and it's big.

Are you staying on the kona side? That's where the few beaches are. Kua bay is my favorite beach. Show up early. It's small but beautiful.

Definitely check out Waipio Valley. I actually prefer Pololu valley. It's less busy and has an awesome black sand beach.

Try out the "hawaiian style cafe" in waimea.

Just explore. Its so big and has so many options you can't go wrong.

 

[Scarpozzi]

This is my favorite of the islands. It has much more of a local feel to it and it's big.

Are you staying on the kona side? That's where the few beaches are. Kua bay is my favorite beach. Show up early. It's small but beautiful.

Definitely check out Waipio Valley. I actually prefer Pololu valley. It's less busy and has an awesome black sand beach.

Try out the "hawaiian style cafe" in waimea.

Just explore. Its so big and has so many options you can't go wrong.

I thought Kauai seemed pretty local feeling too once we got away from the airport and the cruise port area, so I know what you mean. I honestly hadn't looked at the beach situation until this morning. Black sand beaches look pretty neat...makes me wonder what that's like.

I could see the damage from lava flows on Google maps...even with vegetation growing.

Yes, we're staying on the Kona side where most of the tourists will be.

Should I rent a Jeep, a Van, or an SUV? I like the concept of going open air and 4WD there...but not sure if we'll miss out on anything cool by not having 4WD. I read somewhere that there were some good places to explore, but road vehicles weren't suited for it.

 

[lytalbayre2]

I would say you do not need a jeep unless you are really adventurous. Waipio Valley is only accessible by hiking or 4wheel drive. Pololu is only hiking.

We visited one beach that required 4 wheeling over a lava field. I would not repeat that. I seriously thought I was going to break a brand new $40K jeep in the middle of a lava field. On top of that the beach was accessible by hiking, so we didn't need to go through that.

The birthplace of Kamehameha near Mookini Heiau is pretty neat. Your jeep would come in handy here and let you get near the ruins. The whole place had a pretty spooky vibe to me. Really beautiful but isolated. I could see how that space had a spiritual relevance to the hawaiian people.

The Hilo side of the island is pretty cool. Very green. There are lots of plantations, and independent farms to visit. Lots of waterfalls to visit.

Ziplining is fun! Snorkeling around Captain Cook is almost the best there is.

We did a ranch cook out think in the hills above Waimea, and that was pretty awesome. Kula ranch...

The night snorkeling with manta rays is awesome too!

Hanging out in Kona for a day and getting breakfast up in the hills near where they grow Kona coffee is pretty fun. Kona has a lot of shopping and decent restaurants

But mostly, just find a beach you like, relax and watch the sun set!

 

[dasherHampton]

I was thinking about buying a condo on the big island and maybe retiring there eventually.

I've been told by more that one person that crime is sort of a "hidden problem" on the big island. Is that true at all? I've never been to Hawaii.

 

[rommelrommel]

I don’t want to poop on anyone’s trip to Hawaii but after being to the four major islands big island is dead last imo. Volcanos national park was very cool. Overall too much driving to get to things on typical slow Hawaiian roads.

 

[Jeeebus]

I'm assuming you're staying at the Hilton Waikoloa which was a wonderful resort when we were there. Probably the kids' favorite with the lagoon. Big Island was our favorite island with Kauai a close second (touring the north coast of Kauai by boat was a highlight). We did a helicopter tour on Big Island which was a lot of fun (it was a longer tour that went around many areas).

We did not do Maui so no comments there, but ny biggest regret was spending a night at the Hilton Waikiki on Oahu our first night. I hated Honolulu and the crowds. In hindsight, we should have just dlown straight through and got an extra night on Big Island or Kauai.

 

[spacejamz]

Those are the two islands I have been to as well...plan on hitting Maui next though instead...surprised the wife isnt pushing for that...

 

[Stopsignhank]

We spent time on the big island. Half on the west side and half on the east side (Hilo side). I don't really remember the west side of the island too much. Then we took the long drive to the east side. This side of the island is gorgeous. Just driving along the roads the scenery is wonderful. There are waterfalls to go to and the Banyan trees are huge!!!

Expect to do a lot of driving. The island is big and the speeds are slow.