Going to the Big island in March

You may want to make sure the Dengue fever has passed by then

 

Plenty of places to visit that are interesting. Go to the Volcano State Park. Visit South Point, very strange place. Black Sands Beach. Drive over to Hilo thru Kamuela and around the Island....very pretty drive. The Observatory is also a great trip.
Visit Hawi and of course eat at the Bamboo.....the iced tea is to die for. For lunch at least once try Killer Taco's in Kona........you will go back.....get the Long Board. The best restaurants are at the Hilton and Four Seasons. But there is a very good Thai place the locals call The Firestone........because it is in the mall behind the Firestone Tire Store in Kona.

 

We were at the Hilton a few months ago and I have a few pointers for you:
1. Depending on what building you are in, the birds can be REAL LOUD. I forget the name of the one we were in but it was the rounded building on the North end of the property. It has an open courtyard in the center with trees and the birds fly in every night around sunset and make a tremendous amount of noise all night. We had to move our room in order to be able to sleep.
2. If you want to go up to the observatory, you must have a 4 wheel drive. If you just have a regular car you can only go as far as the visitors center. You can either drive your own 4x4 or make prior arrangements to be part of a tour.
3. If you are going to the south end for the Black Sand beaches, Shaka Restaurant is a decent place for lunch. It looks a little sketchy but the food is good and the staff are very nice. Its billed as "The most Southern Bar in the USA".
4. We got tired of the restaurants at the Hilton very quickly. Nothing there had a real "Hawaiian" feel to it. I can not encourage you enough to go to the Lava Lava Beach Club. It is an independent beach front restaurant in the Waikoloa hotel area (next to the Marriott) and just down the street from the Hilton. The restaurant is open air and right on the beach with chairs in the sand. The food was excellent and less than what you will be paying at the hotel. We found it toward the end of our trip and liked it so much we were there twice.
5. The Shops at Mauni Lani mall (one more exit to the north in the Waikoloa area) has a great free luau show twice a week. No food but if you just want to see the Hawaii dancers without a 2 hour and $125 commitment for the luau at the Hilton, its well worth it. Check for the dates and times. If you want to eat there, the Tommy Bahama restaurant is fairly good. The Foodland grocery store is OK as well. More of a normal grocery store than the one at the Queens Marketplace which is closer to the Hilton.
5. If you want to get out of the hotel area for dinner, its just a short drive up the hill to the actual Waikoloa Village (the actual town). Pueo's Osteria was an excellent choice for Italian.

Just some suggestions for you.

 

Upper Waipi'o Valley trail out of Waimea....

 

....also, the Clambake at the Mauna Kea is EPIC and worth the $$$$

AYCE live Maine lobster on the beach at sunset FTW!

Big Island Seafood Restaurants | Mauna Kea Beach Hotel - Clambake | Kohala Coast Restaurants

 

ALOHA!

Enjoy A-bay Beach Waikoloha!
a. Check In
b. Rent gear at Snorkel Bobs in Shops at Mauna Lani before 5pm
a. Snorkel Bob's Big Island Store Locations
c. Go back and Enjoy Marriott
d. Lava Lava club or sit on beach to watch sunset
e. Options - Dinner Queen Shops lots of restaurants (Sansai Sushi has good ramen soup) or Dinner/appetizers at Roys!


1. Mauna Lani Snorkel and Fish Pond Walk (self park free or valet $5-10 )
a. Snorkel in the Bay past the cabin nice white sand beach “the best”
i. Hint wear bathing suit under clothes, grab some food/drinks at Foodland
ii. At the cove set stuff on grass area its safe
2. Petroglyph Park (In Mauna Lani Resort next to Fairmont Orchid)
Island of Hawaii: Petroglyphs - TripAdvisor
3 If time -Tour Hilton Hotel
There is Asian art all over the wall
See the Dolphins
3. Mauna Lani Twilight Story 5:30pm ONLY ON FULL MOON SATURDAY
a. Valet $5/ $10 or self park free
b. Eat at the Mauna Lani Beach Bar by the pool or bring some drinks/ snacks from Foodland grocery
c. Bring towel sit on or rent chair at Snorkel Bob
d. HINT when show starts stand behind chairs for good view
e. Hawaii Luxury Beach Resorts | Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows - Eva Parker Woods Cottage
Start at day break Drive Hwy 270 North to Polohu Valley Point
1. Do the Polohu Valley Hike 20 minutes down
a. Pololu Valley Lookout (Island of Hawaii, HI): Address, Tickets & Tours, Attraction Reviews - TripAdvisor
2. King Kamehameha Statue Kapa’au between mile marker 23/24
a. The Original King Kamehameha Statue (Waimea, HI): Address, Tickets & Tours, Attraction Reviews - TripAdvisor
3. Visit the Courthouse behind it
4. There are little places to eat along the HWY
5. There is a restaurant across the way from Statue
a. or drive down into Hawi
i. Bamboo Restaurant 55-3415 Akoni Pule Highway
ii. BarBQ Restaurant corner Hwy 270/250
iii. Hula La’s Mexican (couple shops down from Bamboo next to Post Office)
6. Take a Scenic Drive Hwy 250 to Waimea
7. Stop at Farmers Market if open
8. Hamakua Macadamia Nut Factory 9-5am
a. Physical Address:
61-3251 Maluokalani St.
Kawaihae, Hawaii 96743
9. Lapakahi State Historical Park HWY 270
a. Lapakahi State Historical Park (Island of Hawaii, HI): Hours, Address, Attraction Reviews - TripAdvisor
10. Kawaihae Harbor area walk around galleries
a. Seafood Bar and Grill
The Seafood Bar & Grill, Kawaihae - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - TripAdvisor
b. HINT the Farmers Market parking lot has BarBQ Chicken! Grab some avocados and apple bananas
11. Pu'ukohola Heiau
a. Pu`ukohol? Heiau National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)
12. Go back to Hotel and enjoy Beach Sunset
13. Recommend Nice Dinner on Beach watch sunset while dining
a. Canoe House at Mauna Lani Hotel
i. Restaurants on The Big Island | Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows - Canoe House | Big Island Dining
Waipio Valley
1. Na’alapa Stables morning ride
a. Naalapa Stables, Big Island, Hawaii - Horseback Tours and Wagon Rides
b.
2. Visit /Walk downtown Honaka’a
3. Lunch in Waimea
a. Big Island Brewery
i. Food | Big Island Brewhaus
ii. HINT Fish Tacos and Burritos are excellent
b. Parker Center
i. L & L Hawaiian
ii. Dons Chinese in Food Court
iii. Village Burger
4. Beach It!
Suggest drive to Hapuna Beach State Park
Hapuna Beach (Kohala Coast, HI): Address, Phone Number, Top-Rated State Park Reviews - TripAdvisor



5. HULA SHOW! 7pm at Shops Mauna Lani
a. Monday Thursday Night is your only opportunity for this event
i. Free Polynesian Shows - Shops at Mauna Lani : Shops at Mauna Lani
b. HINT : have Dinner during show
i. Ruths Chris
1. Hint split the 50th anniversary and watch show from upstairs patio
ii. Poke bowl from Foodland
Drive to Hilo OR Do “Van trip” through Hotel for All day Volcano trip and they stop at most of these places
1. Walk around downtown area
2. Visit Tsunami Museum
3. Botanical Gardens and Zipline
a. On the East side of the island recommend see waterfalls and walking tour
b.
c. Botanical World Adventures - Big Island of Hawaii
d.
e. they also have the other zipline
f.
g. Skyline Akaka Falls Course - zipline.com
4. Rainbow Falls
a. Further down in Hilo Rainbow Falls is one that you can walk right up to
b. Rainbow Falls (Hilo, Big Island of Hawaii, USA)

5. Volcano
a. Thurston Lava Tube
i. Nahuku - Thurston Lava Tube (Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, HI): Address, Phone Number, Tickets & Tours, Geologic Formation Reviews - TripAdvisor
b. Volcano
i. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
ii. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Address, Phone Number, Tickets & Tours, Volcano Reviews - TripAdvisor

Head to Kona
1. Hulihee Palace 75 - 5718 Alii Drive, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 9am
a. Hulihe'e Palace (Kailua-Kona, HI): Hours, Address, Tickets & Tours, Monument & Statue Reviews - TripAdvisor
2. Mokuaikaua Church across from Palace
a. Mokuaikaua Church (Kailua-Kona, HI): Address, Phone Number, Tickets & Tours, Religious Site Reviews - TripAdvisor
3. City of Refuge Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park 1871 Trail, Captain Cook, HI 96704 (808) 328-2326
Pu`uhonua O H?naunau National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)

4. GOOD VISABILITY WINTER Snorkel at Refuge “Two Steps” walk from parking lot to the water “Also one of the Best Snorkel spot”
a. City of Refuge Snorkeling Secrets! The Complete Guide to Big Island Snorkeling!
5. Original Hawaiian Chocolate Tour NOTE: HAVE TO ADVANCE BOOK ONLINE or call …Really cool tour! About 2hrs
a. Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory
b. Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, Hawaii Chocolate, Criollo chocolate
6. Drive further South 30 min to Kealakekua
a. Chocolate at Donkey Balls 79-7411 Mamalahoa Hwy Kealakekua, HI 96750
i. Donkey Balls Factory and Store - 124 Photos - Candy Stores - Kealakekua, HI - Reviews - Yelp
7. Hike to Beach (30 min drive) Milolii Honomilino Bay (from here its about 2hr drive to Volcano
a. Drive further south to Milolii mile close marker 88
b. Drive down to Village park next to pavilion by church and take the 15 min hike to Honomilino Bay, the trail start to the right of the “Keep Out Sign”
c. There are bathrooms nothing fancy across from church by basketball court
i. Honomalino Bay, Hawaii - The Big Island of Hawaii
8. Black Sand Beach Punalu’u Beach
a. Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park (Island of Hawaii, HI): Address, Phone Number, Tickets & Tours, Attraction Reviews - TripAdvisor
9. Volcano
a. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
b. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Address, Phone Number, Tickets & Tours, Volcano Reviews - TripAdvisor
maybe Zipline Kohola 45 min drive from hotel
Hawaii Zip Line by Kohala Zipline - Big Island Zip Line
cry cause you leaving

 

Wow busy busy. Enjoy your time!

 

Its good too but dated

I gave you some stuff thats not "published" you just have to know, fyi Ive been going 15 yrs

facebook "365 Things To Do In Kona, HI"
Julie has a running blog

 

Lava is no longer flowing into the ocean. The Pu'u O'o vent is still pumping out lava, but it is pooling and not going down to the coast. On the other hand, there is a lava lake in the Halemaumau crater about 120 feet below the rim, and it glows nicely at night.

A couple of locals in Waipio Valley have come down with dengue fever, and the valley is closed to non-residents for the time being. You can still see part of the valley and the black sand beach from the lookout at the top of the road that leads down into the valley.

 

Yep no lava hikes at the moment...IMO take a helicopter ride over the Volcano there is a heliport next to Waikoloa or ~$50 cheaper drive to the Hilo heliport,

if Waipio is closed there is a ATV "Ride the Rim" that goes around the edges and to the top of the waterfall

you can pm me for my number if you need to talk some things over

I gave you an itinerary that Ive given people that stay at the Marriott/Hilton

best choices for snorkling in the winter the "homeowners cove" Mauna Lani and "Two Steps"

I left out night snorkeling with mantas ...Ive heard its great but I just cant get in the water after dark ...haha

no worries as far as the fever, you are staying Waikoloa its the driest side so no mosquitoes, none of my "ohana" have gotten anything and one of them lives and farms in the Waipio Valley

 

Glad I did both of those, although on the lava hike, while it was raining, the wind shifted and the the water stung when the Vog came over us. My buddy, who lived there, had us running back to the car to get ahead of it.

 

What is the name of that Vietnamese place in the shopping mall where Ross For Less used to be. There's a Starbucks out in front and the Kona Post office is across the street. We all called it the Eifel Tower. The food is great, but the kitchen is something you would never want to see. (been there) Three squeeze bottles of hot stuff on the table. Pick the wrong one and you have molten lava in your mouth.
And if you like meat and mashed potatoes with gravy........the Pine Tree up by the airport is a local favorite.

 

Ba-Le Sandwich Shop?

 

Forgot to add dinner at Rays on the Rocks at the Sheraton hotel south of Kona. The Restaurant is right on the water and at night they turn on their high powered lights and it attracts the manta rays for feeding. You can watch them come right up to the surface. Not as good as snorkeling with them but a good chance to see them up close while staying dry.

 

YES
I love those spring rolls with the fresh shrimp bulging out the sides and dipped in the peanut goop.
Toss up with the long board at Killer tacos.
Or pork roast with mashed potatoes and gravy at the Pine Tree.

 

Get the peaberry Kona from Ferrari coffee!!!!!

 

Didn't that lady have to shut down her panel truck outlet down by the sea wall a few years ago?

 

I hadn't heard that but what a bummer, she was nice.