Things to do Hawaii Big Island?

[r3ccOs]

After a very tiring 6 hour flight from Seattle to Hawaii and waiting for about an hour to get our car, we managed to check into a very nice Villa at the Wiakoloa Colony....

Love the emenities, 2 pools, hot tubs, BBQs in the common area, large upkept villas with full kitchen, dishwasher and washer/dryer pair...
Nice TV setup with Free DVD rentals (at least modern titles), and fast WIFI...

The city of Kona is awesome... picked up some food for the week at the KTA and quite honestly, outside of the conversation not working in our advantage, the prices aren't nearly as atrocious as everyone had said.

Stick to the food that's available here, and you're good... don't expect an abundance of wheat flour baking and beef (though beef prices aren't at all bad... much closer to calgary prices, than US prices)

So far what I'm most impressed with are the prices for Tuna, Crab and other seafood

Prices for food and veg is decent, and what I do like the most, is the diverse mix of Asian options... (spices, snacks, pre-package foods)

also the Deli is top notch with fresh Poke, Adobo and many other asian inspired island food... (well priced)

Now for the next things to do here... unfortunately as its raining, its limited us to shopping and pool/hot tub time for now

We have friends who happen to live in Maui, so we'll have to find our way up there and also know of some other friends who are staying in Hilo



So what do ya'll recommend a young family to do other than the beach?

[interlude]

Are you just staying in Kona?

I was just there a couple weeks ago for my birthday.

Make sure you check out Da Poke Shack on Alii Drive.

If you have your Open Water or want to check out the night Manta Ray Dive/snorkel. This is a MUST-SEE, use Jack's Diving Locker if you do. Watching all the manta rays doing somersaults eating plankton was amazing.

Since you have kids, make your way to Hilo. We stayed at a very nice Bed and Breakfast just outside Hilo.

MAKE SURE you check out a place called Hawaiian Style Cafe, by far the best food on the big island (and cheap).

Check out the volcano park, take the entire day and speak to the guides in the office, they will circle everything to check out. When we were there Nov 12 to 20, the lava lake was at its peak, so you can see it bubbling.

For Hilo, I would only recommend staying there for a couple days to check everything out. It's usually rainy and the water is pretty choppy on that side of the island.

[20incheyes]

Great suggestion with the Manta Ray night activity interlude. It's def a special experience.

I would highly recommend grabbing a drink at the Residents Beach House at the Four Seasons Hualalai for sunset and then head over to Beach Tree restaurant for dinner afterwards. They have live music nightly at Beach Tree and the food is fantastic. Great for a night when you want to splurge just make sure to make a reservation at Beach Tree.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Go up Mauna Kea (summit) to watch a sunset, then head down to the visitor center after for free hot chocolate and to look through their crazy telescopes. The road from the visitor center (last paved road) to the summit is hard packed gravel/shale (some brake bumps/ribbing going down but thats about it), and you do not need a 4X4 like the signs say (we did it no problem in a Toyota Camry) but the rental car insurance companies don't cover you up there. Drink a lot of water, and dress warm (it's around 0C). Stop at the visitor center for 15 min or so to acclimatize to the altitude and you'll be fine at the top (13,500 ft).





Go for a drive and check out Akaka Falls - very impressive and easy access.



Go to Volcano Park and watch the Kilauea Volcano after dark - super cool and you don't have to walk anywhere.



Hawaii also has the clearest water of any of the islands because it has no significant runoff. A good snorkeling place is the Captain Cook Monument - tons of fish and crystal clear water.



The Manta Ray activity, if you care, is controversial because it screws up the Ray's natural eating habits and they have become dependent on the tours for food.

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Go up Mauna Kea (summit) to watch a sunset, then head down to the visitor center after for free hot chocolate and to look through their crazy telescopes. The road from the visitor center (last paved road) to the summit is hard packed gravel/shale (some brake bumps/ribbing going down but thats about it), and you do not need a 4X4 like the signs say (we did it no problem in a Toyota Camry) but the rental car insurance companies don't cover you up there. Drink a lot of water, and dress warm (it's around 0C). Stop at the visitor center for 15 min or so to acclimatize to the altitude and you'll be fine at the top (13,500 ft).





Go for a drive and check out Akaka Falls - very impressive and easy access.



Go to Volcano Park and watch the Kilauea Volcano after dark - super cool and you don't have to walk anywhere.



Hawaii also has the clearest water of any of the islands because it has no significant runoff. A good snorkeling place is the Captain Cook Monument - tons of fish and crystal clear water.



The Manta Ray activity, if you care, is controversial because it screws up the Ray's natural eating habits and they have become dependent on the tours for food.

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!

So far we did drive around and as it was raining on the Kona side, we decided to hit up Hilo & Volcanoes Park

The road between Hilo to Wiakoloa beach passes by Mauna Kea, but due to the fact we have a 2 year old, we didn't want to chance the elevation changes or the possibility of snow..

So far the trip has been fun, we have a Luau at the Hilton Village on Sunday night... may spend the day there on Saturday if the weather permits

Being that we have a villa and a 2 year old, we find we're going to Kona quite a bit for groceries and other essentials and have to say... its really nice being in a Villa in the Americas vs.. being in Cuba or Mexico

Now... the question is, both of us going for a dive is almost unlikely, however for the snorkel cruises (with breakfast/lunch) what would you recommend?
Thus far its been Body Glove or Ocean Sports