Hawaii - Big Island Trip Questions

Hi,

We would be visiting Big Island for the first time (went to Maui three years ago and challenged the "Road to Hana":D) and want to see if anyone has any suggestions, especially on things not to miss along our planned route and good places to eat. We also want to do some snorkeling so if anyone can recommend a tour operator that will be fabulous. We will be traveling over labor day weekend, and because of our jet lag (which we will use to our advantage), we will be getting up early and camp early in the evening.

Day 1 Fly into KOA at 7pm, camping in Ho`okena Beach Park.
Day 2 Hang out at the beach in the morning, hit the South Kona Fruit Stand, see the black sand beach, then go to Volcanoes National Park via Hwy 11, camping in the National Park
Day 3 Hit a trail in the National Park or go to a spot where we can see some volcano in action (if timing is right), travel on Hwy 11 to go through Hilo, camping at Kolekole beach park
Day 4 Hike up to Akaka Falls, continue traveling west on Hwy 19. Staying at Hilton Waikola Village.
Day 5 Hang out on the beach and do nothing. Fly out of KOA at around 9pm.

I usually tell anyone who asks first, they need at least 10 days to see the Big Island. But I will comment on your 5 day plan:

Are you going to be visiting during the Labor Day weekend?
Campsites & Beach Parks will be very crowded.
Volcanoes National Park Campsite is 1st come 1st serve.
Hopefully you are already aware there is a permit process for county beach park camping:
http://www.co.hawaii.hi.us/parks/parks.htm

If you are really going to arrive at 7pm you will have to have your permit in advance. It will be a challenging task to find a camping site in the dark, since its a bit of a drive from the airport to Hookena. Very limited food shopping down there as well. You will have to stop for that in Kailua-Kona if you want a good selection.

Day 2 The drive from Hookena to Volcano passes by Punaluu Black Sand Beach, worth a stop, and its nice to stop also in Naalehu town for lunch.

There is food/grocery/gas in Volcano Village just outside of the National Park.
Get into the park & get your campsite first. Have a plan "B" in case it is totally full.

Day 3 will be a full day, best to ask @ visitor center on Day 2 to see what your best options are with current lava conditions. The nearest food/grocery is back at Volcano Village.

Kolekole Beach park you also need HI County camping permit, and there is ltd # of permits. Book in advance if possible.

Day 4 Akaka Falls State Park; you can drive to the park area & see the falls on a short easy loop trail, will not take much time. If you start early and have the energy, after Akaka continue driving all the way to Hawi and drive to the end of the road, park, take short steep hike (safe) down to the beach at Pololu Valley. Very scenic overlook where you park. Then head to Hilton Waikoloa. The Queen's Shops outside of Hilton Wikoloa has a very nice Sushi Resaurant, called Sensei. King's Shops on the other side of the road has Merrimann's Cafe, also pretty good.

Akaka will not take long; consider going to Lapahoehoe Point, about 11 miles north; there's a memorial and a lovely park, and spectacular cliff and crashing surf views.
Lava viewing may or may not be possible: you can get updates when you check with http://www.nps.gov/havo/ and http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/activity/kilaueastatus.php

BTW, in the Queen's Shops, there's a nice new grocery/deli (the Village Gourmet) and even a fast-food court now!

I usually tell anyone who asks first, they need at least 10 days to see the Big Island. But I will comment on your 5 day plan:

Are you going to be visiting during the Labor Day weekend?
Campsites & Beach Parks will be very crowded.
Volcanoes National Park Campsite is 1st come 1st serve.
Hopefully you are already aware there is a permit process for county beach park camping:
http://www.co.hawaii.hi.us/parks/parks.htm

If you are really going to arrive at 7pm you will have to have your permit in advance. It will be a challenging task to find a camping site in the dark, since its a bit of a drive from the airport to Hookena. Very limited food shopping down there as well. You will have to stop for that in Kailua-Kona if you want a good selection.

Day 2 The drive from Hookena to Volcano passes by Punaluu Black Sand Beach, worth a stop, and its nice to stop also in Naalehu town for lunch.

There is food/grocery/gas in Volcano Village just outside of the National Park.
Get into the park & get your campsite first. Have a plan "B" in case it is totally full.

Day 3 will be a full day, best to ask @ visitor center on Day 2 to see what your best options are with current lava conditions. The nearest food/grocery is back at Volcano Village.

Kolekole Beach park you also need HI County camping permit, and there is ltd # of permits. Book in advance if possible.

Day 4 Akaka Falls State Park; you can drive to the park area & see the falls on a short easy loop trail, will not take much time. If you start early and have the energy, after Akaka continue driving all the way to Hawi and drive to the end of the road, park, take short steep hike (safe) down to the beach at Pololu Valley. Very scenic overlook where you park. Then head to Hilton Waikoloa. The Queen's Shops outside of Hilton Wikoloa has a very nice Sushi Resaurant, called Sensei. King's Shops on the other side of the road has Merrimann's Cafe, also pretty good.

donnyb- Thank you for your suggestions! We arrive on Sep 1 and leave on Sep 5, so yeah we know it can be crazy with all the other people want to enjoy the labor day weekend on the island. We reserved the camping spots for Night 1 and Night 3 already so the only night we need to worry about is Night 2 in the Volcanoes National Park. What will be a good plan B if we really can't get into either campgrounds? Will it be safe for us to pull off the road and pitch a tent somewhere in the park?

Akaka will not take long; consider going to Lapahoehoe Point, about 11 miles north; there's a memorial and a lovely park, and spectacular cliff and crashing surf views.
Lava viewing may or may not be possible: you can get updates when you check with http://www.nps.gov/havo/ and http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/activity/kilaueastatus.php

BTW, in the Queen's Shops, there's a nice new grocery/deli (the Village Gourmet) and even a fast-food court now!

Thanks sylvia~will check out Lapahoehoe Point for sure! Glad to hear about the other food choices around the Waikola Village because I heard the food in the resort is over-priced and not that great.

donnybWhat will be a good plan B if we really can't get into either campgrounds? Will it be safe for us to pull off the road and pitch a tent somewhere in the park?

Not legal to do that. Campground is only place to camp. There are B&B's located in Volcano Village, but most have a 3 night minimum.

45 minutes past the park is my home town of Hilo, which has some cheap-er hotel options (nothing nice as Hilton Waikoloa) and also some hostels that have received high reviews.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60583-d293256-Reviews-Hilo_Bay_Hostel-Hilo_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60583-d113098-Reviews-Hilo_Seaside_Hotel-Hilo_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60583-d86944-Reviews-Dolphin_Bay-Hilo_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html

Akaka will not take long; consider going to Lapahoehoe Point, about 11 miles north; there's a memorial and a lovely park, and spectacular cliff and crashing surf views.

I think that Laupahoehoe is the most dramatic spot -- among a lot of contenders! -- on the Big Island. And the memorial is poignant (particularly when you know some of the folks who had `ohana swept out to sea).

The convenience store/gas station just Hilo-side of the Laupahoehoe gulch has got to have the most killer view of any convenience store in the U.S.! Stop there (or at the pullout a few hundred yards north) and look down at where you'll be on the point.

If all else fails, there's always Arnott's in Hilo for tenting: http://www.arnottslodge.com/accommodations.html

Not legal to do that. Campground is only place to camp. There are B&B's located in Volcano Village, but most have a 3 night minimum.

45 minutes past the park is my home town of Hilo, which has some cheap-er hotel options (nothing nice as Hilton Waikoloa) and also some hostels that have received high reviews.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60583-d293256-Reviews-Hilo_Bay_Hostel-Hilo_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60583-d113098-Reviews-Hilo_Seaside_Hotel-Hilo_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60583-d86944-Reviews-Dolphin_Bay-Hilo_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html

I think that Laupahoehoe is the most dramatic spot -- among a lot of contenders! -- on the Big Island. And the memorial is poignant (particularly when you know some of the folks who had `ohana swept out to sea).

The convenience store/gas station just Hilo-side of the Laupahoehoe gulch has got to have the most killer view of any convenience store in the U.S.! Stop there (or at the pullout a few hundred yards north) and look down at where you'll be on the point.

If all else fails, there's always Arnott's in Hilo for tenting: http://www.arnottslodge.com/accommodations.html

donnyb & cblaisd - Thanks for your Plan B suggestions in Hilo! Glad to know that Hilo is 45 mins away - it is hard for me to tell how long it will take to drive from A to B as I am not familiar with road conditions.

I've booked 1 night stays in Volcano several times; lots of options (unless Labor Day creates issues). Here are VRBOs under $80/night:
http://www.vrbo.com/374288
http://www.vrbo.com/190642

I would try to get the observatory and star gazing in.. The visitor centre is free.. and a trip to the summit happens on various days.. a free tour up to the mountain.. you will need an approved rental SUV..

Or just book a paid tour guide to take you up..

I would try to get the observatory and star gazing in.. The visitor centre is free.. and a trip to the summit happens on various days.. a free tour up to the mountain.. you will need an approved rental SUV..

Or just book a paid tour guide to take you up..

Thank you for the suggestion ~ after I posted, I heard so many good things about the summit so we did book trips to the summit with mauna kea summit adventures (after several days of discussion due to the cost). Hopefully the weather will cooperate and bring us a beautiful experience.

Thank you for the suggestion ~ after I posted, I heard so many good things about the summit so we did book trips to the summit with mauna kea summit adventures (after several days of discussion due to the cost). Hopefully the weather will cooperate and bring us a beautiful experience.

Glad to hear that you will be embarking on this incredible experience.. and having a tour guide expert to explain the stars.. will be an excursion to remember..

BI is the place on earth to stargaze and to visit the observatories/centers.. just as the volcano is a phenomenon.. On a extended trip (I think 5 days is tough) we enjoyed Imoloa.. the Space Science Center.. in Hilo.. The visit will explain will delve more into the history of Mauna Kea, and the stargazing history, background information more in depth.. as well exhibits..