cblaisd

Concur. Just be very careful at Akaka Falls, particularly if it's been rainy. The steps can get very slippery.

Punalu`u Black Sand Beach is probably the best choice, although there is a tiny black sand beach were the Akaka Stream exits into Hakalau Bay.

sylvia hennesy

Punalu'u County Beach Park is nice black sand, easy to get to (and has facilities), and you have a good chance of seeing turtles (plenty at A-Bay, too, though).
It's on the south side, off highway 11, ~12 miles east of the turnoff for South Point (BTW, if your time is limited, I'd save South Point for another visit; long drive, narrow road, just a park-and-look at rocks and ocean).

sylvia hennesy

So busy measuring miles on a map I didn't notice Cblaisd beat me to it!

Executrip

So happy to hear you are re- thinking your plans of an expedition to VNP.
The risk to the wee one with a trek over the uneven lava..not to mention the exposure to the toxic volcanic gases. Glad to hear you will seek alternate choices.

Given your accommodation choices on Kauai & Maui(Both excellent)...you may want to look at something in the category of Mauna Lani, Mauna Kea beach, Four Seasons Hualalai for the hotel category.....and Kolea or Hali'i Kai in the condo/villa category.These are all superior, premium properties in a good location on the Big Island. The condo properties may have a minimum stay requirement.
Wai'pio Valley look-out is a lovely spot to take in...as well as Polo'lu. The North Kohala region ...taking in Hawi town is a nice afternoon drive.
Coffee country in Captain Cook.Kealakehua region provides plenty of opportunity to see some of the local coffee grower's operations. There is also a macadamia factory called Kona Coast..that has some fabulous product. Always worth a stop.
If you wish to see a Black sand beach..without travelling to the far southern portion of the Island...You can always check out 49 Black sand beach....located within the Mauna Lani resort.

jisaac

I initially looked at Mauna Lani but there are some mixed reviews and many comments about it being a rather dated hotel with bird and moisture challenges (via TripAdvisor). The Four Seasons, which I heard is a great hotel, doesn't have rooms for less than $900/nt for the nights we will be there, seeing that most 4-5* hotels on the island are going for $400-600 I don't know if the extra cash will be worth it at a hotel where I do not have status. Plus I would rather roll some of that into spa services while we are in Kauai as I hear the hotel has fantastic spa that I am certain my wife will appreciate. But I will definitely look into the others you mentioned.

My initial though, before receiving some of the excellent advice here, was to make the Big Island more of our adventure stop while the other islands would be more relaxing, spa, tourist-like plans. This is why I was less concerned about on-site hotel amenities.

sylvia hennesy

Which is why your decision to get a Waikoloa beach resort condo will be perfect! (Plus, there are a few more amenities closer, room to spread out, no parking and resort fees...)

JNelson113

jisaac, I have just returned from a one week trip to Kauai with my own three week-old baby. She traveled like a true frequent flier!

We originally planned to take her with us wherever we went but this was not fun for anyone. I found two wonderful nanny services and had them both watch her on three separate occasions. One is a grandmother in her early 50s who owns her own service and she was fantastic; the other was a larger service and I had both the owner as well as another woman watch her. All three were great. Please PM me if you need more info and I will give you the details.

jisaac

Just sent you a PM - thanks!

JNelson113

Whoops, meant to say with my three MONTH old baby. Sleep deprivation!

VickiSoCal

The big island involves lots of fairly long drives to get anywhere, compared to the other islands. We did an 8 hour drive with one of my kids when they were about this age and you just have to build in a lot of stops for nursing, diaper changing and such. The good news is, especially if she is nursing, you don't have to pack a ton of stuff for a kid that age- they don't really do toys yet, no food to worry about, just a couple of changes of clothes, some diapers and mom. If you are planning on a baby sitter, then you need a pump and some bottles to accomodate that.

Not all rear facing car seats do well in all cars, some we just could not get ours to work in, so if you can either rent the same car you use at home, or be prepared to try installing in one and then asking for a different car if needed. Arriving in daylight is good too- nothing more frustrating than trying to strap it in in the dark in a strange place when everyone is tired and just wants to go!