As far as living is concerned, Oahu is our favorite island. But as far as island hopping, the Big Island of Hawaii is our absolute favorite. With its vast landscapes, beautiful scenery, and incredibly friendly people, the Big Island is a treasure.
Because it’s not as well-known amongst tourists, a lot of people don’t know all the amazing things there are to do on this unique island. Although we haven’t explored everything there is to do here, we have discovered a lot and keep finding more hidden gems on the Big Island. Keep reading for some of our favorites and how we would maximize a short trip there.
Our Favorite Accommodations:
We always book through AirBNB or VRBO. Simply download one of their apps or go to either of their websites and type in “Kona Coast Resort”. This resort is about 25 minutes south of the Kona Airport. The pricing is good and the accommodations are perfect for us with a pool, 2 fitness centers, tennis courts, shuffle board, a restaurant, resort activities and more.
Best Way to See the Big Island:
There’s 2 routes I would recommend choosing from when it comes to the Big Island.
Route 1 – If you don’t mind being in the car and driving for a couple hours broken up over the day, there are a lot of stops worth taking starting in Hilo to making your way to Kona. If you choose this route, we would recommend flying into Hilo and flying out of Kona. Here’s how we would do it:
If coming from Oahu, fly into Hilo on the earliest flight out and drive down to the Kilauea Visitor Center to see the Volcano National Park. Walk around Crater Rim Trail as far as you want to go to see Kilauea Volcano, and from there drive over to the Thurston Lava Tube and the Volcano Winery. They are all within a few miles of each other.
After you’re done checking out this Hawaii volcano, drive down to the Punalu’u Black Sand Beach. This famous beach hosts sea turtles, lava rock, and fresh water within the salt water tide pools. It’s amazing! Next, hit up Punalu’u Bake Shop (the Southern Most Bakery in the USA).
When you’re done gobbling amazing malasadas, I’d drive up to the Pu’uhonua O H?naunau National Historical Park to walk around. This area is really popular for SUPing and snorkeling as well. 10 minutes from here is some of the best Hawaiian food we’ve had at a restaurant called Kaaloa’s Super J’s Authentic Hawaiian. Gypsea Gelato isn’t much farther up the road and is really good too.
Route 2 – Fly in and out of Kona and plan a more chill vacation on this west coast of the Big Island. You can still go down to the Pu’uhonua O H?naunau National Historical Park because it’s fairly close to the resort, and is Kaaloa’s Super J’s Authentic Hawaiian and Gypsea Gelato are only about 15 minutes away as well.
If you want to do the manta ray dive, I recommend using Sea Quest Hawaii. They are really close to the Kona Coast Resort and it was the best price for the time of all the manta ray night dives I researched.
Mauna Kea Observatory is worth driving too if you walk up the small hiking path they have right across from the observatory. If you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle you can drive to the top of Mauna Kea. It’s the tallest mountain in the world, and the view from the short hike alone is amazing. If you just go for the observatory it’s not worth it, seeing as to how it only takes 10 minutes to walk around it.
Kula Kai Caverns is another really interesting activity. The boys loved the basic lighted trail tour we did and we want to go back to do the archeological tour. They also have a It’s about 40-45 minutes from the resort. You have to call and make reservations, but they keep the tour groups small, which is nice.
Restaurants We Recommend
Magics Beach Grill
Umekes
Kona Brewing Company
Kaaloa’s Super J’s Authentic Hawaiian
Kaya’s Coffee
Kona Coffee and Tea
Bonus tip: If you have time, check out the Green Sand Beach. There are only 4 in the world and one of them is on this island!
It’s at the southern most part of the island and is a bit of a haul getting down there. But if you don’t mind driving and enjoy beautiful scenery, it’s worth the drive. If you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle, you can drive from the parking lot to the beach yourself. Our recommendation is to follow one of the transportation trucks that drives people back and forth.
If you don’t have a 4 wheel drive vehicle, it’s worth the money to pay the $20/person for an out and back ride to the beach. Some people walk the trail to save money, but it’s not flat and it’s completely exposed, so the sun is a beast. The drive is about 15 minutes, while the walk is closer to an hour.
Upon getting to the green sand beach, you’ll have to climb down to the cove where the green sand is. It doesn’t look pretty at first, but when you get up close it’s beautiful. And it’s a real treasure to know you’re experiencing something you can’t experience just anywhere.
