BIG ISLAND HOT TIPS!

Welcome to the wondrous Big Island of Hawaii, one of the world’s most amazing islands!  We’ve come to the conclusion that mother nature decided to use the Big Island as her canvas of what actually can be done all on one island.  Beguiling.  Amazing.  Be sure to soak up the moments along with the sun and surf - slow down, put yourself on Hawaiian time, and savor each and every tropical day and night.

 

  • Hapuna Beach on the sunny Kohala Coast, about 35 miles north of Kailua-Kona is a great place to spend the day, playing in the waves, and has often been voted the Best Beach in America. We’ve made it a ‘thing’ to always head up to Hapuna on our first full day on the Big Island, a fitting way to kick the vacation into Hawaiian mode.

  • Up behind Kailua-Kona, on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai is the tiny artist community of Holualoa. It’s worth driving up to this village to browse through one or two galleries and to sample a bit of the hidden diversity of the wondrous Big Island.  Even the winding road up to the centre of the village of Holualoa where there’s a handful of renown art galleries is a treat in itself.

  • One of the best places to watch the amazing Manta Rays, after dark, as they swoop gracefully through the ocean waters, is off the seaside terrace at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort.  The resort has mounted big lights shining into the waves for the ultimate viewing.  Of course the rays are not there every night, but if you persist and your timing is just right…..

  • Our favorite spot for Fish & Chips in Kailua-Kona is at Quinn’s Almost by The Sea.  The front of Quinn’s is a local pub, but you pass right through to outdoor patio seating, where it feels so good to plunk down for some delicious fish and chips.  Every day Quinn’s features Mahi Mahi and the fresh catch of the day will likely be either Ono or Ahi.  Be sure to try to Ono, if it’s the special of the day!  (Now I want ono!)

  • Don’t leave paradise without savoring the local treat - Shave Ice.  There’s a good place right in the village centre across from the Hulihe’e Palace, I think it’s called Scandanavian Shave Ice (go figure) but it’s very local style and yummy.  Try lilikoi (passionfruit), guava and pineapple, but be sure to ask for a little bit of coconut ice cream in the bottom.

  • The best place to snorkel and swim with Kona’s famous green sea turtles, in a very easy, mostly calm and shallow setting, in Kailua-Kona is Kahalu’u Beach Park.  Kahalu’u Park is about 4 miles south on Alii Drive, from the village center.  So gear up with all your snorkel equipment and head out to enjoy the beauty beneath the waves. 

  • If you have a Costco membership, Kona’s Costco in the Kaloko Industrial area, just off the main Highway, north of town, towards the airport, offers great savings on grocery supplies, local books, and clothes. Aside from Costco, I always recommend Sac ‘n Save and KTA for groceries.  There’s a Safeway too, but it tends to be a little more costly overall.  And if you ‘pretend’ you’re a part time island resident (remembering your address and phone number) then you can fill out the form at Sac ‘n Save for a discount card and save $$$.

  • One of our favorite daytrips from Kona is to head due north on the coast highway (Highway 19) towards all those ritzy Kohala Coast resorts.  Keep going, keep going.  You’ll come to a crossroads in the weird little slice of a town called Kawaihae, continue on the coast highway, which is now Highway 270.  Once you come around onto the north shore you’ll pass through the little town of Hawi – more on this, cuz we’re going to back track and come back here for lunch.  But first keep going…..through Hawi, through Kapa’au until the road runs out at the Pololu Lookout.  This is where you get out to stretch your legs, grab your camera and drink in the breathtaking views.  Now turn around and head back the way you came, but if you want to pop down to the ocean before lunch, watch for the signs pointing to the small road leading down to the ocean and Keokea Beach Park.  I like this place.  There’s picnic tables, rugged coastline and a river runs into the pounding surf.  It’s a good spot to take a breather.  Now everyone is hungry and it’s lunchtime.  Head back towards the tiny town of Hawi and hit Bamboo Restaurant.  Possibly my favorite restaurant on the whole island.  Very Hawaiian, very yummy.  (I think they’re closed on Mondays, don’t forget to check on that before you head north from Kona).  Then for your drive back home to Kona you’re in for a treat.  There’s a turn up through the centre of the island, very near Bamboo Restaurant – you’re looking for Route 250 to Waimea.  National Geographic claims this is one of the most scenic drives in the world.  We agree.  Then from Waimea you can continue through the ‘interior’ of the island back to Kona.  A fantastic round trip day excursion.

  • For those who want to sample a taste of the Deluxe Resorts on the famed Kohala Coast we recommend spending an hour or two exploring the grounds of the fantastic Hilton Waikoloa Village where guests take trams or canal boats to their rooms and you can swim with the dolphins at Dolphin Quest.  But we often just go up here to walk the grounds.

  • The best place to buy fresh fruits, flowers and coffee is at the Farmers Market, held in the church parking lot, on Alii Drive, just across from Waterfront Row.  Fruit, especially is extremely inexpensive here compared to the grocery stores, and of course, just picked.  Also, on Saturday mornings at the Keauhou Shopping Centre, at the south end of Alii Drive, they have a farmers’ market that I love.  It’s much, much smaller, there’s not oodles of booths and offerings.  But there’s some lovely backyard bounties, some goodies, some exotic ingredients to try cooking with and delightful local entertainment.

  • It’s worth heading over to Hilo one day, just for the drive, or maybe to explore the great Farmers Market, which I’m pretty sure operates everyday except maybe Friday.  Go north through Waimea when you go to Hilo.  Then once you’re over on the Hamakua Coast, just north of Hilo, on Highway 19 watch for a hard-to-miss sign that indicates the " 4 mile scenic route ".  Take the time to take this splendid little detour.  The Pepe'ekeo Scenic Drive takes you through tropical jungle, winding along the coastal cliffs and waterfalls along its way down the coast.  In between towering trees you will see steep ravines dropping into the crashing waves of the ocean below. You may wish to stop at the Botanical Gardens during the drive to see exotic trees and unusual tropical plants.  This Hamakua coast offers gorgeous views on the ocean side as the road carves through the rain-soaked gullies and around cascading waterfalls on tiny one-lane bridges and winds in and out of rain forest ravines.

  • The Waipio Valley is one of my favorite places on the planet.  So beautiful, but a little inaccessible.  If you’re so inclined it’s probably worth hooking up with one of the 4x4 van tours of the valley.  I’ve never done this because we’ve always had a 4x4 so could access the valley ourselves.  But this is one of those ‘touristy’ things that might be worth it, just to be able to get to the valley bottom.

  • The Place of Refuge south of Kailua-Kona, in coffee country, quite near Captain Cook Monument is a place of great historical significance in Hawaii and a great place to spend the morning or afternoon learning more about Hawaiian history.

  • Every Tuesday from 10 AM to 12 noon Aunty Lani Lee, her hula halau "Na Kupuna O Kona Ali'i", and her band, perform at the Kona Coast Shopping Center on Palani Rd. in Kailua-Kona.

  • Fridays, from 6-7pm at Keauhou Shopping Center, there is a free hula show featuring various hula halaus.

  • Saturdays eves, hear live Hawaiian music from 6-7pm in the Center Courtyard of Keauhou Shopping Center

  • Kumu Hula (hula teacher) Etua Lopez has hula practice for the keikis (children) in his halua I think on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4pm on the lawn of the Hulihe’e Palace.  If you’re at all interested in hula this is a great opportunity to bring a lawn chair and just sit off to the side watching the cutie patootie little girls learn to perpetuate the beautiful hula culture.

  • Lava Java on Alii Drive has great cinnamon buns.

  • If you do a daytrip to Volcano, be sure to leave early and head south.  In the town of Naalehu near South Point there’s an old general store that has some good lunch items.  Best to take any food or drink that you want along with you, as there’s not many options once you get inside Volcanoes National Park.  The film that shows at the Visitor Centre in Volcanoes Park is worth watching.  The steam banks along Crater Rim Drive are very neat as is Thurston Lava Tube.  You’ll have to check before you go to see if there is any viewing of red hot lava when you’re there.  If so it’s always good to plan to be near a good viewing area just before dusk, because of course as the sky darkens the red lava is easy and amazing to spot.  But it’s dark here, always good to have flashlights on hand just in case.  This is a ‘big’ day trip, so be prepared for a full day.

  • Hulihee Palace right in the center of Kailua-Kona holds a significant place in Hawaiian history and allows visitors, for a small fee, to tour this stately palace where Hawaiian Royalty came to spend their summers.  Throughout the day, the resident curators give guided tours which are worth catching.

  • Most of all, slow down, enjoy the pace here on the Big Island.  Talk to the locals, they have a wealth of cultural knowledge - their very lifestyles exude years of one of the most wonderful and rich histories on the planet.  Aloha can be found around every corner.