Big Island Travel Guide

by chelsea | Jun 27, 2018 | Travel

I have been fortunate enough to travel a relatively extensive list of countries and visit more than a few of Caribbean Islands. I was never sure if Hawaii would be the place for me. I believed it would be the same as the Caribbean Islands I had already experienced (except more expensive and further to travel)… my mistake! Hawaii is the most naturally beautiful place I have ever been. I spent 15 days on Hawaii, that’s the big island (not to be confused with Maui, Oahu, or Honolulu). The big island is the only island that I can speak to and I sing its praise! I have compiled all of my trip-favorites from regions to restaurants and added links so you can book any of my recommendations. I won’t make any money from these links, I just want to share what I believe can make your trip unforgettable and make it easier for you to plan!

Our house-When my family travels, we typically opt for rental homes so we can spend more time together and don’t need to eat out for all of our meals. We found this paradise in this ocean front island home on VRBO and it looks like it’s ratings have gotten it to a really high ranking since our stay. We got to wake up to this view every morning…and had an equally beautiful sunset each night. We absolutely loved this house and I highly recommend it.

Kona– This is where we stayed! We spent our entire stay on the island in Kona. Our stay was split between two houses. One house was on the beach (the one I linked above) and we couldn’t have been happier. Our other house was on the hilltops. While our house in the hills was much less expensive, we wouldn’t choose that option again. I highly recommend staying closer to the town and beach, if possible. You will find below I also wish we had spent a few nights on another part of the island, Hilo. Kona is the West coast of the island. You will find a ton of shops, grocery stores, restaurants, and activities in this area. The Kona Coast stretches 40 miles over the west coast. This area includes some really great historical sites, bays, lava fields (with petroglphys), and beautiful sand beaches.

Kohala/Waikaloa– Kohala is the northwestern tip of the island. The accommodations on this part of the island are more expensive than Kona. Northeast Kohala is green and lush, while the southwest side of the peninsula is dry. North Kohala is has North America’s largest privately owned ranches – the Parker Ranch. The ranch areas are part of Waimea town (also called Kamuela). You can see real life cowboys here and eat some awesome organic, locally-sourced beef and other foods. Waikaloa is just south of this and many people debate whether Waikaloa is part of Kona or Kohala, I am linking it with Kohala in this post. Some call this area the gold coast because of the many luxury resorts that have been engraved into ancient lava flows in this area. One of the most beautiful beaches on the island, Hapuna Beach, is also located along this stretch.

Hilo-This is the super lush part of the island many people think of…before the volcano started getting active, now maybe you think of the Volcano Region, which looks very different but is nearby. The reason I added Hilo to my list of places to stay is because it’s beautiful and has a lot of activities you will want to do. Hilo is also a far drive from other parts of the island where you are more likely to stay. If I got to plan this trip again (I hope to someday) I would spend my first 1-3 nights in Hilo and then spend the rest of my nights in Kona. I would try to pack in all the activities that you do on this side of the island while there and really get full days to enjoy it. It rains a LOT here so I wouldn’t want to stay here too long because I wouldn’t want to miss the beautiful Hawaiian weather!

Kona Coffee-You must try Kona Coffee! One of the things Kona is known for is its coffee. You have probably heard about it and you should definitely try it while you’re there! There are so many coffee farms and roasters over this part of the island. I visited Greenwell Coffee Farm we took a tour of their farm and tasted some delicious brews. The great thing about Greenwell is they have free tours. I learned so much about coffee crops, harvest, and roasting. The island has a large variety of options so I would recommend looking up some options to see what may be the best for you, or even trying a few!

Macadamia nuts– These nuts are also grown in the hillsides of this region. I am sad to say, I didn’t eat a single macadamia nut during my trip. I would suggest you do though!

The Coffee Shack– This is a wonderful restaurant on the island! They are on the way up the mountains in Kona. Their height gives you an amazing view of the island and coastline. It is the perfect stop on your way to the coffee farms!

Kona Brewing is in Kona, Hawaii! You should definitely check-it out! We went to the brewery several times. We stopped by to try out some of their different beers and also had dinner there one night. The place has great, casual, vibes and offers great beer/food. Their beer is also available on the mainland. If you’ve never tried I recommend Big Wave and Lemongrass Luau (but I know my brother-in-law would recommend a different selection).

Jackie Rays, Lava Lava Beach Club, and Huggo’s On The Rocks were three of the best restaurants where we ate during our trip. They were a little less casual than some of our other stops and the food was amazing!

Since you’re on an island you should go to the beach! Luckily, in Hawaii you have a LOT of amazing beaches to choose from my favorite beaches were- The Green Sand Beach, The Black Sand Beach, Hapuana Beach, and Pua Bay.

Zipline– Hawaii is the first time that I have ever been zip lining! It was a great first time, but it will be hard for anything else to compare to this experience. We did our zip line with Umauma Experience. The zip lines were absolutely amazing and so were the guides! The zip lines will take you over 14 different waterfalls and you will get to run 9 different lines. The guides were very kind, great with adults and children, and great entertainers.

Helicopter Tour– This was a really amazing experience. It my entire family’s first time in a helicopter and everyone had a lot of fun. We used Paradise Helicopters. It was a great company. They took us through a safety session before we went out and we knew what to expect for the day. We chose to take the Doors Off Volcanoes and Waterfalls Extreme experience. I would definitely do the Doors Off experience, I wasn’t worried about falling out at all but it did add the the experience and I can’t imagine it would be the same with the doors on, in an enclosed setting. We were a little sad the day we went out there was a lot of rain which, mixed with lava, led to vog (volcanic smog). The visibility was pretty low that day and we didn’t get the full-experience we wish we had. I would recommend booking 1-2 days out instead so you can avoid that possibility. Of course, you can only do this if you have time to spare in case of an availability or weather issue.

Snorkel– We did a morning snorkel with Sea Paradise. I would highly recommend using them if you are staying in Kona. They had a nice breakfast spread for guests to enjoy and provided everyone with a great day of snorkeling. We had several beautiful spots to snorkel, including seeing Captain Cook and saw tons of dolphins along the way.

Go whale watching– Whale watching season is . If you are in Hawaii during this time, you don’t want to miss the opportunity! Our whale watching trip was booked with Body Glove Hawaii.

Go to volcano National Park– I can’t say what this must be like right now! We visited Volcano National Park in two different ways. One day we drove to the Hilo airport and took a helicopter tour of the volcano (above). We also drove to the National Park and spent some time hiking there.

See waterfalls– Definitely go chasing waterfalls! Hawaii has so many amazing waterfalls we saw… A couple others I have heard great things about are, Rainbow falls, Boiling Pots area and Pe’epe’e Falls…

A few other things we loved doing included a visit to the City of Refugee. This was a really interesting part of Hawaiian history. It was a great way to see a beautiful beach, and learn a little bit about the island’s history. Our hike in Waipio Valley was absoluetely amazing (you cannot skip this). Be prepared for a tough hike down but you can see an amazing waterfall, wild horses, and a black sand beach once you reach the bottom. The hike up is easier than the way down! We also loved going kayaking/SUP (we rented these at Kailua Pier).

My last tip for planning your trip is to skip the expensive resort luau. We attended one and cannot say it met our expectations. They jam a ton of people into this event and you eat your meal buffet style. If you’re expecting a low-key luau or a “special” feel, you’ll probably be pretty disappointed. I would love to find out how to have a different experience at a luau!

I have so much aloha for Hawaii! Have you been to Hawaii or are you planning a trip? You can also contact me via email if you’d like any more recommendations or have questions. Share any recommendations you have for the islands for me and other readers!