General Information
Big Island has three main areas- the volcanic & rainforest region of Puna, the rainy region of Hilo and the sandy beaches lined with resorts in Kona. If you have just a few days in Big Island and want to chill at the resorts you should fly directly to the Kona airport. If you have more days and feeling adventurous like us I would suggest spending some days on the east side of Big Island as well.
Transportation
I would recommend renting a car if you plan to explore the different areas of Big Island.
Stay
Volcano Rainforest Retreat – This is in the Volcanic region of Big Island. Our experience here was so peaceful, staying right in the middle of nature with rain tapping on the domed roof top, we slept like babies. They also offer a breakfast spread in the privacy of your cottage.
Grand Naniloa hotel – This is in the Hilo region of Big Island. This hotel also provides free drink coupons and $20 per person credit for food and beverage on site restaurants if you are a Hilton Gold member.
Royal Kona Resort – This is in the Kona region of Big Island. The Royal Kona Resort gives free Mai Tai coupons, $20 credits towards onsite restaurants and a celebratory champagne for our anniversary celebration.
Highlights
- Manta Ray Night Snorkeling – The Manta Ray night snorkeling is such a surreal experience and cannot be missed. We booked our tour with Hawaii Island & Ocean Tours. Read more about our experience here.
- Volcano Viewing – The Kilauea volcano & the Mouna Loa Volcano eruption viewing. Yes, we were able to view two of the Volcanoes, one of them erupted when we were on the Island after almost 38 years! Depending upon when you are visiting you may or may not see any lava flow. So if this is a bucket list item make sure to check beforehand. Read about our experience here.
- Luau – If you haven’t done a Luau before this is a great way to experience the Hawaiian culture.
- Staying in a rainforest retreat.
- Coffee Farm Tour- Greenwell Farms offers free coffee farm tours. Make sure to checkout the tour times and arrive few minutes earlier.
Tips
- Volcano viewing – Keep track of this site for volcano viewing and eruption updates. If your goal is to just see the lava you should be able to view it safely on your own. There are times when the lava flows down into the ocean and there are tour companies that take you by boat to see the lava flow.
- Stay in the Volcano region the day you plan to view the eruption. Head out for the viewing at around 9 to 10 pm. The Volcano glow is visible only at night and this is the time when most of the visitors have already headed out since many people drive from Hilo or Kona to view the Volcano.
- Hilo is very rainy so you might want to check the weather forecast before you decide your itinerary.
- Depending upon your itinerary you might want to fly into Hilo, and fly out of Kona (or vice versa), this is how we scheduled our trip to reduce drive time.
Map
Itinerary
Day 1 (Volcano)
Fly into Hilo Airport (ITC). Drive to Puna, the Volcano region of Big Island and check in to your hotel. The Volcano region has many unique stays. We stayed at the Volcano Rainforest Retreat. This is the best time to explore your hotel and take some rest in preparation of the long night ahead with the Volcano Eruption Viewing. The Volcano Village has few restaurant options. I made a reservation at the Kilauea Lodge restaurant for dinner since it was Bagl’s bday the next day. It’s a great restaurant for celebrations, and they give you a dessert on the house as a celebratory gesture which always feels nice! The food here was pretty good too!
For the Kilauea Volcano Eruption Viewing (2021 eruption), start driving towards the Devastation hike trail somewhere around 9pm to 10pm. The Volcano glow is visible only at night and this is the time when most of the visitors have already headed out since many people drive from Hilo or Kona to view the Volcano. Staying in the Volcano area, the drive will take only about 10-15 mins. For the Kilauea eruption self guided tour we took the devastation trail. We ended up following a bunch of other visitors who seemed to know their way in the Park. We headed up all the way to the crater overlook to watch the lava flow, the very first active erupted volcano we saw up close, and it was a site to see! If you listen in silence you might be able to hear rumblings and fissure sounds. The whole hike down there ended up being great for star gazing as well. Depending upon your time of visit, the lava flow, and the current eruption if any, the viewing point may change so make sure to research this and check this site or ask at your hotel or bnb .
Day 2 (Hilo)
After a wonderful night’s sleep at the retreat with the sound of rain against our domed skylight roof, we woke up refreshed and started our day devouring the complimentary breakfast provided at the retreat in the privacy of our cottage. We then checked out and headed over to the Volcano Winery to kick off Bagl’s bday on a high note ;). If you have time on the previous day you can squeeze this in then as well. Do the wine tasting ($15 per person) to try all the different kinds of wine grown on the volcanic soil. The Volcano Winery has many interesting wine grown on the lava soil. Our favorite wine was the Infusion Tea wine.
Start driving towards Hilo and check into your hotel. We stayed at the Grand Naniloa hotel. Head over to Hilo downtown for lunch. Since we were here on thanksgiving day most of the restaurants were closed. We had lunch at the Ponds Hilo restaurant while watching the fishes and a very lazy turtle in the koi ponds. This restaurant also gives bday dessert freebies.
Since it was a very rainy Hilo day we weren’t able to do much. Make sure to check Hilo weather if you are planning to stay here. On a non rainy Hilo day our plan was to visit Akaka falls and chill at some beaches. Instead we ended up spending the time at our Hotel Resort (good time to use those coupons & credits). This turned out well since we were tired after the late night hike to the Volcano Viewing spot the previous night.
As an alternative you could also use this day to explore the Hawaii Volcanoes National park.
Day 3 (Drive from Hilo to Kona – Akaka Falls + Polulu Valley)
On day 3 grab some breakfast at the hotel or in Hilo downtown and start driving towards Akaka falls state park to see the majestic falls. Take the Honomū road to get to the falls (your map might guide you along a different route). There is a per person entry fee for the falls. Take the short looped hike to view both the Kahuna falls and Akaka falls. If you are only interested in seeing the Akaka falls you could just do that too. The hike is easy and will take you around 45 mins including photo stops. Enjoy the lush greenery and the various unique plants & flowers of Hawaii as you hike.
Once you are done with the hike drive to Mr Ed’s bakery and try their famous Lilikoi turnover & Gauva bearclaw – we liked the Guava bearclaw more. Lilikoi (aka passionfruit) is very common in Big Island and you will get many chances to try it out throughout your stay. If you like jams, this is a good place to sample some jams & take some home (if you have check-in bags). We loved the Kona butter jam and its definitely worth a try.
Continue the road trip all the way to Waipiʻo Valley Lookout to enjoy the sweeping views of the ocean and valley.
After taking some pictures, drive ahead to the Polulu valley. From here you can see the beautiful valley, and black sand beach below. If you reach here with enough time till sunset you can hike down to the black sand beach. The hike itself is a moderately challenging short but steep hike.
Head over to the town of Hawi for a pit stop. Grab some Kona coffee from the Kohala Coffee mill. I got a macadamia nut flavored latte which was delish. If you are hungry get dinner at the Bamboo restaurant (open for dinner only on Thursdays & Fridays from 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM). The Bamboo restaurant building was built between 1911 and 1915 and has its own unique story. The Thai Coconut Prawns is a must try here, along with the Lilikoi margarita.
Continue your drive to Kona. We stayed at the Royal Kona Resort which is very close to all restaurants & shops. After checking in head over to the street to check out Kona night life. Ocean sports bar & grill have amazing Mai Tai’s for just $5, Laverne’s sports bar is another place open till late night.
Day 4 (Chill resort day + Swim with Manta Rays at night)
We kept day 4 light after all the driving the previous day. We started our day with some coffee from Kona Haven Coffee and some Luau scramble from Island Lava Java (which ended up giving us an upset tummy :(). You can keep this day chill and enjoy your resort amenities. If you are staying at the Royal Kona Resort check out the salt lagoon where you can see fishes in the water without having to snorkel, or soak in the sun on the beach chairs. You can even spend sometime in the swimming pool and redeem those free Mai Tai coupons. If you don’t feel like chilling at your resort you could always go resort hopping or chill at some nice beach. Whatever you do, try to save your energy for the night Manta Ray snorkel.
In the evening we had the popular Mai Tai flight at Don the beachcomber/Don’s Mai Tai Bar. My personal favorite was the Green Flash. We kept the dinner light with some coconut shrimp and calamari, the coconut shrimp was one of my favorites.
Our Manta Ray snorkeling experience with Hawaii Island & Ocean Tours was at 9pm. We reached a little early to get ready with our snorkeling gear, wet suit and life jackets. Both of us not knowing how to swim properly were a little nervous going into this. Little did we know it would end up being one of our trip highlights. We weren’t sure if we would jump in the water till the very last minute when I took the plunge. But as long as you are comfortable in water, you have everything to propel you, you are good to go! Cheers to our guide Brandon for his patience and support.
Let me explain a bit about how this experience works. The tour caption and the diver/guide take you to the part of the ocean where Manta Rays are usually visible. They then pop a surfboard like thing into the water which has handles on the side for you to hold, and lights that project on the bottom. These lights are to attract the Planktons which in turn attract the Manta Rays which feed on the Plankton. Once you jump into the water from the boat you hold onto the handles on the surfboard and your guide will handle the rest. The Manta Rays are huge creatures about 11-12ft and aren’t afraid to swim by very close to your face. Luckily they are harmless creatures and won’t hurt you. We were instructed to not touch them because this would infiltrate their protective mucus membrane (which acts as their immune system).
Even after hearing all these instructions, it felt surreal when the first Manta Ray appeared just inches from our face. Watching these huge creatures swim in the water was so beautiful. Once we were back on the land our tour company had hot drinks and snacks ready for us.
We got back to our hotel feeling accomplished and called it a night by popping the champagne (provided by our hotel as a celebratory token) since it was the start of our engagement anniversary.
Day 5 (Parsailing + Beaches + Luau)
Next day we started our day with an amazing brunch at Kalikala Cuisine. I’m usually not much of a sweet tooth in the mornings but I love love loved their Lilikoi French toast.
We continued our adventure spirit and anniversary excitement by going for a tandem Parasailing experience by UFO Parasail. It was our first time parasailing and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The best part was the dip even though we were left soaking.
We had the Island Breeze Luau booked for the evening to celebrate our anniversary. Luau’s are always fun and let you experience Hawaiian culture and food. It is a must do at-least once on any one of the Hawaiian islands. The open bar doesn’t hurt as well ;).
Since it was still early to call it a night post the Luau, we decided to drive to the four seasons resort and get a drink at the Beach Tree Restaurant. We got the paradise spritz and had a great chat with our lovely bartender Gregg.
This was also the night the Mouna Loa Volcano erupted after 38 years (we weren’t aware of this at the time and slept like a baby).
Day 6 (Greenwell Farms Coffee Tour + Spa Day + Beaches)
This was our last day on the island. We checked out of the hotel and started the day with an Acaii bowl at the Basik Cafe. We drove to the Greenwell Farms for a free coffee tour and sampled some coffee’s. We had never been to a coffee farm before and learned a lot from this tour.
After the tour we had a couples spa booked at Ohana Bali Spa to relax and de-stress our body before heading back. This was one of the best spa experiences I have had!
We then grabbed lunch at A Bay’s on Ali’i, and got one last loco moco for the trip (which was great!) . We then roamed the downtown for a bit for souvenir’s and then headed to the Magic Sand’s beach to dip our toes and watch the sunset.
Having got to know about the Mouna Loa Volcanic eruption we didn’t want to leave without having seen the glow from it. We decided to spend our last few hours before leaving chasing the Volcano Eruption and seeing the lava flow from afar. We took the road halfway to Mouna Loa observatory to see the volcanic glow. And having witnessed this miracle of nature hand in hand, volcanic ash in the air we concluded our adventurous Big Island trip! 🙂
Bonus
You could also add Punaluu Black Sand Beach & PapakĹŤlea green sand beach to your itinerary or switch it up for one of the other days (listed above). To get to the green sand beach you have to do a ~5 mile hike or get a ride with some locals. We decided to skip this beach after speaking to our concierge who mentioned the green sand beach to be over hyped, over edited and the drive downs offered by random people to be super bumpy. If you decide to do this you have to stop by the Punalu’u Bake Shop – Even though the line here might be long, their ice cream is creamy, and the lilikoi malasadas and other pastries are delicious. We weren’t able to try this sadly but I was able to snag their Lilikoi cookies from an abc store in Kona 🙂
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