On our recent trip to Kona, my wife and I visited the Kona International Market, a mostly outdoor shopping complex of vendor stalls. When there is a cruise ship calling in the port of Kona, free shuttle service is offered from the parking lot next to Kamakahonu Beach in Kailua-Kona. We availed ourselves of this service and rode the shuttle to the market, which took about ten minutes. Read the rest of Kona International Market—Kailua-Kona »
My wife and I visited this beach when we met her Mom and sister in Kona for Christmas. This is a nice little beach in the heart of Kona town, right off Ali’i Drive. This beach is right next to Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel, and offers many different activities, including swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, and boating. So it’s sort of like the busy beach hub of ‘downtown’ Kona. Read the rest of Kamakahonu Beach—Kailua-Kona »
Recently, my wife and I met her mother and sister in Kona for a vacation. We devoted one day to visiting the mighty Kilauea Volcano in Volcanoes National Park. The entrance to the park was about a two hour drive from our hotel in Kona. We rented a private car, but there are also numerous bus tours available if you prefer to be guided. We just took our trusty Big Island guidebook, and some brochure maps, and off we went! We were on the road at about 9:00A.M. Read the rest of Volcanoes National Park—Kilauea »
Recently my wife’s Mom and her sister came to visit us in Hawaii, and we met in Kona on the Big Island. One of the highlights of our trip was a snorkeling excursion to Kahalu’u Bay, which is about a 15 minute drive from Kailua town. We actually walked about halfway there from our hotel, which was a pleasant walk along the waterfront, if a tad bit hot, and then hailed a taxi. On the way back we took a cab the whole way. Kahalu’u Bay is a beautiful, curving bay, with a small beach featuring one lifeguard tower, a shaded cabana area with picnic tables and bathrooms, and with a restaurant right on the water. Read the rest of Snorkeling Kahalu’u Bay–Kona »
My wife and I recently visited Hilo on the Big Island. Hilo is a laid back, tropical coastal town. The highlight of our trip was scuba diving. We had no appointment set up when we arrived, and when we started calling various dive shops, we found that almost all of them were located on the Kona side of the island, about a three hour drive from Hilo. We were starting to worry when we hooked up with the Nautilus Dive Center right in downtown Hilo. Read the rest of Scuba Diving Leleiwi Beach Park—Hilo »
My wife and I made a visit to the Big Island and stayed overnight in the town of Hilo, on the island’s east coast. Hilo has the distinction of being the town with the most rainfall in the United States, so be sure to bring an umbrella if you visit. It did rain while we were there, but never for more than five or ten minutes at a time. We stayed at the simple but inexpensive Hilo Seaside Hotel, which is only about a five minute drive from historic downtown Hilo.
This is a sleepy little town (“Europeanesque,” to quote my wife) where a lot of shops and businesses close early. On Sundays there is a farmer’s market, but it was starting to shut down around 1:00 PM. The main drag is called Keawe Street, and there are a number of restaurants here. Read the rest of Out on the Town in Hilo »
How amazing would it be to say that you got to spend the night on a volcano? That’s exactly what my friend Dee and I did and it turned out to be one of the craziest and most surreal experiences we’ve ever had – but one that I would do again in a heartbeat! It’s actually completely do-able if you happen to be on the Big Island of Hawaii and you venture to the part of the island where the town of Volcano is located…
Volcano Village is just a stone’s throw away from Volcanoes National Park, which showcases the magnificent volcanoes of Mauna Loa and Kilauea. That’s a whole experience in itself and I’d recommend a couple of days to tour the park. It’s perfect, therefore, to stay somewhere nearby, and that’s where Volcano Village comes into the picture! There are several bed and breakfast facilities to choose from as well as a few hotels. We picked a nice B&B called Volcano Hale and were totally pleased with the charming accommodations in the middle of the rain forest, yet at an elevation of more than 3000 feet on the rim of Kilauea’s caldera. It was absolutely unbelievable! Just to THINK that we were going to spend the night sleeping on a volcano was mind-blowing! Read the rest of Spending the Night on a Volcano in Volcano »
My wife and I were in Kona on the Big Island this last Christmas. The highlight of our trip was a special scuba dive to see manta rays in their natural habitat—at night! First, a little background: manta ray dives have been happening for years off the Kona coast. There are dozens of dive shops and tour operators who will take people diving, and snorkeling, with the mantas. Before our arrival in Kona, my wife and I had booked our trip (since they are popular and do fill up, especially during holiday periods), and could hardly wait to see mantas for the first time.
It turns out it was worth the wait. We did our dive with Kona Honu Divers, although there are plenty of other shops to choose from, and, if you’re lucky enough to know someone on the big island with their own boat, or you wanted to rent a boat, you could go to the manta dive site on your own. Read the rest of Manta Ray Night Dive—Kona »
Tired of the usual date night that consists of dinner and a movie? Have you run out of ideas for somewhere out of the ordinary to take your significant other? How about a romantic yet adventurous (and even a little cutting edge) evening that involves the ocean and lava? If you happen to be on the Big Island of Hawaii, you’re in luck…you can take your date out and not even spend a dime, while impressing her or him with a very unique night out!
What I’m talking about is going out to a spot after sunset where you can watch the lava from Kilauea flow into the ocean. I did this in early May with my friend Dee, although the entire time I’d been wishing my husband had been with me instead! If you’re fortunate enough to have someone special to take along, this is a night that will remain in your memory forever! Read the rest of An Unusual Night on the Town — Watching the Lava Flow »
How many of you have seen a beach with green sand before? Would you like to? You can if you go to the southern part of the Big Island of Hawaii and you don’t mind a bit of a hike. Believe me, it’s worth your time, effort, and sweat!
Earlier this month, during a wonderful road trip on the Big Island, my friend Dee and I decided that we would NOT rest until we’d discovered this magic beach with the green sand! Armed with our trusty guidebook, we set out. Read the rest of Green Sand Beach at South Point »
