I have been blessed to visit Hawaii quite a few times thus far, so safe it say it is one of my favorite places! I love that each Island has its own unique charm with different activities! My boyfriend had never been to Hawaii before, so in 2023 my goal was to take him to experience the aloha state! I had been to 3 out of 4 of the major Hawaiian Islands before 2023, (Oahu, Maui, and Kauai) so I really wanted to check off the Big Island (aka Hawaii) off my list! My boyfriend and I went in May and we loved it so much that in October we ended up going back to the Big Island.
In this guide I will be sharing all of my Hawaii recommendations and the cost! While Hawaii is beautiful, it is also an expensive state. I used quite a few travel hacks to make the trip more affordable, so stay tuned for my next post to see all the Hawaii hacks!
I am a big geography/map girl, so I am going to be sharing a map of where my recommendations are, so you can plan your own trip guide around the areas that you would like to visit!
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=14o6pjZ23b9TSTxnnlZRRUwN73f5HWUU&usp=sharing
Hotels:
Fairmont Orchid: This hotel is definitely the most luxurious out of the 3 I am recommending. We stayed here for our trip in May and loved it! We got free breakfast everyday, which is a perk from using AMEX Fine Hotels and Resorts to book our room, a room upgrade, and a $100 resort credit to use at the resort. The pool was huge and there was a small beach surrounded by a cove to help keep the water calm.
Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort and Spa: We split our time between this hotel and the King Kamehameha in October. This hotel has more of a relaxation vibe. It is away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Kona and closer to the Fairmont. This hotel is around $700-$900 per night.
Marriott Courtyard King Kamehameha: My boyfriend and I spent part of our time at this hotel on our second stay in Kona! This hotel was right in the heart of downtown Kona, so it was the perfect location to walk to all the restaurants and shops. There was a small beach (that was also open to the public) with free snorkel rentals if you were staying at the hotel. We really enjoyed our stay here because of the prime location! This hotel is around $500-$700 per night.
Notes/Tips:
- If you want to explore the island, getting a rental car is a must.
- Another good tip is to take an early morning flight to the Island and take a red eye flight back to maximize your time in Hawaii!
- We also stopped at Costco after we landed in Kona to stock up on snacks and lunch food for the week to help save money on food!
- The island has banned the use of non-reef safe sunscreen, so only mineral based sunscreen is sold on the island. You can bring whatever sunscreen onto the island that you would like, but since non-reef safe sunscreen is banned, it’s best to respect the environment and wear reef-safe sunscreen.
- Kona is the dry and sunny side of the island, whereas if you go up towards Volcanoes National Park or Hilo area, it becomes more lush and green due to it being the more rainy in the area!
Activities:
Aside from chilling at the pool and the beach, there are so many outdoor activities to do!
— Manta Ray Snorkel: This is an absolute must do! When we went in May, Tyler and I didn’t see any Manta Rays, which was a bummer, but in October we went again and it was the coolest experience to see them. Tours go out with a guide and hold onto a floating light in the water that attracts the plankton. The manta rays swim around at night and eat plankton. I have a TikTok video that I will link here explaining more about the manta ray snorkel. We use Eka Canoe Adventures and loved our knowledgeable guides as well as the eco-friendly boat that we rode out on! The adventure was around $130pp. https://ekacanoeadventures.com
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRcYWGp3/
— Hilo Market: We honestly did not spend much time in Hilo on either trip to the island. Next time we visit, we will have to explore that area more! We quickly stopped in Hilo for about 2 hours while we were on our way to Volcanoes National Park. Tyler and I enjoyed stopping at the market to get some local fruits and produce!
Hiking
There are a few different hikes that we loved! The first was Waip’io Valley lookout. This isn’t much of a hike, but still a beautiful spot. We did this on our way around the island to Hilo and it was a good stop to break up the drive.
Pololu Valley: I liked this hike better than Waip’io Valley. It was a steep hike downhill for about a mile and then straight uphill on the way back. You could hike all the way down to the beach at the bottom as well as explore the valley.
–– Akaka Falls: This was a short like-less than a mile. You have to pay to get into this state park, but it was less than $20. The hike is super easy and through lots of greenery!
Green Sand Beach: This was a very long hike! There are only 4 green sand beaches in the world, so it is definitely a unique activity! There is a parking lot and then it is a 2.5 mile walk to the beach. There are locals with trucks that offer to drive you to the beach, but from what I read, it is frowned upon to use the trucks because the land surrounding the area is considered sacred by locals! We opted to walk the 2.5 miles along the clay dirt path to reach the beach! We were working against daylight, so we opted to stand and overlook the beach. There is no shade along the trail so bring sunscreen!
Volcanoes National Park: We spent a few hours in Volcanoes National park and had a great time. Unfortunately, we were not there when lava was visible (which I was really hoping to see). We did a hike called Crater Rim Trail, which was awesome to walk into an actual volcanic crater.
Beaches:
- Ka’elehuluhulu: This was one of our favorite beaches! It was definitely a hike to get here- about a mile long walk! The beaches are beautiful, white and sandy, not crowded, and we saw tons of wildlife! There were 4 turtles just sunbathing on the rocks! This was Tyler’s favorite beach.
- Hapuna Beach State Park: This was my personal favorite beach! It is the largest white sand beach on the island. There was a cove where we saw more sea turtles!
Restaurants/Food:
- OBISIC: This was my favorite shave ice on the island! The consistency is so smooth and they have unique flavor combinations
- Brown’s Beach House: We accidentally went to this restaurant, which is located in the Fairmont, and were shocked by how expensive it is. While it is expensive, it is probably the best meal either of us have ever had. They gave us Ube bread to start and I am still thinking about it! Thankfully, we had our $100 resort credit to help cover the bill. If you want to splurge on a meal, highly recommend this restaurant!
- On the Rocks: This restaurant is in downtown Kona and we went both times we were on the Big Island! The food is great, there is live music, and it is right on the water.
- Juice 101 Acai bowls: This shop is located in Waikoloa Village (right by the Marriott Waikoloa or Fairmont). Tyler and I agreed that this was our favorite açaí bowl we had on this island
- Fruit Stands: There are so many wonderful fruit stands along the roads filled with local, exotic (to us mainlanders) fruits! They are usually family run and both stands I show below provided wonderful service.
That wraps up this Big Island Hawaii Guide! Stay tuned for my Hawaii travel hacking post so you can learn how to travel hack your way to Hawaii as well:)
