Going to Kona, Hawaii in May any tips or suggestiongs?

[sublimestylee]

going for a week with my girlfriend in May. We plan on hitting the volacanos, snorkling, etc. Any other good sites to see, things to do, or places to eat at?

[elgecko]

Gotta have a cup of 100% Kona coffee!

[Mark Reccord]

Don't go to Hilo.

Volcanoes NP is a day trip from Kona (or a couple of them) and is a must see. I'd suggest bringing lunch with you as there's not much in the line of services between Kona and the park. I think you can get food at the hotel at the park's entrance. Hilo's about 30 minutes from the park and has lots of the typical fast food joints and a few decent restaurants, but the hotel situation is desperate. There literally isn't a decent hotel in town. Stay in Kona and drive back and forth. There are lots of amazing hikes in the park depending on the level of volcanic activity. The weather's relatively cool at the summit of Kilauea compared to that at sea level.

Take a trip to the top of Mauna Kea or Mauna Loa.

You might want to consider doing an island hop or two. Flights are cheap and can be booked on the spot. Maui's close and it's spectacular. I've heard that the snorkeling is better off Maui than off the Big Island (Molokini, etc.). You could easily do a Maui day trip from Kona.

[baba]

Great diving there, especially in the lava tubes off of Kona. This is also a good place to dive and watch Manta rays feed at night. Jack's Diving Locker is a good place for trips/rentals/etc.

I can't recall when the Humpback whales are there, but when they are in town it's quite a site....look into it.

I took a spectacular helicopter tour of the lush canyons and coastline on the island. I imagine it's pricey, but my company paid so I'm not sure how much $$$.

[Hoover]

Everyone's already suggested the things I would recommend (Volcano National Park, snorkeling, the coffee...)

Um, don't eat the poi. If you dig astronomy see if the observatory has visiting hours.

I actually found Hilo to be worth the trip, not so much because there's anything in Hilo worth seeing but because it gave me an excuse to circumnavigate the entire island and see stuff you wouldn't ordinarily see if you were "destination driven"

Saw a small residential neighborhood getting torched by a lava flow, that was pretty cool!

But yeah, the snorkeling is remarkable.

[Lazylion]

Bring us some macadamia nuts!


+1 to snorkeling/diving

[SteveC]

Splurge on your rental car and get a convertible.
Stop at a road side "farmers market" and buy fruit, granola, etc. to eat for breakfast and snacks.
If your room is ocean side, sleep with the lani doors open.
Don't forget to take time and do NOTHING as well as all the activities.
Enjoy! My wife and I spent 5 days in Maui and would go back in a heart beat.

[Jimmy Bones]

Personally, living in Honolulu, I found Maui to be more to my liking, preferring the countryside. Kona is too outdoorsy for me, too nature-hikey.

[sublimestylee]

Thanks for all the imput guys. We are staying in Kona and will be taking day trips to Hilo and volcanos NP. And Baba, do you have to be certified to go scuba diving? If i remember right when i was in the florida keys last year they did like a day long class to get you certified before you can go out. And SteveC, we plan on renting a Jeep during our trip... I'm a big jeep guy and recently sold mine within the last year and miss it dearly.

[baba]

Originally Posted by sublimestylee

And Baba, do you have to be certified to go scuba diving? If i remember right when i was in the florida keys last year they did like a day long class to get you certified before you can go out. .

You don't need to be certified as that takes longer than a day. You do need to go through a course with a certified instructor which usually involves some verbal instruction, an intro to the gear and it's use, and sometimes some pool or shallow water time. If you go this route, which I highly recommend FAR above snorkeling, it's usually just inclusive in a package and all happens the same day....including the dive(s). DO IT!! If you do I'm pretty sure it will be the highlight of the trip. SCUBA in general is other worldly, but in the clarity, diversity, and color of Hawaiian reefs it's simply amazing.

[MakiSupaStar]

There's a cool place called Cooks Cove, or Cook's Point. You drive down a little road off the side of the highway and all the way down to the beach. You'll see a little beach with a dude that rents out Kayaks. Cool guy. I forget his name. He also sells weed. Rent the Kayaks (he's pretty reasonable compared to in town prices) and kayak across the cove to Cook's Point. Cook's point is supposedly where Captain Cook first stepped foot on the island, and he is credited with 'discovering' the island even though there were already people living there. Anyway, Cooks point is a pretty cool snorkeling reef that drops off to hundreds of feet. When you're kayaking across the cove, you're kayaking across super deep water. This is also a cove where Dolphins go to mate. A very cool dive too if you're certified. Sometimes when it's clear you can hop off your kayak with a mask and see the dolphins playing on the bottom.

Hawaii is blessed with some of the clearest waters in the Hawaiian islands. If there's any place to take a discovery scuba dive, this is the place. I've dove in many places around the world and I must say that the Big Island ranks right up there with places like The Maldives. It's a little more expensive, but well worth it. Take a Discovery Scuba Dive lesson that goes out on a boat. The instructor will teach you how to use the equipment and then dive over the side with you. This also counts toward getting certified.

If you surf there's also some great waves on the Big Island, depending on the time of year. The Big Island has it's own North Shore (which is a cool little drive too) and there are breaks ranging from easy beginner mush to pitching barrels. It's worth taking a drive to the North shore because where the road ends, is a trail head for a cool hike into a giant rainforest valley (I think it's called Waimea Valley, but I could be wrong). I think there's also jeeps you could rent to drive down into the valley. There's also a giant sandy beach down there too (which is rare on the big island being that it's the youngest and mostly still volcanic rock). Coming back from the North Shore you can cut across Parker Ranch into Waikoloa which is a cool drive with lush rolling hills and HUGE panoramic views. If you golf, there's also some great golfing on the island up towards Waikaloa, but expect to pay premium prices. Green fees can be as high as 300 bucks a round.

Personally, when I go to Hawaii, I always make it a point to have a shave ice everyday I'm there. My favorite shave ice joint on the big island is actually just out of town on the way to the Volcano National Park. A good day trip is driving to this little shave ice joint (you'll recognize it because it's kind of the last shop in a little town and there's a big old willow tree with horses lazing in the shade. A good place to stop and eat shave ice. They also have it with the sweet japanese red beans on the bottom too. It's just past the Kona Coffee plantation (another place to stop and get some good coffee). When you're done with your shave ice keep driving to South Point. When you get to South Point it looks like there's really nothing there except a lonely parking lot and a few fishermen or dudes having a beer. Keep walking. This is some of the funnest cliff jumping you'll ever do. Bring an old pair of shoes, or those hiking sandals, because that volcanic rock can be sharp on your bare feet.

If there's a South swell (pretty rare that time of year), then Kona will start breaking. There are some cool surf spots in town. Even if you don't surf these spots at least have a wall you can sit and eat a plate lunch on while you watch. Hano's is just south of the main area of town. It's a big steep right hand point break. Then there's Banyan's which is named such because of the Big Banyan tree right on the point. There's a cool little surf shop right across the street too. I actually stay in those condos right off of Banyan's. I forget their name, but this is the way to do it. You get a place that is a lot cheaper with a kitchen and every balcony has a nice view for watching the sunset. You can cook yourself a great meal (saves you money because food is expensive in Hawaii), and drink a few cocktails with a lady as you see the day to a close.

I got married on the Big Island. It's a cool place. Very rural compared to Oahu and Maui. In Waikoloa is there's a Hilton with Dolphins in a Lagoon that you can pet. I didn't really like this. I felt really sorry for the dolphins, but if you can get past that, it's kind of a cool little tourist area.

[Solarmist]

I got to go once, and there's black sands beaches with lava rocks floating in the surf - that's kind of cool seeing rocks float. When you visit the volcano; try and stay till dusk as it glows red in the night. There were many frogs, snails, and spiders. It stayed overcast most of the time, and never got really sunny. Super humid too.