Big Island Recommendations?

[PDXGolfer]

Tuggers,

We'll be having an extended family reunion on the Big Island next month, staying at Kings' Land, with three generations of family spanning the ages of 1 through 72. Some of us have been to the Big Island before; for others, it will be their first time. Looking for your current recommendations on (1) places to eat, and (2) things to do, particularly near/around the Waikoloa side of the island.

For places to eat, sensitivity to food allergies would be a plus.

Due to age and/or health issues, not everyone in the extended family may be able to participate in each activity. And we probably will avoid driving too far from the resort (no drives over two hours), so probably no Volcanoes Park this time. But, generally, we'd like to visit some nice beaches (with sand), snorkel, play golf, and visit points of interest. A luau recommendation would be great too -- we've been to the one in the Hilton Waikoloa Village, and the show was entertaining but the food was mediocre (I know, typical of a luau).

Thanks in advance for you recommendations.

 

[klpca]

We like the beach up by the Mauna Lani (public access) although you have to get there early to get a parking place. Hapuna is a great alternative (cash only). Waimea is a cute town to visit and not too far away - maybe a half hour - and quite a bit cooler than Waikoloa. Lava Lava is the closest restaurant and it has a large selection of eats. They advertise as gluten free, but it's a pretty limited GF menu. We had a difficult time finding food that wasn't battered and fried. There's a Sansei in the Queens Shops that ought to please anyone. The Queens Shops also has free local entertainment which is always fun. Every time we've been there it's been a local dance school and we enjoy watching the kids.

As far as a luau, we don't usually do that but we did check out the "show" at Kingsland. It was fine, just a little bit hokey. I honestly preferred seeing the shows at Queens Land.

 

[gmarine]

Hapuna beach right down the road is awesome. Its been listed as one of the best beaches in the world. The parking lot can fill up early on weekends but was fine on weekdays when we were there. Calm water and decent snorkeling in some spots.

 

[Luanne]

This thread may have some ideas for you. The question was for both the Big Island and Kauai, but there are lots of restaurant suggestions for the Big Island.

http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?...the-big-island-and-kauai.258112/#post-2019747

As far as food allergies go, most restaurants are very willing to work with you. We have a neighbor who cannot eat onions and garlic (I know, poor thing). When we go to a restaurant she'll speak to the waiter (and sometimes the chef) to see what they can do for her. Many times she can order off the menu, but sometimes they do need to make slight adjustments. She also carries a printed list of the foods she can't have so the waiter is able to take it to the kitchen.

 

[Luanne]

Hapuna beach right down the road is awesome. Its been listed as one of the best beaches in the world. The parking lot can fill up early on weekends but was fine on weekdays when we were there. Calm water and decent snorkeling in some spots.

We love Hapuna. Within the past few years they have started charging for parking ($5.00) but it's obvious they are using the money to maintain the area.

You can also go to the beach at the Mauna Kea hotel, which is a little farther north. However parking there is even more limited.

 

[geist1223]

For those that are physically capable swimming with the Manta Rays at night is awesome. It does not involve much swimming about 10 yards from the boat to the Float you hang onto. It is at Keauhou Bay. We used Sea Quest. They also offer several snorkeling trips. South Point is about a 2 hour drive from Waikoloa Village. You can stop and tour the Greenwell Farms Coffee along the way.

If anyone in the group is retired military, active military, or in the Reserves you could try and get Reservations at KMC inside Volcano National Park. That way you do not have to try and drive over and back in one day.

 

[2disneydads]

For something a little different and not too strenuous, consider a visit to the seahorse farm/center near the airport down the highway from Waikoloa. It was really interesting - you'll learn a lot about seahorses. You'll mainly have time to watch these beautiful creatures in a way that is not threatening to them.

 

[daventrina]

For those that are physically capable swimming with the Manta Rays at night is awesome. It does not involve much swimming about 10 yards from the boat to the Float you hang onto. It is at Keauhou Bay. We used Sea Quest.

We'd go to Manta Heaven instead. It's closer and we think a much better site (It is right at the airport and boats leave from the harbor nearby). We've used Kona Honu Divers and Big Island Divers and had a blast all three dives. The last time we were there we had 29 mantas show up.

Here is the video from that dive:

The dive is set up like a campfire with lights in the center of the circle on the bottom. In the center on the top there is another set of lights pointing down. The divers point their lights up and snorkelers point their lights down creating an envelope of light where the mantas swim scooping up their dinner. Divers will do a dusk dive to Garden Eel Cove to check out the campfire for the manta dive and to see the garden eels. It's about a 70 dive for around 40 minutes. THe manta dive is not deep around 35 feet our last one was about 50 minutes.

An amazing experience. Before booking it, check with the dive operators to see how the dives have been going (how many have been showing up).

 

[PDXGolfer]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations so far. Keep 'em coming.

 

[PDXGolfer]

We'd go to Manta Heaven instead. It's closer and we think a much better site (It is right at the airport and boats leave from the harbor nearby). We've used Kona Honu Divers and Big Island Divers and had a blast all three dives. The last time we were there we had 29 mantas show up.

Here is the video from that dive:

The dive is set up like a campfire with lights in the center of the circle on the bottom. In the center on the top there is another set of lights pointing down. The divers point their lights up and snorkelers point their lights down creating an envelope of light where the mantas swim scooping up their dinner. Divers will do a dusk dive to Garden Eel Cove to check out the campfire for the manta dive and to see the garden eels. It's about a 70 dive for around 40 minutes. THe manta dive is not deep around 35 feet our last one was about 50 minutes.

An amazing experience. Before booking it, check with the dive operators to see how the dives have been going (how many have been showing up).

Very cool video! Thanks for sharing.

 

[PDXGolfer]

Lava Lava is the closest restaurant and it has a large selection of eats. They advertise as gluten free, but it's a pretty limited GF menu. We had a difficult time finding food that wasn't battered and fried.

Thanks, Katherine. Is your family gluten free? That happens to be one of the food allergies in my family (though not all of us have it).

 

[PDXGolfer]

As far as food allergies go, most restaurants are very willing to work with you. We have a neighbor who cannot eat onions and garlic (I know, poor thing). When we go to a restaurant she'll speak to the waiter (and sometimes the chef) to see what they can do for her. Many times she can order off the menu, but sometimes they do need to make slight adjustments.

Thanks, Luanne. That has generally been our experience too on other islands (Oahu and Maui), but we wondered whether the Big Island would be the same.

 

[PDXGolfer]

For something a little different and not too strenuous, consider a visit to the seahorse farm/center near the airport down the highway from Waikoloa. It was really interesting - you'll learn a lot about seahorses. You'll mainly have time to watch these beautiful creatures in a way that is not threatening to them.

Sounds like an interesting option. Thanks for suggesting it!

 

[klpca]

Thanks, Katherine. Is your family gluten free? That happens to be one of the food allergies in my family (though not all of us have it).

No, we're not gluten free but I usually find that the gluten free options are on the healthier side, and freqently use them as a starting point. My husband needs to eat a low fat, *mostly* plant based diet on the advice of his cardiologist and we found the BI to be a challenge. Fish was rarely grilled (sauces & fried mostly), and vegetarian options were limited as well, so we ate at home quite a bit. I just remember that Lava Lava had multiple GF options - I particularly loved the mediterranean hummus plate which we paired with a salad. (I just realized that it came with pita - they must sub veggies to make it gf, I guess). At home finding veg/gf etc is super easy, so it was just a bit of a surprise.

 

[itchyfeet]

I second the recommendation for Lava Lava Beach Club. It is one of the few restaurants right on the beach. Check their website for happy hour & music. If you have a special food request (such as no fried food), they will prepare it to your specifications. We also enjoyed the Hawaiian show at Kingsland (I believe it is on Thursday). KL also has music almost every late afternoon in the bar area.

 

[lynne]

It is definitely worth loss of sleep to drive to Volcano's National Park to experience the eruption in the lava lake at the crater just outside the Jagger Museum: https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/jaggar_museum.htm. If you drive via the Hamakua Coast, you can stop at Ken's in Hilo - the island's only 24 hour diner.

Ocean Sports has a package where you can have unlimited use of beach toys on A-Bay for a reasonable price. http://hawaiioceansports.com/beach-activities/aloha-days-at-the-beach/.

 

[Luanne]

It is definitely worth loss of sleep to drive to Volcano's National Park to experience the eruption in the lava lake at the crater just outside the Jagger Museum: https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/jaggar_museum.htm. If you drive via the Hamakua Coast, you can stop at Ken's in Hilo - the island's only 24 hour diner.

Even better is if you can spend a night in the area. We did the trip in one day on our first visit, but didn't stay for the night "show". Every trip since then we've spent at least one night in Volcano Village at the Kilauea Lodge.

 

[gmarine]

Even better is if you can spend a night in the area. We did the trip in one day on our first visit, but didn't stay for the night "show". Every trip since then we've spent at least one night in Volcano Village at the Kilauea Lodge.

I agree. We stayed a week last summer at Hilton Kingsland and one night mid week we drove to the National Park and stayed overnight at Kilauea Lodge. We were very happy we did. It was amazing.

 

[WinniWoman]

Mauna Kea Summit Trip https://maunakea.com/

and

Hapuna Beach

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

Here is a modest drive. Go up Queen K Highway (northward) until it ends. Watch how the terrain changes from scrub to tropical rain forest as you bend around the north end of the island. Check out the lookout at the end. (Don't climb down.) Go back to Hawi and hang a left on the road up to Waimea. (It's mostly lined with redwoods planted by the CCC in the 1930's). Crank down the windows and enjoy the fragrance. Once you get to Waimea, take the road down to Waikoloa, a left at Queen K, and you're back home.

Just the time and the cost of gas. . .

 

[SmithOp]

Here is a modest drive. Go up Queen K Highway (northward) until it ends. Watch how the terrain changes from scrub to tropical rain forest as you bend around the north end of the island. Check out the lookout at the end. (Don't climb down.) Go back to Hawi and hang a left on the road up to Waimea. (It's mostly lined with redwoods planted by the CCC in the 1930's). Crank down the windows and enjoy the fragrance. Once you get to Waimea, take the road down to Waikoloa, a left at Queen K, and you're back home.

Just the time and the cost of gas. . .

On the way up to Hawi, stop at the macnut place and sample a few flavor varieties, last time I was there they had spam flavor. Buy a macnut hotcakes kit, comes with everything included, even syrup.

https://hawnnut.com/

Then at the left in Hawi is a good BBQ shack, Kohala Zipline, and a farmers market. Then stop on the way to Waimea and check out the extinct Kohala volcano.


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[Johnsp]

Tuggers,

We'll be having an extended family reunion on the Big Island next month, staying at Kings' Land, with three generations of family spanning the ages of 1 through 72. Some of us have been to the Big Island before; for others, it will be their first time. Looking for your current recommendations on (1) places to eat, and (2) things to do, particularly near/around the Waikoloa side of the island.

For places to eat, sensitivity to food allergies would be a plus.

Due to age and/or health issues, not everyone in the extended family may be able to participate in each activity. And we probably will avoid driving too far from the resort (no drives over two hours), so probably no Volcanoes Park this time. But, generally, we'd like to visit some nice beaches (with sand), snorkel, play golf, and visit points of interest. A luau recommendation would be great too -- we've been to the one in the Hilton Waikoloa Village, and the show was entertaining but the food was mediocre (I know, typical of a luau).

Thanks in advance for you recommendations.

I agree with those who recommend Hapuna and Mauna Kea for best beaches. I spent every weekend growing up there and they are the best. Also, play golf at the Mauna Kea beach hotel. The course has gorgeous views of the ocean. Best place to eat is Marriman's in Waimea. Their website is https://www.merrimanshawaii.com/waimea/. Healthy and fresh. Have fun.

 

[sdtugger]

We will be staying at the new Marriott Waikoloa timeshare next month with a group of 9 (teens, adults, and 2 babies (almost 2 years and 9 months). In looking at the dining options, we are thinking Lava Lava makes sense and maybe another splurge somewhere. But, we are wondering what family friendly spots this group would recommend? We are also considering grilling and wondering if anyone can supply details about the place across the street that has grill ready meats? Thanks very much for any ideas!

 

[Luanne]

We will be staying at the new Marriott Waikoloa timeshare next month with a group of 9 (teens, adults, and 2 babies (almost 2 years and 9 months). In looking at the dining options, we are thinking Lava Lava makes sense and maybe another splurge somewhere. But, we are wondering what family friendly spots this group would recommend? We are also considering grilling and wondering if anyone can supply details about the place across the street that has grill ready meats? Thanks very much for any ideas!

By the place across the street that has grill ready meats do you mean the Island Gourmet market? If so, I highly recommend them. We bought several of their prepared meats when we were at Kohala Suites. I also got quite addicted to their poke.

For Lava Lava, be sure to make reservations ahead of time.

Other suggestions in the area:

Waikoloa Resort area:

Sensai Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar - in the Queen’s Shopping Center. Had the best sushi roll I’ve ever had there. They have a pretty extensive menu, not just sushi.

Waikoloa Village:

Pueo’s Osteria - very good Italian

Island Lava Java – a coffee place, but they have a nice menu. Ate dinner there our first night on the island. Not a fancy setting at all. The outdoor tables have a view of the parking lot.

Waimea:

Merrimans - this would be a splurge place

Lilikoi Café – this is a tiny little kind of take out place, some friends of ours who lived in Kona recommended it. Really good for lunch. Kind of hard to find, it’s hidden on the back side of a shopping center.

Village Burger – order at the counter and pick up at the counter. There is seating in the center where it’s located, the seating is for all of the food court type restaurants there. It is highly rated and does have a decent burger.

If you want Kona area suggestions let me know.

 

[sdtugger]

By the place across the street that has grill ready meats do you mean the Island Gourmet market? If so, I highly recommend them. We bought several of their prepared meats when we were at Kohala Suites. I also got quite addicted to their poke.

For Lava Lava, be sure to make reservations ahead of time.

Other suggestions in the area:

Waikoloa Resort area:

Sensai Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar - in the Queen’s Shopping Center. Had the best sushi roll I’ve ever had there. They have a pretty extensive menu, not just sushi.

Waikoloa Village:

Pueo’s Osteria - very good Italian

Island Lava Java – a coffee place, but they have a nice menu. Ate dinner there our first night on the island. Not a fancy setting at all. The outdoor tables have a view of the parking lot.

Waimea:

Merrimans - this would be a splurge place

Lilikoi Café – this is a tiny little kind of take out place, some friends of ours who lived in Kona recommended it. Really good for lunch. Kind of hard to find, it’s hidden on the back side of a shopping center.

Village Burger – order at the counter and pick up at the counter. There is seating in the center where it’s located, the seating is for all of the food court type restaurants there. It is highly rated and does have a decent burger.

If you want Kona area suggestions let me know.

Thank you!

Is Island Market part of ABC Stores? Sounds like that is worth a try. What kind of meats do they have and do they have big "batches" to feed 9?

We love Merriman's on Maui. But, we are footing the costs for all of the food so trying not to go too crazy for 9 each night. Maybe for 1 night. I believe there is also a Sensei on Maui. But, we've never tried it. Most in our group are not big sushi lovers (sad to say for me).

We plan to do a few 1/2 day drives, so I'd appreciate any recommendations in Kona or elsewhere. Thank you again!