Thoughts on accommodations on Big Island?

[ScoopKona]

1) I wouldn’t try doing a loop and the park on the same day. It will just be too long. This way you won’t feel as rushed and can take as much in as possible.

2) If you like snorkeling there is quite a bit, but from what I have observed the beaches on BI are not as sandy as on Maui and I’ve found the seas to be tougher for entry/exit (I’m quite experienced). That said, they are spectacular and a good experience for kids who know how to use a dry snorkel (our four kids range from ages 10-17 on this trip).

[Numbers added for clarity]

1) If you leave at oh-dark-30 in order to see the glow before dawn, the day feels considerably shorter (and the drive there most certainly is quicker. The only people on the roads at 3am are the police and knowledgeable visitors who go to the volcano at 3am.) Bring breakfast. Enjoy breakfast at the park. And then it's a leisurely drive to Punalu'u and South Point. And you're going in the opposite direction of everyone who didn't wake up at oh-dark-thirty. You have a clear road. They have traffic. You're back at the resort by mid-afternoon. And then it's "lazy cooking day" for the rest of the day. This would be an ideal time to experiment with Lum's* Char Siu sauce.

2) Two-Step Beach. (Proper name, Pae'a). Everyone calls it Two-step. Why? There are two literal stone steps to get in and out. There's also a boat ramp. Just be careful about the boat ramp, because a wrong turn and you're in a shallow rocky area. I just use the steps. It's better to just jump in near the steps with your gear. You can't miss the steps because everyone congregates there. Then put your gear on, snorkel, and use the steps to haul yourself out.

* Lum's really needs to put me on the payroll, all the free copy I'm giving them. So skip the Lum's, and try delicious Monkey King Huli Huli rub! Monkey King Rub. Ask for it by name. Available at fine coffee farms in precisely one location!

 

[BingoBangoBongo]

I know this isn't practical for everyone, but on our second of three trips to the BI we booked a room near the Volcano while keeping our room at Kings Land. It really makes for a much more relaxed trip and saves packing up and traveling with all your luggage/gear. The volcano was active at the time and we went back up to the park after dark and again the next am. We also stopped at the Vanilla farm for lunch/tour on the return trip and then some malasada's at Tex's too!

 

[SandyPGravel]

You only have to stay in one place. The Big Island is big. But it's not THAT big.

This is kind of what I was wondering about. Thanx. My plans are even farther out (spring 2025) So I'm just absorbing info at this point.

 

[TheHolleys87]

I'm close to booking at least the Hilo portion of our stay, and figured I'd ask this question here, as well. We plan on being on BI from 7/6 through 7/13, and right now, I'm thinking of staying in HVNP from 7/6-7/9, with the remaining time spent on the western side of the island. Are 2 days and some change enough for the volcano/hiking, or should I extend that to 7/10? I'd plan on traveling a bit one of those days so that we're not just entirely doing volcano stuff.

I’m sort of late to this party, but let me tell you my experience. My first two visits to the BI were before the saddle road was open to regular cars, so we took the southern route from Kona Coast to the volcano in the morning and the northern route home in the afternoon. It was a long day, but we were able to drive Chain of Craters road and walk through the Thurston lava tube. Third visit, we flew into Hilo and spent the first night at Volcano House but not in a crater rim room, but it was nice walking along the crater in the very early morning mist. Finally, in 2016 we spent the night in a crater rim room, with a view of the glow from Halemaumau. That was my most memorable experience at the volcano!

All of that was to say, two nights is probably too much, but spending one night at Volcano House (especially early in your trip, when you’re still waking up early in the morning) would be a lovely start to a visit!

 

[jabberwocky]

[Numbers added for clarity]

1) If you leave at oh-dark-30 in order to see the glow before dawn, the day feels considerably shorter (and the drive there most certainly is quicker. The only people on the roads at 3am are the police and knowledgeable visitors who go to the volcano at 3am.) Bring breakfast. Enjoy breakfast at the park. And then it's a leisurely drive to Punalu'u and South Point. And you're going in the opposite direction of everyone who didn't wake up at oh-dark-thirty. You have a clear road. They have traffic. You're back at the resort by mid-afternoon. And then it's "lazy cooking day" for the rest of the day. This would be an ideal time to experiment with Lum's* Char Siu sauce.

2) Two-Step Beach. (Proper name, Pae'a). Everyone calls it Two-step. Why? There are two literal stone steps to get in and out. There's also a boat ramp. Just be careful about the boat ramp, because a wrong turn and you're in a shallow rocky area. I just use the steps. It's better to just jump in near the steps with your gear. You can't miss the steps because everyone congregates there. Then put your gear on, snorkel, and use the steps to haul yourself out.

* Lum's really needs to put me on the payroll, all the free copy I'm giving them. So skip the Lum's, and try delicious Monkey King Huli Huli rub! Monkey King Rub. Ask for it by name. Available at fine coffee farms in precisely one location!

Agree completely on two-step - it’s excellent snorkeling . Spent three hours splashing around there yesterday before the water started getting choppy just after noon. You will need to be patient as the steps are fairly narrow and by around 10:30 am there was a line to get in the water. Also stopped by Captain Cook but didn’t snorkel there as it wasn’t feasible to get the kids out that far.

We headed out to the Volcano at 6:30 am and arrived at the park around 10 am. Our understanding was the lava flows have pretty much died down and there isn’t really much of a glow to be seen before or after dark. If we had just arrived from the mainland I might have been tempted to hit the road even earlier, but have definitely adjusted to island time


Traffic wasn’t bad at all on the coastal route and were able to make a few short 30 or so min stops (donuts, taro sweet rolls and coffee at the Panalu’u bakery and a black sand beach visit to see the turtles). After seeing the usual stuff, we also took a few hours to hike the Kilauea Iki Crater. Traffic wasn’t too bad on the return (other than a power pole having come dislodged and hanging precariously over the road requiring police to control traffic). Being back at Kingland at 8:30 pm was perfect for us and allowed a nice stop for dinner.

 

[NTP66]

Side note with all of this: I'm finding that prices for hotels via Chase's Travel Portal are somehow cheaper than booking direct. Honestly a little surprised by that.

 

[zentraveler]

Our party of 3 just returned from 5 nights in Kauai and 3 nights at Waikoloa, BI. I don't think I'll do that again. Spent too much time at the airport. Got up early to get to the BI and the hassle of getting another rental car doesn't appeal to me. Maybe if it were a week at each location then maybe. But then again, living in California, getting to Hawaii is relatively easy. We brought scuba gear so that was another 2 bags to schlep around. If you're staying on the BI, I love Kings Land. Then Kohala and Bay Club. Ocean Tower and Hilton Waikoloa Hotel are my least favorites. Kings Land will allow you the best pools on the island. I prefer to stay at the timeshare because the hotels grounds are generally too large, you pay for parking, and the rooms are smaller.

Let us know what you end up doing. Aloha!

We have the advantage of living on the west coast so can get to Hawaii more frequently, but even with 2 weeks we pick one island. And all of the island have so much to see and do. So much wasted vacation time and energy to change islands; airports, rental cars, more shopping, early check out times, late check in times.

Just too much wasted time, effort and stress for us but I understand why it makes sense if you can't come often and really want to see as much as possible. Just be aware of all of the time moving around takes; it is easy not to factor that in (learned the hard way).

 

[zentraveler]

I know this isn't practical for everyone, but on our second of three trips to the BI we booked a room near the Volcano while keeping our room at Kings Land. It really makes for a much more relaxed trip and saves packing up and traveling with all your luggage/gear. The volcano was active at the time and we went back up to the park after dark and again the next am. We also stopped at the Vanilla farm for lunch/tour on the return trip and then some malasada's at Tex's too!

We do that too. We are willing to "double book" a night or two; buys so much more relaxing of a time and completely worth it to us.

 

[ScoopKona]

Traffic wasn’t too bad on the return (other than a power pole having come dislodged and hanging precariously over the road requiring police to control traffic).

The answer to the question, "Why do I have the best surge and outage protection money can buy?"

 

[daventrina]

[Numbers added for clarity]

1) If you leave at oh-dark-30 in order to see the glow before dawn, ...

There is no glow to see for anytime in the predictable future. Likely weeks, maybe months .. and then may only last a couple top few weeks.
Not much point in making plans for that until there is any specific activity.

 

[JulieAB]

Compared to our 12+ hours of total travel time each trip from PA? No, I'm not jealous at all...

I'm honestly not sure how much snorkeling I'll do on BI because I'm still working on getting my daughter comfortable in doing so. She did well at Baby Beach last year, but that's pretty sheltered and shallow, and I want to do it a few more times before we branch out with her. I won't snorkel solo unless I use a snorkel charter or something where I'll have others around me.

not sure how old your daughter is but when ours was 5, she preferred just her mask and I had her use a life jacket. By the end of that trip, she was using the snorkel. She liked hapuna because you can see so well and just wade out, but also two step because the entry is so easy and you see a lot of life close to shore. I made her use the life jacket most of the time during our trip when she was 8 as well so it was easier on me. The rest of us always swim with snorkel vests.

 

[DRIless]

We're finally going to start adding a second island to our trips in 2024, and I intend to add BI to our Maui visit. Knowing next to nothing about the island, does anyone have any thoughts on a location to stay? We're a family of 3, and have no issues with a studio. Daughter loves the pool, and I prefer to snorkel as much as possible. I'd prefer to rent a timeshare from another owner via TUG or Redweek, but am open to hotels, too. AirBNB would be a hard pass, though.

Why ? Airbnb is an advertising platform (just like TUG or Redweek) the best there is for short term rentals, why a pass?

 

[Luanne]

Why ? Airbnb is an advertising platform (just like TUG or Redweek) the best there is for short term rentals, why a pass?

Many times it's the fees and cancellation policies. In some locations, maybe not on the Big Island, short term rentals are being tightened up and you don't always know if you are getting a legal rental. Maui is one place this is happening. Also, there have been a few horror stories associated with airbnb.

 

[NTP66]

What Luanne said. Plus, I refuse to support them in general. I'll stick with hotels and timeshares.

 

[Luanne]

What Luanne said. Plus, I refuse to support them in general. I'll stick with hotels and timeshares.

I will also rent condos, but only through a reputable local agency.

 

[Luanne]

Another of those airbnb nightmare stories:

MSN

 

[NTP66]

So my dates are finally open to book, and holy hell is Hilton Waikoloa Village expensive. $3k for 5 nights and that doesn't even include the $48 daily parking fee. May just go with my original pick of Kings’ Land Waikoloa ($1600). I'm not cheap, but that seems excessive.

 

[JIMinNC]

So my dates are finally open to book, and holy hell is Hilton Waikoloa Village expensive. $3k for 5 nights and that doesn't even include the $48 daily parking fee. May just go with my original pick of Kings’ Land Waikoloa ($1600). I'm not cheap, but that seems excessive.

For what it’s worth, based on our experience pricing beach resort type of hotels over the past year or so, the prices you saw for the full service Marriott/Hilton/Hyatt brands are the current market prices. We paid about $6k for six nights at the Westin Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman back in January in a partial ocean view room. We did get a free upgrade to OV. Prices are high. That’s why our Marriott and Hilton timeshares look so good right now.

 

[NTP66]

We were basically trying to be right on the beach, but I think if we look at the end of the BI stay as day trips, staying at Kings' Land is probably going to be just fine. It'll be a different experience from MOC where we take both sunrise and sunset walks on the beach every single night, for sure. We'd probably be doing ourselves a favor by trying something different, too.

 

[JulieAB]

We were basically trying to be right on the beach, but I think if we look at the end of the BI stay as day trips, staying at Kings' Land is probably going to be just fine. It'll be a different experience from MOC where we take both sunrise and sunset walks on the beach every single night, for sure. We'd probably be doing ourselves a favor by trying something different, too.

I feel like it's about what you value most. When we stayed at kingsland, it was nice, but if we had to drive to be at a beach, I'd rather stay closer to one. We didn't use the hilton pools or lagoon because we'd rather be at the real deal. We value location over accommodations and are staying closer to Kona this time. Ask your wife. If she loves those walks on a (fake) beach, then the money is worth it.

 

[NTP66]

I think I've decided to just stick with my original choice, Kings' Land. We can always visit Hilton Waikoloa Village for the lagoon/pool once or twice if we want to, but that savings on cash can go towards activities or something else. We don't spend a lot of time in the room, anyway.

 

[NTP66]

Dumb question, but for those who have stayed at Kings' Land, is there a specific room type that I should be looking for in order to be located in a building close to the pools?

 

[JIMinNC]

Dumb question, but for those who have stayed at Kings' Land, is there a specific room type that I should be looking for in order to be located in a building close to the pools?

If you were booking with HGVC Club Points, there are specific room categories that you can choose to get you into the Phase I buildings, some of which are nearest the major pools. With cash, though, I'm not sure how HGVC categorizes the various unit types for rentals on Hilton.com or other booking sites.

Even booking with HGVC points, while you can choose Phase I or Phase II unit types, even if you choose Phase I, you could easily be assigned to a Phase I unit that is somewhat more distant from the main pool. For example, Buildings 1-11 in the map below are all Phase I, so you could easily be assigned to any one of them even when booking with HGVC Points. Buildings 21 and 22 across the street are smaller Phase II units. Buildings 23-25 (Phase III) are a mix of Phase I and II type units.

You might get some idea of whether you are booking in a larger Phase I unit or smaller Phase II unit if the cash booking site says anything about the square footage of the units. A 1BR in Phase I is 924 square feet and a 1BR in Phase II is 600 square feet. Two bedroom units are 1269 sq ft for Phase I and 950 sq ft for Phase II.

 

[NTP66]

Yeah, booking through Hilton.com directly. I see 540sf (Jr King) and 768sf (1BR Deluxe King), but that's about it. I guess at the end of the day I'd deal with whatever, but I'd love to give myself the best shot at a room closer to the big pool.

 

[rickandcindy23]

We were basically trying to be right on the beach, but I think if we look at the end of the BI stay as day trips, staying at Kings' Land is probably going to be just fine. It'll be a different experience from MOC where we take both sunrise and sunset walks on the beach every single night, for sure. We'd probably be doing ourselves a favor by trying something different, too.

We are at Hilton Kings'Land now, and it's gorgeous here. Yesterday, we saw a Northern Cardinal in the tree behind us, bright red, not small brazilian red-headed cardinals we see all of the time. I have never seen one on the islands before. We also saw goats wandering on the golf course yesterday right behind our building one. We also see mongoose, but those are very prevalent on the Big Island.

If you booked a 1 bedroom, you won't be on the golf course, I don't think. Those are more like a Homewood Suites, but still very comfortable and nice.