Hawai'i -
Surf and sunsets (and more sunsets)
Surf and sunsets (and more sunsets)
Hawai'i
Hotels
Kileaua Lodge, Volcano Village. We spent one night here. This is a
charming place with nice rooms and great food. The rate for our room was
$135, which included breakfast. We had one of the more basic rooms, but
it was comfortable and nicely decorated. Some of the better rooms have
fireplaces. The hotel is only about 30 minutes from Hilo, so it is convenient
for sightseeing in that area as well as around Volcano National Park. The
only drawback was no TV (this was right as the Madrid terrorist attacks
happened, so we were anxious to hear some news). Highly recommended!
Ohana Keauhou Beach Resort (now an Outrigger resort). We spent our
other nights on the Big Island here and used it as a base for exploring the
west and north parts of the island. Mom had fond memories of
Kailua-Kona, thus my decision to base here rather than on the Kohala
Coast -- well, that and the generally lower cost. The hotel seems to be
upgrading. The rooms are fairly basic, but generally comfortable. I noticed
some rooms undergoing renovation. Our bathroom could have used a bit
of work, but overall it was fine. The setting was very scenic, and there are
some historical sites on the property. The pool is small but wasn't
crowded. Breakfast was good. I paid $150 per night for a partial ocean view
room with breakfast. We were able to leave the window open at night and
hear the waves. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Overall, I thought it
was reasonable and a good choice for the area. The downside is that
traffic in the Kailua-Kona and South Kona areas can be bad, to put it mildly,
and we weren't wild about the area in general. Mom was disappointed in
the town, based on her previous memories. Nothing against this hotel, but
next time I will stay further north at Waikoloa or one of the other Kohala
resorts.
Food
Bamboo, in Hawi. Good lunch.
Kileaua Lodge. Known for its food as much for its lodging, the Kileaua
Lodge was great. It has more of a mountain lodge feel than a tropical
beach feel. We had dinner there after exploring Volcano National Park. The
ahi was excellent. Portions are large, and include soup, salad and bread.
Breakfast was the best on the trip. The french toast is to die for -- three
different types of specialty breads, with coconut syrup.
Highlights
Volcano National Park. Again, this was my third visit, but following the
suggestions in The Big Island Revealed makes it much more interesting.
Unfortunately, seeing the active lava flows requires either a helicopter ride
or a very long hike, so we settled for a few steam vents. The lava tube was
interesting.
Volcano Winery. This was an interesting little diversion for about 30
minutes. It isn't often that you get to try things like honey macadamia nut
wine (actually, it has won awards; I brought some home as a dessert
wine).
Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park. South of Kona, this is a
former place of refuge. The setting is beautiful, and the self-guided tour is
interesting. Definitely worth a couple of hours.
North Kohala drive. We spent a day driving through Waimea, up the Kohala
Mountain Road (which, interestingly, was washed out in a major rainstorm
the day after), out to the Polulu Valley lookout and beach, through Hawi and
then down the coast by Lapakahi State Park and past all the Kohala
resorts. This was a very scenic drive. We only went part way down the trail
to Polulu beach, but the views were quite nice. Hawi was a nice stop for
lunch and shopping. We stopped at a few of the Kohala resorts and
thought the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel looked especially nice.
Lowlights
We ended up skipping some planned things around Hilo (Akaka Falls,
Onomea Bay, etc.) because we were strongly warned by National not to
park and leave luggage in the trunk. The agent said they had experienced
recent break-in incidents in such areas.
Kaua'i
our travels
home
contact us
Hotels
Kileaua Lodge, Volcano Village. We spent one night here. This is a
charming place with nice rooms and great food. The rate for our room was
$135, which included breakfast. We had one of the more basic rooms, but
it was comfortable and nicely decorated. Some of the better rooms have
fireplaces. The hotel is only about 30 minutes from Hilo, so it is convenient
for sightseeing in that area as well as around Volcano National Park. The
only drawback was no TV (this was right as the Madrid terrorist attacks
happened, so we were anxious to hear some news). Highly recommended!
Ohana Keauhou Beach Resort (now an Outrigger resort). We spent our
other nights on the Big Island here and used it as a base for exploring the
west and north parts of the island. Mom had fond memories of
Kailua-Kona, thus my decision to base here rather than on the Kohala
Coast -- well, that and the generally lower cost. The hotel seems to be
upgrading. The rooms are fairly basic, but generally comfortable. I noticed
some rooms undergoing renovation. Our bathroom could have used a bit
of work, but overall it was fine. The setting was very scenic, and there are
some historical sites on the property. The pool is small but wasn't
crowded. Breakfast was good. I paid $150 per night for a partial ocean view
room with breakfast. We were able to leave the window open at night and
hear the waves. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Overall, I thought it
was reasonable and a good choice for the area. The downside is that
traffic in the Kailua-Kona and South Kona areas can be bad, to put it mildly,
and we weren't wild about the area in general. Mom was disappointed in
the town, based on her previous memories. Nothing against this hotel, but
next time I will stay further north at Waikoloa or one of the other Kohala
resorts.
Food
Bamboo, in Hawi. Good lunch.
Kileaua Lodge. Known for its food as much for its lodging, the Kileaua
Lodge was great. It has more of a mountain lodge feel than a tropical
beach feel. We had dinner there after exploring Volcano National Park. The
ahi was excellent. Portions are large, and include soup, salad and bread.
Breakfast was the best on the trip. The french toast is to die for -- three
different types of specialty breads, with coconut syrup.
Highlights
Volcano National Park. Again, this was my third visit, but following the
suggestions in The Big Island Revealed makes it much more interesting.
Unfortunately, seeing the active lava flows requires either a helicopter ride
or a very long hike, so we settled for a few steam vents. The lava tube was
interesting.
Volcano Winery. This was an interesting little diversion for about 30
minutes. It isn't often that you get to try things like honey macadamia nut
wine (actually, it has won awards; I brought some home as a dessert
wine).
Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park. South of Kona, this is a
former place of refuge. The setting is beautiful, and the self-guided tour is
interesting. Definitely worth a couple of hours.
North Kohala drive. We spent a day driving through Waimea, up the Kohala
Mountain Road (which, interestingly, was washed out in a major rainstorm
the day after), out to the Polulu Valley lookout and beach, through Hawi and
then down the coast by Lapakahi State Park and past all the Kohala
resorts. This was a very scenic drive. We only went part way down the trail
to Polulu beach, but the views were quite nice. Hawi was a nice stop for
lunch and shopping. We stopped at a few of the Kohala resorts and
thought the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel looked especially nice.
Lowlights
We ended up skipping some planned things around Hilo (Akaka Falls,
Onomea Bay, etc.) because we were strongly warned by National not to
park and leave luggage in the trunk. The agent said they had experienced
recent break-in incidents in such areas.
Kaua'i
our travels
home
contact us
Kona sunset
Place of Refuge
Place of Refuge
Signs of life in the lava field
North Kohala coast
