Traveling to Hawaii in July - any advice?

hi,

My family and I are travelling to the Big Island at the end of July. We%26#39;ll be staying for a week. There are 4 of us, and everybody is over 18. We%26#39;re either staying at the Marriott or the Hyatt. We are outdoorsie, adventerous people, but we also want to balance the activities experiences with some activities that allow quiet time together (as we haven%26#39;t seen each other much in the past year). It%26#39;s been a good 10 years since I%26#39;ve been to Hawaii, so I%26#39;d really like some suggestions for restaurants, activities, sites to see, even night-life. Any suggestions that anybody might have would be appreciated!

Thanks.

Apa

Traveling to Hawaii in July - any advice?

hi apa,

my wife and i just returned from the BI at the end of may. although it was just the 2 of us, we were able to explore the entire island in one week. it was fun driving around exploring the various parts of the island. the only thing we didn%26#39;t do is to go up mauna kea and watch the stars. however, for the outdoorsie person, you should definitely spend 1-2days at hawaii volcano national park. if you really want to do something crazy, take the time to hike out to where the lava is flowing. it%26#39;s one heck of a hike, but all worth when you see the action! when we left, the flow was about 3miles out. trust me, it%26#39;s a douzy of a hike!

other outdoorsie things are going to the waipio valley and there%26#39;s another valley you can drive to. both places you can hike down to the black sand beach. akaka falls is a very nice place to visit. there%26#39;s also a green sand beach at south point if you rent a 4x4 to get to the trailhead. i hear punalu%26#39;u beach is very nice and you may catch a sea turtle or two sandbathing. honaunau bay is excellent for snorkling. there%26#39;s also another place off alii dr. in kailua-kona that%26#39;s also a hot spot for snorkeling. it starts with a K something. i%26#39;m sure marriot/hyatt rents snorkeling gear. we went to snorkel bob%26#39;s and rented the gear for the whole week.

definitely do one helicopter tour and do it with blue hawaiian. if you don%26#39;t want to hike to the lava just fly to it! i hear that tour is amazing...you have several options for flights...you can fly over the valleys which is absolutely beautiful or fly over the volcano or do BOTH.

resturants...wow...there are a lot of places to eat on the BI. i definitely spend a nice night out at merriman%26#39;s in waimea. the food there is excellent. we went to a sushi joint in hilo called ocean sushi deli. cheap rolls that are good. pahu ai%26#39;i i think in the four seasons has a good breakfast buffet.

i%26#39;d try to find hawaiidan. he%26#39;s a regular on the forum and he%26#39;ll be able to direct u to those hole-in-the-wall eating joints and the activities that will leave you with a lifetime of memories.

i miss the BI...

Traveling to Hawaii in July - any advice?

ALoha......

Staying at the Marriott is a good base to utilize all the resorts resources and many restaurants. It was built to be a destination and have all you need.

It puts you close to the tropical area on Hawi to the north which has a lot of stuff from Kayaking the ditch, horse back; ATV tours.

Then there is Waimea with Parker ranch and access to Pastoral hawaii....it is also close to Mauna Kea Several upscale restauraunts like Merrimans.

A few miles are the beaches of Mauna Kea and Hapuna and more restauraunts.

It is easier to drive to hilo and the Volcano via the north and faster. The drive to Hilo is through fern forests and old sugar cane plantations with dramatic beaches ( not great for swimming) and botanical gardens.

As a rule, this coast is much more costy than in Hilo or Kona.

Kona has tons of reasonable diggs and places to eat and is more casual and economic It is also where the majority of watersports from fishing to snorkeling are found. Keauhou region is a compromise between Kona and Waikoloa in price and variety. It is more tropical than Kohala and Waikoloa.

Waikoloa Beach resorts are all up-scale and charge it. There resortl lie in great beaches and are built in a lava desert. Much like Palm Springs with pineaples. It is new and all pretty much crafted for the vacationer.

My suggestion is to grab first a map and circle places that excite your desires.... then using TRIP ADVISOR directorys on activities and hotels pick again what you like....its a fantastic way to gather others reviews and match them to your needs.

Then scan a lot of the stuff that other trip-takers have posted

It is a big place.....I would take sever weeks to see it..or bettr yet several trips. Seeing too much is as bad as seeing too little.

Let me know if I can help furthur......it sounds like spending time together is the most important of all......

HD

Aloha EOE, the Marriott is great. Stayed there last yr. The other posters advice is right on. You will really enjoy Parker Ranch, the volcano, Capt. Cook, and if you are a golfer like me** it%26#39;s paradise.

Hi there, I just discovered this forum. We are going to be staying at the Fairfield condos at the Kona Hawaiian Resort. We have never been to the Big Island before. I%26#39;m wondering if it is close to a ';swimmable'; beach, town, shops...

We were just in Cabo two weeks ago and stayed so far out of town (it was beautiful, though) that it cost us a small fortune in cab fare to go anywhere to shop or eat. I%26#39;m trying to avoid that situation again.

I would really appreciate ANY advice anyone has. Thanks so much, S

Aloha San Diego girl, yes the KHV is really nice. It is reminiscent of old Hawaii. Within walking distance of Kauila Village. It was recently redone since I was there last so it should be nice. They have a nice web site.

aloha

Where you are staying in on Alii drive and about 2 miles south of central Kona and near one of the better farmers markets, Alii Gardens.

The beaches are marginal here for swiming, however about a mile south is la Aloha beach..called MAGIC SANDS and is a local and visitor favorite. Fantastic body boarding here.

Another mile south is Kahaluu, the easiest snorkel and surf spot in the area...shallow water and lots of fish. It is Very popular. There are a lot of shore vendors here serving rental gear and even offering surfing lessons. the Aston Keauhou is a few yards away. It is also a state beach and has picknick and BBQ.

To avoid parking hassles there is a shuttle '; alii Shuttle that runs between Kona proper and Keauhou and offers you easy public transit. The cost is $5 per person per day....unlimited

You will find just south of that , 3.5 miles from your condo, the Keauhou shopping center which has 3 very good restaurants Royal Thai, Kenechi and Drysdales . All reasonable There is a Theater, a mexican and pizza pace as well.

Here too will be a KTA market and food that is reasonable and again avoids the traffic found in Kona. It has a bakery, deli and marginal fish and meat. ( Sack and Save in Kona has the best fresh fish near you) Great produce section. Liquor here is cheaper than Costco. ALso in this center will be found the cheapest gas....2.69 a gal.

Keauhou Bay is also the launch point for numerous water adventures to Kealakekua bay.... and is the site of the Manta Ray dives in 20 to 30 ft each night.

Have fun HD