This past summer we began tentatively planning a trip around Christmas time/my birthday with my parents. We loved the little break from the long, dark Alaskan winter we got last year when we went to Disneyland in January and thought it would be a great time to cash in some airline points and get to Hawaii! I, myself, really wanted to get to the Big Island but my parents talked us into planning a trip to Maui instead. Long story short, we came to the conclusion that this trip wasn't in the cards for us when things got a little unpredictable at work - such is the military life - or so we thought...A few days after Jon went back to work after the Christmas holiday, he came home declaring the need for a break from the dark and cold. He said he had checked on the leave he took "way back when" we started planning our Hawaii trip and it had been approved! We started crunching numbers and got a hold of my parents and told them we would be joining them after all! This was especially exciting to them seeing as how we were the only ones out of my siblings they hadn't seen for holidays. Ironically, my dad had ended up planning to do a bit of island hopping and the days of our trip lined up with the days they would be on the Big Island :D I was so excited. Why give you all of this back story to our trip? Well, we booked our tickets about 4 days prior to departure so it was probably our most spontaneous trip ever, and while we did have some idea as to what we wanted to see and do, we know a little better what to plan for next time and also want to help *you* learn from our mistakes. So here's the run down of how it went and what we learned: TransportationOur flight from Alaska to Kona was about 9 hours of flying. We had a slight delay and ended up getting into Kona at 12:30AM. We were glad we had booked an airbnb not far from the airport for our first night so we could rest up for the big adventures to come. We also enjoyed not having to mess with rental car companies since we booked our car through Turo. We always have the easiest check-ins and outs with them! what We didThe next morning, we headed out to do some shopping. Since we had little to no prep for our trip, we all needed water shoes, reef safe sun screen, and even a little bit of summer clothes since, ya know, Alaska doesn't really provide those things ;) We also loaded up on bottled water and some snacks. Walmart was a great spot to do all of this. We grabbed some acai bowls for breakfast at Kona Wave Cafe which was a pretty fun area to check out. We visited the ABC store and spotted the cruise ships in the bay. It was a pretty busy spot and we ended up opting to pay for parking rather than mess around but maybe if we hadn't taken our time getting there, it wouldn't have been an issue. We were already having a blast taking in our surroundings! My parents flight from Maui wasn't getting in until afternoon so we set out to do a bit of exploring while we waited. We headed down south of Kona to our first stop, Kealakekua Bay. This bay is actually a historic site where Captain Cook landed in 1779. It's also a traditional Hawaiian religious site and we had fun taking the little trail and getting our first taste of the Hawaiian scene. The surf seemed a little rough at the time we visited so we didn't get in the water but our kids had the best time watching the waves crash against the rocks and spotting the crabs scurrying along. They got so excited to find some fallen coconuts, too! Another time, it would be interesting to make it out to the Captain Cook Monument, which you can get to by hiking trail or taking a kayak tour. After a short time here, we continued down the one lane road to Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park. This cultural site was, in my opinion, one of the prettiest places we encountered on the whole island. I wish we had more time to fully explore but my kids were itching to get in the water! Even in the short time we spent here, we felt it's serene and calming influence as a spiritual sanctuary and even got to listen in on a few cultural demonstrations. So, after appeasing me in my quiet walk, I rewarded my family by *finally* getting in some beach/snorkel time at Two Step Beach, which is right outside the national park. I enjoyed the little "pool" area with the two youngest and Jon introduced Hayden to snorkeling in the more open water. It was the perfect spot to hang out and wait for Grandma and Grandpa. Once my parents arrived, we headed to Hilo. Hilo is on the opposite side of the island almost directly across from Kona. When my dad booked his trip to the Big Island, his sole desire was to see Volcanos National Park so he thought he'd stay in an airbnb closer to that area. More on that later. To get to Hilo, we had a choice of 3 routes: the southern route - Hawaii Belt Road, the northern route - Mamalahoa Highway, or the fastest route - RT-200. We opted for the scenic southern route and it was beautiful. On the way to Hilo we stopped at Punalu'u Bake Shop, the most southern bakery in the U.S. We indulged in their world famous malasadas and sweet bread right before closing, which in typical Hawaii fashion is an early 5:00. Had we had more time, this route is a great choice if you want to stop at the most southern point in the U.S., Papakolea Beach - one of only 4 green sand beaches in the world, and, one of the places we'll definitely make a priority next trip, the black sand Punalu'u Beach. As I write this, I am glad we didn't have the time this trip because it gives us an excuse to go back :) Other highlights along this route include magnificent views of lava fields and, of course, Volcanos National Park. We had a wonderful airbnb outside of Hilo. The neighborhood was built on a lava field with the backyard leading up to a stunning cliff side next to the ocean. Views of stunning sunrises, whales, dolphins, and occasional visits from some turtles made it a dream location *however* it was rather far from any activities so it was definitely a give-and-take. Our next day, we grabbed breakfast at the famous Hawaiian Style Cafe. Honestly, this restaurant was listed in multiple blogs but it just didn't hit the spot for us. If you find a good place on the Big Island with coconut syrup on their breakfast menu, let us know! After breakfast, we headed to Richardson Beach Park. It was a pretty cool spot, the best part being that we saw about 6 sea turtles napping and hanging out waiting for the tide to bring them back out. It was a rocky and unstable walk out to them but very worth it, and of course, the kids had the best time playing in the waves. Afterwards we grabbed lunch at 5-Spice. We got some super good Korean style plate lunches with DELICIOUS mac salad! Then we decided to go visit Volcanos National Park. As previously stated, my dad had booked this part of his trip based on visiting this park due to active volcanic activity at the time. But activity had stopped about a month prior to our visit so my dad opted to relax at the house and the rest of us took off, expecting to see a crusted over lava lake and explore the park a bit. We pulled up to the visitors center and my dad called saying Kilauea started erupting on our drive to the park! All the park rangers were buzzing with excitement and we actually walked out to the viewing point from the visitors center with park rangers as they put out signs to guide visitors along the pathway. Instead of exploring the park, we spent our time watching a live volcano eruption from the crater rim - and meeting up with my dad as he made his way after us ;) It was an incredible view, especially at sunset, and a breathtaking, once-in-a-lifetime experience! As well as a good reminder that all adventures are worth taking - you never know just how big the experience will turn out to be! The next day, Jon and I cashed in a 1/2 day babysitting with the grandparents. While we could've taken the kids on the day's adventures, we had a good time taking advantage of a little date time. We booked a tour at the Lavaloha chocolate farm! On our way out, we checked out the pretty Rainbow Falls, and then made our way through the beautiful farmland. The chocolate farm was the prettiest setting to spend the morning with views of the bay on one side and views of Mauna Loa on the other! The tour was so much fun, where we got to taste fresh cacao fruit straight from the tree, see where the fruit is dried and fermented, watch a video on how they process the dried fruit and then...taste the wonderful samples of their best-of-the-best chocolate flavors. It was such a fun morning! Afterwards, we met back up with the rest of our crew and set out to take the kids somewhere we knew they would enjoy, the Pana'ewa Zoo - a free zoo with some fun animals that we don't normally interact with...the white tiger and big anteaters being favorites, in my opinion at least. Then we headed over to the site of the Hilo Farmer's Market for some shave ice at Kula - hands down, the Lilikoi (passionfruit) Dreamsicle being the best flavor! The next day was our last day with Grandma and Grandpa as we made our way back to Kona so they could catch their flight. This time, we took the northern scenic route back making a few stops along the way. We started off with a last visit to the Hilo Farmers Market buying a few souvenirs, another delicious shave ice, and acai bowl. Then we set out for a little hike around 'Akaka State Park. Hilo is the wet side of the island - getting the most rain than any other city in the U.S. Walking around this park was such a fun highlight of the trip really getting to see the rainforest plants of the area and the 250 foot waterfall wasn't a bad addition ;) One thing to know here is, not only do you have to pay for parking, you also have to pay per person to get onto the trail. It was worth it for our group! The .4-mile loop was a pleasant and easy walk, including wide stairs on some parts of the trail, but even our 2-year-old did the whole loop with no help and we all loved checking out the waterfalls and giant banyan trees and other tropical plants. Someone on the trail made the comment that it was like stepping into the Avatar movie and we have to agree! It was otherworldly for this Alaskan fam. Other spots along this route included a viewpoint of Waipi'O Valley which was certainly pretty and has a very interesting history, relaxing views of island farm land, and stunning views of Mauna Loa - the largest and one of the most active volcanos in the world. Given more time it would've been fun to spend some time seeing Polulu Valley as well. We've heard tale of a rope swing along the hike so consider that point being on our list for next time as well. After saying goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa over lunch at The Fish and the Hog, we drove into Kona to check into our next airbnb at the Kona Coast Resort. After getting everyone settled, I took off for my little birthday present from Jon - a manta ray night snorkel tour with Hawaii Oceanic. I went by myself because Jon had to stay back with the kids, but only with the promise that this will also be added to the list for next time ;) Kona, Hawaii is one of only places in the world to snorkel with these majestic creatures and this tour is not to be missed! I met my tour at the dock and was given a wet suit, ankle floats, and the rundown. The group was picked up by a boat and brought out to the location about 5 minutes from the dock. We were given snorkel gear and more instructions before swimming out to a big surfboard with a handle for each of us to hold onto while we watched the beautiful underwater ballet of 9 manta rays with wingspans averaging 14 feet. It was...incredible, breathtaking, awesome and wonderful! There were multiple tour groups out with us and they all seemed comparable to ours. I'm not sure if the company really matters but what does matter is that you book it!! Just do it. The next day was our last day on the island. We had planned on scoping out some beaches but on a recommendation from a local, we headed to Kikaua Point Beach Park. This beach is a special one, mainly because the only way to get to it is by going through private resort security so not many visitors know they can get to this public beach. We drove through the Four Seasons security gate where they gave us a free parking pass to the beach. We walked along Kuki'o Beach where we saw a few turtles along the reef close to the beach. The hidden gem part was found when we kept walking along the beach, through the lava rock in front the beach club, and around the point to find Kikaua Point Beach with an incredible "children's pool" completely blocked off by the reef making it the perfect place to hang out with the littles, but also a private little snorkeling cove that we had all to ourselves! We saw turtles and coral and beautiful colored fish of all sizes....now I'm not an experience snorkeler, but one of the people we talked to on the beach (who was actually on my same manta ray snorkeling tour!) seemed to be and he said he had never seen so much in such a small area. It was absolute heaven and the best place to take it easy and spend our last day on the island. That night we got dinner at Island Ono Loa Grill which was pretty dang good! The next day was THE WORST!! because we were leaving (sad face). You know those vacations you come home from and you were grateful for but you're just happy to be in your own bed? This was not one of those. We were so sad to come home because we had had the most amazing time. One thing I knew about the Big Island was that a lot of travel guides seemed to say that this island was the least suitable for young kids, thus why my parents were able to talk me out of it when we were originally planning. This consensus seemed to say that the adventures to be had on this island are a little too...extreme?... or grand with littles in tow. With the exception of the snorkeling tour, I found this to be false. It was a wonderful time for each person in our family with all of us itching to go back! I kid you not, looking at pictures once we got home, even our 2-year-old had a little meltdown when we wouldn't take him back to the places in the pictures - which was funny, yet painful because I felt the same way :) A few more places on our list for next time: the octopus farm tour, the sea horse farm tour, the Hilo zip line and maybe I can talk Jon into some parasailing ;) What we learnedI know this "travel guide" reads a little differently than some of our others because we didn't actually get to do a few of the things listed but we wanted to share our experience and what we learned. Biggest tip: booking the tour the day of won't always work out! We had such a short time to actually plan the trip and banked a little too much on being flexible with some of the things on our "to-do list". Book tours early if you can! Next, three nights in Hilo was a little long and if we stay there again, we would definitely stay closer to town. On that note, three nights in Kona was not enough! While Hilo definitely has some activities of note, most of the action is in Kona. We really did love spending time in both places, especially seeing the difference between the landscapes! Ooh, another tip: while we did do some great souvenir shopping around the Hilo Farmer's Market, the best Kona souvenirs were found back at Walmart! I know, it was surprising to me too but we learned this little trick knowing that one of the best spots for souvenirs in Fairbanks is the local Walmart as well :D We sure made some incredible memories as a family during this trip. While we have taken some amazing vacations with our kids, this one was definitely a favorite for our young family. Each of us enjoyed ourselves and are pining to go back. As always, we’d love to answer your comments or questions! Make sure to pin this post for future reference! Now that we're back home in Alaska, consider following us on Instagram to come with us on our day-to-day adventures! Until next time, we encourage you to get out and enjoy where you live!
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AuthorWe're just a military family enjoying where we live, one PCS at a time. Follow us as we explore our current home, South Carolina, and beyond. The world is our backyard. Archives
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