Thanks to many on this board that made lots of great suggestions on my original thread. I had a great time. I'll give some highlights below and things I learned which may help out future travelers.

Activities

- Volcano: Do make sure you subscribe to the USGS volcano notification service. It will tell you if there is an eruption and how long they expect it to last. We got a notification in the middle of the night and left from Kona at 7 the following morning. We got to the visitor center at 9 and walked out to the crater trail. It wasn't overly crowded and we were able to get to a close spot to view the eruption. It was awesome! When we left the park, the traffic was insane trying to get in, so I'm glad we got there when we did.

- Manta ray dive at night: This was a major highlight and I almost did it again during the trip. I was blown away at how they basically swim right up to your face and do backflips. It's apparently one of the few places in the world that you can do this type of thing.

- Snorkeling: I did the 2 Step in Captain Cook, Keauhou Bay Beach Park, and Richardson Ocean Park (Hilo). 2 Step was a bit rough getting in the water as the waves sometimes want to throw you into the rocks. Keauhou was also hard because there are a lot of shallow lava rock boulders you have to swim over. Richardson Park was my favorite as it was easy to get into the water over a black sand (fine) beach.

- Waipio Valley: I did a 2 hour tour through the only shuttle service I think that does it. It was really nice and the guide did a good job. You get a very good history lesson on the valley and the people that lived there, and it's great site seeing.

- Driving around: I drove all over the island, and one of my favorite drives was from the north side of the Island, from Kapaau to Waimea. You are very high up and can see a ton of the island, and they have these amazing green rolling hills, and other scenery. I'm having a hard time finding pictures, but it reminded me of the hills from the old Robin Williams movie, Toys.

- Banyan trees: Really cool to see these giant and unique trees. I didn't know they existed before visiting Hilo. One apparently had fallen over and killed a couple fisherman not long ago. Make sure to go down Banyan drive to see all the historic ones.

- Trails: I did the Kaloko-Honokohau Park trail to see sea turtles. You can basically hike along the beach and see several. I saw about 8 or 9. I also did the Puna Trail on the east side of the island. It is a long hike through the forest, mostly over lava rocks. The trail was pretty but the lava rocks were tough to hike on, so you had to really watch where you were stepping to make sure you don't turn your ankle. It lead to a really nice secluded beach at the end but was not good for swimming. Very large waves and lots of rocks. But I saw an eel, a sea turtle, and other wild life. It's about 6 miles round trip I think.

Food

- Super J’s (Captain Cook): This may have been my 1st or 2nd favorite stop. This place was like a Hawaiian Silver Moon Café. Located near Captain Cook, it’s very small and only has a few tables to sit at. They only offer a few dishes, which included Lau Lau (pork / butterfish or chicken steamed in Taro leaves) or Kalua Pork with cabbage. Everything’s served with mac salad, some cold salmon / tomato salad. I got Lau Lau and the Kalua pork. The pork with cabbage was perfect. This was the first time I tried Lau Lau, and it was awesome. Everything else was also very good.

- Kawamoto Store (Hilo): Holy shite. This is a must stop if you are in Hilo. Only open from 6am to noon. Everything is $1 to $1.50 pretty much, and they have an assortment of food. For the price, you get a decent taste of each offering, from Korean or Nori Chicken, to long rice noodles, masubi, sushi cone (not anything like a sushi cone that I was familiar with), stewed vegetables, and other stuff. I got a huge box of food for the wife and I and it was $9. The cheapest and one of the best meals we had.

- Thai Thai Bistro (Volcano): I tried this based on many recommendations on this board. It lived up to the hype. Had the green curry and some spring rolls. It was probably the best green curry I’ve had.

- Ola Brewing (Kona): This place was a big surprise for us. At the airport, a local recommended that I go here. The location is not where most of the nightlife is in Kona, but there are a few other bars across the street. Their beer was very good, especially their Lilikoi IPA…just incredible. I wish I could get it at home. I also had a local greens, macadamia nut and beat salad that was maybe the best salad I’ve ever had. Also had a mushroom pizza that was very good.

- Hawaiian Style Café (Hilo) – I arrived and there was a 30 min wait. I walked over to a chocolate / candy store nearby to browse (which was also awesome) while waiting. I probably only waited 15-20 min. Ordered the spicy poke bowl. It was excellent. This is a solid spot to eat at.

- Kula Shave Ice (Hilo): I’m a big fan of the natural flavored shave ice, even though I don’t think that’s necessarily traditional. But it’s something that you don’t see much in the Southern US at least. I had the Lilikoi Honey flavor, and it was one of the best shave ice’s I’ve ever had. But damn, $10 for a shave ice is absurd.

- Roadside Stands for fruit, meat, other food: One thing I’ve learned in my 2 trips to Hawaii, is that the roadside stands often offer better and cheaper food than what you get in grocery stores or farmers markets. The apple and ice cream bananas are so damn good, and I don’t even care for plain old cavendish bananas. The white pineapple is very expensive, often at $4 / lb or more, but it is worth having at least once. It’s a million times better than yellow pineapple. Mangos are also worth a try. And Lilikoi’s were a new and interesting fruit I tried this trip. Very tart, but good. I also got 1lb of Tuna from a roadside stand near Hilo for $20. The guy said he caught it the day before and it was cut the day I bought it. I smelled the fish and it had no fishy odor. Next to that stand was a grandma with her own stand, selling Lau Lau. So I picked up 5 of those for $20, and they were huge. I cooked both of those that night and it was some of the best Tuna I’ve ever had, and the lau lau was very good.

- Local Kimchi: Check your local grocery stores while in town and find Kimchi that’s made in Hawaii. I had some that was made in Hilo and Honolulu. Both were the best store bought Kimchi I’ve had and would rival what I’ve had in good Korean restaurants.

- One Ton Chips: This snack is sold in most places where you can find snack food on the island. They are wonton chips and are like crack. This is a must try.

Anyway, just wanted to share all of this for those that may be going to the Big Island in the future. I’d definitely go back!

This post was edited on 7/29/25 at 11:46 am

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Posted by jmorr34

Baton Rouge

Member since Sep 2004

3397 posts

Posted on 7/29/25 at 12:27 pm to SUB

Thanks for sharing.

Green rolling hills picture looks like the default Windows XP background.

This post was edited on 7/29/25 at 12:34 pm

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Posted by Saintsisit

Member since Jan 2013

5181 posts

Posted on 7/29/25 at 2:35 pm to SUB

I took these when we went in '23. Still a top excursion I've ever experienced.

They tell you not to touch them, but twice they came so close they rubbed against me.

Its amazing how big their wingspan is.

This post was edited on 7/29/25 at 2:37 pm

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Posted by lsujag

Member since Jan 2012

2838 posts

Posted on 7/30/25 at 8:22 am to SUB

Glad you had a great time. It’s my favorite of the islands. I find something new every time I go. And I agree, the manta night excursion is my favorite thing I’ve ever done on any trip

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Posted by SUB

Silver Tier TD Premium

Member since Jan 2009

25087 posts

Posted on 7/30/25 at 10:49 am to jmorr34