I recently traveled to Hawaii for about two weeks and had the most amazing time! I explored and dined around two islands during my trip: The Big Island and Kauai. This post will go over all of the sightseeing, eating and everything I experienced during my week on The Big Island! I also have a Big Island vlog on my YouTube channel if you’d like a more detailed visual look into our trip! My vlog is linked at the bottom of this blog post!
WHERE WE STAYED/ACCOMMODATIONS
My family rented a villa at the Kolea at Waikoloa Beach. The unit we stayed in has 3 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, plus a stunning ocean view. Waikoloa Beach is a beautiful, serene area on the western side of the island with picturesque views of the coast and sunset. This side of the island is very dry and you will notice a lot of volcanic debris/rock formations. The villa we stayed in gave us access to a private pool which is absolutely beautiful, as well as a few local beaches all within walking distance. Nearby the Kolea villas is the massive Hilton Hotel at Waikoloa, which we also explored and walked around. If you prefer a bustling hotel scene, then you may prefer the Hilton, but I really enjoyed the peacefulness of having a private villa.
SIGHTSEEING ON THE BIG ISLAND
The Big Island has a lot to offer from Volcanoes National Park to waterfalls to a vast array of beaches etc… We spent about one week exploring the island, and having a car to get around was essential to that. While we didn’t get around to everything there is to do and see on the island, I do feel we saw a good amount of what is there! Here is a list of everything we saw on in one week on The Big Island:
1. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (we spent a full day here, and listed below are most of the attractions worth seeing within the park):
- Sulphur Banks
- Kilauea Overlook
- Halemaumau Crater
- Kilauea Iki Trailhead
- Thurston Lava Tube
- Devastation Trail
- Puhimau Crater
- Mauna Ulu Lava Shield
- Hōlei Sea Arch
There are plenty of stops you can make within Volcanoes National Park. From trailheads to viewpoints, there are plenty of attractions at all different levels here. My list here can easily take a full day to complete. This is not everything to see in the park, but it is a majority of it.
2. Laupāhoehoe Beach Park (a pitstop we made on the way to Akaka Falls State Park)
3. Akaka Falls State Park (admission was $5/person when we visited, plus $10 to park your car in the lot, or free to park outside of the main lot)
4. Drive along the Pepeekeo Maikai Scenic Route (a beautiful drive with lush, rainforest-like scenery)
5. Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve & Garden (costs to enter; we ended up skipping this, but my parents said it was beautiful)
6. Onomea Bay Trail (we parked on the side of the road, and walked along this trail which led to a nice coastal viewpoint. It is also alongside the Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, so you can see a little of it from here for free)
7. Downtown Hilo & the Liliuokalani Gardens
8. Punalu’u Black Sand Beach (easy access public beach with parking lot)
9. Papakōlea Green Sand Beach (an easy to moderate hike along the coast that is approxiamately 2.8 miles each way and leads to the famous beach)
10. Waikoloa Beach (small beach by our resort property)
11. ‘Anaeho’omalu Beach (small beach by our resort property and right next to Waikoloa Beach)
12. ‘Anaeho’omalu Bay (this is the body of water that both Waikoloa Beach and ‘Anaeho’omalu Beach are located aside. I also recommend walking through the Waikoloa Anchialine Pond Preservation Area while here)
A few other stops we were going to make, but didn’t have time to:
- Two Step
- South Point Historical Lighthouse
- Kahalu’u Beach Park
- Magic Sands Beach Park
- Captain James Cook Monument
There is still more to see beyond this list I have above. This is generally everything we were able to see within our roughly one week on The Big Island.
RESTAURANTS/BAKERIES WE ATE AT
1. Broke Da Mouth Grindz (Kailua-Kona)
2. Hawaiian Style Cafe (Hilo) – (one of my favorite eateries we dined at)
3. Makani’s Magic Pineapple Shack (Hilo) – (they specialize in smoothie bowls and ice cream)
4. Aloha Mix Food Truck (Naalehu) – (small food truck that specializes in shrimp platters and smoothies)
5. Punalu’u Bake Shop (Naalehu) – (a large selection of malasadas and other sweets/lunch food)
6. Umekes Fish Market & Grill (Kailua-Kona) – (a great restaurant specializing in seafood dishes and local cuisine)
7. Lava Lava Beach Club (wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here, but it was close to our villa in Waikoloa Beach, convenient, has friendly service and nice views of beach)
8. Original Big Island Shave Ice Co. (Waikoloa Beach)
9. Hot Malasadas Truck (Waimea) – (these doughnuts were amazing)
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Big Island is definitely full of exciting adventure, beautiful scenery, amazing eats, and more fun! I definitely recommend at least one week here if you want to travel around the entire island. There is truly something to see all throughout the island. I definitely recommend checking out the famous Volcanoes National Park, beaches, and dining at some of these eateries above! My personal favorite sights we saw on the island are the Green Sand Beach and Akaka Falls. I highly recommend checking these out, as well as the other spots I mentioned in this article!
