Hey, everyone! I just thought I’d (finally!) post about our Big Island Trip, with an itinerary and photos. Feel free to ask any questions!
We took two trips to the Big Island, one over Thanksgiving and one over New Years. I’ve posted the itinerary according to the easiest and most convenient way to do these things.
We spent several days just driving and driving. That can get so old SO fast! Hopefully this can help you maximize your trip with as little driving as possible with the maximum adventure!
We had two little ones with us. Everything we did was kid friendly, minus going to the very top of Mauna Kea. My husband did that alone in the Jeep, while I stayed down at the visitor’s Center with the girls.
For both trips, we stayed at KMC. It was a GREAT experience at KMC. We highly recommend staying there if you can! There’s a fireplace in every cabin. You can get firewood and ingredients for s’mores at their little shop.
We ate both breakfast and dinner almost every meal at their little diner. They offer 25% off your check for E-6 and below. Which is significant when it starts adding up!
Both times, we rented our vehicle from Budget. The second trip, they didn’t have a vehicle for us, despite the fact that we had a reservation. Most definitely call and confirm that they have a vehicle for you! They left us with no choice but to rent a taxi TO KMC. The bill came up to $120 one way. The lady at the counter said they’d reimburse us for our entire bill. Later, we learned that they only cover up to $50. 🙄
On our trips to other Islands, we used Turo, which is a car rental app. It was way less expensive and actually EASIER! 10/10 recommend!
Hilo:
A. Ken’s House of Pancakes for breakfast.
We only had breakfast here. It’s basically a Hawaiian ihop, with several different local syrup options. It’s open 24/7 and near the airport.
B. Rainbow Falls.
This waterfall is just powerful! It’s a lookout. Simply park, get out and walk up the ramp and you’ll see it. It’s incredible! If you go in the morning (we went around 9am), the sun hits it just right and you’ll see where it gets it’s name: Rainbow Falls.
C. Akaka Falls.
To see Akaka Falls, you’ll have to pay $5 for parking, or show the person your military or Hawaii ID and it’s free! This is a sidewalk that is a big loop. It takes you to see several falls, with Akaka being the highlight. While it’s easy, it’s not stroller or wheel chair friendly.
D. Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens
Just the drive over to this place is magical! We honestly didn’t plan on going here, because we aren’t much of Garden people, and the cost of admission was a little high for us.
I learned that active military gets free admission and I was $15. It was definitely worth $15! This place even has their own waterfall! We took the stroller. It was almost entirely stroller and wheelchair friendly. There’s a ramp (like a boardwalk) that takes you down to where the garden is. It’s pretty steep. I was thankful my husband pushed the stroller back up when we went to leave.
E. Magic Pineapple Shack
This place has Instagram worthy snacks, soft serve ice cream, smoothies and sandwiches. It’s pricey. Our ice cream was $6. It was worth it, just for the experience. 🙂
While you’re over here, go see the Hilo bridge! It’s around the corner.
F. Kaumana Caves.
A little creepy, definitely not for those who are scared of the dark. I stood at the mouth of the cave with my girls while my husband ventured deeper. It is so pretty!! We really enjoyed this place.
G. Just Cruisin’ Coffee
This coffee joint in Hilo was a highlight for my coffee-snob husband. We literally went every day possible. Even when we were going the other way, he took an hour out of our day to get coffee. 🙄😋😂
H. Hilo Zoo.
This is one place we didn’t even up making it to. I wish we did though!
I. Mauna Loa Mac Nuts
They have samples of their nuts. The dark chocolate with sea salt was our favorite! You can even get a tour of their factory (we didn’t because it was a holiday both times we went😩).
Going to SouthPoint to Kona and back to KMC:
Breakfast at KMC diner.
(This is when my husband took that trip to Just Cruisin’ Coffee all the way in Hilo, even if we were going the other way. He said we “had to get gas.”😂)
A. Punalu’u Black Sand’s Beach
This beach was just so fascinating. The black sand was surreal. I wish we would have planned more time for this place. I wanted to stay longer!
B. Punalu’u Bake Shop.
This place is known for their baked goods. I recommend you get lunch here if it’s meal time soon. The trip to SouthPoint is very boring, in the middle of basically nowhere. Lol
C. South Point
Ever wanted to go to the most southernmost Point in the United States? This is it. Not much to look at. But we went just to say we did!
D. Green Sand’s beach.
This place is literally right next to South Point. We didn’t end up going because it’s a longer hike.
E. Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee farm
My coffee-snob husband absolutely loved this place! It seems a little sketchy going up here. Google Maps is correct. It’s so nice up here!
Yelp said their last tour was like 4:30 and we showed up around 5. They did a tour just for my husband! It was fantastic.
If you have kiddos with you, there’s a great big wooden playground right by the main road. Let your kiddos get some energy out!
F. Kona for sunset
There’s several dinner places that have the sunset dinner. Or you can enjoy it from many of the beaches!
At Kilauea volcano:
Breakfast at the KMC diner.
Sulfur boardwalk.
We walked from our cabin and pushed our stroller.
You’ll make a big loop from the steam vents, over to the visitor’s center, by the volcano house and back to the steam vents.
Since we were by the volcano house, we ate that for lunch. Enjoy the view of the crater!
After lunch, we walked back to the steam vents and to the cabin.
From there, we drove Chain of Crater’s. It’s pretty long, especially if you get out and enjoy the stops! It’s very interesting, know each place used to be covered in lava!
After that, hike devastation trail. We weren’t able to do this, because it was closed for the government shut down.
Thurston Lava tube is closed. It collapsed when the volcano was active last. Don’t plan on doing this.
Update: they fixed the lava tube!! Put it on your itinerary!!
To Waipio and Mauna Kea:
Breakfast at KMC
A. Just Cruisin’ Coffee. Because my husband couldn’t get enough.
If you didn’t do the caves before, do them now! You’ll be passing them anyway.
B. Laupahoehoe Park.
One of those places that we stopped by just because. It was definitely different, looking at the wave breakers.
C. Tex Drive in
They’re famous for their Malasadas. Don’t get me wrong, they were good, but not as good as Leonard’s (for those of you who live on Oahu).
D. Waipio Valley. There’s a lookout you can enjoy. If you don’t have kids, you can hike down to the black sand’s beach and the waterfall. I really wanted to hike down, but it’s not safe for little ones due to the elevation difference.
Take Saddle Road to Mauna Kea. I wish I would have pulled over and taken a photo of this road. It was so pretty! Almost like a screen saver on your computer.
E. Mauna Kea.
This is a must-do. Being a sweater because it is cold. Don’t expect much unless you go to the top. It’s a small visitor’s center with just a gift shop.
Over across from the visitor’s center, there’s a hill. If you hike up it, the sunset is so pretty over there!! It’s kid friendly!
My husband went to the top of Mauna Kea, while I stayed down at the visitor’s center with my girls.
Just being above the clouds left me speechless!
Going to The top of Mauna Kea, you’ll need a 4 wheel drive vehicle. So be aware of that. Also, be aware that it’s a lot colder up there!! Bring a hoodie!
After visiting several islands, Big Island is still our favorite!
Follow me on Instagram to see where our latest adventure has taken us! @adventure_m_n_m
I hope this helps some of you! Again, I’m open to any questions anyone might have. Just follow me on Instagram and send me a message! I’m happy to help!
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