Well, I just completed my first trip to Hawaii and it was great! Instead of doing my typical blog about each day I decided to write up some recommendations since I have had a few friends asking for them. We stayed in an AirBnB (Shout out to Pamela – highly recommend) on the north side of the island which gave us perfect access to the best beaches (in my opinion) but made getting to the southern parts a little difficult. And by difficult I mean an enjoyable 2 hour drive. Before I go into my recommendations let me say this first: Rent a 4×4 vehicle (like a jeep) instead of a car. Makes your life so much easier and opens up various parts of the island. Speed limits are low on the island because of the winding roads (max 65 only on a couple of roads), so please don’t embarrass yourself by renting a sports car.
East vs West – The East side of the island is rainy all the time, but beautiful. Think Jurassic Park feel. The West is dry, rarely rains and has very little vegetation, but has the best beaches/snorkeling. In the middle there’s a big mountain (well a few). The eastern beaches are rocky and wavy. None of these compare to the ones on the west part of the island. South has the national park and sea turtles. North is “harder” to get to, but much fewer people. Getting from the east side to the west side is fairly simple, but will take you at least an hour to get where you’re going. The roads are all paved and speed limits are low due to their sharp turns. The Hawaiian islands are overrun with tourists so I’ll say this from the start, if you’re looking to escape people you have two options: get where you’re going really early or go on a really long hike.
We did all of these and recommend any of them:
Volcano National Park – Obviously this costs money to go here unless the government is shutdown… There is a really easy hike/walk that shows you the crater, but smells so bring a handkerchief/buff to wear over your mouth and an inhaler if you have any respiratory issues. Most of this was shutdown thanks to the Government Shutdown, but still worth it. I’m going to assume the rest of the park is really cool. Also, looking for a lunch spot? Why not have lunch and overlook at volcano at the same time? Check out the restaurant at the Volcano House (decently priced by comparison to the rest of the island).
Mau’umae Beach – Best sand beach on the island. Not overrun and even has shade under trees. There will never be more than 40 people at this beach (I obviously cant promise that, but it will be difficult for 40+ people to get to this beach once the parking lot fills up). On the northern side so maybe a challenge to get to early if you’re staying on the east side or the south, but worth it. This beach is only open to 10 cars at a time so get there before 9am. (It’s an hour and half drive from Hilo, FYI). The beach is free and worth it if you’re looking for a good relaxing beach. We brought our lunch and just relaxed all day. Supposedly good snorkeling too, but the winter months made it too choppy for that. Go to the Mouna Kea Resort guardhouse and they’ll give you instructions. There are no facilities here so bring plenty of water.
Hāpuna Beach State Park – really good public beach. Costs $5 and will have a good number of people at it, but it’s big and has lifeguards if you’re worried about that.
James Cook Monument – Best snorkeling on the island and popular because of it. You can hike down to it, but it’s an exposed long hike. Instead, rent a sea kayak from “Ehu and Kai Adventures” (you can reserve them in advance I believe) and kayak over to the snorkeling spot. Really cool. We saw 400+ fish and it was super clear even though it was winter (which isn’t the case in most of the snorkeling spots). You can rent snorkeling gear at other places on the island. Some of the places even have masks with corrective lenses in them!
South Point Heiau – Southern point of the island. Great spot to watch the sunset and really cool area. No water access (unless you’re into cliff diving and possibly death) and wear shoes. Fun Fact: This is the “southern most point in the US” (which it really isn’t, because we own territory south of the equator, but whatever). The really cool thing is there’s nothing south of here but 7,000 miles of ocean until you hit Antarctica. The closest continent to this place is over 2,000 miles away. Hawaii is in the middle of nowhere and yet the Polynesians made it to this exact spot nearly 1500 years ago in canoes.
Punalu’u Black Sand Beach – Sea Turtles!! I mean do I need to say anything more? There are two parking lots here, just FYI. Lifeguard on duty for swimming and has restrooms.
Pu’u O Umi Natural Area Reserve – Looks like Jurassic Park. At least drive up to the Waipiʻo Valley Lookout. If you have a 4×4 you can get down into the valley easily. If you into hiking this is your place. Check out both the south and north parts of the Reserve.
Mauna Kea – You can drive up to the top of this mountain if you have a 4×4. Even if you don’t you can make it halfway up to the visitor center. There isn’t a lot to do at the center, but it’s a great sunset watching place when you add a very short hike.
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden – Worth the price if you like flowers, trees, and nature. Takes about an hour. ($20 per person)
ʻAkaka Falls State Park – Easy walk and cool waterfall. Taller than Niagara Falls, less water though. Costs $5 per car and $1 per person.
Rainbow Falls – right by Hilo. Worth a few minutes if you’re in the area, but not a lot to do.
aupāhoehoe Beach Park – good lunch spot, cool views. Not a sand beach, just visit for a bit.
Whale Watching – Whales make their way between the islands during the winter months. We saw four one morning doing their thing and even saw one BREACH! If you’re here during the right time of year, head up north of Kawaihae along the coast to see them.
If you make it to the north part of the island which is a 2 hour drive from Hilo or 1 and half from Kona:
• Kēōkea Beach Park – underused small park. No swimming here, but good lunch/relax spot and has restrooms.
• Pololu Valley Lookout – Awesome views. You can drive right up and check it out. If you’re into hiking, this is probably a good place for you.
• Kohala Coffee Mill – love coffee? Go here.
We used this guide book the most. It was funny and helpful:
Bivy Life 