For our yearly big trip this year, my husband and I went to the Big Island of Hawaii. My husband really wanted to see the volcano and I just wanted to be on the beach. What better place to enjoy the beach than paradise itself!
We started our stay in the Big Island at Hilo. Hilo is a quaint little town, untouched by commercialism like some of the other places in Hawaii. With lots of greenry and old buildings, the town reminded us of some of the places we had visited on our trip to the southern part of India. We stayed at the Hilo Seaside Hotel - not the most luxurious hotel by any means but for the money, it wasn't terrible. My husband, however, was determined to get out of that hotel the first chance he got so he booked a resort for us in Kona for the the last part of our trip.
On our second day in Hilo, we went to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to check out Kilauea. The weather was absolutely gorgeous with clear skies and low humidity. We went down the Chain of Craters Road and took pictures along the way of various spots where we could see the smoke coming from the craters. That was the highlight for my husband in Hilo. It was interesting to see the rugged terrain created by the lava flows. Though we knew the land was still fertile, it looked very uninhabitable and arid, like an alien planet in a way. On the way down to the end of Chain of Craters Road, we saw the Thurston Lava tube, a cave-like structure created by lava flows, and Holei Sea Arch. The whole drive took about 3 hours and was very entertaining.
After eating lunch at Thai Thai Restaurant near the park, we headed to go check out Akaka Falls. On our way, we stopped at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens. The one hour walk through this beautiful rain forest park set off the ocean coast was definitely worth it. From the recommendation of a few local Hawaiians, we checked out Akaka Falls (instead of Rainbow Falls). The scenery was absolutely breathtaking - a 442ft waterfall, set between lush vegetation, landing into a huge pool of water below. My husband and I just stood there for a while taking in the beauty.
While there weren't a lot of restaurants that we as vegetarians could enjoy in Hilo, we went to a small Italian restaurant called Cafe Pesto for dinner. The food and service there was excellent as was the atmosphere. And, more importantly, they had many food options that we could enjoy.
The next day, my husband and I, packed up our bags, ate breakfast at the Coconut Grill (in the Hilo Seaside Hotel), and headed to Kona. Since we had rented a convertible for the trip, the top-down two hour drive there was very relaxing and scenic.
On our first night at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort, we went to go check out the Keauhou Manta Rays showing as that was a special activity that the hotel arranged for its guests. The next day at Kona consisted of snorkelling at Kahalu'u Beach Park in the morning and lying in the sun at the Hapuna Beach for a few hours in the afternoon and enjoying the wonderful ocean spray. Hapuna Beach is one of the nicest white-sand beaches in the Big Island just north of Kailua-Kona. After the beach, the rest of the day was spent exploring restaurants and stores on Ali'i Drive.
All in all, though the four day trip was short, we took full advantage of all the activities and sights that the Big Island had to offer. Hawaiians are very hospitable and made the experience of being visitors fun for us. I can't wait to go to one of the other islands next!
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