What would you recommend as the best luau on the Big Island, HI?
mothertrucker asked:
My husband and I will be on the Big Island for a week in May.
(Ocean View area) What else would you recommend that we do/see?
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My husband and I will be on the Big Island for a week in May.
(Ocean View area) What else would you recommend that we do/see?
December 29th, 2008 at 10:14 am
There are weekly luaus at the King Kamehameha Resort in Kona, I believe on Wednesdays and Sundays. It’s pretty good, its on the beach, its in Kona town and not far away. There are others, in Waikoloa, which is about 20-25 miles from town. Unfortunately, most of these luaus are tourist-oriented; so there’s no home-grown flavor! Other great places to visit are the volcanos. You can’t visit the Big Island without going there. There are the Akaka Falls which are awesome, the gardens in Hilo, incredible. The Big Island is quite large, it will take a long time to drive around to spots, you may want to space your days out. Aloha
December 29th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Kona Village Resort’s luau is supposed to be the best: most authentic, best food, etc. It’s pricey and I believe they only have it on Friday nights, so you should check. I used to live on the Big Island, so here is a list of things I enjoyed there:
The pages I quote are from Big Island Revealed, 3rd edition.
Activities
1. Kayak across Kealakekua Bay – we rented our kayak from Kona Boys
(808-328-1234) and they were great!
2. Hike out to flowing lava – drive down Chain of Craters Road (in
Volcanoes National Park) to the end and hike out to where the current flow
is. If you want to call ahead, the number is 808-985-6000. They have a
pre-recorded update as to where the lava is flowing. I highly recommend
staying in Hilo overnight or at a B&B in Volcano Village if you decide to go
to the volcano. It will give you the chance to really explore the park and
you won’t have to drive ALL THE WAY back to Kona in the same day! Very
relaxing. Volcano Village is a great place. Aloha Junction
(www.bbvolcano.com) is a nice little inexpensive B&B we enjoyed. They have a
jacuzzi — there is nothing like soaking in a hot jacuzzi in the mist after
a night of walking around on the lava!
3. Walk to a secluded waterfall – if you have Big Island Revealed (3rd
edition), check out pages 228-229. That’s all I need to say except this:
TAKE INSECT REPELLENT! We loved this hike and would do it again (it’s more
of a wet walk than a hike), but we got chewed big time by the mosquitoes! Be
prepared and be smarter than we were — you’ll LOVE this! It’s amazing and
we never saw another soul the whole time we were out there.
4. Place of Refuge (Pu’uhonua O Honaunau) south of Kailua-Kona – page 71
in Big Island Revealed. Very pretty, very Hawaiian place. Important and
interesting.
5. Waterfalls of the Hamakua Coast – Rainbow Falls (you can drive right up
to it), Akaka Falls, Uma Uma Falls, and Kahuna Falls. All are well worth
getting to! I think the best time to see all of these falls is in the
morning when the sun is right. Morning is prettiest in Hilo and these falls
are all on the Hilo side. Be sure to look out (if you’re not the person
driving!) for the little unmarked waterfalls along the side of the road as
you drive down the Hamakua Coast!
6. Beaches – Mauna Kea Beach (Kauna’oa), Hapuna Beach, and Kua Bay are my
The Hawaiian
favorites. Kona Coast State Park (Kekaha Kai) is also really nice, but you
need 4WD to get to it. Really rocky road in! Make sure you spend AT LEAST
one day hanging out and enjoying the sun. Use sunscreen!
sun will fry you in minutes if you’re not careful. Kahalu’u Beach right in
Kailua-Kona is a good beach for snorkeling. You can rent snorkel gear for
$9/week at Snorkel Bob’s in Kailua-Kona (right near Huggo’s restaurant on
Ali’i Drive).
7. Punalu’u Black Sand Beach – You can drive right up to the black sand!
Very cool. Lots of green sea turtles (protected in Hawaii, endangered
species) there. Some will rest right on the beach and you can take pictures!
The water is beautiful and really cold in lots of spots. It is fed by fresh
water somehow and that makes it cold. Great place to spend some time hanging
out on the way to the volcano.
8. Green Sand Beach – page 173 in Big Island Revealed. Either hike or
The green and black sand in
drive out in a 4WD vehicle. Don’t take any of the sand either here or at
Punalu’u (or anywhere else, really).
particular are finite and if everyone takes just a little, there won’t be
any left in a few years. Sorry for the lecture, but I get so steamed when I
see people filling up little vials (or big bags!) with green and black sand!
9. Ahalanui – page 117 in Big Island Revealed. Don’t miss this if you can
help it! Really, really neat ocean water hot spring to swim in. Off the
beaten path and like nothing you’ve ever seen before (probably)! The water is warm because it’s heated by lava. Pretty neat!
10. Pacific Tsunami Museum – Nice little museum focusing on the 1946 and
1960 tsunamis that devastated Hilo. Inexpensive, very informative, and
interesting. Only about $5 to get in. Closed Sundays.
11. Kalapana – This is the name of the town that was overrun by lava in
1990. Page 119 in Big Island Revealed. Not much to see there, but it’s
interesting and there’s a little snack stand that sells hot dogs and stuff there.
12. Kaumana Cave – page 146 in Big Island Revealed. This is a nice little
lava tube that you can walk into just a few feet off the Saddle Road. If you
don’t want to drive the Saddle (it’s not that bad a road but the rental car
companies don’t want you driving it), you can come in just a couple of miles
off the Hilo side and find the cave from there. It’s very damp and pretty.
We took our Christmas card picture there in 2000!
Restaurants, etc.
1. Tex Drive Inn in Honoka’a (on the way to Hilo) – they make the best
fresh malasadas! They’re a Portuguese donut without a hole and they’re
delicious! There’s nothing like sitting on the lanai at Tex when it’s
raining on the roof and you’re eating a malasada and drinking a cup of
coffee. Ahhhh…
2. Lava Java on Ali’i Drive in Kailua-Kona – great Kona coffee and stuff.
Yum!
3. Huggo’s on the Rocks on Ali’i Drive in Kailua-Kona – This is the place
next door to Huggo’s. On the Rocks is a little bar-type place situated right
on the sand. The view is great and at night they have live music and hula.
The service is usually slow and even sometimes rude, but just enjoy the
pupus (appetizers) and the view and you won’t care!
4. Kona Brewing Company (Brewpub) in Kailua-Kona – great locally made
beers (or so my husband says) and terrific pizza! Not near the beach, but
nice atmosphere anyway. The Kohala pizza is great (I’m totally jonesing for
one!) and I LOVE the roasted garlic appetizer!
5. Ken’s House of Pancakes in Hilo – If you’re over that way, it’s worth a
stop. Ken’s is open 24 hours, which on the Big Island is a rarity. Their
menu is huge and the waitresses are almost all old-timers. Good local grinds
(food) at good prices. Fun atmosphere; very ‘local.’
6. Punalu’u Bakeshop in Na’alehu (south island, on the way to the
volcano) – really yummy taro and guava bread — and cool T-shirts that state
it’s the “southernmost bakery in the U.S.! — as well as mac nut ice cream
sandwiches dipped in chocolate!
7. Roy’s (in Waikoloa) – upscale Pacific Rim food. Roy’s is a chain and
they’re all throughout the islands as well as on the mainland. I LOVE Roy’s
food and the chocolate souffle is to die for! Well worth a drive up to
Waikoloa…and you can shop at the King’s Shops afterward!
8. Kona Mix Plate – local style fast food. Try the loco moco or even SPAM
musubi! My husband loves it. Best thing is to grab a plate lunch and go out
to the beach for sunset. Very relaxing and local type thing to do.
9. Java on the Rock – same location as Huggo’s on the Rocks but Java on
the Rock is just for breakfast. Their fruit plate is great — you HAVE to
try rambutan! It’s a freaky little hairy fruit that is just delicious! Good
coffee and pastries and the view is incredibly clear in the morning. We ate
breakfast here almost every day on our trip in 2002.
10. Buns in the Sun – another nice little breakfast place. The food is
good (ham croissants and stuff like that) but there is no view. It’s in
Lanihau Plaza near Kentucky Fried Chicken off Palani Road in Kailua-Kona. Good for taking breakfast to go and heading off to the beach or where ever.
11. Shave ice – Scandinavian Shave Ice on Ali’i Drive is pretty good and
the shave ice at Ocean View is supposed to be good, too. My friend Danicita
owns the shave ice stand in Lanihau Plaza (right near Long’s) and hers is
great! My favorite is li hing mui (like a really sweet plum flavor) with
soft serve ice cream in the bottom! Delicious.
12. Tropical Dreams ice cream – this is sold at a little antiques store on the way down south called Antiques-Art-Ice Cream (near Kealakekua, I think), in Hawi, and at the Kress building in Hilo. It is unbelievably good! Try it if you’re in any of these areas. You won’t be disappointed!
Well, I hope this has been helpful! I know you won’t get to all of these
things, but it should give you some ideas. Oh! And one of our favorite
things to do at night when we lived there was to get a Dairy Queen ice cream
on Ali’i Drive (near the Hard Rock Cafe) and watch the local guys play
volleyball. There is a sand court set up right there in between the Hard
Rock and Dairy Queen and there is a game pretty much every night! Fun, fun,
FUN!
Aloha!
December 31st, 2008 at 3:48 pm
The best luau is called Island Breeze Productions, located in Kona, the westside of the island. They are at King Kamehameha hotel. You should also stay there overnight because it will be late and you may not want to drive back to Ocean View. Besides, you can tour more that side of the island. Also, once you arrive, pick up a magazine called “101 Things to do”…I use it when my family come to visit and when my kids are out for the summer. Well, have fun and welcome to the Big Island. Be Safe!