COVID has certainly changed our travel habits over the past couple of years. We had a hiking trip planned with our good friends, Emily, and Aaron, to Peru in 2020. This trip still hasn’t happened, and we wanted to do a hiking trip with them sooner than later. Due to COVID, we opted for somewhere in the U.S. but wanted to get as far away as possible – so Hawaii it was! Why did we pick the Big Island? We were going for an adventure, and it sure didn’t disappoint!
The rainbow state!
Unfortunately, Emily and Aaron weren’t able to make it on the trip due to a family emergency, so the Exploring Enthusiasts were left to explore on their own. The Big Island is even bigger than we imagined, and we didn’t leave much of it untouched. We will warn anyone considering a Hawaiian Big Island adventure that you will be in the car A LOT if you want to see most of the island. We probably averaged about six hours a day in the car, but the variety of terrain we saw and activities we did made it worth it! Oh- we also rented a Jeep Wrangler which made driving around that much more fun! We realize not everyone travels quite as hard as us, so we are going to split up our Big Island blogs into four regions. We’ll start with the west side (Kona side), which we would say is the most touristy area of the island.
We rented a Jeep Wrangler!
Hawaiian Airlines
We flew with Hawaiian Airlines because they had the cheapest flight prices. And it was a fun experience! They have the best airplane video safety announcements we’ve encountered yet and they provide you with some Hawaiian-made snacks! It was refreshing to be welcomed by the Big Island with an airport consisting of all open-air huts. We flew into the Kona International Airport on the west side of the island. Everything went smoothly to pick up our Jeep Wrangler from Avis using our APTA discount and off we went to immerse ourselves into Hawaiian culture.
Our meal on a Hawaiian Airlines flight (complete with a complimentary rum punch)!
A glimpse of the huts of the Kona Airport!
Already enjoying views of the elevation!
Our meal on a Hawaiian Airlines flight (complete with a complimentary rum punch)!
A glimpse of the huts of the Kona Airport!
Already enjoying views of the elevation!
Island Breeze Luau
What better way to be welcomed to the island than attending a Luau?! We found a Luau only about 10 min south of the airport at the Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. We wandered through the resort pools until we found the Island Breeze Luau grounds right on the water. We were greeted with an Aloha and Mai Tai right away. Ukulele music filled the air as we took in the rugged lava coast for the first time. The Luau was a buffet including a variety of traditional Hawaiian foods; our favorites were the purple sweet potatoes with coconut glaze and a well-seasoned fresh catch from the Pacific. We took advantage of the open bar as the show progressed from Hula lessons to a variety of Pacific Island performances and even fire dancing!
Luau right on the rugged volcanic coast!
A delicious Hawaiian spread!
Live ukulele tunes!
Hula time!
Luau right on the rugged volcanic coast!
A delicious Hawaiian spread!
Live ukulele tunes!
Hula time!
Shaka Tacoz
The next time we made it over to the west side was a couple of days later for a few more touristy activities. We stopped at Shaka Tacoz in Captain Cook right off Highway 11 just a couple of miles prior to Greenwell Farms when coming from the south. They have quick and tasty Mexican food you can enjoy with a view of the coast from their balcony out back. You will most likely be entertained by some native green geckos as you eat.
Shaka Tacoz
Tasty Mexican with a view!
Can’t miss these guys!
Shaka Tacoz
Tasty Mexican with a view!
Can’t miss these guys!
Greenwell Farms
We originally signed up for a private tour at Greenwell Farms, but there was some miscommunication upon arrival at the coffee plantation, so we ended up on the free walking tour. This was actually exactly what we were looking for – an hour-long tour of the grounds learning about Kona coffee. Afterward, we stopped by the gift shop to get hopped up on coffee samples and indulge in some local chocolate-covered macadamia nuts.
Greenwell Farms
Learning how the coffee farming and processing happens.
Tasting way too many types of coffee (100% Kona)
Greenwell Farms
Learning how the coffee farming and processing happens.
Tasting way too many types of coffee (100% Kona)
Breweries
We then continued our drive further north to hit up a couple of breweries. Our first and favorite stop was Kona Brewing Co. It is nestled in the middle of the town, but you would never know it once you enter the palm-tree surrounded oasis of their back patio. Our favorite beer here was the Kona Light, a mango-infused blonde ale. We liked it so much we got some to-go cans to enjoy another night. We actually stopped at Kona Brewing Co a second time for our very last meal on the island when we had a hankering for some craft Hawaiian pizza and they sure didn’t let us down! The second brewery on the Kona side we checked out was Ola Brew. This one didn’t have as nice of an environment in our opinion, but they had a good variety of drinks. I tried their Tulsi Berry Hard Tea and enjoyed the switch up.
Kona Brewing Company
A sneaky beer oasis!
And they also have tasty pizza!
Ola Brew
Kona Brewing Company
A sneaky beer oasis!
And they also have tasty pizza!
Ola Brew
Big Island Divers
Within walking distance of the breweries is Big Island Divers headquarters, which is one of the many water sport outfitters on the island. We checked in for our Manta Ray Night Snorkel here and got fitted for our gear. They gave us directions for the launch point where we met about an hour before sunset. We cruised in their boat a bit north while enjoying the sunset when looking west and appreciating the elevation gain of this island when shifting our gaze east. Once we got to the desired shallow bay, we were given some education about manta rays and safety in the water. After the sun went down, our guides placed a surfboard with a really bright light in the water to attract plankton – this is what manta rays eat (not people), so they got super close to us when feeding. One snuck up and did a barrel roll bringing its belly just inches from our own bellies which certainly took our breath away! Big Island Divers at the same time has a scuba version of this trip, but we would recommend either one. After hanging out with these 10+ feet long creatures for about an hour, we hopped back in the boat to enjoy some hot chocolate and stargazing on the cruise back to the harbor.
Big Island Divers Headquarters in town
Our boat arriving at Honokohau Marina!
Enjoying the sunset on our ride out!
Joining some other boaters in manta ray haven!
Snorkel time!
Big Island Divers Headquarters in town
Our boat arriving at Honokohau Marina!
Enjoying the sunset on our ride out!
Joining some other boaters in manta ray haven!
Snorkel time!
Kona Shopping
For our final day on the island, while we were recovering from some hardcore adventure days, we spent time strolling through the tourist shops along the Kona coast. The Kona Inn Shopping Village is a good place to start if you’re looking for some souvenirs to take home.
Shopping in Kona!
It seems like the west side of the island always has the best (least rainy) weather, which probably explains why it’s the most popular region of the island. The only activities we reserved ahead of time for this trip were the Luau, Manta Ray Night Snorkel, and coffee plantation tour. We flew by the seat of our pants as we explored the rest of the regions (depending on the forecast each morning). We stayed on the east side of the island, so that will be our next Big Island blog!