hawaiidan & all: how to divide a week to stay 3 places?

My husband and I want to explore BI from a variety of locations. We will have spent a week on Maui in Napili Point, and after the Big Island, we%26#39;ll spend a week on Kuai in a condo in Kuhio Shores. I may have made a mistake pinning us down to one location each place. We have a week on BI. We want to explore, move around, stay different places 2 or 3 nights, see the best of the Big Island. Beach time not important. I know we want to spend a night or 2 in Volcano N.P. Where else? How should we divide our time? Which areas? I don%26#39;t know where to start.

Feeling overwhelmed.

Indymama

hawaiidan %26amp; all: how to divide a week to stay 3 places?

Ok we overdo it by staying a week at Waikola Hilton west side BI and then make many trips around the island some even late at night which I don%26#39;t recommend. Kuhio shores is south on kauai and depending on time of year, you may want to spend some time on north shore. When we were there we stayed at same place ks and drove. You may want to divide your time on each island between north and south but if you have kids could be alot of packing and unpacking. kauai try Princeville and then K S. Read coalminers posts or put ideas(princeville) in search area upper left. Big Island usually Kona area north to Waimaii and then Hilo to volcano park with trips between. If traveling at night pay attention to roads from Kona to Vol park not greatest better go hilo north and up around (still windy).Seems more people speed at night. On big island at night have to watch out for cats, goats and donkies whereas on Kauai chickens.

hawaiidan %26amp; all: how to divide a week to stay 3 places?

Aloha Indymama!

You have the right idea in wanting to stay in several places around the Island of Hawaii. It is SO much larger than any of the other islands. Spend your first 2 nights near the airport where you arrive--Hilo or Kona. Spend the next 2 at Volcano, but not necessarily in the park. There are some wonderful B%26amp;Bs a mile from the entrance in Volcano Village and surrounding forest. (more later on) The next 2 nights should be in Hilo or Kona--whichever you haven%26#39;t stayed in yet, and the last night in Waimea or Honoka`a (halfway back to your exit airport.)

This is assuming you have 7 nights on -island, and you%26#39;re not flying out first thing in the morning, and that you arrive and leave from the same airport.

If you have 6 nights, and an afternoon or evening flight, then omit the overnight in Waimea/Honoka`a, and drive through on your last day as you head to the airport. Piece of cake!

Now, where to stay.

On the Kona side, Holualoa Inn is a great B%26amp;B-plus-coffee farm. It is at 1000%26#39; elevation, directly above Kailua-Kona with its restaurants %26amp; nightlife, and about 1/2 hour from Place of Refuge in South Kona. Spend a day prowling the small towns and coffee farms from Holualoa south to Honaunau. Several offer farm tours. Holualoa is also an artists%26#39; community. Ask locals where to eat.

At Volcano, stay at Volcano Rainforest Retreat, Volcano Teapot Cottage, Kilauea Lodge, or My Island B%26amp;B. All have websites. Eat at Volcano Golf Course, Kiawe Kitchen (yum!), Thai Thai or Kilauea Lodge. If you hike out to see the flow after dark, nothing will be open for dinner upon your return, so have dinner at noon %26amp; take a picnic.

In Hilo, cross-reference B%26amp;Bs between TripAdvisor%26#39;s reviews and the B%26amp;B Association%26#39;s website, www.stayhawaii.com. Restuarants not to miss: Hilo Bay Cafe (between Walmart %26amp; Office Max--everything is fabulous except the location and the ribs), Sombat%26#39;s Fresh Thai, the Seaside (best fresh fish!, ask to sit on the porch), Cafe Pesto, and best of all, Restaurant Kaikodo (not Japanese food). If you want to eat cheaply, there%26#39;s a food court near Hilo Bay Cafe, and a Farmers%26#39; Market in town.

Akaka Falls, Rainbow Falls, Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, Coconut Island (for the view), the tidepools in Puna, Imiloa Astonomy Center, Mauna Kea Observatories and star-gazing--all are in or very close to Hilo.

You didn%26#39;t say what your hobbies or interests are, so I can%26#39;t zero in on more specifics. Hope this helps.

Frozensnowman: Do you think I should change my reservations on Maui and Kuai from 1 week 1condo to 2 places each? (If I can--maybe nothing left available for Feb.) I thought we%26#39;d do a lot of hiking and kayaking in Kuai but now that I%26#39;ve read more, I think maybe I%26#39;m not tough enough. So maybe not enough to do on Kuai?

Hilogal: Wow, you%26#39;ve really helped me get a grip on this trip. I can%26#39;t wait to start looking at the places to stay you described. You mentioned that I didn%26#39;t describe our interests but what you put together sounds like it will meet all our interests perfectly. We don%26#39;t need to lie on a beach or play golf--we want to get a feel for the whole island. I%26#39;ve think your ideas will let us do that. Thanks so much.

February will make it hard to change your reservations. I don%26#39;t think you need to. Kauai has only so much driveable road -- a lot of the island is inaccessable even to hikers. You can drive it in a couple of days. Maui has more roads to more places. You will be trekking a lot in and out of West Maui -- far NW corner of the island. I think of Napili as a go there and stay there sort of vacation, but you%26#39;ll be OK. Only Big Island is reallllly BIG! If you stay a couple nights at the volcano, that should be plenty. There are few good lodgings anywhere on the island outside of the Waikiloa area. Hilo has virtually nowhere I would stay. We%26#39;ve stayed twice at Keauhou Surf %26amp; Racquet (condo) and three times in the Waikoloa area (hotel and condo). You%26#39;ll have your beaches on Kauai and (mostly South) Maui.

ChiSue, thanks for reassuring me that I don%26#39;t need to change my reservations--even though I didn%26#39;t realize I%26#39;d be doing a lot of trekking in and out by staying at Napili Point on Maui. Looks like we%26#39;ll be doing more go-there-stay-there on Maui and Kauai and lots more exploring on BI. For our 1st trip, it would be great to make it perfect, but when you%26#39;ve never been there, it%26#39;s so hard to get a feel for a place. I felt like I needed to book the condos fast (through VRBO) for Feb. but now I know I did it before I really understood each island--and how the weather in February affects choices of where to stay.

As others say Big Island is big. good to stay more ithan one place if easy to move.

we have been to Maui twice and stayed at Kihei, with one night in kaanapali. Depends on what you like, on Maui we prefer things east of Kihei. Napili Point is not very centrally located,

However don%26#39;t think I would change either, Maui is not that big and neither is Kauai. Go see what you like and plan for next trip. guess you will be back. we keep going.

Speaking of Napili on Maui, we enjoyed breakfast at the Gazebo, which I believe is located in the Napili Shores resort (I loaned my Maui book to a friend so can%26#39;t look it up for you). But the location is wonderful, right on the shore. Fabulous banana macademnia nut pancakes w/coconut syrup. They open at 7:30am but you can stand in line around 7am to be assured of a table (window is best) and they even have coffee to sip on while you are standing in line next to the pool. Anyway, sorry to put this on the BI forum but that wonderful breakfast is what I think of when I hear Napili!

Personally with a week I would pick only two bases on the Big Island, one west and one east. If possible I%26#39;d fly into Kona and out of Hilo or vice versa. Checking in and out is always more time-consuming than one expects. The island is indeed big, but from either base, West or East, you can get to most places on that side of the island in an hour or less. What%26#39;s difficult is staying entirely in West Hawaii and trying to see the rest of the island on day trips.

For the east side I would stay in a Hilo B%26amp;B or a Volcano B%26amp;B. I like Hilo better because I think Volcano is cold and I prefer tropical, and there is nothing much to do other than the park. But a lot of people like Volcano. From Hilo town you can go either to VNP or Hamakua coast easily on any given day. You can visit lower Puna from either base.

About Napili -- they%26#39;re right; it%26#39;s a pain to drive in and out through the huge artery blockage known as Lahaina. It%26#39;s not a good base for exploring Maui, but it%26#39;s a nice place to spend time in the water. Did you say February? That%26#39;s typically a wet time to explore the Hana side anyway so I wouldn%26#39;t worry about giving it a miss.

Keep in mind that February is most definitely winter in Hawaii and that on the windward sides that means rain. Very likely you%26#39;ll see rain in both Hilo and Volcano, so if that doesn%26#39;t appeal to you you might want to skew your trip to the West side of the Big Island. I sure hope next winter isn%26#39;t like last winter, but it rained almost every day here in East Hawaii last February! During rainy periods, the most reliable sunshine on the Big Island is along the South Kohala coast.

Apologies if I misread that your dates are in February ...

Thanks for tips on February in Hawaii. I guess it%26#39;s better to be prepared for lots and lots of rain, and then if we don%26#39;t get it, we%26#39;ll be pleasantly surprised. At least the rain will be warmer than the snow/sleet/rain/grey/awful weather we%26#39;ll be having here in the Midwest in February.

Feb stick with Kahio Shores in Kauai but plan to go back next trip in summer months and enjoy princeville. As for Bi, I like in one airport and out otheras people have stated above. Tthough like I said we spend week on BI and in west just 18mi north of Kona and traverse the island mulitple times not the best use of time.

ittwit