Getting there: Air Canada and United
Where we stayed: Honolulu: Seaside Hotel Waikiki – good- cheapish for expensive Waikiki, very close to bus stops and all the Waikiki action, bad – needs a reno ASAP, no gym, staff seemed a bit uninformed but were friendly. Big Island: Kona Coast Resort – good – great value for money, huge one bedroom condo, fully equipped kitchen, 2 full baths, washer/dryer, oceanview balcony, bbq use, close to great snorkeling, bad – only thing is the junky gym, The Wright Place – lovely, cozy one bedroom unit in this house – no stove/oven, but there’s a grill and rice cooker – no negatives and lovely host, Lava Lane Cottages – friendly hosts, well equipped house, amazing property, Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort – fantastic ocean view room, great gym, nice pool, good food, amazing beach, a bit hard on the credit card (!…oh well, it was the last few nights and we splurged!).
Fun: Sun, sand, and food. We were blown away by the snorkeling, sea life, black sand beaches, and the diversity of the environment and landscape on the Big Island – we went from snorkeling in +30 to mountaintop and -5 and drinking hot chocolate and stargazing in one day. And the giant turtles! I couldn’t ever get tired of them.
Tips: 1. Off season rates for airfare to Hawaii can be *reasonable (*relative term). I watched prices for quite awhile and finally booked through an agent – booking through United was far cheaper than through Air Canada, so we still got the points, but got a better deal. 2. Don’t be afraid to use hotwire.com – we used this for car rental on the Big Island – far cheaper than any other option, and we also scored a great condo in Kona. 3. Snorkel Bob’s – we rented snorkel gear for the entire 10 days on the Big Island from Snorkel Bob’s, renting from one location and dropping off at another (they even have an after-hours drop off box!). 4. SUNSCREEN! You are going to go through this like mad in Hawaii. One day I washed my hands after application – whoops – I had a big red hand later that day after only a few hours in the sun. And remember that when you’re in the water this washes off quickly – even the ‘waterproof’ stuff. 5. Make use of locals. Since we stayed in a couple of houses, we sat down with our hosts and asked them for best spots in the parks, best snorkeling sites, etc. 6. Invest in a Lonely Planet guide- They didn’t let me down on this trip – we found some great food spots that we wouldn’t have found otherwise using our book (e.g. Big Jake’s Island BBQ and Hilo’s Short n’ Sweet Bakery)
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