There is so many beautiful beaches on the Big Island lots to explore. Our only hang up was we found that we didn’t love the food as much as we have on other islands in Hawaii but thats because New York ruined us. Although we did find a few amazing gems all listed below! I am grateful we got the opportunity to bring our kids on this trip (trip not vacation haha). When we are back I always feel exhausted but my heart is full that our kids got to see and experience other places of the world. Huge thank you to Tay for planning this whole trip, he creates so many experiences for our family.
Alright let us dive in!
Beaches & Places to visit:
Beaches:
- Wawaloli Beach Park
- Manini’owali Beach (Kua Bay, this by far was the best for boogie boarding we went every evening at sunset, a little bit of a scramble to get to the beach and it is crowded in the day time but for a reason because it is so beautiful)
- Hapuna Beach
- Kaunaʻoa (Mauna Kea) Beach
- Magic Sand Beach (we went to this one and the waves were a little too intense for our kids so we left but told by locals the tide is a lot lower in the summer so there is more beach and it is beautiful.)
- Kukio “keiki” beach
- Punaluʻu Beach, Hawaii (the black sand beach! Just a fun beach to visit)
- –Green sand beach (we didn’t make it to this beach because we couldn’t off road in our rental car & then it is a LONG walk to get to the beach that we have heard it brutal because it is all in the sun with no shade. Although pictures online look so cool!)
Places to Visit:
- Volcano national park (you can hike or drive up to all the sites)
- Local Markets (so many neat local made treasures)
- Explore the town of kohala
- The polulu valley look out
- Rainbow falls
Other fun actives/places to see we didn’t get to that were recommendations:
- Night swimming/snorkeling with manta-rays
- End of the world
- South point
- Kiholo bay
- The submarine ride @altantis submarines kona
- Place of refuge, coffee tour
- boat road snorkel trip to captain cook
- Big island zipline
- Polynesian ATV tour
Where we stayed:
We stayed at an Airbnb . Usually a lot more cost effective than a resort we have done both and resorts are easier with kids but found that this place was perfect for what we needed since we were only there in the morning and at night. It’s small and I didn’t care much for the interiors but the grounds were stunning and had a hot tub that Tay and I would soak in every night once the kid’s were asleep. The host was AMAZING and very responsive. (Also had all the beach equipment you could think of)!
Food Places:
- Shaka Tacoz
- Ululanis Hawaiian shave ice
- Gypsea Gelato
- Broke Da Mouth Grindz
- Ohana Q
- Hawaiian Style Cafe
- Coconut Grove area (has lots of food options we went there almost every night and got Street tacos then a treat and watch volleyball it was so fun).
- Punalu’u bake shop
- Gecko girlz shave ice
- Tex drive in (donuts, so delicious we just got the sugar donuts and they did not disappoint hot and moist melt in your mouth situation).
- Basik Acai
Pretty much most places did the shave ice right but this place was extra good!
What I wore:
