Big lsland Here We Come!

[Veronica]

In Volcano I reccommend staying here or Kilauea Lodge. Have dinner at least once at Kilauea LOdge.

You can rent some pretty nice bikes in Kona and ride up to Hawi on the Ironman route. We rented from Bike Works.

We've stayed in 4 different places on the Kona Coast and would recommend all of them for different reasons.

If they are still doing tours, Arnotts Lodge had some good ones up Mauna Kea and to see the lava flows. You don't have to stay there to do their tours.

Highly encourage getting Wizard Publications Hawaii The Big Island Revealed as your guidebook.


Veronica

[indysteel]

In Volcano I reccommend staying here or Kilauea Lodge. Have dinner at least once at Kilauea LOdge.

You can rent some pretty nice bikes in Kona and ride up to Hawi on the Ironman route. We rented from Bike Works.

We've stayed in 4 different places on the Kona Coast and would recommend all of them for different reasons.

If they are still doing tours, Arnotts Lodge had some good ones up Mauna Kea and to see the lava flows. You don't have to stay there to do their tours.

Highly encourage getting Wizard Publications Hawaii The Big Island Revealed as your guidebook.


Veronica

Thanks for the suggestions. It's been hard to decide on accommodations. We prefer not to move around too much, although that does mean more driving. We're pretty settled on staying in a rental house that's about 40 minutes from the national park. It's on the very edge of the coast and has some stunning views. It's not far outside Hilo town and will put us is a decent position to explore the Hamakua Coast, as well as South Point, although obviously lots of driving will be involved. The second place is a studio cottage outside of Kailua-Kona. That location should put us in a decent position to explore that side of the island. I'm not sure from which base we'll explore Waimea and the Waipi'o Valley. It's about the same distance from each.

It's going to be a busy ten days with a fair amount of driving. There are so many things from which to choose. We have the Big Island Revealed Guidebook and will just have to spend some time pouring over it in an effort to prioritize. I think we need to accept that we won't be able to see and do it all. At least we have plenty of time to plan.....

[Veronica]

Why do you think we've been 4 times? We still haven't seen and done everything we want!

Veronica

[indysteel]

Why do you think we've been 4 times? We still haven't seen and done everything we want!

Veronica

I'm jealous that you've been able to visit the island that many times. It's such an expensive and long trek from Indy. Are you planning a Hawaii trip in 2013?

I'm just glad DH is always game for whatever I suggest. Hawaii has been in the back of my mind for a while, but there was a thread earlier this year on RBR that really caught my attention. So I say to him: "How 'bout the Big Island for 2013." Without pausing, he says "sure." That's how we've decided on most of our trips. I suggest it; he agrees and I then run with it. I love planning vacations, and he loves to let me plan them!

First things first though. We have our trip to Maine in September to look forward to. I'm excited about that one as well. I spent a summer as a child in the New Hampshire with my mom's family, and I've had a romantic attachment to that general area ever since. It's been on my to-do list for a while.

[Veronica]

Yeah, we're lucky. Hawaii is closer to us than Maine.

The only thing we've planned so far for 2013 is about 10 days in Maine for Thom's parents 50th wedding anniversary. They've got a 4 day shindig planned so far - rehearsal dinner, contra dance, the EVENT, family breakfast. The other days are for visiting my family and doing some touristy stuff.

Then we're doing a rafting trip of part of the Grand Canyon with Thom's parents and probably spending a couple of days in Vegas.

Those two things are the end of June, beginning of July.

We'll do something else, just the two of us. But I don't know what yet. Maybe the San Juans... maybe a trip down the CA Coast. Definitely something involving bikes.

Veronica

[indysteel]

Yeah, we're lucky. Hawaii is closer to us than Maine.

The only thing we've planned so far for 2013 is about 10 days in Maine for Thom's parents 50th wedding anniversary. They've got a 4 day shindig planned so far - rehearsal dinner, contra dance, the EVENT, family breakfast. The other days are for visiting my family and doing some touristy stuff.

Then we're doing a rafting trip of part of the Grand Canyon with Thom's parents and probably spending a couple of days in Vegas.

Those two things are the end of June, beginning of July.

We'll do something else, just the two of us. But I don't know what yet. Maybe the San Juans... maybe a trip down the CA Coast. Definitely something involving bikes.

Veronica

Sounds good. Now I remember the picture of the dress you're planning to buy for the anniversary party. It's pretty!

If we end up going on a second trip next year, it's going to be something on the cheap. I almost have him talked into doing BRAT, the bike tour in Tennessee I did a couple of times before we met. It's nothing exotic, but I always had a really good time and the road riding there is quite nice. There are so few details to worry about, which is sort of refreshing.

[Norse]

You will love it! We went last fall - stayed on the Kona side - snorkled almost every day, learned how to paddle board, spent a few days at Volcano Nat'l Park, enjoyed some truly fantastic seafood.... I would love to go back some day but, like Indiana, it's kind of hard to get to from Minnesota.

[Becky]

If we end up going on a second trip next year, it's going to be something on the cheap. I almost have him talked into doing BRAT, the bike tour in Tennessee I did a couple of times before we met. It's nothing exotic, but I always had a really good time and the road riding there is quite nice. There are so few details to worry about, which is sort of refreshing.

I'm trying to talk my DH into BRAT for next year. Maybe we'll see you there!

[sgf726]

Love the Big Island - We have been there twice.
The last time was 2 years ago and we did a cycling trip around the Island.

Couple of my favorite parts of the ride where riding the IM course from Hana down to the finish and riding from the Black Sand Beach at the southern end up to Volcanoe's National Park.

In the first trip we did a lot of hiking. Volcanoes NP is great to explore and the Big Island Revealed mentions a ranger guided hike thru a lava tube which is much better than Thurston (which has been cleaned up for the tourists) this one is more natural but is restricted to the guided hikes.

Some of the best snorkling I have done is the bay by Captain Cook, where the statue is. It was like swimming in an aquarium with all the different fish.

Have fun.

[indysteel]

Le Théâtre d'Aéroport.

LOL.

Thanks for the well wishes!

Did I mention that DH has a sinus infection or at least the makings for one? He got one (the only other one he's ever had) on our honeymoon a few years ago. He's had a sore throat for the better part of a week. My guess was allergies, but he wasn't really responding to any of my various allergy drugs. So, he went to his doc today and got a Z-pack. It might be a bit premature, but we'd really like to avoid the total meltdown that he had during our honeymoon. Of course, the Big Island isn't Belgium in the spring (think chilly and rainy), so there's that......