Our family of four left LAX at 9AM January 1st on a direct United flight bound for Kona Airport on the Big Island of Hawaii for 7 days/6 nights. We arrived at 1PM and rented a car through Turo because Hawaii still has a rental car shortage from the traditional providers. www.turo.com
Hotels
We decided to cash in some Marriott Bonvoy points and stay at the Westin Hapuna Bay for my husband and daughters’ first trip to the Big Island. A couple additional Bonvoy hotels to consider 1) Waikoloa Beach Marriott: giant, kid-friendly hotel with 3 pools, great location near shops and restaurants and friendly service. 2) Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection: located adjacent to the Westin Hapuna, luxury resort, 5 restaurants, beach. I’ll talk more about #2 later in the blog. www.marriott.com
The Westin Hapuna Bay and the Mauna Kea are two of a handful of hotels with private beachfront. The Big Island is notorious for its rugged terrain and volcanic rock…soft sand beaches are rare. Hotels like the Waikoloa Beach Marriott and the Hilton Waikoloa Village property compensate by offering a variety of pools. Our kids like to body surf, build sand castles AND swim, so Westin or Mauna Kea were better options. There is also the Four Seasons Hualalai option with beach and pool, but I stayed there when I was single and from my memory, it didn’t feel very kid-friendly. www.hilton.com and www.fourseasons.com
The Westin Hapuna Bay and Mauna Kea have reciprocal agreements allowing use of either hotel’s amenities. There is a shuttle that runs between the two periodically throughout the day. Rooms at Mauna Kea are slightly more expensive. The restaurants are much better at Mauna Kea overall, but the coffee bar at the Westin is top shelf. Both have golf courses.
Day trips/activities
The big island is BIG. It takes about 2 hours to drive from Hapuna Bay on the west coast of the island to the east coast of the island. Kona and Hilo are the two major “hubs” on the island, though our hub seemed to be Waikoloa Village with the restaurants, shops and activities located out of that area, 15 minutes from our hotel.
Volcano National Park
We took a day trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, leaving Hapuna Bay at 9AM. My husband downloaded the Shaka Guide app for $20 on his phone for a self-guided driving tour of the National Park, highlighting the Kilauea and Mauna Loa active volcanoes. It was absolutely worth it! We learned many “fun facts” about the sites and history, but weren’t tied into a formal tour. Mauna Loa had been erupting before we got there, but was dormant during our visit. The highlight was the Thurston Lava Tube and the hike we took down to a volcano. www.nps.gov
We had lunch at The Rim at Volcano House: views of the smoking crater, reasonable prices and great food. The girls ate the kids’ luau plate. This restaurant is located in the only hotel on the property and besides the restaurant, had two excellent gift shops stocked with things that kids’ love to check out. There are also restrooms here…which is something to note when you’re in a National Park surrounded mainly by volcanoes and plants! www.hawaiivolcanohouse.com
Dolphin Swim
This is a VERY popular activity on the Big Island and there are many operators to choose from. I don’t have an opinion on operators as we didn’t do this activity…we gave our kids the option of luau or dolphin swim and they picked luau, AGAIN.
www.dolphindiscoveries.com is a snorkeling plus dolphin and manta ray experience company with options that include private boat charters.
www.dolphinquest.com is onsite at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. Friends with kids 7, 9 and 11 loved this one. The interaction occurs in an ocean fed saltwater lagoon.
Luau
We went to the Mauna Kea luau this trip because, frankly, it was next door to our hotel and you can opt out of the meal! We go to a luau every time were in Hawaii and my husband and I weren’t craving another kalua pork plate. Highlights of this luau…getting to go on stage to learn the Hukilau hula dance, the fire knife dance and the drink quality. I did hear from others that the luau food at Mauna Kea is delicious! www.maunakearesort.com There are several luaus to choose from on the island. Check out lovebigisland.org for a March 2023 comparison of all 10, plus a description of what to expect during luau if you’re unfamiliar with this activity.
Horseback Riding
This is another activity we found more prevalent on the Big Island vs the other Hawaiian Islands. There are lush trails and beautiful views of volcanoes and ocean in the Waimea area, where you’ll find most of the horseback riding operators. Some tours will only take kids 8 and over. Our 6 year old was on a horse, but state of Hawaii required her horse to be led by a guide on horseback. Tours are typically 2.5 hours. www.bigisland.org has a good list of operators as does www.lovebigisland.org.
Restaurants
The restaurant highlight of our trip was dinner at Lava Lava Beach Club with two families from our school who happened to be on the Big Island and staying at the Mauna Kea the same time. Lava Lava is located in Waikoloa Village, where there are lots of restaurants, shops, the Hilton, etc. Live music, hula dancing, great food and drink and beach front location are all draws for families to this Big Island staple. They don’t take reservations…we arrived at 4:30PM and were seated right away for our party of 14! http://www.lavalavabeachclub.com
We Don’t Sit Still 