Originally Posted By Clopin I am a bit biased, since I *live* on the Big Island and *work* at the place Big Thunder mentioned, but let me say if you love to play outside, this island is definitely for you! An insiders tip: invest in the "Big Island bible", a book called Hawaii, the Big Island Revealed. It is GREAT. They list beaches, hikes, drives, restaurants, adventures, they have it ALL. do NOT miss Volcanoes National Park. Give it at least a whole day, give it 2 if you can, b/c there are so many hikes and awesome sights to see there. Go SNORKELING: in Kona, you can hit Kahaluu Bay, it's a tourist spot, but you will see TONS of beautiful fishes and green sea turtles. (just be sure to look at and not touch the turtles, they are an endangered species!)You also have to snorkel at 2 Step, it's by the Place of Refuge, about 20 minute drive south of Kona. Kayak Anaehoomalu bay or Kealakekua, night dive with the manta rays, hike to Kiholo Bay, visit the Painted Church, drive to Hilo and do the 4 mile scenic route to Onomea Bay and spend a few hours in the Hawaii Tropic Botanical Gardens, visit Namaste the tiger at the (FREE) Hilo Zoo, fly a kite at Laupahoehoe point, just to name a few suggestions... I could go on and on... what other types of activities are you interested in doing? And by the by, the Hilton Waikoloa Village is beautiful and I've heard some refer to it as the "Hawaiian Disneyland".
Originally Posted By Clopin Ooo, thought of a couple activities worth mentioning: some sort of tour to Waipio Valley, or at least drive to the lookout point; it's gorgeous. You want a real adventure, hike to the GREEN sand beach at the southern end of the island. Akaka Falls and Rainbow Falls are must-sees, as is Tex's Drive Thru for malasadas (portuguese donuts, be sure to get 'em fresh) Also, the Big Island is just that, BIG. Things are VERY S-P-R-E-A-D-O-U-T here and it takes a while to drive to places, but it's easy to find pretty much everywhere, so don't worry about getting lost. Plus, you're staying on the "gold coast", Waikoloa is the least-rainiest spot on the island. In June, I can probably say you won't see any rain at the Hilton. Elsewhere on the island MAYBE, but not in Waikoloa!
Originally Posted By SuzieQ Clopin! I knew there was someone here on LP who lived on the island and worked at the mentioned place (I'll leave at that, in case you don't want it posted in public), but couldn't remember who! I will definitely invest in the book you recommended. We'll have 5 full days for exploring, and I'm sure there will be plenty of things we won't have time to do that will make us want to come back Driving isn't a problem. We're used to it here in the San Francisco area. I've been known to drive a group the 800 mile RT to Disneyland for the day, LOL The big resort experience is exactly what we want and why we chose the Hilton. Sounds like we made a good choice! Keep those suggestions coming!!
Originally Posted By Clopin Awesome. Yeah, you will love having that book; it's great. During your stay at the Hilton, be sure to snorkel in the Hilton lagoon: lotsa fish and eels and sea turtles. Go in the morning, the visibility is better then. The boats that go around the property are designed just like the DLand Jungle Cruise boats! Look for Elvis the barracuda in the boatway; he's cool. You and your family will have a great time, no matter what you choose to do.
Originally Posted By SuzieQ My son came home from school yesterday very excited. One of his friends was at the Hilton for a couple of days while his dad was on a business trip. He LOVED the place! And because Dad was working, he stayed on property the whole time. I noticed right away that the boats look like Jungle Cruise boats, LOL. And I read they were built by Disney. I read on the Lagoon Grill web page that you can sit on the deck and watch the dolphins. Does this mean we'll be able to wave hello? Or is this a separate dolphin thing? We haven't decided yet about participating in Dolphin Quest. Though my son did do an in-water dolphin encounter for this 10th birthday and it was a great experience.... hmmmm.....
Originally Posted By Clopin Yup, you can see the dolphins from Lagoon Grill, the grass by the lagoon, the bridge by the lagoon, they're very visible. Definitely hang out b/c we're out there with them all day and if there's not an encounter going on, there's always something fun to watch: training session, play-time or just dolphins being dolphins! But why just watch when you can participate in an encounter(hint hint, not that I'm biased or anything) There are other animals to see at the Hilton as well including parrots, fishes and a group of flamingoes to name a few. Glad you're excited about your visit. Keep the questions coming.
