Hawaii Cheat Sheet - compiled from many contributors on the forum

Found this while searching for information. Bumping up for others. Great thread that deserves to be a sticky.

Found this while searching for information. Bumping up for others. Great thread that deserves to be a sticky.

As mentioned several times along the way since this thread started many years ago, the ideas are good starting points. Things do change though even here in Hawaii - so do your homework to make sure the information you get is still current.

Found this thread by accident. We will be visiting Hawaii in 2018. We will be in Honolulu port 7:00 am to 11:00 pm on Emerald Princess to Tahiti and her islands.

I want to have lunch in China Town, tour the Palace and do Luau. I have lots of time to research. We might get a rental car or do the HoHo bus. Like I commented lots of time to decide.

Norine

Norine, if anyone in your group is active or retired military, check Hale Koa website for info on their Luau. Only held a couple nights a week, but quite nice and very reasonably priced.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here's my personally tested 2015 best of Kona list, compiled with a cruise ship's arrival and departure schedule in mind:

 

Best places to walk from the pier and eat/drink with the ship in plain view:

 

Splashers (local beer, tropical drinks, great burgers, fish tacos)

Kona Canoe Club (local beer, excellent Mai Tais, the best calamari)

Daylight Mind Coffee Company (farm to table, foodies, relaxed, elegant)

Huggo's on the Rocks (beach bar with pupus and music)

 

Best walkable place for breakfast hands down for those in the first tender ashore:

 

Island Lava Java Bistro

 

Best place to walk off the tender and rent a paddle board, kayak, etc:

 

Kona Boys Beach Shack in front of the King Kamehameha Hotel

 

Best large catamaran snorkel cruise:

 

Body Glove (right at the tender pier)

Fair Wind II (10 min taxi ride to Keauhou)

 

Best small catamaran:

 

Kamanu... Usually only 12-15 guests and they snorkel Pawi Bay (excellent!), 10 min away, leaves from Honokohau small boat harbor.

 

Best fresh off the boat fish:

 

Bite Me Grill and Bar at Honokohau. Bite Me also has a fleet of fishing boats if you like to catch your own. This harbor is where you will find numerous excellent sport fishing boat trips.

 

Best snorkeling if you're on a budget:

 

Kahalu'u Bay... Take the Kona trolley ($2) that runs up and down Ali'i Drive and rent gear at the beach. Showers and snack wagon, lifeguards, this is a very family friendly beach. You can also take surf lessons or rent a surf board.

 

Best helicopter tours to the volcano:

 

Paradise Helicopters - leaves from Kona Airport (much closer to ship than other companies) and flies luxurious Bell 407 helicopters. Not cheap. Unforgettable experience.

 

Please feel free to ask me for current, local info. If I don't know the answer, I will ask around!

 

Aloha,

 

Coy

Hi Coy,

Just checking to see if there are any updates to this list.

I'll be in Kona on POA on May 10th and trying to figure out what to do there. In Hilo I'm doing MARYLOU'S BIG ISLAND GUIDED TOURS so I’ll get to VNP on that tour.

In Kona I’m thinking of either the Hop-on-hop off bus or renting a car.

If I rent a car which way should I go north or south? I’d like to stop a some beaches and do some snorkeling (the person I’m with does not snorkel so snorkeling boat tours for us :() and I’ve read about A Place of Refuge should I head towards that way?

Just checking to see if there are any updates to this list.

It is a wise idea to update since, as we mentioned before, things do change. For instance, Yelp reports that Bite Me (mentioned on the list above), has gone out of business.

Gloryb2god that was an amazing list. Thanks so much for all the info!

Following this post. Great suggestions!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hi Coy,

 

Just checking to see if there are any updates to this list.

 

I'll be in Kona on POA on May 10th and trying to figure out what to do there. In Hilo I'm doing MARYLOU'S BIG ISLAND GUIDED TOURS so I’ll get to VNP on that tour.

 

In Kona I’m thinking of either the Hop-on-hop off bus or renting a car.

 

If I rent a car which way should I go north or south? I’d like to stop a some beaches and do some snorkeling (the person I’m with does not snorkel so snorkeling boat tours for us :() and I’ve read about A Place of Refuge should I head towards that way?

 

When we were in Kona a few years ago we took a tour. We went to a coffee plantation, the old church d the place of refuge. There was a little bay be the refuge with turtles and people were snorking there.

 

 

 

Norine