Do you have suggestions for how to spend the day in Kona?

Is any one aware of a beach that has a fresh water shower? Anything between a hose and a pay shower will work. We were thinking of going to the beach first and would like to clean up before heading to lunch.

This is gold. Thanks so much. I reserved a car. One last question if I may. Will we see the hotel from the port or should I look up directions?

I haven't actually been at the hotel and was not looking for it, so it's hard to say if you will see if from the dock area. It looks like a fairly low building, so you may not.

Pull up a google map and you will see it almost straight back from the pier. Couldn't be more than a half block. You will see a taxi stand as you reach the end of the pier. It looks like if you can keep walking straight past you will pass a coffee place and an ABC store and then the Courtyard Marriott King Kamehameha. If you can't get through there, walk slightly to the right until you reach the corner of Ali'i Dr/Palani Dr where you'll take a left and it's just down the street. Looks like the car rental is just to the right of the main hotel entry. I don't know if they have an outside entry or if you'll need to enter the main lobby.

I haven't actually been at the hotel and was not looking for it, so it's hard to say if you will see if from the dock area. It looks like a fairly low building, so you may not.

 

Pull up a google map and you will see it almost straight back from the pier. Couldn't be more than a half block. You will see a taxi stand as you reach the end of the pier. It looks like if you can keep walking straight past you will pass a coffee place and an ABC store and then the Courtyard Marriott King Kamehameha. If you can't get through there, walk slightly to the right until you reach the corner of Ali'i Dr/Palani Dr where you'll take a left and it's just down the street. Looks like the car rental is just to the right of the main hotel entry. I don't know if they have an outside entry or if you'll need to enter the main lobby.

We will be using google maps when we are there. Thanks :)

If you are renting a car I would like to suggest going to the Waikoloa area. There is a Marriott Waikoloa which fronts a nice beach, and is next door to the Lava Lava restaurant. Even if we are not at the Marriott we go to Lava Lava often during our Kona side visits to the Big Island. If I remember correctly, the lounges along the beach are available to the public because the beach is public. All beaches in Hawaii are public but I remember thinking how nice that the lounges were not just available to hotel guests. The Lava Lava is fantastic with an fabulous ocean front outdoor area. The shopping area across from the Marriott offers an ABC store and others. There are showers available to rinse off under and do not remember them as being salt water. Cherie

If you are renting a car I would like to suggest going to the Waikoloa area. There is a Marriott Waikoloa which fronts a nice beach, and is next door to the Lava Lava restaurant. Even if we are not at the Marriott we go to Lava Lava often during our Kona side visits to the Big Island. If I remember correctly, the lounges along the beach are available to the public because the beach is public. All beaches in Hawaii are public but I remember thinking how nice that the lounges were not just available to hotel guests. The Lava Lava is fantastic with an fabulous ocean front outdoor area. The shopping area across from the Marriott offers an ABC store and others. There are showers available to rinse off under and do not remember them as being salt water. Cherie

Thank you for the ideas. I want to see dolphins :D. Do you know if they are frequently sighted at the beach by the Marriott Waikoloa? The showers are a definite bonus.

I really don't know what the chances are of seeing dolphins off the coast. The only certain experience would be with Dolphin Quest at the Hilton Waikoloa. My suggestion for seeing dolphins and a great day in Kona would be with a zodiac trip. I just don't know if your arrival and all aboard times allow you to do this. If you have time to do an afternoon zodiac trip that would be fun, I don't know when your "all aboard" is. Turtles are easily seen at many Kona side beaches, dolphins are just a bit tougher because they don't stay in one place for long. I hope you have a great time. Cherie

I would like to make another suggestion. Captain Zodiac will let you charter a trip for up to 16 people. You pick the time and the sites. If you could secure other guests on your roll call who are in the same situation as you it might be a nice option. It seems that Celebrity is scheduling its arrival and departure to insure maximum participation in their excursions. Too bad, because there is so much to enjoy on the Kona side. But, when you arrive too late for most non-ship excursions and leave too early for most non-ship excursions they limit you to renting a car. So...my suggestion is to get on your roll call and see if you can get like minded cruisers to join you for a dolphin adventure that works with your schedule. JMO Cherie

I would like to make another suggestion. Captain Zodiac will let you charter a trip for up to 16 people. You pick the time and the sites. If you could secure other guests on your roll call who are in the same situation as you it might be a nice option. It seems that Celebrity is scheduling its arrival and departure to insure maximum participation in their excursions. Too bad, because there is so much to enjoy on the Kona side. But, when you arrive too late for most non-ship excursions and leave too early for most non-ship excursions they limit you to renting a car. So...my suggestion is to get on your roll call and see if you can get like minded cruisers to join you for a dolphin adventure that works with your schedule. JMO Cherie

Our ship offers this excursion. The pictures look too crowded for me and DH loves taking pictures so it's not for us.

I agree with you. Arriving at 7 would have given us a lot more options for snorkeltrips and tours. Even dolphins are spotted more often before 9 it seems. :o

Kahuluu beach has free showers. I am pretty sure you will see the courtyard hotel pretty easily. It will be the biggest building by the pier.

If you want to see the spinner dolphins in the wild, drive along the coast south from Kona. They are often just south of town around 8:30 in the morning. Then we have seen them several times by two step, immediately north of the city of refuge. But they are wild so it will depend on luck. We have not seen them north at waikoloa area. That area has nice beaches but the snorkelling is no where near as good as Kahuluu.

Kahuluu beach has free showers. I am pretty sure you will see the courtyard hotel pretty easily. It will be the biggest building by the pier.

If you want to see the spinner dolphins in the wild, drive along the coast south from Kona. They are often just south of town around 8:30 in the morning. Then we have seen them several times by two step, immediately north of the city of refuge. But they are wild so it will depend on luck. We have not seen them north at waikoloa area. That area has nice beaches but the snorkelling is no where near as good as Kahuluu.

Is it better to go north from the port area or south? Opinions will vary I know so I will tell you what is most important to us in order for us to enjoy our day.

The number one thing, high above the others is that we aren't stuck somewhere remote or in traffic and miss the ship. An adventure if your next port is Hilo, but a disaster when your next port is Vancouver!:loudcry:

We are fortunate and have an extended vacation and hopefully we will have been to great beaches, snorkled with turtles and seen dolphins, taken way too many pictures and enjoyed some lunches with great views and gotten lost. Any of the above but the "gotten lost" would be fun for our Kona day with a fresh water shower a nice bonus! :)

Don't get me wrong I don't want to stay in town and walk to the beach. We want to rent a car and be out on our own but we dont necessarily need to be wowed. A final day enjoying a nice beach, good snorkeling and a lovely meal with a nice view with plenty of time to turn the car in and browse the shops near the tender port will be perfect for us. I do realize that my day won't give me the very best of Kona necessarily but it will give us a great reason to plan a return trip so we are ok with it!

Thanks for any and all suggestions and advice. I felt lost planning our day but the suggestions have been just great and really helpful to me and for others to I am sure.:)

Ok I need to retract something from my last post. Dear Sis reminded me that they missed Kona last May due to rough seas so with that in mind missing the ship in Hilo is :eek: as well!

I just had a thought. Since Hilo and Kona are on the same island do you think that it would be ok to pick up some cheese, kobalsa, fruit etc in Hilo and put in the cabin fridge for a picnic the next day in Kona? I think that we will have a couple of hours after our tour in Hilo before we need to board the ship and i think I found a great beach in Kona for a picnic. I will have a cooler bag as we are doing a land vacation before the cruise so I thought why not a picnic for our last day in Hawaii.

I realize that this is frowned upon in the Caribbean ( for good reason), but since it's the same island after all, shouldn't be a big deal here right?

The beach that I thought would be good for a picnic is Waialea Beach. It looks like it's swimmable with good snorkeling and shade and restrooms. Ok you know the next question.... showers? I found it when on Top 5 Beaches on Big Island so I figure that it must be nice. Am I correct?

IMO I would go south, it is only about 15 minutes to Kahuluu and the best snorkelling, then I would do Sam Choys for a Hawaiian lunch with great view followed by the shops in Kona, right by the courtyard hotel, and your car rental. Plus a good chance of seeing the dolphins.

If you want a picnic and a beach, Wailea beach is beautiful with shade and the swimming can be good depending on the surf. The snorkelling not so much. There are showers if IRC. My favourite beach is Mauna Kea, it is a beautiful beach with showers. You have to go early as they only allow 20 cars. Not as far north is the beach by the four seasons. It is also pretty with lovely sand and this year there were dolphins off shore. There are many great beaches all along that way. Right by the harbour is a pretty beach with turtles but it's too shallow for swimming. But a beautiful spot in a historic park. If you decide to go north it is a good 45 minutes each way and there is a lot of construction on the road north between the airport and Kona so you can run into very slow traffic. So make sure if you choose that to leave lots of time to return.

Have fun whatever you choose, it is a beautiful island with a wealth of things to see and do.

IMO I would go south, it is only about 15 minutes to Kahuluu and the best snorkelling, then I would do Sam Choys for a Hawaiian lunch with great view followed by the shops in Kona, right by the courtyard hotel, and your car rental. Plus a good chance of seeing the dolphins.

 

If you want a picnic and a beach, Wailea beach is beautiful with shade and the swimming can be good depending on the surf. The snorkelling not so much. There are showers if IRC. My favourite beach is Mauna Kea, it is a beautiful beach with showers. You have to go early as they only allow 20 cars. Not as far north is the beach by the four seasons. It is also pretty with lovely sand and this year there were dolphins off shore. There are many great beaches all along that way. Right by the harbour is a pretty beach with turtles but it's too shallow for swimming. But a beautiful spot in a historic park. If you decide to go north it is a good 45 minutes each way and there is a lot of construction on the road north between the airport and Kona so you can run into very slow traffic. So make sure if you choose that to leave lots of time to return.

 

Have fun whatever you choose, it is a beautiful island with a wealth of things to see and do.

Ok I will do some more reading. :) Thanks for the information and opinions. I had not realized that there were so many choices in Kona. I really do appreciate the time and thoughts of you and the other posters here.

Do a search for Kona town to find car rental locations. We pick up at the airport so I'm not sure of the town locations. You will most likely tender in near the Marriott courtyard if that helps.

I think you would have time to snorkel for a couple of hours at Kahuluu, then do a drive to the national park city of refuge. There is good snorkelling nearby at twostep as well but it is a rock entry so I prefer Kahuluu.

I would then have lunch at either Sam Choys for a breathtaking view in the Keauhou shopping centre just 5 minutes farther down Alii drive from Kahuluu. Some people also love Da poke shack but I like my fish cooked.

Or the Old time Manago hotel near captain cook and the city of refuge. Go snorkelling first then see how your time is. It's about 45 minutes further to the city of refuge one way. Usually the ships leave around 6, so you should have sufficient time.

Also The whales won't be there in May, but you should see turtles and dolphins.

I'm sure that you didn't know this but according to the two most recent reviews ( 2 was ago and 5 days ago) on TA there was an apparent sewage leak and Kahuluu Beach is closed. That's just terrible news for the sealife if it's as bad as it sounds.

Update:

According to the last TA reviewer the beach was to be closed for the rest of Marchbut according to the newspaper it reopened on March 12th.

Yikes! Hope it is rectified soon!

IMO I would go south, it is only about 15 minutes to Kahuluu and the best snorkelling, then I would do Sam Choys for a Hawaiian lunch with great view followed by the shops in Kona, right by the courtyard hotel, and your car rental. Plus a good chance of seeing the dolphins.

 

If you want a picnic and a beach, Wailea beach is beautiful with shade and the swimming can be good depending on the surf. The snorkelling not so much. There are showers if IRC. My favourite beach is Mauna Kea, it is a beautiful beach with showers. You have to go early as they only allow 20 cars. Not as far north is the beach by the four seasons. It is also pretty with lovely sand and this year there were dolphins off shore. There are many great beaches all along that way. Right by the harbour is a pretty beach with turtles but it's too shallow for swimming. But a beautiful spot in a historic park. If you decide to go north it is a good 45 minutes each way and there is a lot of construction on the road north between the airport and Kona so you can run into very slow traffic. So make sure if you choose that to leave lots of time to return.

 

Have fun whatever you choose, it is a beautiful island with a wealth of things to see and do.

I agree go south. But since you are so fortunate to have a long vacation in the islands why don't you make two plans.

If you are toured out and just want a beach day do that. However if you are still up to see the best the islands have to offer make a second plan.

A terrific day would be to drive to the "Place of Refuge" stop at the Painted Church go upcountry to the artsy/ coffee area and end the day with a beach. Sorry I don't have the correct names as I have lent all my Hawaii books out. LOL ;p

I also am intrigued by the Sam Choy restaurant idea and would check that out on Trip Advisor. Lots of good ideas here but most agree go south. Its a long swim to Vancouver.

Just remember your in Kona so please stop and smell the COFFEE!

Happy planning!

I agree go south. But since you are so fortunate to have a long vacation in the islands why don't you make two plans.

If you are toured out and just want a beach day do that. However if you are still up to see the best the islands have to offer make a second plan.

 

A terrific day would be to drive to the "Place of Refuge" stop at the Painted Church go upcountry to the artsy/ coffee area and end the day with a beach. Sorry I don't have the correct names as I have lent all my Hawaii books out. LOL ;p

I also am intrigued by the Sam Choy restaurant idea and would check that out on Trip Advisor. Lots of good ideas here but most agree go south. Its a long swim to Vancouver.

 

Just remember your in Kona so please stop and smell the COFFEE!

 

Happy planning!

Perhaps you are right. I was thinking about 2 plans in the case that we are off of the ship later than we had hoped. Hilo and Kona seem like they will provide different sorts of days so maybe touring a bit would be the way to go in Kona. I know perhaps I could look through one on those tour books! :confused: Na , too much work!:')

The Place of Refuge may be a bit far since we don't start tendering until 8 at the earliest though.

On the other hand the beaches to the North like 69 Beach look so inviting.

Deciding where to spend the day in Hawaii is a good problem to have!:D

City of refuge is about the same distance as 69, Good snorkellling at two step and less traffic and probably the highest chance of seeing dolphins. But not as nice of a beach, so you have great choices and really can't go wrong. If you go south I would have lunch at the manago hotel,for a taste of old Hawaii and fresh fish.

And is your plan in Hilo to go to the volcano? Well worth it as it is so active now, Akaha falls is also a nearby short hike to some beautiful waterfalls. Wednesdays and Saturdays are market days in Hilo which is also fun if the timing works.

City of refuge is about the same distance as 69, Good snorkellling at two step and less traffic and probably the highest chance of seeing dolphins. But not as nice of a beach, so you have great choices and really can't go wrong. If you go south I would have lunch at the manago hotel,for a taste of old Hawaii and fresh fish.

And is your plan in Hilo to go to the volcano? Well worth it as it is so active now, Akaha falls is also a nearby short hike to some beautiful waterfalls. Wednesdays and Saturdays are market days in Hilo which is also fun if the timing works.

But isn't two step crowded. Why is their less traffic south if two step and the City of Refuge are in that direction and they seem to be the touristy places to go? Will there be ongoing road construction in May to the best of your knowledge if we do head north.

Yes, we are doing a very touristy tour in Hilo. Covers the Volcano, falls, orchid gardens, etc. It's about 6 - 61/2 hours. I'm picturing bus loads of people at every stop although our tour has a maximum of 14. Was really hoping not to have back to back days like that.

Thanks for your helpful posts.

They are enlarging the two lane road and it will be at least another year. We have crawled back in the afternoon from the beaches. So can't predict. South far less people go. Depends on if you are confident swimmers as two step is deep no life guards or showers. Kahuluu is my favourite. I honestly think if you enjoy snorkelling I would just go to Kahuluu for a few hours and then head for lunch and possibly the city of refuge. It is not normally crowded and it is a pretty drive by the coffee plantations.

If you decide on going north just leave early so you have no worries or go up to the top highway and avoid the construction.

They are enlarging the two lane road and it will be at least another year. We have crawled back in the afternoon from the beaches. So can't predict. South far less people go. Depends on if you are confident swimmers as two step is deep no life guards or showers. Kahuluu is my favourite. I honestly think if you enjoy snorkelling I would just go to Kahuluu for a few hours and then head for lunch and possibly the city of refuge. It is not normally crowded and it is a pretty drive by the coffee plantations.

If you decide on going north just leave early so you have no worries or go up to the top highway and avoid the construction.

Alright. I will take this into consideration. Thanks again!:)

They are enlarging the two lane road and it will be at least another year. We have crawled back in the afternoon from the beaches. So can't predict. South far less people go. Depends on if you are confident swimmers as two step is deep no life guards or showers. Kahuluu is my favourite. I honestly think if you enjoy snorkelling I would just go to Kahuluu for a few hours and then head for lunch and possibly the city of refuge. It is not normally crowded and it is a pretty drive by the coffee plantations.

If you decide on going north just leave early so you have no worries or go up to the top highway and avoid the construction.

Here is a link that supports the great suggestions here. https://www.lovebigisland.com/scenic-drives/#coffee-country

Personally I have done most of the "Chain of Craters" drive and Pepeekeo scenic drive twice. We have done the majority of the Coffee Country South Kona drive on a small tour.

For all of you going on a Hawaii cruise it will be a wonderful experience I am sure.

Happy planning.

Here is a link that supports the great suggestions here. https://www.lovebigisland.com/scenic-drives/#coffee-country

Personally I have done most of the "Chain of Craters" drive and Pepeekeo scenic drive twice. We have done the majority of the Coffee Country South Kona drive on a small tour.

For all of you going on a Hawaii cruise it will be a wonderful experience I am sure.

Happy planning.

Wouldn't Chain of Craters drive and Pepeeko scenic drive be things to do while in the port of Hilo, not Kona?

We are planning on going to Kaualuu to snorkel, but we are just going to do the clarks hop on bus, then stop at some places on the way back.