Kona top 5 things to do.

[mousey]

Hawaii Volcano's National Park is pretty amazing. Snorkelling in Kealakekua Bay is also great (both deep and shallow water...you choose). Mauna Kea is cool too!

 

We just recently, a week ago, did the Capt. Zodiac Raft Snorkeling and Dolphin Adventure and can't say enough good things about it. It was awesome! They do let you off in deep water but they give you a flotation device which makes it easy to snorkel. I'm not a good swimmer and I felt fine getting into the deep water and it was easy to get off and on the raft. I'm 63 years old and a little "round" and I didn't have any problems at all. Also our raft, as opposed to others I saw around us, had a canopy to keep the sun from burning us to a crisp. We still got tanned!:D I would recommend this excursion to anyone, any time!:D

[intentionaltourist]

My DH is interested in fishing at Kona. Anyone have advice for a good boat to go on. I would like to go along just for the ride.

[650cs]

This is what we did last week. We did not feel rushed and we weren't off the ship until after 9am. We prefer to go on our own at our own pace.

 

We picked up our Dollar rental car from King Kamehameha Hotel; located directly across the street from the pier. This was the easiest rental of the entire trip. Our first stop was to pick up rental gear at Snorkel Bobs; 75-5831 Kahakai St, Kailua-Kona, (808) 329-0770. They give you three options for renting equipment, good, better, best system. You can rent equipment here and then return it on any other island, saving time to re-rig. The also have an after hours 24-Hour Express Gear Return drop off at all islands. You get a free Fish I.D. card that identifies the fish, free anti-fog solution and a Snorkel Map 'n Tips guide as well. Mid-range equipment is $25 for the week or rent daily from $7-9 per day.

 

Next we went to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau and went on a self guided tour of the National Park area. You can pick the guide up at the office. This took about 30 minutes or so.

 

Next we went snorkeling at Two Steps located immediately adjacent to the park. (you can park at one place and see both without moving your car) There is a lava shelf that is one of the most popular places to step off to snorkel and scuba dive. The coral formations are amazing and there is so much life in the water! Hands down, this was the best snorkeling of the entire trip. You can see Capt Cook's from Two Steps and it isn't that far if you wanted to swim over there. I didn't because there was plenty to see at Two Steps.

 

To get to Two Step, drive south of Kona past Captain Cook and take the well-marked turnoff to Pu'uhonua O Honaunau (Place of Refuge). Turn at the sign to the Place of Refuge, and then take the first narrow road on the right. It's one-way, so you'll come out back on the main road when you leave. You can park along the road if there's a space, or pay $3 to park in the lot.

 

After snorkeling; we stopped to see the Painted Church; 84-5140 Painted Church Road

This small Catholic wooden church is very near Puuhonua o Honauhau National Historic Park. It was okay, very small. I wouldn’t make a special trip out to see it but we were going by it anyway.

 

Our next stop was the Kailua Farmer’s Market, open Wednesday through Sunday, in the parking lot at the corner of Ali’i Drive and Hualalai Road between the Public Library and Hale Halawai Park. The market offers a wide and intriguing variety of fresh produce, hand-made local arts and crafts, Hawai’iana and other types of souvenirs. The prices were really good. We bought leis for $4.50 (!) and the woman was making them right there. It was not as big as the one in Hilo but worth the stop.

 

We returned the car and got back on the ship. This was one of our better stops for the trip.

[wdnoble9999]

This is what we did last week. We did not feel rushed and we weren't off the ship until after 9am. We prefer to go on our own at our own pace.

 

We picked up our Dollar rental car from King Kamehameha Hotel; located directly across the street from the pier. This was the easiest rental of the entire trip. Our first stop was to pick up rental gear at Snorkel Bobs; 75-5831 Kahakai St, Kailua-Kona, (808) 329-0770. They give you three options for renting equipment, good, better, best system. You can rent equipment here and then return it on any other island, saving time to re-rig. The also have an after hours 24-Hour Express Gear Return drop off at all islands. You get a free Fish I.D. card that identifies the fish, free anti-fog solution and a Snorkel Map 'n Tips guide as well. Mid-range equipment is $25 for the week or rent daily from $7-9 per day.

 

Next we went to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau and went on a self guided tour of the National Park area. You can pick the guide up at the office. This took about 30 minutes or so.

 

Next we went snorkeling at Two Steps located immediately adjacent to the park. (you can park at one place and see both without moving your car) There is a lava shelf that is one of the most popular places to step off to snorkel and scuba dive. The coral formations are amazing and there is so much life in the water! Hands down, this was the best snorkeling of the entire trip. You can see Capt Cook's from Two Steps and it isn't that far if you wanted to swim over there. I didn't because there was plenty to see at Two Steps.

 

To get to Two Step, drive south of Kona past Captain Cook and take the well-marked turnoff to Pu'uhonua O Honaunau (Place of Refuge). Turn at the sign to the Place of Refuge, and then take the first narrow road on the right. It's one-way, so you'll come out back on the main road when you leave. You can park along the road if there's a space, or pay $3 to park in the lot.

 

After snorkeling; we stopped to see the Painted Church; 84-5140 Painted Church Road

This small Catholic wooden church is very near Puuhonua o Honauhau National Historic Park. It was okay, very small. I wouldn’t make a special trip out to see it but we were going by it anyway.

 

Our next stop was the Kailua Farmer’s Market, open Wednesday through Sunday, in the parking lot at the corner of Ali’i Drive and Hualalai Road between the Public Library and Hale Halawai Park. The market offers a wide and intriguing variety of fresh produce, hand-made local arts and crafts, Hawai’iana and other types of souvenirs. The prices were really good. We bought leis for $4.50 (!) and the woman was making them right there. It was not as big as the one in Hilo but worth the stop.

 

We returned the car and got back on the ship. This was one of our better stops for the trip.

A well planned itinerary, and a great recap. Thanks for sharing...

[mousey]

We plan on snorkeling Kealakekua Bay with Captani Zodiac, but you don't need a car for that one

http://www.captainzodiac.com/

 

This is without question one of the best excursions I have ever been on and would recommend to anyone, anytime!:D

[vbmom87]

This is without question one of the best excursions I have ever been on and would recommend to anyone, anytime!:D

 

I had my DH read your reviews on this excursion, and you sold him on it. The cruiseline and Zodiac should give you a commission for all the referrals. :)

Edited May 5, 2010 by vbmom87

[diverearl]

We are renting a car from Enterprise for the day. Those of you who have been to Kona, how would you plan about 6-7 hours???? Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

I too like the OP's question and hope others will considering chiming in with their answers. I have the Revealed book, but always like to hear what others liked (or didn't like). I don't want to do an excursion. I just want to rent a car and drive to swimming, snorkeling and any other suggestions.

 

Next we went snorkeling at Two Steps located immediately adjacent to the park. (you can park at one place and see both without moving your car) There is a lava shelf that is one of the most popular places to step off to snorkel and scuba dive.

 

To get to Two Step, drive south of Kona past Captain Cook and take the well-marked turnoff to Pu'uhonua O Honaunau (Place of Refuge). Turn at the sign to the Place of Refuge, and then take the first narrow road on the right. It's one-way, so you'll come out back on the main road when you leave. You can park along the road if there's a space, or pay $3 to park in the lot.

 

The Place of Refuge has a lot of history so you might want to google or read a little about the area to enhance your visit.

 

Two Steps is a great shore dive / snorkel spot and the directions are well stated. Here is a link to this and a lot of other shore diving / snorkeling spots on the islands http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/index.htm

[mousey]

I had my DH read your reviews on this excursion, and you sold him on it. The cruiseline and Zodiac should give you a commission for all the referrals. :)

 

I know!:D I can't help myself. It really was one of the best excursions I have ever been on and I've been on many. I just want to share what a wonderful time I had on my excursion and hope that it will help others make some decisions because there are so many choices. I'm sure there are many other excursions that are great too, this was just my experience.:D

[Cruise_More_Often]

I know!:D I can't help myself. It really was one of the best excursions I have ever been on and I've been on many. I just want to share what a wonderful time I had on my excursion and hope that it will help others make some decisions because there are so many choices. I'm sure there are many other excursions that are great too, this was just my experience.:D

Gee, Mousey, you've almost talked me into it! My husband and I had a bad first experience with snorkeling and have been leery of trying it again. But, if they have those floatation thingies that we can use, maybe we won't "panic" like we did the first time (in the surf, against the rocks, in Cozumel). Thank you!

[Sargent_Schultz]

My pictures from Captain Zodiac are here:

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[alansfreed]

Volcanoes National Park is awesome, but don't try to squeeze it in while at port in Kona... it's much, much closer to Hilo.

 

We just got home from a Carnival Spirit cruise, and had a great time at each port. At Kona, we enjoyed the House of Refuge (which I can't pronounce, let alone spell) and Painted Church. We also enjoyed the Surfin' Ass Donkey Balls (chocolate snack) and we visited the South Kona Fruit stand.

 

And how could anyone have a thread about Kona without suggesting a visit to the World's Most Scenic Urinal!?! I found it to be a very refreshing experience:

 

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/13539

 

 

Hawaii Volcano's National Park is pretty amazing. Snorkelling in Kealakekua Bay is also great (both deep and shallow water...you choose). Mauna Kea is cool too!

[Sargent_Schultz]

[cruisermaryann]

We were just there a couple weeks ago and rented a car at the King Kam Hotel. Our first stop was Pu'uhonua o Honaunau (Place of Refuge). We got there before the tour buses and had a nice leisurely visit. Next, we stopped at the Royal Kona Coffee Mill to sample and buy 100% Kona Coffee. Our next stop was a Marketplace where we had some great shaved ice and found some good souvenirs. Our last stop was our favorite place, Kahalu'u Beach Park. We love snorkeling and this place was amazing! There were so many different types of fish and lots of them. We also were surprised to see quite a few turtles. We spent all afternoon there and had plenty of time to get back to the ship.

[mousey]

Gee, Mousey, you've almost talked me into it! My husband and I had a bad first experience with snorkeling and have been leery of trying it again. But, if they have those floatation thingies that we can use, maybe we won't "panic" like we did the first time (in the surf, against the rocks, in Cozumel). Thank you!

\\

 

 

If you do it, I hope you have as awesome a time as we did!:D Whatever you do I hope you have a supremely wonderful time!:D

[young50]

Thank you for this awesome review. I just cancelled my tour guide and reserved a car rental. You just saved me $150!!

[Kartgv]

Plenty of good suggestions already, but here a couple more that I didn't see mentioned. There's the Kona Brewing Company, which has brewery tours, a great selection of award winning brews, great pizza, beautiful salads, sandwiches, pupus, and desserts (Mango Bread Pudding, Kilauea Lava Flow - a brownie, ice cream, mac nuts). You can even walk to it if you don't have a car (just about half a mile). Here's a link:

[url]http://konabrewingco.com/[/url]

Also check out the Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm - a very unique experience just about a 15 - 20 minute drive from the pier. Here's the link to their website:

[url]http://www.seahorse.com/[/url]

For snorkeling, you do not need a 'wet suit' jacket - we spend about 6 weeks a year in Kona and I've never seen anyone wearing a wet suit except for night diving. What you might consider is a very lightweight "rash guard" shirt - can be short or long sleeved, will protect you from the sun and help if you get chilled easily. They sell them almost everywhere in Hawaii or even on Amazon.