My family and I are traveling to the BI end of September. We wanted to stay in a B%26amp;B or rent a house for 3 nights. We want something that is nice but not too expensive. But we need a place that will have a washer/dryer. We plan on visiting the VNP one day and the rest of the time is open.
Is it best to stay in the Volcano area? We thought of flying into the Kona area (coming from Ohau) but after reading several posts saying the drive from Kona to VNP takes about 3 hours, we are now thinking it is best to fly into Hilo.
This is our first visit to Hawaii so any recommendations on where to stay or what to visit while on the BI will be greatly appreciated!
B%26amp;B or Rental house
I can only comment from the perspective of my single trip to the big island last month for three nights.
First, it is called the Big Island for a reason -- compared to the other island it is much, much larger. So, the first order of business (at least to me) is to plan your activities and then pick a place relatively close to that.
From my pre-trip investigation, the closer you are to water, the harder it is to satisfy ';something nice but not too expensive';.
In my case, we chose to stay in Volcano for all three nights -- but this was driven by all of the activities we wanted to do centered around the park. We stayed at an absolutely wonderful cottage (hit the link to my name and you can find other posts with the details), but it did not have a washer / dryer, and is really set up for two adults with possibly one or two older kids using a futon.
Despite where you stay, I can tell you based on my experience of flying into and out of Hilo vs. reading posts here about the lines at the Kona airport, I%26#39;d pick Hilo (but then your lodging should make sense in terms of picking Hilo). The Hilo airport is great; you walk to the rental cars, fewer people, friendly people, great new pre-flight waiting area.
Have fun, and let me know if I can help anymore.
Charlie
B%26amp;B or Rental house
Not sure if this will suit your needs, but--
our 4-person party (incl. a preschooler and senior) stayed at Orchid Tree B %26amp; B (in Hilo, about 45 min from Volcano). We loved it and posted a tripadvisor review. While they don%26#39;t have a dedicated washer and drier for guests, you could ask Steve or Su (the owners) if you could use theirs (which is on the lanai). This property is now a 2-suite (can fit 4 in each) b and b, so either book both rooms or be prepared to share the lanai, grounds, and breakfasts with another couple/small party.
orchidtree.net
info@orchidtree.net
(808) 961-9678
If this doesn%26#39;t work, there are some rental houses between Hilo and Volcano (Keaau, Kurtistown, Mountain View) that might have your requirements. Search the internet.
Aloha,
Too bad your trip is so short, 5 nights would be much nicer so you could spend a few nights on each side of the island. But 3 nights is better than no nights.
If you choose Volcano as your base:
I have used VRBO with good luck when renting houses in Hawaii and other locations. I think I have booked over a dozen off that site.
Since you are renting direct from the owner you should ask questions like ';If something brakes who should I contact, and where are they located';, I always get a local contact before renting. Also I always look for feedback, VRBO has some on the web site and you can google the house name for other feedback. I will only pay via credit card when renting from VRBO.
I believe that Hawaii has a law that all rentals have an on island representative. I would ask for that persons name as well.
Have a great trip
We stayed in an oceanfront house in Kona last January and loved it. Our friends who were visiting us after a cruise stayed upstairs in the 2 br, 2 bath house while we stayed in the separte downstairs studio. We were about 15 feet away from ocean! It made for some wonderful sleeping. The owner allowed them to stay 3 days even though he usually requires a week minimum. I would also adding days to the BI if possible to rearrange. You will literally just %26#39;scratch the surface%26#39; in 3 days.
I would suggest flying in and out of Kona, wth a day trip over to VNP, starting very early in the morning and getting back before dark. Since you will be getting just a slight taste of the BI in only 3 days, at least you wll understand it is not just he volcano.
What to visit? Stay in the Kona area so you won%26#39;t spend your entire time driving to try to ';see it all'; in 3 days. If you like to snorkel, there is some great shore snorkeling close to this house or for a snorkeling trip, the starting point for many of these is a short drive south. I would suggest taking the Sea Paradise or Fairwinds, depending on the ages of the family you mentioned. Give a few more details and you';ll get a lot better suggestions.
Thanks for the info. My husband and I will be traveling with my 17 year old son. We will be staying on Oahu first but we wanted to see the BI also. Wish we had more time to spend there. We chose the BI as our second island to visit because of the volcano. My son wants to see a volcano. I have read different reviews about the night lava viewing. Is it worth going to see the lava flow at night? We do hike but not sure I would want to do a difficult hike - especially at night. I had read that the VNP takes a full day which means we basically will only have one extra day to see anything else. Not much time but I appreciate any suggestions on what we should see first. I am hoping that this will give us a preview and that we can go back one day.
hi, all the advice previously given is very good.
B%26amp;B%26#39;s do not typically have washers and dryers, but as Karras said, with some owners you may be able to make an arrangement, but don%26#39;t expect it as a given.
Vacation rentals often have laundry but in Kailua-Kona would typically have a minimum stay more like 5-7 days.
The Volcano area gets lots of visitors who want to stay there for shorter visits and is a good place to find lesser minimum stays.
I understand why Bips is urging you to go to the other side. While I like VNP, to me it is not the best of the Big Island; rather it is something you won%26#39;t find at all on another island. There is a difference. Volcano is so completely different from the rest of the island that when you left you could not say you%26#39;ve seen the Big Island. You will leave having no real idea what this island is like, and if that%26#39; fine with you, then go for it!
It always concerns me when parents say we%26#39;re coming just to see VNP because my teenager or child wants to see a live volcano. Before making your plans, please go to the park page and read about what you actually see there.
http://www.nps.gov/havo/
Please realize that the current active vent is not accessible. The accessible craters have not been active for many years and are to be seen as the awesome results of a volcano. The current lava flow may or may not be accessible by hike or visible on the surface in September, but if it is it will be longer and more grueling from the park side than in the past, because the flow has moved east.
My point being, nobody should buy tickets and make nonrefundable deposits to come here in the understanding that they can see live lava. You need to have other sights that you feel are worthwhile, and if its possible to see red lava then that is extra. Otherwise you set yourself up for disappointment. Much of the film footage you see of Kilauea was shot in the 1980%26#39;s.
So please do some reading on what the park offers in 2007 and talk to your son about his ideas of what he%26#39;ll see to make sure it%26#39;s realistic. Is the park fascinating? Yes, as long as you aren%26#39;t obsessed with seeing fountains of live red lava.
No comments:
Post a Comment