Since it is our favorite Hawaiian island, I have a plethora of tips on things to do on the Big Island! I first visited the Big Island with my husband before we were even engaged. We have gone back twice since, once with my mom and then again this last Spring Break with our daughters. The only downside of the Big Island, is your vacation will fly by so fast that you will not want to leave! But let’s dive into fun things to do, whether you have your kids with you or not!
Where to stay on the Big Island:
There are a million great hotels on the Big Island. When Vince and I went before we were engaged, we stayed at The Royal Kona Resort. They have one of the best luaus on the island, the rooms are huge, and the resort itself is right on the main drag in downtown Kona. When we went with my mom when our oldest was a baby, we stayed at Mauna Lani. The Mauna Lani is great as you can rent condos with multiple rooms, full kitchens and a washer and dryer. That’s always helpful when traveling with kids. This time, we stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. Technically, we got a vacation rental right by it that provided access to all of the Hilton’s grounds and amenities. We loved this place because they have a protected lagoon that was so nice to teach our girls to snorkel in!
Things to do on the Big Island – Eating edition:
There is one restaurant my husband and I tell EVERYONE about when they are heading to the Big Island. It’s The Coffee Shack which is in Captain Cook. Captain Cook has some of our favorite snorkeling on the island too! Our favorite dish from The Shack is the Papaya Special. It’s a halved papaya that they fill with lilikoi (passion fruit) yogurt, chopped melon, and then it’s topped with toasted coconut. It comes with a side of cheesy scrambled eggs and coconut pound cake made in-house. Plus, their coffee is amazing. If you add one breakfast place to your list, it needs to be The Coffee Shack!
Our favorite brewery on the island is Kona Brewing Co. Not only do they have my all-time favorite beer on tap (Wailua Wheat), but they also have the best nachos I’ve ever had. Vince ordered them the first time we ate there, and I was so jealous, I made us all go back a couple days later so I could get some for myself. That is how fucking good they are! I’ll give you an insider tip too. They BLAST their air conditioning inside, so ask for a table on the patio or you’ll freeze your ass off. But it’s truly one of the best breweries ever!
On this last trip, our youngest was dying to try boba tea. We went to a place called Swirl Tea for boba and then hit up the shave ice stand in the same parking lot for our oldest daughter.
Things to do on the Big Island regardless of if you have kids with you or not:
Hitting up the beaches:
I feel like this is a no-brainer, but if you don’t snorkel in Hawaii, why the fuck did you even go? As I mentioned before, we love Captain Cook, but it’s not a spot you can park and just jump into. You either need to take a tour that goes into it, or you need to rent a kayak or SUP (stand up paddle board) and get your ass there on your own. But once you do, the water does not disappoint!
We loved teaching our kids to snorkel in the protected cove at the Hilton in Waikoloa Village since no boats or surfers can get into the bay. They do let you rent paddle boards but the water is very gentle and never gets deeper than around 6 feet. So it’s very kid-friendly for new snorkelers. The beauty of Hawaii though is that you can snorkel off pretty much any beach and see some amazing things.
The Black Sand Beach (Punaluu) is also incredible to visit, just because the sand is exactly as stated in the name….black. They also always have sea turtles sunbathing on the beach you can take photos of. But don’t be an asshole and get too close to them or try to touch them. I see so many tourists doing that, and it enrages me. Sea turtles are protected, and when you pet them, the oils and things on your hands actually harms them. So don’t be a prick just for a photo-op!
The Green Sand Beach (Papakolea) is also just as it sounds. It has green sand due to the olivine produced from the breaking down of the surrounding cinder cone. It’s one of only 4 green sand beaches in the world. However I will warn you, you cannot easily drive up to it. When Vince and I went, we hired a local to four-wheel us up to it and then hiked in. It’s not an easy voyage so if you drive yourself, make sure your rental car is 4WD.
For this last trip, Vince and I had already been to the black and green sand beaches, so we stuck to snorkeling at either the Hilton, or at the Mauna Lani Resort. One of the days we were there, we spent the morning at the pool at the Hilton, and it was really nice. They have a big water slide for kids, and plenty of chairs and places to sit around the massive pool. They also have an indoor food court with pizza, ice cream, burgers, snacks, etc.
Things to do on the Big Island with kids:
Hit up a luau:
There are two big ones on the island – one at the Royal Kona Resort, and one at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott. We have done both, but the one at the Marriott is my favorite. It is worth it to splurge for premier seating too! Premier seating guarantees a table close to the stage. You also get seated first and get dismissed to the buffet first. And as an added bonus, they send each person in your party home with fresh-baked lilikoi shortbread cookies! Hot Tip: The luaus only occur on Mondays and Wednesdays, so book those before you book any other excursions!
Seahorse Farm Tour at Ocean Rider:
One of the most unique experiences we’ve done is hit up the seahorse farm! You get to actually hold a seahorse at the end of the tour after learning all about them. First, a tour guide teaches you about how and why Ocean Rider started breeding endangered seahorses. Then, they show you how they feed them. Next, you get to see seahorses of different ages as well as sea dragons. If you really fall in love, you can actually buy seahorses as pets. But it does require taking online courses on how to take proper care of your seahorse.
After the tour, you go to larger tanks and link your fingers together. A guide then places a seahorse near your hand and the seahorse will wrap it’s tail around your fingers, thinking you are coral! It was such a fun experience, and even Vince and I enjoyed it as adults. They also have a very cute gift shop you walk out of on your way out if you feel like doing some retail damage.
Take a glass bottom boat tour or dinner cruise:
We didn’t do a tour this round, but we did the last two trips to the Big Island. My favorite was our dinner cruise on the Spirit of Kona. We loved it since it’s a glass-bottom boat. We got to have a dinner buffet, listen to live music and watch a hula dancer. As it got dark, the captain turned lights on underneath the boat so we could see fish and turtles swimming underneath us. And dolphins always hang around your boat!
Mauna Kea Sunset Tour/Stargazing:
When we went back in 2015, my mom babysat our oldest so Vince and I could have a date night checking out the Mauna Kea observatory. Mauna Kea is an inactive volcano and the highest peak in Hawaii. They have an incredible observatory filled with giant telescopes on top of it. For our date night, we got to hike around and then when the sun set, we got to stargaze.
Check out Hilo and Rainbow Falls:
Hilo is on the opposite side of the island from Kona, but you can get there in just an hour and a half! You can hike around the falls or even take a tour where you hike up to them and swim at the base. The beauty of Rainbow Falls and Akaka Falls though, is you can drive right up to them. We took these photos mere feet from where we parked. So if you are traveling with young kids or older folks who don’t like to hike, you still get to check out the falls with no excuses!
We also went into the actual town of Hilo to check it out. It’s where many locals live and is not touristy like Kona. Vince and I were getting hungry when we stumbled upon a little joint, Saucy Dogs, that serves a billion hot dogs. Vince ordered the “nawt dog” that was a huge ass carrot on a bun! I ordered the veggie dog and it was incredible. The kids don’t care for hot dogs, so we meandered to the farmer’s market and got them some snacks, including fresh coconut. The woman at the coconut stand lops the top of it off right in front of you and gives you a straw to drink the coconut milk!
Tour a coffee farm:
If you haven’t had real 100% Kona coffee, you are truly missing out. I tend to always add some cream to my coffee and seldom have it black. But Kona coffee is so good, the only way to drink it is straight up. Even Mark Twain said Kona coffee has “a richer flavor than any other, be it grown where it may and call it by what name you please.” Kona coffee can only be grown in the Kona coffee belt on Hawaii, and is different tasting than other coffee because it’s grown in rich volcanic soil full of nitrates, phosphates, iron, and manganese.
Because of our love of coffee, we actually toured the same coffee farm twice – once in 2011 and once in 2015. Both times were at Greenwell Farms. They have daily tours and you don’t need to even reserve a time, just show up 15 minutes before the tour times listed on their site. I promise you, even kids will have fun on these tours. They get to taste the coffee cherry beans, eat fresh bananas right off the tree, and if they’re lucky, they can pet the resident cats or see wild roosters milling around.
Things to do on the Big Island without kids:
Take a helicopter tour:
I say to do this without kids merely because I hate the idea of a chopper going down with your entire family in it. Vince and I did this back in 2011 when we had no kids and I wasn’t feeling my mortality as much as I do these days. Vince and I booked ours with Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours. I won’t lie, I was terrified. But it was a great experience and worthy of doing it if you want a bird’s-eye-view of the island!
Of course, there a million other things to do on the Big Island than just what I listed. But those are definitely the high notes, both alone or with kids. When we went to Kauai, my husband took surfing lessons which he loved, and of course that would be an amazing thing to do on the Big Island as well. If you want to dive deep into what we did on our trip to Kauai, read here. For my other blog about the Big Island, read here. And for my top recommendations on how to pack for a trip to Hawaii, read here. I hope this helped guide you through all the things to do on the Big Island! Thanks for reading!
