We have visited all of the island over the span of ten years and rate the Big Island as our very favorite. Variety is the answer. The beaches and water are so clean and there’s an active volcano and fern enshrouded trails to explore. We use the Big Island Trailblazer guidebook to plan our itinerary. Flying over the island in a helicopter and walking down to Waipio Valley are my tips... Continue

All I can say is “Everytime I visit,I am in awe”. From the first time,I have found the Aloha in every nook and cranny I have been. From the black sand beaches,to the hidden volcanic hot springs and steam vents. This place is magical to me and always will be.With having the biggest part of the islands in front of you, It takes alo t of time to see everything the Big island has to... Continue

Christmas Day, 2006, was one of my most treasured Christmas Days. My husband and I surprised my parents with a trip to Hawaii!

My parents played a game involving incidents and facts about other family members. For each incorrect answer, they were given clues such as things that would keep one busy while awaiting a flight, or toss away cameras, etc. For each correct answer, they... Continue

My family and I visited Hawai`i for the first time in March 2007. After spending a couple of days on another island for my sister’s wedding, my wife, five year old daughter, and I flew over to the Big Island for the remainder of our vacation. And wow, what a trip! All three of us are nature enthusiasts, and the Big Island did not disappoint. Our first night on the island was spent in... Continue

My husband and I and our two friends Ron and Vicki traveled to the Big Island in 2005. We stayed on the Hamakua coast on a cliff high above the Waipio Valley. When we saw the pictures on the internet, I thought – oh sure, it looks pretty in the picture but, I bet it doesn’t look anything like that in real life. Well, I was in for a VERY pleasant... Continue

My daughter celebrated her eighth birthday while we were vacationing on the Big Island. For a totally new and exciting adventure, I decided to take her horse back riding. We drove up into the beautiful countryside of the Kahala Mountains to Na’alapa Stables. The wranglers were wonderful with my daughter, and provided her with a gentle well trained horse. We rode through rolling green... Continue

We went swimming off a beach (that we thought we had found) near the golf course at the Fairmont Orchid Hotel and my husband lost his rental car keys in the beautiful waves! He also sliced his thumb open on a lava rock. As we were walking thru the golf course looking for a phone, one of the workers gave us a ride to the Fairmont Orchid hotel lobby which was like heaven! They treated us like... Continue

I have been to Hawai’i for the last 6 years and will be there again in Jan. I always find new and exciting things to do. But on the Big Island I will always find the volcano the most extrodinary thing. You can now see the lava flow from the end of the road without even walking out onto the lava. It is awesome. However, the whales are my favorite. One year we had a mother and baby come up... Continue

On our trek in Volcanoes National Park, we came across this sign which had been covered by an earlier flow of lava. We couldn’t resist the opportunity to snap this photo! By the way, this place was truly beautiful and surreal…like nowhere else we have ever been. It was an awesome display of nature. The kids were mesmerized by the flowing lava.

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My husband and I are in the waiting-for-a-kid stage in adopting. We decided that if we were going to get to Hawaii before we were old, we had better go before the kids come. We had just gone through around a year without work and could finally afford the trip when my husband got his present job. We decided to go for our dreams and hit the big island. We had such a wonderful time. We spent 10... Continue