I had heard the storied history of the Kona Brewers Festival since moving here, but never had the…read moreopportunity to go. I'm glad I waited as this year, I had a weekend filled with beer! Arguably, this is the best beer festival to which I've ever been! The festival is primarily a charity event, with all the proceeds going to local and Big Island foundations and groups. It's all volunteer run, from the set-up, clean-up, staff, and pourers; they're working for free and don't get to join in the fun! The festival is located at the King Kamehameha Hotel, a Courtyard Marriott right on the Kona bay. The beach is right in the middle of the festival and provides a beautiful foreground, while the mountains and trees provide a picturesque landscape beyond. For 2019, the weather was overcast and kind of cool, yet humid and hot at the same time. I was glad to wear sunscreen and a hat, you'll need them in the afternoon sun! The festival offers various ticket choices from the high tier Connoisseur's Lounge, to VIP, and General Admission. There are also so many complimentary or discounted levels for groups that assist in the planning of the event. The Connoisseur's Lounge includes an extra hour of special tastings and food in the hotel's restaurant area with music and air conditioning. Their badge was also a piece of koa as a keepsake. VIP was allowed onto the grounds up to an hour early, but no tastings were allowed until the start of the event (basically a skip-the-line deal). The General Admission line snaked around the pier in the hot sun, but people looked happy to be coming in. The festival was arranged around the beach with brewery tents interspersed with food, merchandise, and information booths. All ticket tiers got a wristband with 10 tickets to try 10 beers, more tokens could be purchased for $2 each, again with all proceeds going to charity. Food was unlimited, which means it went fast! All the volunteers were extremely friendly and having a great time interacting with the crowd. It was very crowded, but easy to walk around without feeling cramped. The main stage at the end of the pier had live musical acts and the Trash Fashion Show among other draws. Restrooms and portapotties were everywhere, so that was less of a worry than I thought beforehand. It was fun talking to random people, trying new beers from new breweries, and munching on delicious local foods. For anyone that can, be sure to attend this festival. Organization is second to none! Mahalo to the organizers for providing the homebrew judges with discounted passes!

This was a well-organized, albeit crowded event - I totally understand its popularity: what's not…read moreto love? 30 plus brewers from across the US pouring their best brews, unlimited food samples from dozens of vendors across the island, and to top it off, it all takes place at a picturesque setting right on the water in Kailua-Kona Town, on the lawn of the King Kamehameha Hotel. Online ticket sales sold within 15 minutes and I ended up having to go to Kona Brewery's location in Hawaii Kai (Oahu) to purchase our tickets the same afternoon. I'm glad I did because they sold out completely later that evening! Upon arriving at the event, there was a long line extending across the pier to enter the grounds of the event. Thankfully, the line moved swiftly and we collected our souvenir tasting mug and fork/spoon for tasting. The event aimed to be 100% eco-friendly, thus the reusable utensil, mug and food was being served on either ti leaves or compostable plates/bowls. Brewers' tents and food tents were scattered throughout the grounds with an impressive array of food and drink to last FOUR HOURS! I could barely stand by the end of the event! By the time the last couple of hours of the event rolled around just a couple of the most popular brews were tapped out and several food vendors were down to their last, although by this time I think everyone was stuffed to the gills and drink tickets were waning. The wristband you are given upon entry had 10 tasting tickets, once those were exhausted and you still want to drink more? Tasting tokens were being sold for $2 each. This year, Sig Zane designed the logo for the festival and I thought I'd wait til later to purchase a shirt to commemorate the event, which turned out to be a bad idea! The popular sizes and colors sold out quick, so no t-shirt for me to wear once and shove in the depths of my drawer forever. Hm... that's actually a great thing! I'm already stoked for next year!

This is the only place I found in the area with big size T-shirts. He also sell some baby clothes…read more I would call in advance to see what the hours will be for that day. The place is very small the owner is extremely friendly and nice. I will definitely go back if I'm in the area, or you can order online.

A small clothing shop located on Alii Drive, behind Crazy Shirts. They specialize in their own…read morebrand of men's shirts-especially BIG MENS, and infant clothing, with their own special messages. You gotta check out the infant wear. so cute and guaranteed to make you laugh. Perfect gifts. I love the Biggah Mo Bettah mens tshirts. Visiting the islands, you gotta take one of the tshirts home!!

We did the free tour, and Sabrina was awesome! Super knowledgeable, really knows her sh!t…read more Beautiful farm, delicious coffee... great all around experience.

The banana bread here is unbelievable. It is fresh and delicious. It is worth a trip on its own…read more There were also avocados and apple bananas available the few times I came by and they are also very good.

#61 of 2017 Of all…read morethe cons I've attended in Hawaii this, by far, is the best imho. Let's put it in perspective first. This con is no where to the level of some of other Hawaii Cons. Not even close. It is not in a convention center. It was, for 2017, at the Mauna Lani Hotel. Attendance is less than 50% of the top 2 comic cons. However, it has lots of spunk. GB the head Kahuna has put together a format different from other cons across the country tying into educating the keikis with science through today's pop culture. So obsessed is GB in his goal to educating the keikis he was able to secure non-profit status for the show. This is only their 4th year. He also brings in hollywood stars into a relaxed environment with the opportunity for fans to join them in special events like snorkeling, diving, fishing, sight seeing, sky diving, zip lining etc. Cosplay is big here as it is everywhere. Along with the usual events there is also keiki cosplay contest with a cash prize for 1st place. GB has realized how helpful this event is to having a positive impact on the keikis increasing creativity and self confidence. I remember attending San Diego Comic the 1st time in a High School cafeteria. I attended through the years watching it grow with great excitement. Now it is an international event well known through out the galaxy. The aliens that attend are incredible to say tbe least. lol Hawaii Con has the potential of following a similar path. If you have the chance to attend I believe you will have a good time and you didn't have to fly to the mainland. Support Local!!

I found the interpretive signs very interesting as they had common names, Hawaiian names, genetic…read morefamily, and what the plants were used for such as medicinal, dyes, rope making, etc. It is also great that they are working to save endangered species. When we visited, they were getting set up for a big plant sale so it was a bit chaotic, but we still enjoyed our visit.

What a joy it was to stroll through this peaceful ethnobotanical garden and learn more about…read moreHawai'i's native flora and fauna. The space felt intimate and beautifully cared for by the community, filled with plants that tell the story of the islands' deep connection to the land. We practically had the place to ourselves (just us and a few cheerful saffron finches flitting around). A quiet, restorative stop that's easy to miss but absolutely worth finding.

This was one of my favorite moments from our recent visit to Hawaii. I swear that we were…read moreliterally treated like ohana. Leslie and her small staff were so kind and welcoming. There is something to be said about the view and the fantastic coffee!!!! Wow was it top tier! It feels like a custom tropical treehouse. We sat around her concrete table as we sipped sample after sample of award winning Kona coffee. On the TV we watched a live feed of the volcano. It was such a genuine experience all the way through. She took the time to walk us around the farm and explain the entire process. So much effort goes into making such a delicious cup of coffee. This place is highly recommended. It has extremely limited hours so be sure to be mindful of that .

A fantastic and personal tasting and tour that was so gratifying and wonderful. Leslie and Etsi…read morewere wonderful and really made us feel like old friends! We were served several tastings of the coffee (7 or 8 small cups) and every cup was delicious! My favorite was the SL34 and I purchased a purchased a pound and half of it. After the tastings, we were taken on a tour around the farm and processing areas and it was so great to see Leslie treat the workers with love and respect. It was genuinely the best coffee farm we had been to...and we've been to several! The view is beautiful as well. The hours are extremely limited so make sure to make plan to come.

A nice intimate Luau at Mia Grille. The food is great. The service is perfect…read more Everyone gets perfect seats. The Polynesian Dancers were very entertaining. They get everyone up and included. What a great experience I can't wait to get back to Hawaii Island to be a part of it once more!

Such a once and a life time experience!! My family and I were in such pure amazement. The story…read morethat was told by the dance was so heart felt to where it made me cry but they were happy tears. I hope my family and I can attend another one.

Stayed at an airbnb in this little village along the western ridge of Hualalai Mountain. It's a…read moreshort 15 minute drive to Kailua, but you'll appreciate the difference in temperature during the hot humid months here on The Big Island. Enjoy the views of Kailua below and the tropical greenery on the drive up. But be cautious, the drive is steep and a bit curvy. Take care when hitting the turns higher up. It's a quaint, small community with a few art galleries, a cafe or two and some retail shops. But mostly residential. The rustic flair suits the island perfectly. If you're looking for something similar to Rodeo Drive or anything boujee, stick to Oahu or the mainland. But if you stop by here, enjoy the view, the rustic environment and the sense of ohana! Keep on Yelp'n!

We made the drive up here specifically for the Holuakoa Garden Cafe and the drive up wasn't too…read morelong at all from where we were staying. The town itself is small but in about 3 blocks it features an array of small, unique and charming galleries. It's a charming stop and a nice way to start your day-strolling through the town with some views of the coast below and chatting with the friendly shop owners. I would caution that they tend to keep flexible hours and tend to close early, so recommended you stroll through right after breakfast. I also spoke to one gallery owner who commented that she was closed for 6 weeks during the summer because it was too hot and they didn't get a lot of visitors then, It's not a day long destination but an interesting stop for an hour or so, en route to the rest of your day.