A beautiful hike to such a peaceful reward at the end!…read more As an avid hiker, this hike was doable. It took us only about half an hour going down and up. When you arrive, parking for hikers is recommended not at the valley parking lot but on the side road leading to the parking lot as the valley parking lot is for those who are just visiting the lookout and not hiking. Once you walk towards the trail entrance, there are a couple of people waiting to assist hikers. They discuss the safety protocol and warnings when visiting. There is no time limit to how long you can be down there but because no swimming is allowed, i have found people stay only about half an hour before heading back up. We recommend wearing hiking shoes because the ascend is not easy and have seen people struggling.

Great short hike with excellent views as you descend. We tried this ~ 30 years ago and the trail…read morewas narrow and not well developed plus very muddy the day we originally tried it, so had to turn around. Now, the trail is nicely improved with some strategic rock "steps" though it is still slippery, even on a dry day. We saw a number of people doing it ( Very cautiously) in inappropriate shoes and that is not at all recommended. It is steep. The pond and beach at the bottom is nice for contemplation and wave watching.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Wilson and the Mauna Kea Summit & Stars excursion…read more Wilson was incredibly well spoken and knowledgeable and I learned so much! He did all of this while navigating steep roads (not all paved) and feeding us amazing chicken stew, cookies, and hot cocoa. This was a truly memorable and magical trip and the weather was just perfect! Everything was well organized and I cannot recommend them enough

We went on an almost 100% full (flower) moon. It was special to see the terminator line on the…read moreCelestron telescope - it had such great definition! The color of Mauna Kea with the moon shining on it was so magical all around us. There were some clouds that cleared pretty well by the end of our star gazing. We were the last ones up there so it got dark enough to see more than you'd expect with the moon. Jeff, our awesome tour guide, used a laser pointer to help us see the constellations we usually can't back at home. The images on the digital telescope like nebulas, the moon & star clusters were an amazing addition to have as keepsakes. My husband and I felt he made the tour a great balance of learning and fun. He had the group feeling like family before we even left from the pickup lot. Things to consider: I do recommend following the moons cycles booking this tour/your trip if this is especially important for you to see as many stars as possible. The sunset and views of the observatory's make it awesome anyways :) I struggled with altitude sickness around 12,000 ft. Jeff had made sure to let us know beforehand if we experienced any issues to speak up. I was hesitant as I know it would mean turning the whole tour around, but some tingling turned to dizziness and then a brief fainting. He immediately stopped the bus and helped ground me and make sure I was completely okay & coherent before letting me know our options for the tour. We made it up to the top with 2 more (included in tour) stops and I felt better with each one having more time to acclimate :) Thank you Jeff!! You handled this so professionally and I appreciate your check-ins for the rest of the trip. It's cold even with parka and gloves. It's so worth packing warm shoes and layers. The bus had ac and heat so that was great! Do it if you can! Awe-inspiring! Such an unreal environment that makes you wonder about so many things. Just take the precautions seriously, move slow and breathe deep.

Highly recommend! We initially found LightSUP on Yelp at the top with all its stellar reviews and…read morewith SUP on my check off list, we booked it. I talked to Kelly on the phone and she was amazing ! and very patient answering all my questions, I had a lot lol since this was our first time. Looking at weather and surf conditions, she assured us Tuesday would be a great am for lessons. We drove down to Kona from Waikoloa ~30 min drive. Meet up was near a wharf, where we found free 2 hour parking off of Ali'i drive. Met up with our instructor Mark 830 am - a super friendly and understanding dude and he made us feel at ease. He went over some instructions with us regarding the board, how to, safety, and possible route. He warned us, looking at the windsock, it was a little windy, waters might be rough, but that we could make it work. Life vests were available, I wore one since I'm not the greatest swimmer. The boards were really cool, with the upper half containing a clear glass portion for views of marine life in the ocean. In the evenings, they offer lit up SUP boards. When I got onto the water, the waves were soooooo choppy, I immediately felt seasick- nauseous and dizzy, I was only able paddle for less than a half hour. Hubby was able to stand up a few times, but soon was washed off the board due to the waves. Mark noted that it was definitely advanced waters kinda day. We weren't able to enjoy as much as we had liked to or be out the two hours allotted. But, he made us feel comfortable and was so kind. He shared with us all the videos and pics he took of our am. He called and left a message with Kelly, the owner, of our uneventful morning. I messaged Kelly as well, and she did not charge us. Mahalo! We definitely tipped Mark for his time, kindness, and patience : ) This is a wonderful small owned company that cares about its clients! Check them out!

My gf booked this tour our trip and I was initially a bit scared as being in the open ocean water…read moreis one of my fears. I thought it would be fun though to see the wild life at night however since it's such a unique experience. The tour starts with one of the nicest sunsets I've seen in Hawaii. It was such an amazing view. We then started on the shallow area just to get used to the board and water. It is a lot harder than you think to stand on that board! Our tour guide was AMAZING! He was so funny and told us amazing stories. I loved all of the factoids! He was so enthusiastic and you can really tell he cared for us to have fun even if we didn't see anything. You can also tell how passionate he is about the coral and welfare of the ocean. We began to paddle out before it became completely dark. This is where I tried to stand up and ended up falling into the Ocean! My biggest fear! It was in the deep end also. I suggest not doing it far out where there are still waves but also trying to stand before it gets completely dark. On our tour we saw so many fish. There are a ton of needle fish that jump on your board. You also get super close to the coral and get to see a lot of the amazing fish at night time which is a totally different perspective. We were able to see a small sting ray, a bunch of fish, tons of coral and the most amazing thing was a shark (twice!). I don't know what kind of shark it was but if I had to guess maybe a tiger shark? The tour guide said it is super super rare to see that. The shark was pretty friendly and a bit curious about the board but then quickly swam away. It only appeared for about 5 seconds. About an hour later, a much smaller one appeared and came up to the board and then swam away. Overall, which an amazing (and slightly scary) experience. The water is pretty warm even at night. The tour guide was so nice. I highly recommend this tour!

Hawaiian Adventures is by far the BEST ocean tour company of them all!! I went on their whale…read morewatching tour in March and then again on Wednesday. As a matter of fact, I loved it so much in March, I went on another one right after!! We saw so many incredible whales!!! Shane, the owner and his talented son Andrew and their staff including Kelsey give great informative commentary all along. This time, Andrew actually held the boat out there a bit longer as he spotted another whale!! We even saw a ton of adorable spinner dolphins gyrating out of the water! The highlight was a mama humpback with her 2-4 week old newborn calf. Why did he know that?? The size. They grow from 1500 lbs to 3000 lbs the first month!! They eat about 50 gallons of milk per day. Super interesting and super FUN!!!! We just home late last night but I'm already going to go back in February as that is the best month for multiple sightings. It's the best part of being in HAWAII!! ALOHA!!!!

Oh my gosh!! This was amazing. Mike showed us all the best spots in the Volcano Park. He knew where…read moreto go and where not to go. He is very knowledgeable about the plants and volcanoes. Please do yourself a favor and give Mike a call. You won't be disappointed.

Kirston's SUP Yoga classes are great! I've experienced two so far. It was a fun, easy to follow,…read moreand very relaxing journey from start to finish. Kirston helped everyone feel comfortable no matter each person's skill level. She did a great job of leading myself and others in a fun interactive water Yoga adventure. Perfect for beginners in both Yoga and stand up paddle boarding!

Kirston led our group through paddle board basics before taking us out to a super calm spot. We did…read morea mix of meditation, breath work, and yoga. Even though it was gently sprinkling, it was a remarkably beautiful experience together!

RENTER BE WARE! Tried to rent a holiday place in Kona. Rented it, paid for it & then received an…read moreemail simply telling me that my reservation was canceled. I had to email them to find out why & was told that the property was supposed to have been blocked out over the period we reserved it. That's fine, I understand the legit mistake. What I am bothered by is they never apologized & never made an effort to help us find another property. And here is the big kicker, our credit card was charged for it after they canceled & we have not been refunded yet & it has been a week & a half! Again emailed them & were told that we need to contact Hopper, apparently who they do their charging through. There is no way to contact anyone @ Hopper. This is one of the worst customer service experiences I have had in a very long time.

We had an amazing experience from start to finish with Marisa, Jan and the amazing property in…read moreWaikoloa! We had some concerns for the brush fire affecting air quality and Jan personally went and checked the air, took photos and texted me. The customer service was second to none! Such caring people and such an amazing property. Our kids had a blast in the pool and the mini golf on property as well as taking in the peaceful sites from the gorgeous view for myself and my husband. Quality quality quality! We will definitely be back!!

Hana was a great instructor to my daughter. Patient, encouraging, friendly and fun. They provided a…read moresurfboard, shoes and rash guard shirt for the lesson. While my daughter went surfing, my other kids went snorkeling at the same public beach. Good time had by all.

I took a private lesson with Chad an had an absolutely wonderful time. Chad was easy going,…read moreinformative, and encouraging, guiding me on my board in the water and setting me up for success. After standing up a few times, but feeling fatigue from paddling, he encouraged me further and I got up a few more times again! Definitely recommended for newbies and beginner. Thank you Chad!

The staffs are incredibly enthusiastic and patient! We saw countless stingrays--it was truly a…read moremagical and perfect experience! The equipments are like brand-new, spotless, and top-notch!

Incredible Manta Ray Night Snorkel! * Devon handled…read morecheck-in smoothly and made everything easy * Greg was an outstanding guide in the water * The team was friendly, professional, and made us feel safe and comfortable the entire time * Seeing the manta rays up close at night was truly magical and unforgettable Highly recommend this adventure to anyone visiting Kona!