When I'm in Hilo, I always love visiting Big Island candies. It's always fun seeing the factory…read moreprocess and seeing the cookies dipped, but what I enjoy most is the complimentary samples. This place is a piece of heaven. Those cookies, brownies and rocky road are things I dream of. I do prefer dark chocolate over milk, but milk chocolate stuff is really yummy too. Who am I kidding if only milk chocolate dipped cookies in front of me I'd totally take them. The packaging is also beautiful, but if you just want cookies for you or to make goodie bags save a little money and get the bagged cookies vs boxed ones. And if you have any product questions, make sure to ask the friendly staff.

Bigger of an operation now compared to back when I was growing up in Hilo. But they have always…read morekept the fact that you can walk in and see the workers hand dipping cookies and whatnot. They've not changed much besides having newer items here and there. They've classic chocolate dipped shortbread cookies are always a winner. Best part about visiting is that you get samples of their products if you just ask kindly! The staff are always so friendly and helpful. I wish they would bring back the Peanut Butter Crunch Bars!

Although we only had a few days to spend in Hawai'i, and a lot of activities to experience, we were…read moreexcited about trying out the variety of food available in Hilo. Thankfully, Pono and the Hilo Food Tours delivered. It was a treat to hear about the food we sampled through the lens of Hawaiian history. I would recommend Hilo Food Tours to anyone interested in sampling some great flavors. We hope to come back some time for the cocktail tour too!

From the owner: Hilo Food Tours is an experience, a walking culinary and historical journey which we make together…read morethrough Hilo town. These tasty dishes have become a part of the food landscape of Hawaii and are enjoyed by everyone. Our customers will experience the history and culture of Hawaii through their taste buds, leaving them with an appreciation for a place known for its beauty and mystery. This is what makes Hawaii unique and this is what we want you, our customers, to experience. Our 2 hour walking tour takes place in our quaint town of Hilo. We will tour five different eateries throughout Hilo town and sample the wonderful flavors each offers in their dishes. As we walk her streets you will learn the history and background of the area and be taken away to another time and place. A place rich in diversity that makes Hilo unique. You will experience each individual culture through your taste buds, savoring the richness and unique spices used in every dish.

What can I say about wonderful, delightful, knowledgeable Tara within the space and time allotted…read moreto me? EVERYBODY GO ON HER TOUR!! Just do it. If you are someone with an interest in anthropology, culture, history, food, and getting to know an area of the world, you will love this tour. We had the most delicious time with her. It was spent in a small van instead of a giant bus, and I believe that facilitated obtaining the information and experiencing the island in the unique ways by which we, as a small group, connected with our surroundings. As someone who loves to take friends around my home towns, I appreciated Tara's perspective and love for sharing about her home with visitors. No matter how prevalent social media is, there are just some spots that only locals know about, and Tara definitely has the scoop on the Big Island. I would love to go on another one of her tours and look forward to doing so.

Take a scenic drive to an amazing working cacao farm where you can learn all about the art of…read moregrowing cacao. Chocolate lovers of all kinds will appreciate this event. Serene setting, knowledgeable hostess (host) We were greeted by the "security "dog named Darwin and knew this was the adventure for us. Travel with curiosity, be ready to have a Chocolate experience.

My family planned a trip to Hawaii a bit of of nowhere. Honestly, I was happy to just tag along and…read moredo whatever except I insisted I MUST visit a cacao farm. As the area where cacao can grow is incredibly small, I knew this might be my only chance, and I am nothing if not a dedicated chocolate fanatic. I also love gardening and growing my own food, so suffice to say this was right up my alley. I had previously tried (and adored) Manoa Chocolate, so I had to check if they offer a farm tour and happily, they do! I roped my mom and two sisters into the adventure, and we booked the Farm Tour and Hawaiian Craft Chocolate Tasting. There is also a shorter experience with just the tasting, but I was so glad we did the full tour. From the first moment we arrived I knew it would be magical. We got there a bit early in a huge van as some of my family was dropping us off to go on their own adventures. Wrenn was so welcoming to everyone and suggested those not staying take a little walk and explore the farm, even suggesting they take some star fruit to go! And then the tasting area! It is a large open space with a bar and tables around the edges, thankfully covered for shade, but the view of the farm and then out to the ocean was absolutely swoon worthy. We each had our own spot set up with plates, glasses, napkin, notepad and pen for notes, and tasting information. You can tell they know what they are doing as they've thought of anything you could possibly need. We started out with a tasting of about half the bars. Wrenn and Jude were kind and patient and really helped us learn how to find the different notes in the different varieties. It was such fun conversing with my family and the other guests, comparing the flavors we each discovered. We then did a little mini tour of the farm and learned how cacao trees grow, seeing them from sapling to full grown, and leaning of many different varieties, even some that are grown more for their fresh pulp than for the actual cacao beans. Speaking of which, we got to try some of that pulp! Ah! It was a true dream come true as this is not something you can just grab at the grocery store, and it was very yummy and tropical. Not only that, but once we got back to the tasting area for the second round, we got to try cacao juice (also tropical and delicious!). We also learned how cacao is processed and met loads of cacao-crazy geckos. We then tried the remainder of the chocolate as well as two different (and wonderful) teas. At the end we were welcome to ask for a second tasting of any chocolate bars we particularly loved and shop the goodies they have available. Besides the chocolate bars and tea, there was vanilla, honey, soap, jam, and maybe a couple other goodies. Truly, this was an experience like no other and one of the highlights of my trip to Hawaii. If you are even remotely a fan of chocolate or interested in farming, it is not to be missed.

Great place to try some free macadamia nuts!…read more I didn't realize how many flavors of macadamia nuts were available. The staff was super friendly and generous on giving away samples. Nice tour of the factory, gift shop and small eating area. The back has a nice wildlife sanctuary.

Trekked all the way over from Kona and was disappointed with the experience…read more If you have a Costco Membership save yourself the time and buy your Mauna Loa nut products there, much cheaper. If not, venture on over to the visitor center. There's free parking and clean bathrooms, plus if you have children you could kill a couple of hours in the outside self guided tour. They also sell some simple lunches and ice cream with an outdoor seating area where you can watch an informational video. There's an employee giving out free samples of multiple types of the Mac nuts. I did learn that the Hawaiian Host brand is their sister company.

This company did not disappoint! Mac was a phenomenal guide--extremely knowledgeable, professional,…read morecourteous, and accommodating. He didn't just share information about the places we visited; he brought them to life and made the entire experience memorable. I highly recommend this company, and if you can, be sure to ask for Mac.

What an amazing experience. We booked a tour to see the lava fields and enjoy a snorkeling…read moreadventure and it was a full day of adventure. Keep in mind there is no snorkeling on this excursion and the area around the Hilton is not safe or appropriate for snorkeling. I am writing the review solely on the lava field excursion part. My wife was very dissapointed that there was no snorkeling as we purchased new snorkeling equipment. Roxy was our tour guide and was probably the most knowledgeable and professional tour guide we have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Roxy was knowledgeable in the history of volcanoes on Hilo and elsewhere, horticulture, bird species, animals, Hawaiian culture, tourist attractions, history of the Hawaiian Islands, tribes and Capt. Cook, beaches, teachings, burial practices and so much more. Roxy told stories of the early days in Hawaii and how it evolved. Also as a noted her driving and safety practices were impeccable. If you are planning to come to Hilo you must make it a point to reach out to Roxy. We spent approximately 8 hours on the tour and it was so enriching although the lack of snorkeling was a dissapointment . Highly recommended Mahalo

This place is absolutely magical! I really don't think I can express in words how incredible the…read moreVolcano Eco Retreat was, and I truly don't think we'll ever find something as magnificent again. My wife and I came here to celebrate our 1 year anniversary/late honeymoon, and we could not have DREAMED of a better experience! Emily and Court were such gracious hosts and you can immediately tell how much love they put into this place. The cottages were absolutely PERFECT, equipped with a mini fridge, WiFi and a smart TV, and a ceiling fan for temperature control. The shower was fantastic, and the bed was like sleeping on a cloud! The resort itself was STUNNING, with beautiful lush greenery as far as the eye can see. We found ourselves easily able to fall asleep to the sounds of nature every night. It was so wonderful to be able to unplug and just enjoy the sounds of the forest around us, and the rain falling. Unbelievably relaxing! If you've never been to Hawaii before, the weather changes pretty frequently. It rained every day we were there, but only for about 30 minutes or so. Definitely don't worry about getting rained out on vacation, because if you drive even just a few minutes down the road it'll be clear skies and sunshine! All of Emily's recommendations were spot on! She really knows her stuff and I felt like we had an inside source to all the best spots on the island - the ones only known to locals. The handmade breakfasts every morning were to die for, Court is an exceptionally talented chef - seriously Michelin star quality food that was breathtaking to look at and some of the most delicious food I've ever tasted! Not to mention everything comes from their own garden! I myself am not vegan but every meal we had was filling and absolutely DELICIOUS. A VERY special shout-out to Naomi the massage therapist! If you get a chance to do Naomi's retreat I HIGHLY recommend it! She really gave us such an amazing experience and we came away from it feeling relaxed and rejuvenated! Plus being able to see all the great work they're doing for the land is truly incredible. Whether you're vegan or not this place should be at the absolute top of your list. We can't thank Emily and Court (and Will!) enough for making our honeymoon a truly unforgettable experience! We will DEFINITELY be back!

I can't express enough how amazing our stay here was. The property itself was well kept, beautiful…read moreand extremely clean! The owners Gabby, Tony and their fashion forward dog Sushi were welcoming, accommodating and kind! My favorite part was brunch! They brought out an amazing spread of pineapple pancakes, spinach bubble waffles and a papaya filled with overnight oats-a straight up chefs kiss! It's the perfect place to relax, unplug and enjoy yourself!

An Amazing Kona Coffee Experience…read more Greenwell Farms was one of the highlights of our Big Island trip! This is a coffee farm and tour experience, so just to clarify, they do not serve food here. The experience is focused on learning about how Kona coffee is grown and processed, touring the farm, and sampling their coffees. Our tour was about an hour, and we had such an amazing time. Our guide was a woman whose name I believe was Leilani (possibly Lenny or Lee), and she was absolutely adorable -- especially walking around in her cowboy boots! She was knowledgeable, friendly, and made the whole experience really enjoyable. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone who visits. Because of a major storm in May, the farm had suffered significant damage, including losing a bridge, so we received a modified tour. Even with the changes, we learned so much about the coffee-growing and production process, and it was fascinating to see everything firsthand. Hearing about the damage they experienced also gave us an even greater appreciation for the farm and what they've been working through. The tour is outdoors and seems appropriate for a wide range of ages. We happened to have a cloudy morning, so the weather was perfect for walking around the farm without getting too hot. Parking was easy and available right on site. A little tip: Wear comfortable sneakers and make sure you have good balance. There are some areas of the farm with gentle inclines and declines, so it's not completely flat. Since the bridge was out, there was also less walking than there normally would be. And of course, the coffee sampling was such a fun part of the experience! If you're visiting the Big Island and want to learn more about authentic Kona coffee rather than just buying a bag at a store, I highly recommend putting Greenwell Farms on your itinerary. We're so glad we went. It was educational, relaxed, beautiful, and genuinely fun -- and our guide made it that much more memorable. Mahalo to the Greenwell Farms team for such a wonderful experience!

Great tour for FREE! Arrive early and be patient, if there isn't room on the tour when you arrive,…read morethey will get you on the next tour. Sip on free samples while you wait or check out merchandise to purchase and support. Do NOT wander as it's an actual working farm with moving machines and vehicles. Stay off roads and watch for moving vehicles. Be cautious of signs and closed off areas. Wear comfortable and safe shoes. It's all walking on uneven dirt and rock. Sunblock, hat, and sunglasses as you are outside the whole time. They provide free umbrellas to borrow during the tour, but they can block views of others on the tour and can become unintentionally obnoxious and rude, and cause potential eye injury hazards. Your guides are great and share so much history on the farm, the trees and plants, the island, the coffee, and the family. Be sure to TIP generously and listen to them QUIETLY and intently. Check website for times and dates.