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.

Mauna Kea summit trip was amazing. Definitely worth it. Our guide, Aaron was very humbly…read moreknowledgeable and you can tell he really enjoyed the star gazing. He made our group time together feel like ohana. The equipment was top notch.

Gorgeous black sand beach with very few people located in a really nice neighborhood. If you want a…read morequiet beach wirh great views, this is thr spot!

Came by here since we were in the area and at first, we thought we were in the wrong spot. not…read morerealizing this beach was private but public access!!! Meaning, when you see the gated area, you can still go in when they give you one of the tags to hang on your dashboard. You drive through a very nice neighborhood and follow the sign to the public beach parking lot. It's very small so that's probably why they only let in a certain amount of cars at a time. It was super hot so definitely avoid walking barefoot on the dark "black" (more like pepper) sand because it won't feel cooling to the touch. It was pretty pleasant and nice because of the small vicinity of the beach but it was feeling a bit crowded to where you can only swim in a small section because of other people in the waters. I did like how smooth the sand was along the coast, and there's several thicker and larger rocks that haven't turned to fine sand yet like the others. Pro Tip: If you want to take pics or videos of the sand and emphasize the "black sand" portion of the beach, just adjust your exposure and lower it so it appears darker.

Park in the KingsShop area and crossover from the gas station to the other side of the road and the…read moresigns would lead you to King's trail. Pretty easy to do trail that one should enjoy with all the trail has to offer. Can be done in about 10-15 minutes if you are in a rush while if you stay back read and enjoy the drawing and carvings in the stone it could take up a bit. Definitely recommend it atleast for those history buffs and people that can associate with what the trail has to offer. PS: Got to be careful of those golf balls that can fly in your direction given there are couple of holes alongside the trail.

You can park in the lot where Roy's restaurant is located and take a short walk to the entrance…read more This is a short easy uneven trail so bring good walking shoes. There are a lot of petroglyphs but the only negative thing is which ones are real. There seems to be no respect for this trail as you can tell that some of the carvings are new with people's names.

Are you wanting a relaxing day with minimal crowds? Go to Molokai then...just kidding. This beach…read morehas a basic bathroom and limited parking. Shade is plentiful at Beach 69 with all the trees. Bring a hammock and enjoy the day. Fishing is okay on the shoreline but there is competition with swimmers. Snorkeling is okay, you see fish small to medium size. Bottom is mostly rock so not great for walking and wading in the ocean. Depth is about 2-6' for about 40' then gets deeper.

This is one of my favorite beaches in Hawaii, but I was sad when we showed up and the parking meter…read morewas broken, so instead of paying a little hourly rate they were making everyone buy the day pass for $30. We paid it none the less, and we enjoyed our day snorkeling, swimming, tanning, picnicking and interacting with the local chickens. It's a very family friendly beach with lots of little kids laughing and families playing in the sand. This beach is unique because of how close the trees come to the water creating little amphitheaters of seating under the shade. While it makes for minimal spots for people, it is so relaxing and paradise-making to get one of the spots.

Get there early for one of the public beach parking spots and avoid weekends. The beach is…read morebeautiful and pretty quiet, we stayed the entire day. The parking lot is close to the beach, maybe 10 minutes. It was nice to have clean restrooms with toilet seat covers, toilet paper, running water, and paper towels. Showers for rinsing off are outside the restroom.

Wow, how lucky we are! We got a spot! Usually, they only allow 10 parking spots open but in the…read moretemporary lot, there's many more guest beach parking The security guard at the entrance will let you know if you are able to come through and he will give you a parking pass here. They will give you a parking pass if there are spots open. Currently there is construction to build a larger parking lot to allow more than 10 parking spots so you will be sent to another parking area that allows a lot more spots. Everyone is excited for the new parking lot. This beach is really fun for boogie boarding, building sand castles, and (if you like small waves )surfing . The walk from the temporary parking lot to the beach was really nice included a lot of trees, flowers, and a garden. Tucked away behind the garden a gift shop. The gift shop also sells boogie boards, but you can bring your own

I came in the off season. It was not crowded. Parking($20) was easy, no app, credit card only at a…read morekiosk. Lifeguards were on duty and they looked alert and spent time in the water.

This was our favorite beach while visiting the Waikōloa area on the Big Island. The sand is like…read morepowder, the water is warm and shallow (check tide conditions), it's clean, and the kids loved it. Besides the beach area, there is a large grassy area with canopies, picnic tables, and a large lawn area. The lawn area gave us shelter from the sun, and was a great place to take breaks and have snacks. There were a few chickens wandering around the grassy area, so watch your food. The bathrooms are decent, and there are several water spray areas to wash off. The kiddos just loved wading in the water and letting the waves wash over their legs. It's a great place for the whole family.

Went with a large group(Backroads) and Evan, Andrew, Cesar, and Dom were our guides. They were…read moreprofessional and had a lot of great information. It was a bit choppy, so our two girls got help with a tow out to the reef. Once out on the reef, it was freeking amazing. I am not the strongest of a swimmer and got a bit winded(my 2nd time snorkeling). But Evan got me on a float and that helped a lot. The group and my family really enjoyed ourselves. I will say that our guides were great and I noticed a review about Andrew. Here is my thought about Andrew, he tended to be bit more focused. He was gruff in tone a couple of times, but I just think that was because he was dealing with a large group of people with different levels of experience and was looking out for our safety in the water. As I said before, this was an amazing day. They also took some great photos of everyone in the water(see photos below).

Excellent experience. Evan and Don where great. They both were very knowledgeable of the ocean and…read moretook us to a great place to snorkel on the kayaks.

This is a great 'less known' beach. I recently spent 3 days…read moreon this beach and there was never more than just a few people. The water is clear and very little waves in May so it was perfect for floating around, snorkeling or swimming. We saw a few turtles swim by as we were floating around enjoying the water. No lifeguards, no bathrooms, no parking lot, no nothing.... just a trail down to a nice beach. More locals than tourists usually. Leave your resort wear and screaming kids at the resort. This is a mellow beach......... don't ruin it for the rest of us.

Tucked away and not too crowded even at peak season this is a little golden nugget of a beach. Some…read moresnorkeling opportunities just off the beach too, explored a few small coral reefs with schools of tropical fish and even a large sea turtle.

It's a short well marked hike. Worth it if you geek out on this kind of stuff. Be sure to walk the…read morecircumference, lots to see. Otherwise it's a hot, dry, dusty, potentially prickly walk. Don't wear slippers unless you're immune to thorns. They will get you.

This is a short hike (30 min round trip) to see some interesting petroglyphs. Not sure how old…read morethese really are but it's a cool cultural thing to do instead of drinking lava flows by the pool. There is also a nice beach there with some big tide pools to explore. I enjoyed my mini-adventure.

Mahalo palena 'ole (Gratitude beyond measure)…read more My first time visiting the Big Island. It is nearly twice as big as all of the other Hawaiian islands combined, peaceful, beautiful, and less chaotic than O'ahu. Don't discount visiting the Big Island... I know O'ahu is the party island attracting surfers and outdoor adventurers... then you have romantic Kauai for couples. Maui is for family and fun... and the Big Island... well, it's just... big ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I love the Big Island! Don't look for the stereotypical Hawaiian getaway -- luaus and romantic stuff. We spent time both in Kailua Kona and Hilo and everywhere else in between for a short 3-1/2 days. Both ends are so different from each other. All in all, we couldn't accomplish all I wanted to see in such a short time including going to all the national parks (3 total) and visit as many beaches as we could and eat traditional Hawaiian food and shop, eat and shop... shop and eat... ahhh! so little time but we did see some beautiful sites and places and got to enjoy some local eats. We loved the lush greenery and vegetation, the legends (some creepy) and the lava! We just missed the last glow at Kilauea volcano. The eruption in the Halema'uma'u has paused... also, you don't need to join a hiking tour to see lava, we went to an area near Pahoa and Puna where lava-covered portions of Highway 132 in lower Puna area was inundated by lava during the 2018 eruption of Kilauea volcano... this part is located in Lava Zone 2. If visiting the Big Island don't miss visiting the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and see Pele's home... the Kilauea Volcano. She has been growing the Big Island since 1983. The beaches are colors I've never seen before! Aloha Oe... Hana hou! Safe travels! Review #2306

I like Big Islands and I cannot lie! You other bruddahs…read morecan't deny! -- Sir Mix a Lot after eating loco moco with a cup of Kona coffee I really enjoyed my stay on the Big Island. We stayed on the Hilo side, mainly because I had never seen lava flow and wanted a glimpse. We planned out our visit before Kilauea's temper tantrum so due to the overzealous and insidious amount of lava flow, much was still closed off when we visited. It didn't stop us from having a good time though. We saw as much as we could from MacKenzie State Park, shopped, saw local attractions and ate our way through Hilo one loco moco at a time. Hilo is where loco moco was first invented so might as well indulge in a local favorite, right? The landscape is just beautiful. You will feel like you are living in paradise except for those pesky little mosquitoes. I was basically their blood bank for the whole trip so bring or buy that all important bug repellent. It's so green and vibrant on the island. The black sand beaches are unique and there's even a green sand beach that I want to visit next time I'm here. The water on the beach is crystal clear with so many shades of blue. Snorkeling is a popular activity for good reason! There's a reason why everything is so green. Hilo is #1 in rainfall out of all cities in the U.S., averaging 130 inches of rain a year. It rained pretty much every day we were here but it didn't deter us too much from going to places we had planned to visit. Just remember to have a hoodie or umbrella on hand when it gets really rainy. The locals are some of the friendliest and nicest that you'll meet. I was always greeted with kindness and a smile. I definitely want to make it back to the Big Island. I'd love to check out the Kona side as well as spend more time in Hilo.