Hawaii Websites

TripAdvisor	Select Island of Hawaii to narrow questions and get a better response.
Fodors	Select Hawaii and then search. Not as detailed as tripadvisor.
Airline	Flew NWA; Detroit to Portland, OR, then Honolulu, then Hilo Return flight: Hilo to Honolulu, Honolulu to St.Paul, MN, then Detroit
Lodging - 3 nights	Hilo Hawaiian
Lodging - 5 nights	Hapuna Beach Prince Resort
Lodging - 2 nights	Volcano House
Activities: Hilo	Blue Hawaiian Helicopter
Activities: Kona	Manta Ray Night Snorkel
Activities: Golf	Hapuna Beach & Mauna Kea Golf Courses
Activities: Lu'au	Royal Kona Village Resort
Activities: Hilo	Hawaii Botanical Garden
Activities: Hilo	Hawaiian Vanilla Company -Paauilo
Activities: Kona	Kona Blue Sky Coffee
Restaurants:	Cafe Pesto - Hilo & Kawaihae
Restaurants:	Hilo Bay Cafe - Hilo
Restaurants:	Simple Good Food - Na'alehu
Restaurants:	Ken's House of Pancakes - Hilo
Restaurants:	Tante's Bar & Grill - Kamuela
Ice Cream	What's Shakin' - Papaikou - past Hawaiian Botanic Gardens
Ice Cream	Tropical Dreams - Hilo
Lodging: Decide what you want to do, then look for lodging options. Volcano and Hilo are interesting places to visit. Depending on your length of stay, try to spend time on the west and eastern parts of the island. Activities: This can really eat up the budget, so plan ahead and give some thought to this. Carefully schedule night activities with your daytime plans. On some activities such as the helicopter tour, schedule early in the trip and have a backup day incase of weather related cancellation. Restaurants: Another area which can be a budget buster if not careful. The Luau cost usually includes one cocktail and entertainment for the evening -- so it should cost more than the price of a meal. Our luncheon at the Hawaiian Vanilla Company was a special treat -- as there are limited eating options on this part of the island, and it gave you a good sense of what folks have to do to earn a living on the island. We found the "The Big Island Revealed" travel guide helpful and we were quite happy with all of our food choices, especially at the budget to moderate price range. Shopping: Souvenir shopping was done at the golf pro shop at Mauna Kea, Hawaiian Vanilla Company, Kona Blue Sky Coffee, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Farm, Akatsuka Orchid Garden, Hilo Hatties (Maui Dive Company), Hilo Walmart, and Hilo Farmer's Market and waterfront.

Hawaii Websites

Select Island of Hawaii to narrow questions and get a better response.

Select Hawaii and then search. Not as detailed as tripadvisor.

Airline

Flew NWA; Detroit to Portland, OR, then Honolulu, then Hilo

Return flight: Hilo to Honolulu, Honolulu to St.Paul, MN, then Detroit

Lodging - 3 nights

Lodging - 5 nights

Lodging - 2 nights

Activities: Hilo

Activities: Kona

Activities: Golf

Activities: Lu'au

Activities: Hilo

Activities: Kona

Restaurants:

Restaurants:

Restaurants:

Simple Good Food - Na'alehu

Restaurants:

Ken's House of Pancakes - Hilo

Restaurants:

Tante's Bar & Grill - Kamuela

Ice Cream

What's Shakin' - Papaikou - past Hawaiian Botanic Gardens

Ice Cream

Tropical Dreams - Hilo

Lodging: Decide what you want to do, then look for lodging options. Volcano and Hilo are interesting places to visit. Depending on your length of stay, try to spend time on the west and eastern parts of the island.

Activities: This can really eat up the budget, so plan ahead and give some thought to this. Carefully schedule night activities with your daytime plans. On some activities such as the helicopter tour, schedule early in the trip and have a backup day incase of weather related cancellation.

Shopping: Souvenir shopping was done at the golf pro shop at Mauna Kea, Hawaiian Vanilla Company, Kona Blue Sky Coffee, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Farm, Akatsuka Orchid Garden, Hilo Hatties (Maui Dive Company), Hilo Walmart, and Hilo Farmer's Market and waterfront.