Recommemded beaches in Kona and Hilo?

[Jamie.RN]

I am thinking about canceling the shore excursions that I have booked in Kona and Hilo so that my husband and I can have some relaxing time on the beach. Can anyone recommend some beautiful beaches near each of these ports?

 

We'll be on the Island Princess 4/21.

[DonahCBrown]

Hilo side there aren't that many great beaches, so I'd recommend you either do an excursion or rent a car and go to the volcano on your own.

 

Kona side there is a "beach shuttle" that goes from the pier to Kahalu'u beach park which has good snorkeling but is getting to the point of being overused and was pretty crowded when I went by there on the last 'boat day.' There is a small white sand beach and cove in front of the King Kamehameha Hotel right at the pier, and you can walk (about a mile or so?) from the pier to the "Old Airport" beach park. Starting from the pier, go past the hotel, up Palani Road to Kuakini, turn left, keep going until you run out of road - that's Old Airport. It is a pretty stretch of beach, rocky, can be rough. Beyond these, you will need to rent a car. If you want to stay fairly close to Kona (and given our traffic lately, it isn't a bad idea!) you can pick up a car at either the hotel or "Affordable Car Rental" which is located under the Lighthaus Camera place on Palani, roughly across the street from Hilo Hatties (there's a free shuttle to Hilo Hatties from the pier) and you can head out from the light at the intersection of Palani and Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway (SR 19) to the left, and turn in at the Natural Energy Lab Host Park (big weird looking solar array above a smallish building on your left as you are heading north on Queen K) There's a nice beach park, not all that heavily used, pretty tide pools. There's also an interesting "self - tour" down a the NELHA headquarters explaining what they are doing down there.

 

Next up after NELHA and the airport is the beach that the Four Seasons and Kona Village are on. There's a pull off and hike in area, or you can go to the resort. Beach access is required at all the resorts, although they can and do sometimes restrict parking and/or try to intimidate you into thinking it is private and you aren't allowed. It isn't true. Shoreline is all public in Hawaii, although you may have problems getting there across private property. Look for the blue "beach access" signs. Those mark public right of ways to beach access.

 

If you want to go further, the next easily accessible area is Anaeho'omalu (A-Bay) off Waikoloa Beach Road. Lots of construction going on down there just now, but the beach is lovely.

 

Continuing north, you then have the Mauna Lani complex with beach access at both the Mauna Lani Bay and the Fairmont Orchid, then the community of Puako which has several access points (remember the blue signs...) and then Hapuna Beach Park, then the Mauna Kea and Hapuna Prince Resorts, then bearing right towards Kawaihae Spencer Beach Park and the Pu'ukohola Heiau.

 

I wouldn't go much further than that as you'll want to start back to Kona no later than around 2:30 to be sure you will make it back to the ship because the traffic southbound on Queen K by around 3:00 is hideous.

[Thanksforyourinfo]

Maybe I'll get flamed for my opinion, but great beaches are on the Big Island, but not really near these cities. I would keep the exursions on the Big Island or rent a car to do things.

[sceptic]

Agree with thanksforyourinfo. Take advantage of what each island gives you in context with the rest of your vacation. If you really want to do beaches on the big island, rent a car and head north to Hapuna and Mauna Kea, among others. Kahulu'u is nice but often overcrowded.

 

The difficulty with simply going to Kahulu'u is that it doesn't provide a "feel" for what the big island/kona side has to offer. Kealakekua, coffee plantations, wide open spaces, the fascinating lay of the land from Kona southward - it simply rises in a slope for thousands of feet... as nice as Kona is as a town, I'd suggest an excursion to Kealakekua or a car rental and get out of town.

 

Hilo is simple. Volcano.

[Lady Slipper]

Hi Donah,

I have been checking out the forums and wondered if there is a beach where you can just wade out and snorkel. When we were on a Carribean cruise, we did this at Coco Cay.

I read about a place called Lanai in Maui (hope I got that right) They said there was no current and the water was crystal clear.

The other is Poipu beach for a fair variety of fish and the water is only about 4 feet deep.

Could you help us out on this please?:o I swear the more I read the more confused I get. :eek: Are cruise isn`t till October and I figure it is going to take me that long just to plan things out. I think things go so much smoother and less time is wasted this way.

[Lady Slipper]

Hi again Donah,

Just reading over my notes and Poipu beach is in Kauai, right? I forget to ask how far away from the pier these are. (Or any others you might recommend)

Thank you:)

[DonahCBrown]

Hi again Donah,

Just reading over my notes and Poipu beach is in Kauai, right? I forget to ask how far away from the pier these are. (Or any others you might recommend)

Thank you:)

 

I'll have to defer to someone from that island as I'm not from there. Don't remember pier and beach placements.:o

 

You might try TripAdvisor which has "local experts" for each island in their forum section.

[bailey554]

Just returned from Pride of Aloha cruise. There are only "lava" beaches in Hilo. The only sand beach in town is about 20 yards wide.....per Sunny our bus tour guide.

 

On Kaui - we rented a car, drove to Waimea Canyon (unbelievable views!) in the am and then on to Poipu Beach on the way back to the ship. Great variety of fish in 4 feet of water for snorkeling. Only problem was we made it to Poipu (free parking across from the beach) around 1pm and the current picks up around then. I couldn't snorkel due to current but hubby did and it was unbelievable!

 

If you want fun snorkeling in Kaui - local firefighers recommended Poipu Beach in the am so there will be no winds.

 

In Kona, we took the Snorkel & Beach Express to Turtle Beach. This beach is huge and although there were alot of people, there is so much room and sooooo many fish you won't have a problem. We also swam with turtles here.....there are a lot of them out and to the left. One came right up near the lifeguard's chair on shore and let us take pix of him as he ate!

 

The Snorkel Express is located across the street from the ship. You will see the air-conditioned bus from the tender as you come into port. it is $10 round trip and the shuttle comes every haf hour so you can stay all day or only for an hour if you'd like. He also rents snorkel equipment - $20 total for gear and ride roundtrip.

 

Enjoy!!

Dona

[spleen93]

Hi again Donah,

Just reading over my notes and Poipu beach is in Kauai, right? I forget to ask how far away from the pier these are. (Or any others you might recommend)

Thank you:)

 

Yes, Poipu is on Kauai - it's about a 30 minute drive from the pier.

 

Spleen

[Lady Slipper]

Just returned from Pride of Aloha cruise. There are only "lava" beaches in Hilo. The only sand beach in town is about 20 yards wide.....per Sunny our bus tour guide.

 

On Kaui - we rented a car, drove to Waimea Canyon (unbelievable views!) in the am and then on to Poipu Beach on the way back to the ship. Great variety of fish in 4 feet of water for snorkeling. Only problem was we made it to Poipu (free parking across from the beach) around 1pm and the current picks up around then. I couldn't snorkel due to current but hubby did and it was unbelievable!

 

If you want fun snorkeling in Kaui - local firefighers recommended Poipu Beach in the am so there will be no winds.

 

In Kona, we took the Snorkel & Beach Express to Turtle Beach. This beach is huge and although there were alot of people, there is so much room and sooooo many fish you won't have a problem. We also swam with turtles here.....there are a lot of them out and to the left. One came right up near the lifeguard's chair on shore and let us take pix of him as he ate!

 

The Snorkel Express is located across the street from the ship. You will see the air-conditioned bus from the tender as you come into port. it is $10 round trip and the shuttle comes every haf hour so you can stay all day or only for an hour if you'd like. He also rents snorkel equipment - $20 total for gear and ride roundtrip.

 

Enjoy!!

Dona

 

Thank you for the great information. I am putting these Snorkeling places on my list. If there are any other hints I would appreciate them. I go in October and I like to plan ahead, I figure we won`t waste time that way. Sorry I haven`t responded earlier, my computer decided to crash and we lost everything ont he computer :eek: Thank heavens I had some stuff backed up on a CD, but my nephew had to help me a lot. I am computer challanged!

[Lady Slipper]

Yes, Poipu is on Kauai - it's about a 30 minute drive from the pier.

 

Spleen

 

Thank you,

I will ad this to my notes. Any other tips or recommendations?:D

[seabreezer]

I would highly recommend Kealakekua as well. You can kayak across to the Captain Cook monument and do some amazing snorkeling right there. It's like a giant coral bowl full of fish with incredibly clear water. You'll also probably see dozens of spinner dolphins on the way over to the monument. On the way back to the ship stop at some coffee plantations in the uplands (Holualoa) or the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory and Farm. They have a great tour by appointment. It's the only chocolate factory in the US that grows their own beans.

[Karen S.]

Are there taxis to take to this beach? NCL has a shore excursion beach transfer for $37 and I wondered if a taxi would be a more economical choice.

Thanks,

Karen

[beachchick]

Are there taxis to take to this beach? NCL has a shore excursion beach transfer for $37 and I wondered if a taxi would be a more economical choice.

Thanks,

Karen

 

Poipu is a good 15 miles from Lihue (Nawiliwili); taxi rates are $3/mile; taxi one-way will be at least $45 (that's a minimum). If you are hanging out at Poipu beach park, you would need to go over to one of the hotels to get a taxi for your return because taxis don't hang around the beach park area. OTOH, taking a taxi would mean that you can go when you want and then return when you're ready, rather than whatever times the cruise line excursion has set. Are you willing to consider a car rental? The airport locations are only about 10 minutes by shuttle from the pier and renting a car is super easy. The cost would be less than (or at least, not more than) the one-way taxi cost. We have done 1-day rentals twice on Kauai for cruises and paid $25 one time and $20 the other. Even adding fuel costs, we spent less than $45. Plus, we could stop where we wanted and go see other things. (I should mention that we rarely book cruise excursions on any cruise and never for Hawaii. We always do rental cars in Hawaii.)

 

beachchick

[Karen S.]

That's great advice!

Karen

[jimgev]

I would highly recommend Kealakekua as well. You can kayak across to the Captain Cook monument and do some amazing snorkeling right there. It's like a giant coral bowl full of fish with incredibly clear water. You'll also probably see dozens of spinner dolphins on the way over to the monument. On the way back to the ship stop at some coffee plantations in the uplands (Holualoa) or the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory and Farm. They have a great tour by appointment. It's the only chocolate factory in the US that grows their own beans.

It's been quite a while since this was posed, but does anyone know if there is trasportation to Kealakekua? Also, are there places there were one could rent a kayak?

Thanks.

Jim

[beachchick]

It's been quite a while since this was posed, but does anyone know if there is trasportation to Kealakekua? Also, are there places there were one could rent a kayak?

Thanks.

Jim

 

There are no transportation options to the south side of K-bay (where you can rent kayaks) other than taxi ($$$, IMO) or rental car. You can't actually just drive or be driven to the snorkel area at the north end of K-bay. The only access is by boat (primarily excursion boats) and kayak. There used to be a hiking trail from the main road, but that was closed after the 2006 earthquake. Even if it's reopened, I don't recommend it for most people and definitely not for cruisers. It's 2 miles each way with the return virtually all uphill, over somewhat uneven terrian in the sun. Because there are no facilities or amenities of any kind at K-bay, you have to haul everything with you. The hike takes more than an hour each way, which is not a good use of limited port time. If you drive or taxi to the south end and rent a kayak (or a kayak excursion), it's about a 45 minute to 1 hour kayak each way (time depends on water conditions, physical fitness, and previous kayak experience). You must bring everything you need with you in the kayaks. There aren't many places to land (especially in the areas with lots of coral as human or boat contact damages and kills the coral).

 

Best access to K-bay for cruisers is on an excursion, unless you're avid kayakers who would make the kayaking an important part of the day.

 

beachchick

[jimgev]

There are no transportation options to the south side of K-bay (where you can rent kayaks) other than taxi ($$$, IMO) or rental car. You can't actually just drive or be driven to the snorkel area at the north end of K-bay. The only access is by boat (primarily excursion boats) and kayak. There used to be a hiking trail from the main road, but that was closed after the 2006 earthquake. Even if it's reopened, I don't recommend it for most people and definitely not for cruisers. It's 2 miles each way with the return virtually all uphill, over somewhat uneven terrian in the sun. Because there are no facilities or amenities of any kind at K-bay, you have to haul everything with you. The hike takes more than an hour each way, which is not a good use of limited port time. If you drive or taxi to the south end and rent a kayak (or a kayak excursion), it's about a 45 minute to 1 hour kayak each way (time depends on water conditions, physical fitness, and previous kayak experience). You must bring everything you need with you in the kayaks. There aren't many places to land (especially in the areas with lots of coral as human or boat contact damages and kills the coral).

 

Best access to K-bay for cruisers is on an excursion, unless you're avid kayakers who would make the kayaking an important part of the day.

 

beachchick

Thanks. That is very helpful.

I had planned on doing this on an excursion but the time of arrival and departure of our ship will make that difficult. We are due to arrive at 10 AM which is too late for the morning excursions and depart at 5 PM which is too late for the afternoon ones.

My only option might be renting a car and a kayak.

[milolii]

Is your goal snorkling or kayaking?

 

For snorkling you could rent a car and drive to Pu'uolanlu o Honahau, Place of Refuge (MM 103) for excellent snorkling. Look for the word Aloha on the bottom. You will need gear, but it can be rented many places along Alii drive, in Kealakekua or Captain Cook. The snorkling is better in my opinion than Kealakekaua Bay(MM110) as the state has ruled swinning the areas near shore in the Bay as off limites. This is because the USGS has rule the cliffs above the shore as unstable since the Oct 06 earthquakeke.

 

Heading back to Kona in the afternoon(weekdays, especially) will take some time as the road is two lane, folks do not drive fast and letting someone else in is expected. If you try to hurry, you will only aggravate yourself, plan accordingly.

 

To comparte some shore diving sites,visit shorediving.com and go to the Big Island.

 

You can rent Kayaks at the pier in Kona.

[simonv]

For a relaxing beach day, I will go with Donna's recommendations. The beaches she mentioned do have good snorkeling also, if the sea is calm. The highway to the area is wide, flat and easy to drive.

 

If your primary objective is snorkeling, I would head south to the Place of Refuge. It is a beautiful long beach, but pretty far. As the Kealakakua Bay became popular, the site is getting more and more stressed with overuse. The Place of Refuge probably has better snorkeling nowadays than the Kealakakua Bay.

[beachchick]

We love snorkeling at Honaunau bay. Plus, you can visit Pu'uolanlu o Honahau right next door. It's a very interesting and worthwhile historical site that gives you insight into some of the traditions and rites of the culture.

 

beachchick

[suziehmkr]

When we first cruised to Hawaii in late 2005- our day in Kona was going to be to Pu'uhonua O' Honaunau. I was SOOO looking forward to this day. However, we never got to port due to high seas. I was looking forward to mixing the culture of the park with the excellent snorkeling at Two Step.

 

We just got back from a land vacation on the Big Island and our first full day on the island was down to this area. It did not disappoint. In fact, we returned toward the end of our trip to enjoy more time down there. The park is immaculate and very educational. The snorkeling was amazing. The 2nd visit was entertaining with about 20-30 dolphins that hung out in the bay with the swimmers for the entire afternoon.

 

I highly suggest a visit down to this area, especially if snorkeling is your goal.

[beachchick]

suziehmkr: I'm so glad you got to Honaunau and that it was as wonderful as you hoped. Honaunau bay (and Two Step) were my first snorkels on the BI. It's one reason we haven't gotten all "must to get to K-bay or die" because the snorkeling at Honaunau was so great that we don't feel like we've completely missed out. Isn't Pu'uhonua o Honaunau interesting? (I can't believe I misspelled it last night and didn't notice it until just now. For shame.)

 

beachchick

[suziehmkr]

It was one of my favorite days on the island. We always try to soak up some history & culture on our vacations. I like to understand the places I am visiting and they do a great job of education here. We snorkeled, then explored the park. Then we went to the back & enjoyed the tidepools & amazing sunset.

 

For those going on a land vacation, the picnic area behind the park is a DO NOT MISS at sunset. While we waited for the sunset, we saw some people over in what we thought was a little pool. Well - it was one of many tidepools on the lava that were filled with life. If you click on any of my links below. Use the links below to get you into my webshots album for pictures of our trip. Just click out of the particular trip you click on and get to the albums. The 1st 8 albums are the land trip to the Big Island. We had a great time.