My Return to Kona

Must-do's: Go to Volcano National Park at dusk to see the lava flowing at night, snorkel at Kauna'oa Beach, explore the rough coastal shore up close at Kuki'o Bay, tour a coffee plantation, drive to Hilo, and see waterfalls in the lush forest.

Before you go, be sure to buy "Hawaii The Big Island Revealed" (by Andrew Doughty and Harriett Friedman) and "Snorkel Hawai'i The Big Island" (by Judy & Mel Malinowski). They were extremely useful as we planned our daily itineraries. Complete with maps and driving directions, they are well worth the (each) list price. We got them from Amazon.com and probably paid closer to a piece.

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Since we had to be checked out of our timeshare resort by 10am and our flight off the island wasn't until 6pm, we had a lot of time to kill but didn't want to get sandy or scuzzy on the beach. What a perfect day to go tour the coffee plantations on the Kona hillside!

The first one we stopped at was Greenwell Farms. Founded in 1850, this is one of the oldest coffee companies in Hawaii. Today, Greenwell is owned and operated by fourth-generation Greenwells. They provide a short walking tour that explains all that goes into that 1-pound bag of coffee. We got to see and pick coffee beans off the tree and learned how they process the beans and what goes into the roasting process. It's amazing to think that other local coffee growers are able to sell their "cherries" for just $1.20 per pound!! This company, as well as most other producer/marketers, buys coffee from other smaller local Kona farms. While at Greenwell, you can buy coffee (beans or ground) that is either 10% blend, 100% Kona (Greenwell plus other farms coffee), or 100% Greenwell Estate Kona. Prices range from $18 to $30 per pound. If you are planning to buy 5 or more pounds, be sure to pick up and use the coupon in the "101 Things to do on The Big Island" for a free handmade wooden coffee measuring "cup."

After leaving Greenwell, we headed down to Kona Joes, probably the most marketed Kona coffee in the region. You can't go anywhere without seeing Kona Joe signs and ads. They brag about being the Kona coffee choice of the rich and famous, with their product available in stores such as Macy's and Neiman Marcus. Prices were reflective of that, too. What makes Kona Joe's coffee operation different is that they have a patented "trellis" system of growing coffee. They say that adds to the quality and output volume of their coffee. We frankly couldn't tell the difference in flavor, so we didn't see the higher price being worth it. Their tour was also very informative, and if for no other reason, you should consider a stop here. They do all of their own roasting, making certain that they don't allow the toxic acidic fumes into the atmosphere that would later affect the sea life through acid rain that kills the reef. Kudos to them for being environmentally aware and taking the extra effort to protect marine life!

Both Greenwell Farms and Kona Joe are located just off Highway 11 and are easy to find. After our time touring these two coffee companies, we ventured up into the Kona hillside, where there are literally hundreds of small coffee farms, with coffee trees growing seemingly wild along the roads. Check out both of these coffee producers at their websites, www.greenwellfarms.com and www.konajoe.com.

This is a wonderful find, thanks to the book referenced in our information page. "Snorkel Hawai'i" suggested this out-of-the-way location, and we're glad we knew about it! There are only a small number of parking passes available for public access beach visitors (30, I believe). You will need to stop by the guard's gate to obtain one. Once parked, you will have a 10-minute walk down to the most beautiful and well-manicured beach on the Big Island. Sure, it is not "natural," as the resort had it built and continues to maintain it, but you will be treated to some wonderful swimming and snorkeling at this location!!

We arrived around 2pm and snorkeled for over 2 hours on the left side of the bay. The coral reef is beautiful, with many colors to see. We were amazed at the large number of sea urchin varieties in an assortment of colors. The fish were plentiful, and we saw several large sea turtles. We understand that the other side of the bay has great underwater views, too. The resort hosts night snorkels and swimming with the manta rays. It sounds like a lot of fun, but we simply ran out of time. After your swim, you will enjoy the well-maintained restroom facilities complete with showers. These are also provided by the resort for their visitors accessing the public beach. Pretty nice of them, don't you think?

This is another public access beach area that is maintained and overseen by a resort. The Four Seasons Resort has done a nice job of building this area for public access. There is a limited number of parking passes available at their guard gate, so you'll want to arrive early. The beach is nice, with plenty of shade from the trees. There are also a couple of picnic benches, making this a nice spot to go get away from the crowds for lunch. We were surprised at how much sea life there was to see here. There were literally dozens of small black beach crabs climbing all over the lava rocks at the right end of the bay. There was a large sea turtle basking in the sun atop a protruding rock and another sunning on the sandy beach. Later in the afternoon, a younger and much small turtle arrived and got up on the rock with the first one. Its shell was exquisite! In the tidal pools we saw many small baby fish of the same variety that we saw out snorkeling around the island. It was pretty cool to see these young ones in a sheltered environment where they could grow and prepare for life beyond this small bay.

Your tour guide, Dan McSweeney, is a researcher and photographer who has spent nearly 30 years observing and studying these beautiful mammals. What I didn't know before planning this tour is that whales do live in and around the Hawaiian waters year-round. What most tour operators focus on are the migration and birthing of the humpbacks, which are only in the Hawaiian waters between December and May. Luckily, tourists can take this tour anytime of the year and be pretty much guaranteed whale sightings. Sure, they might not be humpbacks, but still... YOU ARE IN HAWAII, GO SEE THE OTHER WHALES THAT LIVE HERE ALL THE TIME!!

On our trip we were lucky. In spite of being very early in the migration season to Hawaii, we did see two humpbacks. The first was almost immediately after leaving the marina area. They say that the younger ones come first, and as such, they are a bit skittish about boats in their area. This particular one only surfaced near our boat twice, never to be seen again. We also saw another one about 45 minutes later and stayed with us for nearly half an hour. They spout water out and up, then break the water surface. Before they dive deep (for up to 20 minutes), they will do a "tail slap" on the surface. While a great photo op, it is very difficult to catch this with regular amateur photography equipment. The other species found in these waters include the pilot, sperm, and false killer whales.

The total time of this tour was 3.5 hours. The crew was friendly and very informative. Light refreshments were also provided throughout the morning.

NOTE: Be sure to click on the photo to enlarge it; otherwise, you won't be able to see what is a surfacing whale going back down.

We stopped in here more out of curiosity than anything while out doing the coffee country. We're glad we did! While we had a very nice lunch, the building itself is the treasure here. The building is the old Aloha Theatre, an old movie theatre (1930s) that was converted into a cafe, fine-dining establishment, and community theatre.

For lunch I had a fresh fish sandwich (pan-fried), and the others had Reubens. Everyone was very happy with their meal and the service. Running around on the banister of the patio were these little gecko critters. Our server said that they were Madagascar geckos. They were about 2 inches long and a vivid neon green, with a red splotch on their neck. They wouldn't sit still long enough to have their picture taken, though. Drat!!

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

You know, nobody ever really writes about the airline flight from the mainland to Hawaii, so I thought I would be the first! We flew from Des Moines to Honolulu, where we spent our first week of vacation. Then we flew from there via Hawaiian Airlines to Kona. We chose Hawaiian Airlines over Aloha only because they are a member of the "Sky Team Alliance" with Northwest Airlines, our preferred carrier for all air travel. For this trip, my husband and I used our frequent flier miles to fly first-class on NWA. What a treat! Sure, I've done the first-class thing around the USA (thanks again to NWA and their World Perks Elite Program), but it's nothing like what it is like to fly to Hawaii in first-class.

First off, as soon as you board the plane, you are greeted immediately by a flight attendant with a mai tai. Yummy! Then after take off from Minneapolis, they began our dinner service (which was actually more like a heavy lunch). After our meal service, they prepared individual sundaes to order, which included vanilla ice cream with chocolate and/or strawberry topping. After a lengthy nap, they fed us again, this time a "snack" that was more like a regular lunch. Of course, it is all the free beverages (soft drinks and booze) that you wish to consume, but with an 8-hour flight, we chose to be more prudent (and I napped). The flight back from Kona to the mainland started on Hawaiian and connected in Honolulu to NWA. First-class service from Honolulu back to Minneapolis ("just" 7.5 hours back) included the same type of food and beverage services. Sleeping, however, was not optional on this overnight flight! The dude behind us snored for what had to be 2,000 miles! The comfort and space afforded you in first-class surely makes what would otherwise be a difficult trip more bearable.

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law also flew on our flight for the Hawaii/Minneapolis segments. They came in from Indianapolis and then hooked up with us for the rest of the trip. They said it was tight quarters in coach. Airfares were very reasonable for them, just $650 round-trip Indianapolis/Honolulu. Add another $138 for the Honolulu/Kona round-trip.

For my upcoming trip to Kona in April 2006, I paid $968 for a coach ticket (Des Moines/Kona) and then used 35,000 miles to upgrade into first-class. (A first-class ticket priced out at $2,600 at the time, and I didn't have enough miles to fly for free in first-class.) I'm not sure how much my friends are paying to fly for our April trip but will try to remember to update here when I find out. (They are traveling from Milwaukee to Kona.)

I will close by saying that I know all of the airlines are having financial challenges. Northwest is one of several currently reorganizing while under the protection of bankruptcy. I have been a loyal customer of theirs for over 10 years. While their general customer service by telephone and airport (gate) personnel has slipped considerably in my opinion, I find the air crews (pilots and flight attendants) to be professional, friendly, and attentive to the traveling public. I do not have any concerns or worries about continuing my business with them into the future.