Hawaii Vacation: The Adventure Continues

I'm convinced that people are either going to love this place (as we did) or hate it (as I've read in many reviews). Read my take and figure out which group you will be in…

Bali Kai is RIGHT on the ocean… well, the "true" oceanfront units are (the only ones I'd bother with). This means the wave noise is LOUD, and wonderful (for us) or annoying (to some). The master bedroom and living room open up to the Lanai and the view/water. We loved it and left the doors open to hear it better.

They have a pool, but it's in the middle of the complex, with no view of the ocean. They also have free wi-fi in the lobby, but we could get it in our unit as well, which was VERY nice to have.

Rooms vary in condition. We stayed in unit no. 315, and it was mediocre. The kitchen was horribly stocked (cooking/eating) and the dishwasher didn't work well. However, we didn't stay there for the kitchen; we stayed for the proximity to the water. That said, I'd pick a different unit next time. One note, too: due to palm trees, one can't see the sunset from this unit. That didn't bother us, but reading the guestbook, it bothered some. This unit had a washer and dryer, which was extremely convenient.

Another aspect of Bali Kai is the location. It's away from town proper, which we loved, but if you want to walk to town, it's a hike. It also means you don't have the noise from town. Then, too, it's located next to a popular local surfer's beach. We enjoyed seeing the locals and watching them surf. Some folks are turned off by them, a point I'll never understand, but nonetheless true. There is security always around and we never felt unsafe. We let the boys roam by themselves on the lava rocks in front of our unit, and they saw tons of turtles and all sorts of fish and eels. They loved it down there. You can't swim here though.

Let's see… they have barbecue grills outside, there's a Protestant church right next door if you'd like a Sunday Service (nice, friendly, and contemporary, though crowded, but in a great oceanfront location), there's a small shop for very basic food or supplies, and it was quiet when we were there. It's an easy drive to shopping or town, yet you get the feeling of being away from it all.

We really liked Kona Bali Kai and will probably stay there again, but you have to be the right "type" for it—love the location and ocean noise—and not need "luxury" condo appointments (though some units might vary on that). It also appears to be less expensive than other waterfront condos, so it can be a good "waterfront" budget buy.

So you want to spend TIME in Volcano National Park - seeing the lava by doing the night hike - arriving early to hike in the morning - things like that? Then you absolutely can't beat staying in Volcano (the town, not the crater). Well, you could be a LITTLE closer if you wanted to stay in the National Park lodge itself, but they only allow four to a room and we're a family of five, so... to Volcano Village it was.

There are no motels in Volcano—only B&B's and rental houses. We like privacy and have children, so we opted for a rental house and came upon Haunani House. Find it at Volcano Hideawaysif it appeals to you and ask for Todd, he has other houses too and is a wonderful source of advice.

Haunani House is a mere mile from the entrance of the park and is wonderfully landscaped with flowers and various greenery. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen (no dishwasher though), living room, and a (free) washer and dryer (very helpful!). He's redone the house interior - and done it well.

For those that need them, there is a television and phone. He also provides some VCR tapes. For cold nights, there is a gas stove/heater in the living room. You can easily walk to anywhere in the village itself which has two SMALL general stores, a post office, and a few eateries as well as a farmer's market if you're there on the right days. Todd can offer more info on the days/times. The privacy, yet closeness to it all, is really nice. We'd easily stay there again and enjoyed our visit. The guest book listed many satisfied travelers from points afar as well. We had fun reading about their visits.

We chose Volcano Village as a place to spend 5 nights and opted to see the National Park (2½ days), Hilo, Mauna Kea Summit, Akaka Falls, Rainbow Falls (all in 1 day), the Puna District and Kalapana (the village the lava destroyed in the 90ºs - ½ day for our visit) from there. While it meant some additional driving, it kept us from having to shift lodging too many times, and kept us from the crowds of Hilo. I'd also MUCH rather drive "home" from Hilo after we were done than to drive back to Hilo after a night hike to see lava! By the way, Hilo is about a 35-minute drive, depending on traffic, all on decent roads (few streetlights). Kona, is a good 4½ hours away.

As an additional bonus with Haunani House, at the time we stayed, Todd offered the fifth night free if you stayed 4 nights. We took him up on that, and it worked out well for our needs and budget.

Hana Hou Cafe is the Southernmost Restaurant in the entire United States. That alone made a good enough reason for us to try it! We always look for the unusual. It's family run, home-made cooking, friendly, and delicious. We'd easily eat there again, and highly recommend it if you're heading south on the Big Island!

To find it, look towards the ocean for Spur Road (right next to a small shopping center) in Na'alehu. You should see a sign, and can turn into the shopping center to access the restaurant if you miss the road (as we did).

Park, and go right in. The "setting" is a basic diner. Many locals eat here - some tourists. We were the only tourists we saw, but their guest book had others listed from points afar. It wasn't busy when we stopped, but we were off typical lunch time, so I'm unsure of peak hours. They have plate specials of the day (which we got) and menu ordering too - quite a decent variety on their menu actually. For Hawaii, this place is not expensive at all.

For something different, consider trying their Lilikoi Lemonade. Four of the five us of liked it (and the 5th is my youngest, pickiest eater who doesn't care for regular lemonade either - he did really like the food). Their desserts looked awesome too, but they gave such huge portions that we were stuffed at the end of our meal - and on our way to Kailua-Kona, so weren't sure about keeping desserts fresh in the van while we explored South Point, etc. Another time we'll plan accordingly and give the desserts a try though!

We're the Powells, and we're addicted to snorkeling. Being unable to control ourselves, we sought recommendations for dive certification while on this vacation (on Konaweb.com) and ended up (very happily) at Jack's Diving Locker. If you too are addicted to snorkeling - consider diving - it's out of this world!

To get certified, you have to be at least 10 years of age and in decent health (or OK'd by your doctor). Call ahead to reserve classes, and get books/DVD sent to you. Then study... have all the tests in your book done PRIOR to arriving to class - and be ready to be tested on them.

Classes run for 4 days from 8am to 4pm or so. The first 2 days you are in the classroom and pool. The classroom part is to be sure you know your textbook - NOT to learn it there. The pool part is to be sure you can swim/snorkel and have "hands on" with all your dive equipment. This is fun and exciting, but be sure you are up to it. You need to tread water for 10 minutes and swim a fair distance first... no cheatin