Waikoloa - The Big Island's Remote Resort Area

This two-week vacation had been planned for nearly 18 months in advance, thanks largely to a couple of timeshare exchanges that became available via RCI the leading timeshare exchange company in the world. We were especially fortunate to be able to book two consecutive weeks at the same resort, making it possible for us to be in the same unit for both weeks. It was great!

I had stayed at Paniolo Greens in Waikoloa back in 2000. The resort itself was pretty much the same as I recall it back then. What had changed, however, was the amount of traffic between Waikoloa and the Kailua-Kona area. There was an actual "rush hour" in the morning and late afternoon making travel into the more touristy areas a bit of a hassle.

Because we were staying off the beaten path, it somewhat forced us to do things that we otherwise may not have done because of the distance from Kona. This actually enhanced the quality of our vacation and the experiences we had during our two weeks on The Big Island.

Activities on the northern shore of the island like the ATV adventure and the Waipi'o Valley Wagon tour were both things that I've wanted to do, but because of the time and distance from Kona, we always took a pass on them. On this trip, we were less than an hour from these places (versus two!) so they because very feasible without killing ourselves with getting up early in the morning or long drives after an exhausting day.

Quick Tips:

I am a big proponent of advanced planning for a decent vacation. Don't get me wrong, I think you need to have some free time from impromptu activities but . . .

The Big Island is, well, BIG! There are a lot of things to see and do there. If you go into it without some game plan, it is possible to run yourself (and your family) ragged and waste a lot of time driving and not doing.

With Hawaii, where you stay will have a profound impact on what you do and how much you can really explore around the island. If you are staying in Hilo, there will be many things you will not be able to see that most think of when they hear "The Big Island" and start planning. Even on the western side of the island where the districts of Kohala and Kona are, there is a lot of time and space between many of the more popular resorts and tourist attractions.

The good news is, regardless of what resort area you stay in, you'll be pretty close to beaches and will be able to find decent areas for swimming and snorkeling. The exception might be the northern shore/coast, between Hilo and Waimea. But heck, there aren't a lot of resorts or accommodations in that region of the island, so you should be ok!

We strongly believe in doing a mix of organized tours with activities companies along with some self-guided tours, exploring on our own time schedule based on our personal interests. Hawaii is an especially wonderful place for self-directed exploration. If you are adventurous enough to take on the challenge, you will want to pick up the book "Hawaii - The Big Island Revealed" by Andrew Doughty. The 4th edition was published in 2007, so that is the one you will want to buy. You can find it on Amazon.com for around + S/H. Some of the local stores on the Big Island do sell it, but at the cover price of .95.

Another decent guide book is "Snorkel Hawai'i The Big Island" by Judy & Mel Malinowski. Unfortunately, the 2nd edition (C) 2002 is the most recent version and it is a bit out of date. With that being said, it is still a good resource for those who like to snorkel right off the beach shoreline.

Best Way To Get Around:

Picture this . . . you arrive at your place of accommodations and you ask the desk clerk "What time do I need to leave in the morning to get to an event in Hilo tomorrow?" and the response is . . . "Two hours."

The conversation proceeds . . . "Can I take a cab?"

"Well of course you can, but it will probably cost you a couple hundred bucks." OUCH!

True story of the couple who checked in before us late on a Saturday night is: THEY NEEDED A RENTAL CAR!

I cannot imagine vacationing on the Big Island without a car. I've been there on four vacations, traveling along (2000), with family (2005), with girlfriends (2006) and just with my hubby (2007) and every time I am glad I had a rental car. Even in 2006 when we stayed literally in Kailua-Kona, the tourist Mecca point of the Big Island. Sure if you just want to shop and dine around the Alii Drive area, coping with the mobs of people who are also staying down there . . . along with the hundreds who come into port once or twice a week on the big cruise ships . . . you won't need a car.

But if you want to go snorkeling at beautiful coral reefs and sunbathe on pristine golden sand beaches, you will need a car to get there.

We have always found the best deals through Alamo. On this trip, we paid right at for two weeks. Gas will be an expensive outlay, .35 per gallon during this trip, but you will be glad that you didn't scrimp in this vacation expense.

If you want to see the entire island and don't want to drive it yourself, there are a couple of tour operators who offer Circle Island Tours by ground. They run about to per person and are well worth it for first time visitors. You will get to see all that there is to see, and not have to worry or hassle with reading maps, guide books or keeping your mind (and eyes) on the road rather than the sights around you.

We had a two bedroom, bi-level condo timeshare unit. The bedrooms and bathrooms were upstairs with the kitchen and living areas on the main level. The washer dryer combo was also located on the second floor in the hallway between the bedrooms. We thoroughly enjoyed our fairway facing lanai each morning and in the early evening. On many mornings we were awaken by the wild turkeys gobbling shortly after sunrise.

Inside our condo, it appeared that the furnishings had been recently updated...maybe two or three years ago. The kitchen was well equipped and very bright. The bathrooms, however, needed some detailed cleaning as both showers had some mold on the caulking. The exterior of the buildings appear to need some TLC (and paint). The grounds, however, were well landscaped and groomed.

The swimming pool is nice, nothing special...and there is a six or eight person hot tub there as well. The speakers for the music, however, have been blown making the quality of the “music” little more that raspy, muffled sounds. It actually became grating on your nerves after a while because it sounded so bad. They really need to replace the speakers!

Shell Vacation Clubs has an activities desk on site. They also have a good deal if you take their sales tour. I would highly recommend it, especially if you are planning to do any activities or tours on The Big Island. There is a cash offer plus you receive a discount card that really makes the tours affordable. On our second day here we did the Island Hoppers Circle Island (air) Tour. Regular price is right at $300 per person. We did it for $167 each...a saving of $266. We could not have afforded it at $600 total!

The only real irritant was the rude 8:10am phone call from their sales staff reminding us of their morning orientation briefing at 10. This was on Sunday morning, after arriving very late and being exhausted from the long travel day.

There are plenty of on-site activities if you are so inclined. Be aware, however, that all of the lessons and crafts are for an additional fee. I think the only thing we saw that was for free was the orientation briefing and welcome reception on Monday evening.

Many may tell you that this resort is too far out of the way from Kona proper. That is true if most of what you want to do is in Kailua-Kona or along the south shore area. We enjoy the snorkeling and beaches in more remote locations heading north so for us this was a good location. It is approximately 45 minutes from Kailua-Kona and 20 minutes from Waimea (Parker Ranch country). There are some nice shops and restaurants in Waikoloa where the Hilton and Marriott are, which is about 15 minutes from Paniolo Greens.

Daniel Thiebaut’s restaurant comes highly recommended by all of the travel guides including “The Big Island Revealed” which is the leading authority on the best of Hawaii. Located in Waimea approximately a mile from Hwy 19, as you head north on Hwy 190. The restaurant is in a building that was an old turn of the century general store. The owner/chef Thiebaut bought the old Chock Inn Store in 1998 and spent the next two years restoring it to create “Old Hawaiian Charm” of estate homes of the 1930s. Most of the furnishings include original artifacts from the store and family home. The ambience is rather upscale and eclectic. We enjoyed dining in the open air garden lanai. As the sun set, the air temperature dropped significantly, creating a real night air chill.

We had been forewarned that the menu here may be so unique that we might be challenged to find something familiar enough to order. With that being said, we felt confident that Thiebaut’s came recommended high enough to not worry about what we might choose to order. When we opened the menu, it didn’t seem so daunting. I went safe with the five ounce filet mignon and my hubby David chose the grilled ahi tuna. Both were wrapped in bacon and came with a side of delicious garlic mashed potatoes. At our server’s recommendation, we started with the Waimea Tomato salad to share. The locally grown sliced tomatoes and sweet onions were served with a goat cheese ball with a light vinaigrette dressing. At $10, it was more than enough for two to share!

When our dinners arrived, they were almost too beautiful to cut into. We were not disappointed in the outstanding preparation and flavor of each dish. Each bite was truly a flavor sensation. While we hardly needed any more to eat, we had seen several strawberry shortcake type desserts served at the tables around us. As it turns out, their “Millefeuille of Waimea Strawberries” is a house specialty. We ordered one to share, which seemed to be plenty. The light flakey pastry was opened and filled with freshly whipped cream, and topped with juicy sweet strawberries. It was a heavenly ending to a simply wonderful dining experience!

Even by Hawaii standards, Daniel Thiebaut’s is expensive. Our meal, including iced tea was right at $80 total. Considering that we shared a salad and dessert and had no alcohol, you can see that it would be easy to drop a $100+ here. With that being said, I would tell you that it would be worth every cent!

We chose Waimea Ranch House based on their participation in the Hawaii Savers’ discount card program. Be advised, they no longer participate which was something we didn’t learn until it was time for the check. If the advertised 15% discount is important to you, keep this in mind. For us, it was clearly a disappointment as we were counting on the discount in our dining budget for the day.

It was a Friday night when we visited and we expected to find a busy dining room given that we arrived at around 6pm without reservations. Ironically, the bar was jammed with live music and entertainment and the restaurant itself was empty. We were seated in a small alcove of the main dining area, which was comfortable and provided for a nice view of the other patrons. I don’t think there really are any “nice views” of the village or the surrounding mountains.

On the night we visited, they had a very limited menu selection. No fresh catch of the day, no other fish dishes and no lamb or ribs. Yet another disappointment. We both ordered the chicken with mushrooms, artichokes, and capers in a white wine preparation which was very good. The side dish of risotto was bland and added little to the meal. Needing to end our dining experience on a higher note, we opted to share a Bananas Foster. Again, disappointment came when they did not do the tableside preparation that typically comes with this dessert dish. While the flavor was good and as we expected, we just felt a bit cheated without the entertainment of the flambé.

All in all, this dining experience fell short on many levels. Probably the best complement that we can give is that the service was friendly and attentive. Given that we spent nearly $70 for this meal, I cannot really give it two thumbs up or a recommendation to other vacationers to the Big Island.

We were a bit concerned about dining here after reading the sub par review provided by Doughty in the tour book “Hawaii The Big Island Revealed.” Usually right on target, Doughty pans this expensive steak and seafood restaurant as not justifying the prices given the “cheap furnishings, unkempt surroundings...in desperate need of an upgrade.” Our experience, however, would not result in such a harsh review. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at the Big Island Steak House and the ambience provided guests.

Admittedly, the main reason this restaurant was on our dining list was their participation in the Hawaii Savers discount program. With that being said, our experience was not a disappointment! As we were seated, we were taken by the servers’ pick-up area where there were several huge cuts of prime rib ready to be served. They all looked very good, with very generous portions.

Our server brought us a tall glass of mango flavored iced tea, served with a sprig of mint and lemon. It was refreshing and delicious! While the menu had a vast assortment of seafood and beef, we were both predisposed to the house specialty prime rib. I ordered the small (10 oz) cut and David opted for the mid-sized 14 ouncer. Both were served with a side of horseradish and au jus. The baked potatoes were simply massive, prepared perfectly with all of the accompaniments you’d expect from a first class dining establishment. Add steamed squash and zucchini and our dinner plates were complete!

I requested the end cut which meant that not only was my meat was medium well, but it was also larger than the 10 ounce cut I ordered. It had very good flavor and was tender. David’s slab of prime rib was very juicy and also very tasty. The au jus had a light beef taste and did not overwhelm the flavor and seasonings on the meat itself. It was really just perfect for adding a little moisture to what can otherwise be a dry chew.

As part of the Hawaii Savers program, card holders are entitled to a complimentary dessert with each entrée ordered. Too full to eat a whole dessert, when agreed to share a slice of their New York style cheesecake, which was very creamy and tasted good.

Our dinner was what we now know to be “about average” in cost for a nice dinner for two on The Big Island...approximately $70 which did not include alcohol. Service was good and all in all, we would recommend it and dine there again!

Post note...The Big Island Steak House is also open for breakfast and lunch.

As we wandered through Waimea looking for a late morning breakfast, we found that the McDonald's stops their breakfast service at 10am making eggs and bacon a tough find. At the recommendation of the young lady manning the McDonald's drive through, we made our way to the opposite end of the shopping center to the Kamuela Deli. The large, spacious storefront location looked a lot like the Chinese carry-out restaurants found throughout the mainland with a large sit down dining area. There was counter service where you placed and paid for your order. They called out your name when it was ready and you returned back to the counter to pick-up your meal. In looking at their menu, I found it interesting that they served breakfast all day. The lunch offerings ran the gamut from sandwiches and fries to Asian stir fry served with rice. During our time inside the deli, there must have been 10 or 15 carry-out orders picked up.

David ordered an omelet and I had scrambled eggs with bacon. Both were served with a hash brown patty and choice of toast and were hot and very tasty. Breakfast for the two of us ran right about $15.

If you are in the Waimea area looking for a fast and tasty breakfast option, I would highly recommend Kamuela Deli in the Waimea Shopping Center! This is an especially good option if you are doing an early morning activity like horseback riding or an ATV tour out at Parker Ranch. They are open Monday through Saturday, 5am – 9pm and 5:30am – 4pm on Sunday.