Pimp My Itinerary!

Okay, I%26#39;ve been hanging out here on the BI forum for the last month or so, and have absorbed a wealth of helpful information -- you%26#39;re all super-helpful simply by the grace of doing so, so I can only say that I%26#39;m already thankful for you folks.

The wife and I are going to be in BI for a week in early Feb.

To give you the basics on what we like, don%26#39;t like:

We won%26#39;t snorkel, probably.

I definitely am a big photo opportunity fan (and I like macro photography in addition to landscape -- my Flickr photostream tells the story http://flickr.com/photos/terribleminds/ ).

Most of our vacations are usually the ';rest and relax'; type, with a chowhound sensibility -- but this one, we%26#39;re trying to turn up the volume knob, pack a good lot of things to do in since I don%26#39;t anticipate being able to come back to Hawaii any time soon.

So, with those things in mind, here%26#39;s the basic itinerary. Comments welcome!

Fri: Arrive 8pm, Kona. I suspect we%26#39;ll be weary since we%26#39;re from PA, so that means 8pm = what, 1 AM for us? Only question here is, what to do about dinner? I try not to eat too much fast food or anything, but not sure we%26#39;ll have much choice? Hotel, staying at the Outrigger Keauhou for just one night; got a great deal, took it.

Sat: Breakfast at Outrigger in morning. Maybe a little time to wander the grounds. Drive to Hilo to hit the farmer%26#39;s market by noon-1? (Problem: luggage in car?) Check in at Volcano Village Lodge. Dinner somewhere in Volcano (Thai Thai?).

Sun: Volcanoes Nat%26#39;l Park day. Whole day, really. Hikes and lava tubes and rainforests, oh my. End up at Kilauea Lodge for dinner. Somehow want to catch some good photos of lava flow or plumes of steam or something -- but, I know not every trip there allows one to see the ';show,'; so to speak.

Mon: Hilo and environs day. Head down there the morning. Hit some waterfalls, maybe the Botanical Garden N. of Hilo. Was considering the zoo, as we like zoos, but I hear this one%26#39;s not a big thrill? Not sure where we%26#39;ll end up for dinner. Thought about eating in Hilo, but -- is getting back to Volcano at night a problem? I hear driving in the Big Island can be kind of kooky? I%26#39;m used to that to some degree, having driven all over the weirder parts of Colorado, but... still. Thoughts?

Tues: Check out VVL. Head to Fairmont Orchid. Lunch along the way somewhere, guess I%26#39;ll take the north route. Since it%26#39;s kind of a travel day, we%26#39;ll just chill out at the Orchid, take advantage of the resort a little bit that afternoon/evening. Dinner at Brown%26#39;s Beach House since it requires no driving, and we%26#39;ll have just driven 2.5 - 3 hours.

Wed: Whale watching morning. Will bring a change of clothes. Might swing south of Kona to a coffee farm or the Point of Refuge or something. Have kept this a bit flexible -- suggestions welcome. Probable dinner in Kona (sunset dinner: Huggo%26#39;s?), then head back to the Orchid.

Thr: Horseback riding in Waipio, Naalapa. I%26#39;m good enough with a horse; wife has never been on one, though I understand this is beginner-friendly being largely nose-to-tail? That%26#39;s in the morning. Rest of day is a big flexible -- thought about driving to see Hawi, but I think instead we%26#39;ll head back to the Orchid and do spa time and beach time until dinner-ish. Recommendations on dinner? I know Merriman%26#39;s isn%26#39;t *exactly* close by, but it%26#39;s one option. We like sushi, too, but have heard mixed reviews of the new Kenichi Pacific? Flexible, here. Help?

Fri: We leave. Sad face. Fly out that afternoon, so we%26#39;ll check out normal time, and will get in some breakfast and R%26amp;R in the morning; no plans beyond chilling out and prepping for the trip back to the frozen tundra that is Pennsylvania. :)

So. Comments? Questions? Complaints? Prayer requests? Death threats?

I know we%26#39;re three nights in Volcano, and I%26#39;ve heard some murmuring to others that maybe time would be best spent elsewhere, but I feel like we%26#39;ve got enough going on and it looks pretty enough to warrant the 3 days. I know it also gets chillier there, but... well, we%26#39;re in PA, and last night was like, 18 degrees. As long as it%26#39;s not 18 degrees, I%26#39;m probably okay.

Restaurants I%26#39;m missing that I shouldn%26#39;t be? (I want to try to hit Tex%26#39;s for the malasadas, and maybe Hawaaian Style Cafe for a somewhat local-flavor lunch at some point.)

Thanks to anybody who invests enough time to sift through the madness above and cast pearls of wisdom before swine (i.e. me).

-- c.

Pimp My Itinerary!

Weaver, you are going to love getting away from the cold here!

Fri: I would check with the Outrigger to see what they will have open when you arrive. It will probably be after 9:00 by the time you pick up your luggage, car, etc.

Sat: You didn%26#39;t say but I think you are driving the southern route to Volcano. Just stop by the Volcano Village Lodge and ask to leave your luggage there while you go on into Hilo for the afternoon. Kay is a wonderful hostess and will be most accommodating. I would send her an email in advance so she is aware you would like to do this. Yes, dinner at Thai Thai. Call before you leave home to make a reservation. We did last year with no problems.

Sun: Sounds good and will allow you some relaxing time at VVL. You may not want to leave there.

Mon: Plenty of sightseeing for you to do. Falls, Botanical Garden is very nice. You could have dinner at Cafe Pesto in Hilo. Driving back to Volcano Village has never been a problem for us. The road is good and you are used to that sort of thing.

Tue: Take the northern route and you can eat at Tex%26#39;s. I am one of those that feels that 3 nights at Volcano Village Lodge is perfect. This is time well spent. There is plenty to do in the area.

Wed: Whale watching is great. Are you going out on a boat excursion? We like Greenwell Farms best for coffee. I%26#39;m not a fan of the town of Kona so never eat there, can%26#39;t recommend anything.

Thurs: Yes, be sure to allow yourself some down time. We usually drive to Waimea for dinner once or twice. (We stay at Hapuna.) Merriman%26#39;s is good food (loud, ok service) but I prefer Daniel Thibeaut.

Fri: Sad and depressing departure.

Another restaurant we like very much is The Canoe House at the Mauna Lani. Probably our favorite of all.

There is another Cafe Pesto in Kawaihae.

Please do a report when you return.

Pimp My Itinerary!

Saturday, we%26#39;d planned on maybe taking the northern route then, since I didn%26#39;t figure on being able to check into the VVL until 3pmish -- but maybe I%26#39;ll call VVL and see if arrangements can be made.

The southern route is a route worth taking, then?

As for Hilo dinner -- yeah, we were considering Cafe Pesto (I know it%26#39;s not strictly all-Italian, but we eat tons of Italian food in and around home), and we were also thinking Hilo Bay Cafe.

Thanks for the comments! Dying to get out of the cold, here. Just hoping we don%26#39;t hit storms trying to actually *get* to Hawaii... :)

-- c.

Oh -- also, whale watching, forgot to mention: Dan McSweeney%26#39;s is what we%26#39;re going with.

-- c.

Good choice for whale watching.

You could actually stop in at the coffee farm on your way and not have to drive down there later in the week.

We like taking the southern route on our way to Volcano because we make a couple of stops along the way and like to see the diversity of the terrain. It is just a matter of opinion if it is worth it. To us, it is.

Cafe Pesto offers a lot of fish options. It isn%26#39;t like the typical Italain restaurants we are used to here. Check out their menu www.cafepesto.com.

I know all about worrying that PHL will have bad weather and we can%26#39;t get out because we always go in Feb. too. But we have been very fortunate and it has never happened. I%26#39;ll keep good thoughts going your way.

Awesome. If VVL will let us come by earlier (at least to leave our luggage there), we%26#39;ll take the southern route just to see.

Rockin%26#39;! And Cafe Pesto sounds great. Great menu, and the prices (unlike a lot of the places we%26#39;ve seen) are pretty comparable to what we get around here at home, so, bonus. :)

Thanky!

-- c.

You%26#39;re welcome. Let me know if you have any more questions I might help with.