Volcano worth an overnight stay on a short trip?

Hi all,

I know what my guidebooks say about checking out the Volcano lava at night, but I was hoping to get some firsthand feedback from you kind folks.

Our trip will only be 4 nights starting March 5th, and we%26#39;re splurging on a stay at the Kona Village Resort. My wife%26#39;s favorite thing in the world is relaxing by the pool/ocean, but we definitely want to see the volcano as well. 2 schools of thought regarding the general itinerary of the trip have emerged:

1) Stay all 4 nights at KVR. Short daytrip to the N part of the island 1 day. Volcano daytrip on a separate day.

2) Stay 3 nights at KVR and one in Volcano Village so we visit the park that evening.

My question: Is the volcano experience at night spectacular enough to spend 1 of 4 precious nights over there? Keep in mind that my wife REALLY loves the ocean breezes and sunsets and we are leaving the crappy Oregon weather to come to the Big Island!

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Volcano worth an overnight stay on a short trip?

Check out the recent post: Lava Viewing - 2009.

The weather lately has been pretty wet on the Hilo side and throughout the east side. I like to say that no matter what you do, be prepared to get wet and hope for dry conditions. Yesterdays lava viewing was very nice. We didnt get a single drop of rain while being out there, but most days have been wet. March is still likely going to be a rainier time of the year.

In my opinion, regardless of conditions, the volcano experience is definitely spectacular enough to stay one night, but you will not be getting the cherished ocean breezes and sunsets.

Volcano worth an overnight stay on a short trip?

...and the best time to see the flows is at night. The drive back to KVR at night is not usually a good idea. Expect about 2 1/2 hrs from the Kalapana Viewing Area with no stops and little traffic.

The roads are dangerous, the visibility is terrible with wet conditions, there are a lot of drunk drivers out there, and you are almost guaranteed to have a ';swerving out of the way'; experience at some point.

I would change that 2 1/2 hours to at least 3 hours. It usually takes 2 and 1/2 hours for me from Leilani Estates (near Pahoa) to Kona. Kalapana is another 15-20 minutes from Pahoa and you need to add the distance from Kona to the Kona Village Resort too.

OK. My 2 cents. We have always ';done VNP'; from Kona, a slightly long day (no lava, only saw that from Helio) but very doable and wonderful with views and hikes. I would not move up there for such a short trip. The problem is that you have no idea if the lava will be flowing when you get there! You could really tick off the wife if she misses beach time to hike in the dark and see..NOTHING! Save it for a longer trip. NAture doesn%26#39;t give a rip about our vacation schedules! Hard for a lot of folks to deal with, but very true! And hon if you pulled me off the beach at KVR to hike to Lava that I DID NOT SEE, we would be talking major counceling!!! :-)

I think Mamma is right on point. For four days, stay on the beach. Your wife will thank you.

If it were me.. I would stay the entire time at KVR and take the Helo from Waikoloa... return some time soon, stay longer, and check out the entire island.

I%26#39;d say just stay at KVR.

DON%26#39;T do Kalapana as a day trip driving home between 8 and midnight. This is not a safe drive at night. Do not be one of those people in the way of one of our drunk drivers.

Either way you do Kalapana you lose a whole day at KVR.

Not everyone finds the volcano exciting, by which I mean the crater. On my first trip to the Big Island it was not near the top of my list of enjoyable things I did. It was more like ';had to do it and it was interesting'; but I do not care for black and gray landscape and would rather be by the ocean. Your wife sounds like she could feel similarly.

In my case I had two weeks here so there was no trade off of a huge splurge.

Speaking of which, if you do go to Volcano/Kalapana, like I said, you do lose a day at KVR anyway, so for that money, I would instead fly into Hilo, do the volcano/Kalapana, staying at a nice B%26amp;B in Hilo like Shipman (it will be cold in Volcano, and damp, whereas Hilo will be warm even if damp), then proceed to KVR. Pay the one way car fee; you will save the money in the difference in lodging costs.

Thanks all for the advice (and special thanks to mamma for the chuckle). Once again, the TA community proves to be helpful and informative!