Five days on the Big Island is never enough, but it’s enough to take a break from the gray winter skies of Seattle, especially with five national park sites on the island. You can read a full itinerary of my trip on the blog. If you want a quick snapshot of my trip, read on:
The Big Island, Hawaii
Length of stay: 5 nights
Where I stayed: Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Marriott in Kona
National park sites visited: 5; Ala Kahakai NHT, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Kaloko-Honokōhau NHP, Pu/uhonua O Honaunau NHP, Pu’ukoholā Heiau (NPS site for all five)
National park passport stamps acquired: 5, see above
Why I visited: In late January I was in desperate need of some sunshine to get away from the gray skies of Seattle. I found an inexpensive flight to Hawaii, and wanted to visit the Volcanoes NP since it was actively erupting.
Highlights: Seeing a real life erupting volcano, eating lots of fish tacos, Kaloko-Honokōhau NHP
Guide to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
I recently revisited the Big Island and created a guide on How to see the Kilauea eruptions.
Read More
Lowlights: Not splurging on a nicer hotel/resort, when the electricity went out in my hotel room the last morning I was there, overscheduling myself
(Future Laura here: on my next visit I did stay at a nicer hotel/resort, the Marriott at Waikaloa Beach.)
What I did: went kayaking to the Cook monument, visited the 5 national park sites, drank mai tais at the hotel pool, read a lot, saw sea turtles, drove around the entire island
Read more about how I spent five days on The Big Island
What I didn’t do: rest enough, see any waterfalls, rest enough
Approximate trip cost: Airfare: $400, Rental car: $300, Hotel: on points except resort fee and parking $200, Kayaking: $200, Food: $honestly no idea, Gas: $60, Entrance fees: $20 = $1700?
I acknowledge her majesty Queen Liliʻuokalani yielded the Hawaiian Kingdom under duress in protest to the United States. You can read about this in her own words in “Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen” written by Queen Lili’uokalani.
Other Trip Reports:
Congaree National Park – May 2023
Sailing the Midcoast of Maine – June 2023
London, UK for a work trip – April 2023
