Visiting BI next week

[roadfamily6now]

Only had 3 days on the BI but we had a ton of fun. Took a day trip around the Island and did a small black sand beach, just before the touristy one. Saw 2 sea turtles there. Then did the amazing Pu`uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, which was AMAZING! and swung through the Kona area before heading back across via SaddleBack road. Make it up to the Observatory just at the sun set which was the most spectacular thing I had ever seen. It was foggy and rainy in the last after noon and we broke through the clouds at about 9000 ft and saw the most glorious sunset. Then we hung out and watched the stars and Jupiter and celebrated the Hawaiian New Year with the locals and other tourists.
We were lucky enough to stay at the military camp at Kilauea.
Next time we are spending a LOT more time on the BI!
Have fun!

[OpenD]

There is more variety of experience available on the Big Island than on all the other islands combined. 11 of the worlds' 13 climate zones can be found here. The biggest issue, with only 7 days, is trying to decide which of the many choices available to go with. At the airport, and at many popular tourist sites, like the bus station in Hilo, you will see brochure racks full of flyers for various attractions. Among them will be a couple of magazine format guides called things like "What to do this week on the Big Island." Grab a couple on your way in and spend some time going through them. That way you can find out about the special events that happen infrequently, maybe only once a year, that would make for special memories. ("I can't believe it, I was there for the big annual ukulele festival!")

I usually recommend that friends who are coming for a week plan to spend two days on the Kona side, one on the North end, and two on the Hilo side, saving the last two days for more of whatever appealed to them most from the first five days.

But as far as the coqui frogs go, I don't know anyone who likes them. They are far louder than cicadas and their call is piercing. A bunch of them going at once is more like a roar than a hum. Pack some ear plugs.

[birdmove]

So far the frogs don't bother me. But I don't live there yet. So far, I've just been able to spend 8 days at a time at my place in HPP.

I'll be on the island from Feb 6th through the 14th.

jon

[cynmkolohe]

I've shared this here before, but for anyone who hasn't heard our coqui frogs this may help you understand what the noise is like (turn up your volume as loud as you can!):

Coqui Frog TwitVid - a 25 second video clip of the sounds outside my window when we're in East Hawaii.

If you're staying on the Hilo side, you may want to also try to get out to Pahoa for a day and up to Volcano for at least a day so you can compare the communities. In Hilo, have lunch at Puka Puka Kitchen, Cafe 100 or Miyo's for an "everyday Hilo" dining experience. And try swimming at Richardson's Beach to see where many people go for an afternoon in the sun.

Welcome to the Big Island!

[hotzcatz]

We like Freddy's on Manono for lunches. They have either counter service or sit down service depending on which you prefer. Don's Grill on Hinano is pretty good, too, although a bit more expensive (not by much) and the inside sit down area is much quieter than the outside glass enclosed area. For fancier dinners, Hilo Bay Cafe is good even though you'd not know it by their location in the same shopping area as Walmart.

Coqui frogs are evil and should be eradicated. Before they arrived there was a soft chirr of crickets and that was it at night. Sleeping with ear plugs is not very restful but sleeping with coqui frogs is worse. Hawaii houses aren't usually air conditioned and even if there is an air conditioner we couldn't afford to run it anyway so folks sleep with the windows open. Not good if there's coqui frogs in the area. Keeping foliage away from the house keeps the frogs at a distance at least. Even with ear plugs if there's a coqui frog near the house you aren't sleeping much. Fifty feet away or further is good but there always seems to be one evil coqui which manages to creep up right under the window.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Fifty feet away or further is good but there always seems to be one evil coqui which manages to creep up right under the window.

There's a very active coqui eradication program in Volcano, and the altitude helps, so thus far the problem is mostly confined to makai of Highway 11. The problem is that it only takes one uncooperative owner (can you say "pakalolo growing behind the house?") to establish a breeding colony of the little pests which will continuously outsource to the neighbors, and there are several uncooperative neighbors there.

I found one last night in my friend's yard, which I heard from 50' away, and my friend said he's had the Coqui Squad in several times to eradicate them, but he's got a "bad" neighbor who keeps resupplying the surrounding area.

The latest technology, developed on the Kona side, is to use a leaf blower to blast baking soda into the area where they are croaking. Upsetting the pH of their skin kills them and kills the eggs. I'm concerned because I really don't want them up here where I live. There is nothing attractive about their racket.

[Jabronie]

I want to thank everyone for the suggestions; I pieced together a pretty solid trip. However I managed to get food poisoning in Detroit on the way out, spent a day in San Diego with some friends (well half day, as I was feeling like garbage) and bought a ticket back home and will have to make this happen in a month or two. Instead of landing in Honolulu, I'm delayed in Chicago Been a rough couple days.

[hotzcatz]

Eeuwe! Let's see, Mid-January and the choice is Honolulu or Chicago. Well, I hope the pizza is good! The folks who visit here from Chicago are always talking about how good the pizza is there. Hope you get feeling better soon!

[AlohaHuey]

If the OP is looking to move to the BI, I would spend at least one day looking for apartments/houses in the budgeted price range.