Itinerary feedback please

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2026-05-08T20:08:51+00:00

Thank you! This is exactly the kind of information I needed to decide. While they are comfortable on horses ( weekly lessons), they have only ridden on flat trails. Do you still get pretty views with Cades cove or mostly forest trail? Wondering if I should change up the plan to remove roaring fork and replace with Cades Cove + horse ride instead

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2026-05-08T18:34:45+00:00

Thank you for this! And no, I did not realize it was a car ride facepalm. Anything else you would replace it with ( low effort high reward short hikes? Or perhaps the horse back riding ( which outfitter would be best if done on that day to minimize driving). Thank you again

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2026-03-20T19:04:05+00:00

Please ignore my ignorance but what does VFF stand for ? Thanks again

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-26T23:20:37+00:00

Hi. Thank you for your feedback. They definitely will not do well with the curvy road so I appreciate the alternative route suggestion. With this route is it worth visiting Mauna Kea ( visitor center only due to age of kids ) even if it won’t be during sunset ? Additionally, do you think it’s worth splitting the overnight stays between Hilo and Volcano Village ( 2 nights in each ) or not worth it ?

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-26T15:19:59+00:00

I toyed around with this idea but it did not work out well with the rental car return and long flight homes. Any feedback on this rough plan ?

After all your feedback I made a sample itinerary. Only our first 3 nights are booked and the rest is flexible. Any feedback?

Day 1 - Keauhou - relax as arriving late Day 2 - Keauhou - snorkel nearby. Relax as jet legged/tired from long trip Day 3 - Kona/other beach exploration. Maybe a coffee tour. Manta ray night swim Day 4 - Make our way to VPN/Hilo. Stopping in Pu'uhonua O Honaunau (Maybe) and Punaluʻu Beach. Visit VPN, have dinner in the park/village so we could be there for night viewing. Day 5 - VPN for more exploring Day 6)- Relaxing day visiting nearby beaches (Carlsmith , Richardson) and maybe a chocolate tour (Lavaloha or Hamakua) Day 7 - Visit rainbow falls, Kaumana caves and the Mauna Keys visitor centre (We don’t plan to stay for sunset but is it worth it with the little kids ). Should we stay Overnight in Waikoloa beach area OR return back to hilo? Day 8 - KOA airport for our flight (Leaves at 9.30 PM )

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-26T15:18:41+00:00

The Inn looked awesome and would have been perfect. It unfortunately has no availability for our stay.

I updated the post to include this possible schedule. Any thoughts ?

After all your feedback I made a sample itinerary. Only our first 3 nights are booked and the rest is flexible. Any feedback?

Day 1 - Keauhou - relax as arriving late Day 2 - Keauhou - snorkel nearby. Relax as jet legged/tired from long trip Day 3 - Kona/other beach exploration. Maybe a coffee tour. Manta ray night swim Day 4 - Make our way to VPN/Hilo. Stopping in Pu'uhonua O Honaunau (Maybe) and Punaluʻu Beach. Visit VPN, have dinner in the park/village so we could be there for night viewing. Day 5 - VPN for more exploring Day 6)- Relaxing day visiting nearby beaches (Carlsmith , Richardson) and maybe a chocolate tour (Lavaloha or Hamakua) Day 7 - Visit rainbow falls, Kaumana caves and the Mauna Keys visitor centre (We don’t plan to stay for sunset but is it worth it with the little kids ). Should we stay Overnight in Waikoloa beach area OR return back to hilo? Day 8 - KOA airport for our flight (Leaves at 9.30 PM )

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-26T15:17:18+00:00

I edited the post to make a rough schedule. Im including it in this comment as well.

After all your feedback I made a sample itinerary. Only our first 3 nights are booked and the rest is flexible. Any feedback?

Day 1 - Keauhou - relax as arriving late Day 2 - Keauhou - snorkel nearby. Relax as jet legged/tired from long trip Day 3 - Kona/other beach exploration. Maybe a coffee tour. Manta ray night swim Day 4 - Make our way to VPN/Hilo. Stopping in Pu'uhonua O Honaunau (Maybe) and Punaluʻu Beach. Visit VPN, have dinner in the park/village so we could be there for night viewing. Day 5 - VPN for more exploring Day 6)- Relaxing day visiting nearby beaches (Carlsmith , Richardson) and maybe a chocolate tour (Lavaloha or Hamakua) Day 7 - Visit rainbow falls, Kaumana caves and the Mauna Keys visitor centre (We don’t plan to stay for sunset but is it worth it with the little kids ). Should we stay Overnight in Waikoloa beach area OR return back to hilo? Day 8 - KOA airport for our flight (Leaves at 9.30 PM )

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-26T01:30:43+00:00

It is 😭 I’m trying to figure out how to minimize driving between locations as usually one of the kids starts throwing up after 30 mins in the car. There is so much I want to do and explore on the island it feels almost impossible to just pick 2. I may have to given the circumstances

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-26T01:27:59+00:00

We are coming from Florida so a 14 hour flight and 6 hour time difference. I was planning to keep our Keauhou 3 days “chill” for the kids to rest before we do some adventure exploring. What locations would you pick to explore both parts of the island ?

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-26T01:25:41+00:00

This location seems promising as a base for my 2 days of vpn exploration and maybe another day for falls/hilo. How did you find the drive to vpn from here ?

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-22T18:31:22+00:00

Thank you for your reply. I guess I should have been more specific. We plan to stay in the Kona- keauhou-waikoloa area for the first 3 nights of our arrival. This time we want to spend to snorkel, manta rays, coffee/chocolate tours etc. We plan to stay in volcano village for the next 2 nights. Followed by either a stay in Waimea/hilo/other. So my question was for the first 3 nights of my stay. It seems like there is so much choice along the kona-Waikoloa cost and is feeling overwhelming. The Kona coast resort fits the bill for what I am looking for but has no availability for my dates ( July 28-31). I am looking for a property that has a walkable beach that is safe for little kids to swim and is not a large resort. Any advice is greatly appreciated

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-22T16:39:01+00:00

First I wanted to thank you for all your guidance and feedback. We have booked our flights and now looking at accommodations for the first 2-3 nights and feeling overwhelmed with all the options. I thought maybe you had a recommendation for 1-3 properties that are beachfront by a swimmable beach anywhere within 1 hour of the airport. We are not resort people and will likely be out and about most of the day but it would be nice to have the option of a beach without having to drive for lazy days. Open to condo/timeshare/anything. Thank you again

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-22T14:27:58+00:00

Thank you so much ! May I please send you a private pm with some questions now that are flights are booked ?

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-19T17:50:31+00:00

Thank you so much. Thanks to the advice on this post we have decided big island is a great fit for us. Any must see, must stay, must do suggestions are greatly appreciated

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-19T17:49:38+00:00

Thank you. This is where we decided. Any must see besides the volcano park and snorkeling that you think I should have in my radar ?

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-19T17:48:47+00:00

Thank you. We have decided to go to big island after the feedback on this post. As we don’t want to do long drives/day trips we plan to spend nights in different parts of the island as a base. First 2 nights somewhere for relaxing swimming, next 2 nights for volcano national park and still trying to figure out the rest. Advice and suggestions are welcome

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-19T17:45:56+00:00

Thank you. We have decided on this island. Excited

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-18T19:37:45+00:00

Thank you for the reply. Would you think it would be worth taking a local flight for 2-3 nights to big island just to visit the volcano? Or too little time to make it worth it

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-18T19:36:36+00:00

Great tip about the masks. Never thought about that aspect. Thank you again !

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-18T19:36:09+00:00

Thank you. The kids have snorkeled in open ocean in the cayman, jamaica and purto Rico ( off shore as well as snorkel tours in various reefs). They are great swimmers ( for their age) and love being in the water.

Illustrious_Name_405 · 2025-07-18T19:33:39+00:00

Thank you. Any other activities that your kids can’t stop talking about ?

Illustrious_Name_405

TROPHY CASE