Tom Thanks to Kate’s meticulous planning, we were able to spend an amazing 13 days in Hawaii! But before we go into what we did over the 13 days, here’s a quick overview of what Hawaii really is…
Most Singaporeans refer to Hawaii as the the chain of islands in Oceania. In actual fact, “Hawaii” is the 50th state (out of 50 states) of USA. “Hawaii” is also the name of the biggest island of the state of Hawaii, also known as Big Island or Hawaii Island. There are 8 main islands in the the chain of islands in Hawaii and they are Nihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lānai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and the Island of Hawaii. Also, Hawaii is actually pronounced as Ha-Why-Yi with accent on the Why and Yi. On this trip, we got to visit 4 of the biggest islands in Hawaii, from Big Island Hawaii to Maui to Oahu (where the capital Honolulu is) and lastly rounding off our trip in Kauai.
Things to do in Hawaii Big Island
There are so many things to do and attractions in Big Island Hawaii! The first thing we noticed when we landed on the island of Hawaii was how laid back things are. The ENTIRE island had a resort feel to it! Some people think that Hawaii is just like any other equatorial island in Southeast Asia or the Caribbean. Having been to the Caribbean (Honduras) and equatorial islands like Bali and Bohol, we’re happy to report that HAWAII IS DIFFERENT!!! (Yes, 3 exclamation marks are needed)
The first order of the day was to pick up our rental car. We should actually write an entire post just on renting cars in Hawaii. But we hope this short snippet of information can help you along the way…
Renting Cars in Hawaii
Before we arrived in Hawaii, Kate did some research and saw many horror stories of how the sales person at the rental car counter would “psycho” you into getting insurance and stuff. While we did not face any major issues, you may still want to acquaint yourselves with these possible scenarios…
1. Need for Upgrade. As you know, Hawaii is a chain of VOLCANIC islands. This means that the roads can be windy and steep for some stretches. Sales personnel at the car rental companies may use this reason to “scare” you into getting a better car so as to have a smoother journey. Also, since Hawaii is a popular honeymoon destination, sales personnel will also take the opportunity to push for upgrades to Mustang convertibles (this, we witnessed several times while picking up our cars). To set the record straight, we had no issues whatsoever while driving an economy car, even up the Volcano Haleakala in Maui.
2. Need for more Insurance Protection. We encountered once (throughout the 13 days, which is not so bad) where the sales person tried to “scare” us into getting more insurance protection, even when we told him that we had insurance covered under our credit card (important to make sure your car rental is booked using the correct credit card with insurance coverage!). He told us that our insurance did not cover the state of Hawaii (which was not true) and told us that sometimes the legal cases drag on for years, which isn’t covered under our insurance! But we held our ground and said no – of course, you’d need to be extra careful while driving in unfamiliar territories as well.
3. Need for Fuel Option. This didn’t happen to us. But we overheard the sales person on the next counter “scaring” customers with this tactic. They will say that there are no petrol stations near the airport where you’ll be returning the car. WHICH IS TOTALLY FALSE! All the 4 airports that we’ve been to in Big Island, Maui, Oahu and Kauai have petrol stations enroute back from the city to the airport. So don’t be afraid to always return with the petrol filled up by you. Fuel prices from car rental companies are always ridiculously priced.
Lastly, check out membership of car rental companies before you depart. We used Dollar Car Rental’s membership (also known as Dollar Express) which gave us priority in queuing at a shorter queue (or sometimes no queue). This also translates to getting your car earlier, increasing your chances of getting the car that you booked.
We hope this helps clear things about renting cars in Hawaii. But we digress. Back to the things to do in Big Island Hawaii!
Things to do in Hawaii Big Island – Kona Brewing Company
After picking up our car, we headed straight for our first stop, Kona Brewing Company!
There were 2 reasons why we dropped by Kona Brewing Company. Firstly, they’re a brand local to Hawaii. We’ve tried several flavours of their bottled beers in USA but it was our first time trying out their draft beers. Always good to support local right? Secondly, they serve THE LEGENDARY PINEAPPLE IPA! :O
You may wish to know that there are 2 main seating areas at Kona Brewing Company. You can choose the bar area, which is air-conditioned and is a first-come-first-see-first-sit2sitdown seating or the outdoor seating which requires you to wait for the server to bring you to. At first, we wanted to to try our luck at the air-conditioned bar area, but it was full with a few other patrons waiting around – much like how you would in a parking lot. Seeing that our chances of getting a seat is really low, we headed back outside to place our names with the reception for outdoor seating.
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Having just arrived in Hawaii, it was so refreshing to taste the Pineapple IPA! Simply a must-try beverage in the Hawaiian islands! Both the Ahi/Avocado and Hawaiian Luau Pizza were good as well.
Address of Kona Brewing Company: 74-5612 Pawai Pl, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740, USA (The area is a little ulu and parking may be limited during peak dining hours. The good news is that we saw another sign of Kona Brewing Company over a larger empty plot of land nearby. They could be relocating/expanding soon!)
Things to do in Hawaii Big Island – Kona Joe Coffee
After the hearty meal, we headed over to check off another main attraction in Hawaii – Kona Coffee!
Kona Coffee is famous because of the slopes of the Kona district in Big Island as well as the volcanic ashes on which they’re grown. The slopes due to its relative position to the ocean, provides the coffee trees with morning sunshine and light afternoon showers, making it perfect for “wine-style” grown coffee beans. Hence, its expensive price tag as well…
Our first coffee plantation visit in Big Island Hawaii was to Kona Joe Coffee. You’ll be able to sample coffee (for free!) an even enjoy the amazing views right outside its gift shop.
Address of Kona Joe Coffee: 79-7346 Mamalahoa Hwy, Kealakekua, HI 96750, USA
After our short day trip, we checked in at our AirBnB at Haleki’i street. Nearby, there’s an amazingly delicious poke joint called Sun Dried Specialties. If you’re a fan of raw slices of fish over japanese rice (don), you’ll probably be a fan of Hawaii’s style of raw fish over rice, also known as poke. Poke is sold all over Hawaii but we think the best poke is served right here in Sun Dried Specialties!
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We hope you have enjoyed this post covering our first day (of 13 days) in Big Island Hawaii! Stay tuned next week as we head towards Kilauea Caldera to witness lava flowing into the ocean!
Other Posts from 13 Days Hawaii Travels
Travel Hawaii in 13 days: Big Island Hawaii Day 1!
Travel Hawaii in 13 days: Big Island Hawaii Day 2!
Travel Hawaii in 13 days: Big Island to Maui Day 3!
Travel Hawaii in 13 days: Road to Hana Maui Day 4!
Travel Hawaii in 13 days: Haleakala National Park Maui Day 5
Travel Hawaii in 13 days: Arrival in Honolulu Oahu Day 6
Travel Hawaii in 13 days: Diamond Head and Waikiki Honolulu Hawaii Day 7
Travel Hawaii in 13 days: Hanauma Bay & Maui Brewing Day 8!
Travel Hawaii in 13 days: Dole Plantation Oahu Day 9!
Travel Hawaii in 13 days: Chilling at Kauai Shores Day 10
Travel Hawaii in 13 days: Kauai Coffee & Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa Day 11
Travel Hawaii in 13 days: Luau at Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa Day 12
Top 10 Things to do in Hawaii ( A Pictorial Review)!
Top 4 Things to do in Big Island Hawaii!
Top 3 Things to do in Maui Hawaii!
