🌴 Big Island, Big Adventure: A Hawaii Trip with Three Wild Boys

Written By Ali Mehlhorn

We’ve long crowned Kauai as our favorite Hawaiian island, but after this trip? The Big Island is officially nipping at its heels. It’s massive, full of contrast, and packed with just enough adventure to satisfy both us and our three little chaos agents (ages 4, 6, and 8).

We went in October over fall break, with a loose plan, light backpacks, and even lighter expectations of relaxing. Our travel motto: wander first, itinerary second.

Big Island 101: Hilo vs. Kona

If you're new here, a quick geography lesson:

  • Hilo = wet, lush, jungle vibes. Think rainforest, banyan trees, waterfalls, cooler temps. Most beaches are black sand—stunning, but tough on tiny feet.

  • Kona = dry, lava rock coastline. Sun-soaked, with sprawling resorts, white sand beaches (finally!), and fewer attractions once you’re out of the tourist zones.

We split our stay between both sides—because nothing says “vacation” like strapping your kids into car seats for a 2-hour island road trip!

🛫 Getting There

We flew Southwest from Phoenix to Kona (via Reno & Oakland—because points, baby!) and took a direct red-eye on American back to Phoenix. Pro tip: red-eyes + young kids = risk, but it paid off. We didn’t lose a full day traveling, and we cashed in Capitol One points + Amex airline credit to cover it all. Bonus win: the 4-year-old didn’t stage a full-on airport mutiny.

🏠 Where We Stayed

Holoholo Jungle Bunkhouse - Hawaiian Acres Airbnb (4 nights)

We couldn't resist the price—or the five-star reviews. And they were right!

  • Kid-approved bunk beds

  • Beach gear ready to go

  • Feeding fish on-site (a surprising hit)

  • And free local snacks! (because bribing kids with Goldfish is a parental right)

Hilton Grand Vacations Kohala Suites, Waikoloa (3 nights)

We used Amex points and scored a two-bedroom suite with a washer/dryer and full kitchen.

  • The pool had two waterslides and a bar (guess which one we liked more).

  • It also included FREE access to Hilton Waikoloa Village Waterpark

    • We didn’t realize this at first, so we had secured a day pass via ResortPass for our final which was a total game-changer to avoid the dreaded airport-wait-with-sandy-children scenario. More on that in Day 7

    • Waikoloa Village is MASSIVE — from malls to a grocery store, hiking trails and beaches to restaurants, you really don’t ever have to leave the property if you don’t want to.

    • We preferred staying in the quieter Kohala Suites — more room and less chaos, but still access to all the amenities

🗺 What We Did – Day by Day

Here’s the Google map of our adventures, with all the spots pinned.

Day 1: Arrival + Pizza 🍕+ Bed

  • Flew into Kona

  • Dinner at Kona Brewing 🍕🍺

  • Drove to the 2-hour drive to Hilo in the dark while listening to a “volcano is due to erupt” podcast. Classic parent choices.

Day 2: Hilo Exploration

Day 3: Volcanoes 🌋 + Turtles🐢 + Treats

  • Volcanoes National Park – No eruption, but lava tubes and hikes were a hit
    👉 Download the NPS App for a self-guided tour

    • We packed sandwiches for this one, there weren’t many options inside the park itself.

    • Wear/pack layers — we experienced just about every temperature imaginable in a course of about three hours

  • Lunch at Hana Hou, the southernmost restaurant in the U.S.

  • Treats across the street at Punaluʻu Bake Shop

  • Turtle overload at Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach - conditions were rough for kids, but a great stop for snorkeling 🐢 🐢 🐢

 

Day 4: ATV Time + Hidden Gems

  • Coffee + heart straws at Coffee Girl Café

  • Rainbow Falls + huge banyan trees = real-life jungle gym

  • Deluxe ATV Tour at Umauma Experience – pricey but worth it

    • One of the few things we booked in advance.

      • Our youngest was four, and though they said he could go on the ziplines, thought it might be a little too much for him. This was the perfect amount of extreme fun but also relaxation. You get 45 minutes at their swimming hole with a waterfall. The boys loved jumping off some rock faces and paddleboarding under the waterfall.

        • Get there early to meet the horses

    We really loved the northeastern side of the island — rolling farm land into the sea mixed with jungle landscapes so we let the road take us where it may after our Umauma Adeventure to check out what it had to offer.

  • Splash time at Kolekole Gulch Park – hidden gem!

  • Akaka Falls (steep walk both ways so be prepared to carry some kids) and fruit at Mana’s Aloha Stand

  • Shave ice & poke at Aloha General

  • Sunset splash at Onekahakaha Beach Park - a rare white sand beach on the Hilo side. Very calm and protected waters for kiddos


 

Day 5: Road Trip + Resort Check-In

The northeastern side of the island spoke to us so much that we decided to take the long way around the island to get to Waikoloa Village instead of going across. It was a long drive, don’t know if I would do it with kids again, but was happy that we survived.

 

Day 6: Dolphins 🐬+ Downtown Kona

  • Body Glove Snorkel Tour – super kid-friendly — I was terrified going with a 4-year-old on a boat, but from the jump, these guys seemed like they were geared towards families and they delivered.

    • Highlights: boogie boards with portholes (brilliant!), paddleboards, lilly pad, snorkel gear a water slide, and endless snacks. The staff was OUT OF THIS WORLD

  • Souvenir shopping in Kailua-Kona

  • Lunch at Shaka Tacoz (be on the lookoit for all the green lizards🦎🦎)

  • More shave ice at Scandinavian Shave Ice 🍧

  • Pool + epic sunset back at the resort 🌅

 

Day 7: Waterpark Finale + Head Home

  • We didn’t want to waste a day traveling so we opted to checked out of our room and used a ResortPass day room at Hilton Waikoloa Village before our red-eye. It guaranteed use a room from 10am to 5pm allowing us to store our luggage, shower and relax before our flight Would do this a million times over. It was so nice to have the space and time to relax after everything started shutting down in the afternoon.

  • Your pass comes with access to beaches. waterslides, pools, rope bridges and swimming with sea turtles in the salt water lagoon 🐢

    • There are upgraded options like cabanas, overwater bungalows and boat rentals too.

    • There is also Dolphin Quest 🐬🐬 on site with captive dolphins you can interact with for a fee.

  • Dinner + rental return in Kona

  • Red-eye home = asleep before takeoff (kids, not us, obviously)

 


💡 What We’d Do Differently Next Time:

  • More Kona beaches (we just ran out of time) — could see us doing a whole week just in Waikoloa Village if we were feeling bougie.

  • Fewer black sand beach days – cool for photos, rough for play

  • Manta ray night swim – a bit intense for our crew this time but on the list!

    The Big Island is a choose-your-own-adventure paradise. From lava tubes to lazy beach days, we loved every minute—even when the 4-year-old tried to climb a banyan tree like a monkey. And honestly? That just felt right.

Ali Mehlhorn