Big Island - Choices

[smrtypnts]

On the day we dock in Hilo I want to go to VNP. But I also want to do a heli or plane ride over the volcano and then head to the black sand beach. So my question is: On the day we dock in Kona can we rent a car, drive across the island and do the heli ride and then veg on the beach or is it too far of a drive to do that and I'm being totally unreasonable? And, if it is not smart, would you choose VNP or the heli ride and the beach, assuming you don't mind the heli ride?

 

Thanks, as always!

[claudiamcf]

I recently queried about seeing Volcano National Park by driving from kona and got responses in this thread. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=642825

It seems doable if you leave early. If you go after all the construction on Saddleback is done, it will probably be a lot faster.

[RSWBADGER]

On the day we dock in Hilo I want to go to VNP. But I also want to do a heli or plane ride over the volcano and then head to the black sand beach. So my question is: On the day we dock in Kona can we rent a car, drive across the island and do the heli ride and then veg on the beach or is it too far of a drive to do that and I'm being totally unreasonable? And, if it is not smart, would you choose VNP or the heli ride and the beach, assuming you don't mind the heli ride?

 

Thanks, as always!

 

A 25 minute drive on the Kohala Coast, enjoy the beaches at the Marriott Waikloa Beach afterwards.

 

http://www.bluehawaiian.com/bigisland/tours/big_island_spectacular/

 

http://www.bluehawaiian.com/getFile.php?i=161

 

Located at the corner of Highway 19 & Waikoloa Road. Leaving Kona Airport, turn left onto Highway 19. After you pass the entrance to Waikoloa Beach Resort on your left, take the next right onto Waikoloa Road, then immediately right onto the access road.

[spleenstomper]

As an aside, I really regret not going to the seahorse farm, which I believe is near Kona.

[princessebird]

We did a 10am heli out of Hilo and then did a relatively fast self-driving tour of VNP. We had plenty of time for that, but I am not sure we would have had time to go to a beach also. As a side note, Blue Hawaiian helicopters also do volcano tours out of Kona. They are twice as expensive as the ones out of Hilo, but they are also more than twice as long.

[smrtypnts]

We did a 10am heli out of Hilo and then did a relatively fast self-driving tour of VNP. We had plenty of time for that, but I am not sure we would have had time to go to a beach also. As a side note, Blue Hawaiian helicopters also do volcano tours out of Kona. They are twice as expensive as the ones out of Hilo, but they are also more than twice as long.

 

Yeah, the twice as expensive is definitely part of the problem.

 

Plus, I don't really want to be rushed through VNP.

 

Thanks to everyone who's replied so far.:)

[rubinstein2r]

We're on PoAm 12/15 and have a res for an 11 am heli with Blue Hawaiian. (The 10am is booked with NCL tour people and we save bucks by booking our own at 11.) We plan to then drive to VNP for an on-our-own drive through. I'm planning to bring a picnic lunch and it seems to me we'll have enough time not to see everything but to see enough while also having the thrill (and lava view) from the heli.

 

--My_AZ

[whale-watcher]

We opted for a full day in VNP, and the heli ride out of Kona....I initially thought we would try to do both out of Hilo, but I really don't want to short change our ground time at VNP, and would rather cut into our kona time....

 

More expensive, but this might be a once in a lifetime experience.

[beachchick]

If you don't want to be rushed at VNP, you must plan to skip Punalu'u black sand beach. We'd skip the helicopter too simply because you can easily spend the full day at VNP and still not see everything. If you do the helicopter, do it first thing and then head straight to VNP.

 

As always, JMO.

 

beachchick

[smrtypnts]

I don't want to be rushed. That's why I was hoping for the heli tour and Beach the day we dock in Kona. I haven't decided how I'm going to proceed forward on this one. :rolleyes: :confused:

[whale-watcher]

I don't want to be rushed. That's why I was hoping for the heli tour and Beach the day we dock in Kona. I haven't decided how I'm going to proceed forward on this one. :rolleyes: :confused:

It was a tough decision for us as well. We really wanted to do a lava flyover, but did not want to limit our time in VNP with SO much to do and see. It is much more expensive to do the heli from kona, but this will allow us to have the best of both worlds. Some one did post photos from a big island spectacular heli trip from Kona, and the extra time in the air includes some spectacular coastal flyovers with waterfalls...so it should be a great trip.

[whale-watcher]

I found the thread that has the pictures taken from a blue hawaiian helicopter tour out of kona:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=373020&highlight=helicopter

[smrtypnts]

I found the thread that has the pictures taken from a blue hawaiian helicopter tour out of kona:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=373020&highlight=helicopter

 

Thank you!!