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GLOWING Halemaumau Crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is a great favorite on Hawaii Island. Make it part of a money-saving day. Park entry is $25 a vehicle.
WALK OFF LUNCH
HAWAII ISLAND
By Debbi K. Kickham
On Hawaii Island, you can have
a first-class trip at coach prices.
I’ve been traveling here for years,
and I learned to visit and have fun
without spending a small fortune.
Here are some of the ways.
Visit the supermarkets.
As soon as I exit Kona Inter-
national Airport on Hawaii, I head
to the Safeway supermarket in
Kailua-Kona (open 24 hours) so I
can stock up on breakfast and
lunch items, which I store in my
hotel room’s refrigerator. (I also
pack breakfast cereal, powdered
milk and plenty of protein bars.)
Saving money on breakfast and
lunch means you can splurge at
dinner.
At the supermarket, also check
near the entrance for local tourist
guides offering a wealth of bar-
gains, coupons, deals and steals
such as “101 Things to Do on Hawaii
Island.”
Info: Safeway, 75-1027 Henry St.,
Kailua Kona; (808) 329-2207, lat.ms/
safewaykailuakona
Choose your
accommodations wisely.
You often can save by staying at
a bed and breakfast, where your
first meal of the day is included.
The oceanfront Hale Kai Hawaii
bed and breakfast, for example,
has a suite with kitchenette for $179
a night. There are other bed-and-
breakfast suggestions at
lat.ms/hawaiiBandB.
Or stay at the Aston Waikoloa
Colony Villas, which offer AAA and
military discounts and special
packages with free car rental.
Info: Hale Kai Hawaii, 111 Hono-
lii Place, Hilo; (808) 935-6330,
lat.ms/halekai. Aston Waikoloa
Colony Villas, 69-555 Waikoloa
Beach Drive, Waikoloa; (885)
945-4041, lat.ms/astonwaikoloa
Visit a beach.
Anaehoomalu, for example, is a
stretch of sunny Kohala Coast
beach next to the Waikoloa Beach
Marriott. You can rent kayaks,
hydro bikes and body boards as
well as snorkel, scuba dive and
sunbathe.
You’ll find parking along with
picnic facilities and restrooms.
The area also includes a historic
fishpond.
Info: Hawaii Island beaches,
lat.ms/bigislandbeaches
Drive a designated scenic byway.
The island’s size and diversity
make it great for road tripping.
Along various routes on the island,
visitors will find a variety of free or
minimal-cost activities.
The roads offer exceptional
views and roadside stories of a
remarkable culture. They were
designated scenic byways for their
archaeological, cultural, historic,
natural, recreational and/or scenic
significance.
The 10-mile Mamalahoa Kona
Heritage Corridor, for example,
has abundant historic archi-
tecture, shrines, coffee farms, art
galleries and quaint Holualoa
Village.
The Royal Footsteps Along the
Kona Coast Byway is a seven-mile
stretch of Alii Drive that tells the
story of 700 years of Hawaii’s alii
(ruling class) and includes the
royal surfing grounds of Kahaluu.
Info: lat.ms/mamalahoa
corridor, lat.ms/royalfootsteps
Visit a national park.
The big kahuna, of course, is
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park,
with its rugged lava fields, rain
forest flora and fauna, lava tubes
and craters. Everyone views the
night glow of below-surface molten
lava at Halemaumau Crater, but
here’s an insider tip: Drive scenic
Mauna Loa Road to its 6,662-foot
elevation lookout. Entrance fee is
$25 per vehicle; there are free ad-
mission days as well.
Info: Hawaii Volcanoes Na-
tional Park, www.nps.gov/havo
Check out Mauna Kea Resort.
Spectacular Hapuna Beach is
part of the resort, so get yourself
there and soak up the sun on one of
the world’s best beaches.
You know those breakfast and
lunches you saved money on?
Now’s time for a splurge. After
beaching it, head to Manta, the
signature dining room of the
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. It offers a
three-course menu for $68 a per-
son, and you can add wine pairings
to each course for $20 more.
The best part comes after din-
ner when you can view the resort’s
most frequent evening visitors:
elegant manta rays. They can be
seen most nights from the hotel’s
Manta Point, where a light has
shone in the ocean for decades,
attracting tiny plankton, a favorite
food of the filter-feeders.
Enjoy this free adventure to see
these amazing winged creatures.
Info: Mauna Kea Beach Hotel,
62-100 Mauna Kea Beach Drive;
(877) 880-6524, lat.ms/maunakea
Try treats that are
big on flavor, low in cost.
Shave ice is a Hawaiian tradi-
tion, and it’s just $4.75 for a regular
cup from Original Big Island Shave
Ice Co. Its truck moves around
Waimea, Waikoloa and Hilo so it’s
best to check its Facebook page for
locations.
You’ll enjoy a wealth of stand-
ard flavors, but you may want to
try crazy ingredients such as sweet
potato ice cream, blue Hawaii
syrup and gummy bear toppings.
Info: Original Big Island Shave
Ice Co., www.obisic.com
Local food is
the name of the game.
Tex Drive-In in Konokaa is the
place to find fresh, hot malasadas
(Portuguese doughnuts) at $1.20
apiece.
This is also where to get great
meals for mini money. The vast
menu includes turkey wraps for
$8.80, mahi salads for $11.45 and an
$8.25 breakfast burrito wrap you
can order all day long.
Make sure to munch on mochi
(Japanese rice cakes) from Two
Ladies Kitchen in Hilo. Everyone
raves about the strawberry.
If you’re headed to Volcanoes
National Park, stop at the famed
Punaluu Bake Shop to savor Por-
tuguese sweetbread and many
other gourmet goodies.
Sensational shortbread cook-
ies will whet your appetite at Big
Island Candies in Hilo. Your sweet
tooth will savor flavors such as
macadamia nut, coffee, butter,
chocolate-dipped, green-tea
dipped and Kona mocha.
Info: Tex-Drive-in, 45-690
Pakalana St. (Highway 19),
Konokaa; (808) 775-0598, www.tex
driveinhawaii.com. Two Ladies
Kitchen, 274 Kilauea Ave., Hilo;
(808) 961-4766, lat.ms/twoladies.
Punaluu Bake Shop, Route 11,
Naalehu; (866) 366-3501,
www.bakeshophawaii.com. Big
Island Candies, 585 Hinano St.,
Hilo; (800) 935-5510, www.big
islandcandies.com
L AT I M E S .
Grant Kaye Getty Images/Aurora Creative
Explore Hilo Farmers Market.
More than 200 vendors display
their wares from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesdays and Saturdays.
There’s no telling what bargains
you’ll find at this legendary
local market, where you’ll
discover items as diverse as leis,
strawberry papayas, koa-wood
keepsakes, homemade jams and
jewelry.
Info: Hilo Farmers Market,
Mamo Street and Kamehameha
Avenue, Hilo; hilofarmersmarket
.com
See a rainbow.
Roaring water falls about 80
feet into a large pool almost 100
feet in diameter at the natural
wonder known as Rainbow Falls in
Wailuku River State Park. When
the cascade hits the water, the
mist creates gorgeous rainbows.
Morning is the best time to go.
Info: Wailuku River State Park,
2-198 Rainbow Drive, Hilo; (808)
587-0400, lat.ms/wailukuriver
statepark
Go for Joe.
Kona is coffee country, and
many coffee roasters offer tours.
One to try is the Ueshima Coffee
Co., where you can be roast master
for the day. Daily tours are from
9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Not only do you
taste great java, but you also get to
create a personalized label for
your own custom-roasted half-
pound bag of 100% Kona coffee
beans. The tour costs $35 per
person and includes a special
souvenir.
Info: Ueshima Coffee Co., 75-
5568 Mamalahoa Highway, Holu-
aloa; (808) 322-3789, www.ucc-
hawaii.com
travel@latimes.com