Updated 12/23/19

Kona on the Big Island of Hawai’i will always have a special place in my heart. I spent nine months at photography school here, five months living here in 2015, and Jake and I got married here in 2012. Some of the best times in my life happened on this island, and I have countless memories at all the go-to places I’ve detailed below. The Big Island is the most diverse island in Hawaii – it has sand, snow, lava rock, and nearly all climates on the planet. I’ve been to Kaua’i, Maui, and Oahu but the Big Island outshines them all.

When to go: November – February for the fewest crowds and most enjoyable weather as Kona is the least humid during these months.

Where to stay:

• Royal Kona Resort
• King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel
• Kona Makai VRBO

Where to eat:

• Kona Brewery – ask for an outdoor table, order some pizza and beer and get ready to have a good time.
• Kamana Indian Cuisine – a great lunch place with solid Indian food with views of the water.
• Umeke’s – the best place to try the best Hawaiian dish there is – poke! It’s cubes of raw ahi in various sauces. They’ll let you sample before you commit.
• Basik – the closest you’ll get to an authentic açai bowl outside of Brazil. Order the Kilauea bowl and consider this breakfast heaven.
• Frenchman’s Cafe – Another great breakfast place in town is the Frenchman’s Cafe with amazing sweet and savory crepes. The only downside is it’s not waterfront, but it’s well-worth this one con for all the pros.
• Scandinavian Shave Ice – take a stroll down Ali’i drive through downtown Kona and duck into this shave ice place and eat it on the sea wall. My favorite is the POG flavor with vanilla ice cream inside.
• One Aloha Shave Ice – For a more natural take on shave ice (no artificial colors or flavors), head here. Scandinavian Shave Ice was my first love, but this one is better!
• Mi’s Waterfront Bistro – I’m not usually one for Italian food when eating out (unless it’s pizza!) but I’ll make the exception for this place. Really good pastas with killer views. Mi’s is upstairs in the same complex as Daylight Mind Coffee Company and has lanai seating right on the ocean front.
• Lava Java – hit up this place right on the main drag across the street from the ocean for Sunday brunch or when you wake up super early all jet-lagged your first morning there and stumble on down for one of their popular cinnamon rolls and a cup of Kona coffee. The rolls go fast so you must be an early bird to catch that worm! They serve food all day, but it’s really only worth it for their breakfast.
• Humpy’s – great fish tacos and fish and chips – try to get patio seating on the upper level that it overlooks the water. They have a great beer selection and a pretty good happy hour too.
• Holuakoa Gardens and Cafe – if it’s a little too hot down in Kailua-Kona, head up the volcano to the little village of Holualoa and eat here. Excellent modern Hawaiian food in a quaint garden setting. They also have a cafe next to the restaurant where you can get just a cup of coffee.
• Sushi Rock – up in Hawi at the tippy-top of the island, Sushi Rock serves up some truly amazing inventive sushi. Grab dinner here after ziplining.
• Merriman’s – For a meal really worth the splurge, head up here to cowboy country in Waimea for mouthwatering fish and other slabs of land delicacies.

Where to drink:

• Huggo’s on the Rocks – stick your toes in the sand and gaze out on the ocean while sipping a mai tai or Kona brew. It seriously doesn’t get any better than this. Happy hour daily 3-5pm.
• Lava Lava – the sister restaurant to Huggo’s, Lava Lava is farther up the coast and is an amazing spot to enjoy drinks and pupus and live music oceanside. Best time to go is at the beginning of happy hour. They have delicious small plates during happy hour but I wouldn’t recommend their regular meal times as the food isn’t very tasty for the price you’ll pay. Happy hour daily 3-5pm.
• Daylight Mind Coffee Company – great breakfast, great coffee, amazing views; return late afternoon for happy hour to watch the sunset from their lanai.
• Don’s Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Kona Resort – fabulous outdoor venue jetted right on the water and best mango mojitos and mai tais. Happy hour daily 4-6pm.
• Harbor House – ditch the tourist crowd and join the locals here at this watering hole at the harbor. Enjoy the breezes in this covered open air restaurant and quaff the coldest beer in town in a pint-sized thick frozen goblet.

What to do in-between eating and drinking:

• Hula Daddy – best coffee farm tour in Kona coffee country and you get to sample their coffees as well.
• Hapuna Beach – my favorite beach in the world with amazingly soft white sand and blue water. It’s the only beach big enough to walk along on the Big Island. It’s popular, so it’s best enjoyed on a weekday when the crowds will be fewer. The next beach to the south, Waialea Beach, is also excellent and perhaps less busy.
• Green Sand Beach – the sand really is green here due to the olivine in the sand. You can hike in or hitch a ride with a local for a fee.
• Volcanoes National Park – you’ll be most likely to see lava entering the ocean (one of my top five most amazing life experiences) here, but even if it’s not visibly flowing during your stay, there’s lots to explore in the park.
• The summit of Mauna Kea – the most colorful sunsets I’ve ever seen were viewed up here. Rent a car, a four wheel drive if it makes you more comfortable, but I’ve made it to the top many times in an economy class car, and head up. Plan to arrive at the top about an hour before sunset (keeping in mind you’ll be required to stop for 45 minutes to acclimate at the visitor center at 9,000 feet), soak in the sunset from the summit, then head back down to the visitor center for an astronomy lesson from the expert volunteers and peek through the telescopes they set up nightly. Be sure to check the weather forecast on the mountain for clear skies or you could end up not seeing a thing if it’s in the clouds.
• Ziplining – do a canopy tour of nine zips up in Hawi at the northern tip of the island for a great thrill! The company we went with (Big Island Eco Adventures) appears to be out of business, but Kohala Zipline gets great reviews on Yelp and is in the same area we did ours.
• Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours – spring for the Big Island Spectacular tour and you’ll see the Big Island in all its varied splendor. There’s nothing quite comparable to soaring over the waterfalls and watching Pu’u O’o ooze red hot lava.

For more insider recommendations and things to do that will suit your liking, this is the only travel book you’ll need for your trip: The Big Island Revealed.