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For travelers who visit Hawaii and want a quiet, tucked-away vacation from the rest of the world, Hilo is a fantastic town to find a condo for rent and sunrises from the local beaches or to enjoy quiet evenings staying in. While no one needs to get lost in a book when there are so many beautiful things to enjoy on the Island of Hawaii, Hilo Bay Books compliments a tucked-away, quiet, beachy lifestyle perfectly by selling secondhand books (their motto is “get used!”) to help you unwind and enjoy the time away from home.

Overview

Overview

Head here to find the sweet spot between the $20 toy uke and a $500 serious-novice instrument. Sure, they can hit the high end, but you should be able to pick up a nicely playable number for under $200. Soprano ukuleles work best for beginners and players with petite hands (plus travelers who appreciate their compact size).

Hilo and the surrounding communities on the windward side of the Big Island are wealthy in art and inspired small creative businesses. To absorb the artsy atmosphere and celebrate an Aloha Friday, make your way to downtown Hilo where the town’s Downtown Improvement Association hosts the First Friday Night Market to bring local artisans and the community together with live music, entertainment, and a lively venue for art, food, and street vendors. It’s also a great place to peruse and procure an island-inspired painting, or some creative encouragement. Slate a Friday evening in your itinerary to experience some of Hilo’s art and aloha spirit.

Souvenirs galour is what you’ll find at Hilo Hattie’s, an Islandwide chain filled with aloha-wear, macadamia nuts, hula dolls, sunglasses, ukuleles, and key chains. It’s the perfect place to choose from a variety of aloha shirts, or splashy, hibiscus flower printed dresses so you can look the part on your holidays in the Hawaiian Islands. The store is also the perfect last stop before departing Hawaii to pick up gifts for everyone back home.

In the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it village of Volcano, on the slopes of Mauna Loa and just outside of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, are a handful of B&Bs and cottage rentals (see also Volcano Rainforest Retreat). Among the oldest—but no less charming for its 25 years—is Volcano Village Estate (previously known as Hale Ohia).


It’s a small cottage colony, with guest quarters scattered around a two-acre estate thickly carpeted in emerald-green moss and shaded by stands of soaring sugi (Japanese cedar) trees. The main house, a quirky Queen Anne style Victorian with a miniature turret and stone chimney that make it look like it was lifted right out of a children’s storybook, dates back to the 1930s when the manager of a sugar plantation built it as a summer holiday home. The gardens were planted by the same master landscape architects responsible for the Liliʻuokalani Gardens in Hilo (at one time the largest Edo style garden outside of Japan).


All guest quarters are sweetly decorated, in a largely Craftsman style with ceramic tiles and soft woods; some have pretty, stained-glass windows. But on a chilly Volcano night—and most of them are since the town sits at 4,000 feet—nothing is quite as romantic as curling up by the fireplace in one of the three stand-alone cottages, unless, of course, it’s sitting in the garden and watching the dazzling night sky, which is reason enough to stay on this side of the island.

A Perfect Day on the Big Island of Hawaii begins with a spectacular Hilo sunrise and ends with the elusive green flash at sunset from Kailua-Kona’s shores. In between, ascend the Big Island’s occasionally snowcapped mountaintops and dip back down to visit the fish and turtles in Hawaii’s warm ocean waves. The Big Island means big fun, and every day is perfect.

With only three days on Hawaii’s Big Island, take a spin around the island’s coastline. Spend your first day basking in the Kona resort lifestyle. On your second day, enjoy a morning at the local shops and market in Hilo and then head to Volcano Village for an evening over Kilauea’s glowing crater. Complete the Big Island loop on day three by driving to South Point before heading north to Kailua-Kona through Kona coffee country.

With luxury resorts, quaint motels, condo rentals, and campgrounds, the Big Island offers a wide variety of accommodations. If you’re looking for high-end resorts, the Kona area on the west side of the island is your best bet, while travelers who prefer a low-key condo or B&B will be better off on the eastern Hilo side. Be sure to book in advance, especially during events such as the Ironman Race in September and the Merrie Monarch Festival in April.

Winter snow can frost the tallest peak in Hawaii, technically measuring 13,800 feet. In fact, Mauna Kea holds the world record at 33,500 feet tall when measured from its submerged base to its summit (compared with Everest’s 29,000 feet)! The dormant volcano is home to the native gods and ideal for stargazing, either with the naked eye or the summit’s Subaru Telescope (book ahead). Go earlier and you’ll get an orange blaze—and maybe an elusive green flash—during sunset, too. Note that the high altitude poses serious health risks: Stop for a half hour at the visitor center to acclimate. Plan for steep, winding roads passable only via 4WD. Do not visit the mountaintop within 24 hours of scuba diving.

Invented in Hilo, the Loco Moco is a very local breakfast item with its own following. Most restaurants put their own little twist on the meal. Cafe 100 in Hilo serves theirs in more than 30 varieties, though the basic loco moco is simply rice, a hamburger patty, and Hilo-style brown gravy with an egg on top. The Loco Moco is a cheap and still substantial meal that can be eaten any time of the day.

Carlsmith Beach Park in Hilo is known for turtles that hang out in the shallow turquoise water close to shore. Visitors can walk onto the rocks and simply look into the water to see a turtle. These magnificent creatures abound in Hawaii. Interested in swimming with them? Just use a convenient ladder that leads swimmers into the water. After your swim, be sure to stop at Hilo Homemade Ice Cream Cafe, 1477 Kalanianaole Avenue, for delicious local flavors like lilikoi (passion fruit). Carlsmith Beach Park is located on Kalanianaole Avenue, near Hilo Airport, a 10 minute drive from downtown.

This place near downtown Hilo is not much to look at, but it has great sushi. Fresh fish, cool staff and more importantly, this is where the locals go to eat. They have a wide variety of choices, but I recommend sticking with the sushi, plenty of options there including inventive rolls with local ingredients like macadamia nuts.

If you are a fan of mochi, this is a MUST stop on your visit in the Hilo area. The place is tiny, there is usually a long line, takes cash only, and parking is a bear, but once you take one bite into their massive (and most famous) strawberry mochi you will be hooked for life! They have a wide variety of flavors and all the mochi is fresh, dry where it needs to be dry, and with perfectly seasoned filling.