Big Island/Kona

First time to the big island , we would appreciate any restaurant recs and must things to do.Thanks in advance.

Mere inns is a bit of a schlep but the best restaurant.

Hard to do as a day trip, but the volcano is astounding.

If you do spend a night on the Hilo side to see the volcano, see the botanic gardens north of the city. Flowers out of Jurrasic Park, amazing. (I like the Hilo side much better for those reasons)

I thought maybe you’d discovered a new gem, but then figured you meant Merriman’s.

Darn spelling autocorrect!

Yes ,Merriman’s (although its been Ges since I went)

If near the Fairmount, Brown’s Beach House is nice for dinner. Food is good, setting is spectacular. They allow corkage as well.

My favorite beach on the Big Island is Makalawena Beach. If you google it all the info will come up. Not easy to get too but worth it. Second to that would be Hapuna or Mauna Kea Beach, next to one another and connected by a short beach trail walk. Parking is very limited for Mauna Kea but you can park at Hapuna and walk over. Sometimes the conditions at one are better than the other.

A must do for me is a trip to Waipio Valley and the black sand beaches. It can be a bitch to get down to the beach, but worth it. Not many people brave the road. In fact, our rental prohibited us from going there, but we did anyway.

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Waipio is amazing. If you’re looking for a night on volcano side, we like Volcano Inn, particularly their stand alone cottages

I was at the Volcano House last week and was completely blown away by the food. I was definitely not expecting it to be as high caliber as it was.

Headed out in the am, thanks for all the great suggestions.

Sorry I forgot to make specific reccos. You must have the Wizard Publications/Press books called Big Island Revealed (or similar for other isles). They have a bunch of cool, beyond the ordinary, reccomendations.
I’m a driver. I motor to the volcano and back. You HAVE to see it. It’s even more doable from Kailua-Kona area than from Waikoloa. The botanical gardens north of Hilo are cool, as is Waipio Valley. I brings some cash and offer to pay someone driving back up $5 or so to avoid the long climb. Stop for a malasada at Tex Drive in (Honokaa?) on a trip along the north road. Place of Refuge is worthwhile. A trip to Kealakekua also. Great/easy beach snorkeling at Kahaluu Beach Park at the south end of Kona town. I like to hike down to, and around Kiholo Bay. Mauna Kea and Hapuna are indeed nice beaches. Go and park at Mauna Kea early a.m… There’s a costco right by the airport. I often make it my first stop. Often they even sell the “Revealed” book there.
Merriman’s Waimea is indeed really good. I still like the combo of food & vibe (sit outside) at Canoe House, but it IS pricey. Beach House at the Four Seasons is cool. I like Cafe Pesto for a casual meal. Try a Mac Pie for dessert if avail. at a restaurnat or you are near the shop. Do a coffee plantation or two.

You’re probably there at this moment so my suggestions are not timely. I would visit Kealakekua Bay area for coffee, sacred City of Refuge, and the Captain Cook monument. On the north side of the island I would poke around and visit Michael Harburg for his authentic Hawai’ian gourd art in Hawi. Small local food places are good cheap eats. Lots of small towns that I would describe as having the feel of old Hawai’i. One such place, last time I was there, is Holualoa village which is an art colony just up volcano from Kona. Enjoy your time…Gary

For those that come later to this post, I second Waipo, and hiking in the Volcanoes National Park is a must. First two shots are from the Park. Third is Makalawena Beach

Have fun! BI is an awesome place. I think the Kilauea Iki trail in VNP is a must.

I’m in Kona now and just wanted to give an update (one which I found to be a bit unfortunate): Pahu i’a at the Four Seasons is no more. They revamped the restaurant and changed to a Japanese-style placed called Ulu Ocean Grill + Sushi Lounge. We are going to check it out at some point but I am not thrilled.

We’re in Honolulu now. I’ll try and write up my Big Island experiences when I can. I think the food has suffered a bit since my last visit.

Okay, here is the update:

We visited a number of restaurants while staying in town. As mentioned above, Pahu i’a is now called Ulu at the Four Seasons. The menu is different, as is the wine list, but all around the place generally looks the same and service is still good. The wine list is more compact and a little dumbed down. The menu is more Japanese-centric and frankly, not as good. Its still a solid choice but disappointing in the sense that Pahu i’a was zoo good.

We had a marginal meal at Canoe House in the Mauna Lani. That place has always been hit or miss for me. Our server was okay. The food was good enough, just nothing exciting. (I hate when there is too much sauce on island fish, etc.) Wine list average.

Horrific meal at Brown’s Beach House in the Fairmont. This is kind of an avoid at all cost place now.

We had to cancel at Merrimen’s due to time constraints but we ended up at Roy’s (last few meals at various Roy’s have not been great FWIW). This was a pleasant surprise. Loads of menu changes, friendly staff and small but exciting wine list (heavy domestic).

Manta, at Mauna Kea, was probably the best meal we had. (My wife and I went twice) Really nice wine list, excellent service and small, but exceptional menu. Highly recommend.

We also had some food at Norio’s Steak House in the Fairmont on the night we arrived which was surprisingly good and lunch at Merrimen’s Cafe, which was fine for what it was. Friends visited the Tommy Bahama Cafe and liked it FWIW.

Manta, at Mauna Kea, was probably the best meal we had. (My wife and I went twice) Really nice wine list, excellent service and small, but exceptional menu. Highly recommend.

We had Thanksgiving dinner there a while back and I brought a magnum of Quilceda Creek. They said they could not open due to their local ABC laws. I asked to speak with the manager to see if I could persuade him. He told me that he had to fax a request to the ABC and get permission to open the bottle. Despite it being Thanksgiving, he was able to do that (or at least that is what he told me) and was kind enough to open the bottle. It made the experience very personal and the food was great!

Largely why we traded Kona/Kohala for Wailea after 20 successive Decembers. Our tenth year at the Kea Lani and have found new restaurant choices since last year. Food is better here and with many more choices, from Spago to Joe’s to Monkeypod Kitchen (Merrimans) to Ka’ana Kitchen in the recently opened Andaz, to mention only a few in the neighborhood. Miss MKB, but not enough to go back to Kohala.