by Marybeth Bond | Jan 18, 2011 | Travel, Hawaii, Packing Pointers
Leaving the rainforest and volcanoes behind, we traded our backpacks for fins, goggles and paddles on the Kona Coast. There is a world of difference between the east and the west coasts of the Big Island. One side is wet and verdant; the other side is dry and...
by Marybeth Bond | Jan 18, 2011 | Adventure, Travel, Hawaii
Bike the Rim of the Volcano The forty-five minute drive from Hilo to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park leads you to one of the twenty World Heritage sites in North America and the only one in Hawaii. The Visitors Center was a good place to get our bearings and hear the...
by Marybeth Bond | Jan 18, 2011 | Hawaii
Among the Best Open-Air Markets in the West www.bigisland.org Hilo blossomed from a village centered around the mission church to a boom town when sugar production flourished. Businesses came and went – whaling, coffee farms, sugar plantations, the occasional cruise...
by Marybeth Bond | Jan 18, 2011 | Travel, Hawaii
After we’ve wandered around the gardens at the Palm Cliff House outside Hilo, we lace up our walking shoes and head ¼ mile up the road, past an unhurried farmer on his tractor and pull into the parking lot at Akaka Falls State Park. We slow our pace on a paved...
by Marybeth Bond | Jan 18, 2011 | Hawaii
Exotic birds soar from palm to palm as we wind our way down the drive to the Palm Cliff House, a luxury inn located 14 miles from Hilo. Perched on the cliff’s edge 100’ above crashing surf, the plantation-style house is nestled within verdant acres of its own tranquil...
by Marybeth Bond | Jan 18, 2011 | Hawaii, Travel
If you think Hawaii is only about resorts, pools and beaches, think again. The Big Island of Hawaii has so many active adventures outside the gates of the resort. You can hike to waterfalls, bike volcanoes, paddle with dolphins, and snorkel with Manta Rays....