In a world where nothing lasts forever, I know we can’t count on the places we love still being in the places we’ve visited when we come back to visit again. But I’ve visited the Big Island of Hawaii a handful of times over the span of 18 years and so much of this beautiful island seems to stay perfectly the same. I’d almost dare to say if my family had to pick our favorite of the Hawaii Islands it would be the big island of Hawaii.  And yes, we’ve been to many of the other Hawaiian islands too-most recently to Kauai with the kids last February but there is something so special about the Big Island of Hawaii that it’s the one we think about most. We have a favorite place here to eat sandwiches with geckos, a favorite coffee farm and a favorite beach (the kids even created a rating system of the Hawaii beaches we went to) and even after 9 years away from the Big Island, all of these were still here when we visited a few weeks ago.  We are already dreaming about our next visit and I totally hope these places are still there when we revisit again.

Close to Kona and near one of the coolest wooden playgrounds we’ve ever seen for kids is a favorite sandwich place that the hubby and I first visited on a trip to Hawaii long ago.  The Coffee Shack is where I would pick for my best sandwich in Hawaii if someone ever asked. The bread here is fantastic (especially the luau bread) and it is one of the only places in the world where you can eat a sandwich in a hut precariously perched over a rainforest with geckos that visit you while you eat too. We visited with our kids long ago and on our most recent trip we brought my niece and nephew and it was so cool to relive the magic of eating in such a beautiful space. ( The desserts here are also phenomenal so make sure you save room for them if you go too.)

My dad brought our family to Greenwell Farms on a family trip nearly 18 years ago, and then I visited with my husband in our early years of marriage, and then we brought our kids and we revisited again with my sister and her family on our most recent trip.  The last time we visited we didn’t have enough time to go for a tour, but someone at the farm showed us how to find chameleons in the trees and someone else picked us some avocados.  I had no idea there were chameleons in Hawaii-we always see little geckos and the kids had so much fun playing with this cute little lizard.  Of course we also bought coffee here so we could take it home.

Hapuna Beach is my kids’ favorite beach and it is also always on the lists of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  It has incredible waves (especially in the wintertime), soft sand and places to snorkel and see fish and turtles. I always get a little worried about surf and the waves,  especially when the kids were smaller so we find that mornings are usually calmer and easier to get parking on the beach anyways.  We’re often up and out of the house by 7am with the kids and that helps us secure a spot, play in the waves and get back to relax before the sun gets too hot.  Bringing a beach umbrella here was helpful except for on one day when it was incredibly windy.

We had the loveliest breakfast at the cafe Mauna Kea Beach Hotel when we visited in July.  The offerings are a lot like Starbucks, and the banana bread is something you should definitely try if you are a banana bread fan.  If you get there early (like before 8am) you can also park at the beach and it’s a really beautiful place to spend the day.  We came back for their luau one night too and it was one of the most intimate and beautifully set luaus we’ve been to and the food was “Ono” as well.  After the luau, we wandered over to where the manta rays visit at night and even though it was a full moon, we managed to see a manta ray feeding on the plankton.  We all talked about maybe staying here one day because the resort felt really relaxing and luxurious, but also love the house we rented a house that was nearby and found it a really great way to holiday with multiple families.

We were able to visit the beach at Mauna Lani with our house rental and it feels like the type of place you would see in a movie about the Big Island.  But the most exquisite part was the fishponds where we went on a few nights to wander and watch the sun set.  I love looking at the photos I took here now that we are home and having my mom and dad, my sister and her family and my family here all at the same time is something we’ll all remember forever.  We were also at the fishponds for the full moon talk story concert one night and listening to music while wandering the area just felt perfectly Hawaii.  I know this is a place that will stay in our memories and I know I’ll want to come back here again and again.

The Puako Petrolglyph Park and Reserve is a place where you can hike about a mile to see petroglyphs and the parking lot was full of mongeese and cats basking in the sun when we arrived.  The hike to see the petroglyphs seems more like something you would find in California than Hawaii and it’s a little eerie to wander through the bare jungly trees-not at all like the beachscapes you typically expect in Hawaii.  The petroglyphs at the end end make you wonder about the stories people wanted us to hear from so long ago.  I love the beach near the trailhead and parking lot-the white coral against the lava rock shards here make it look like salt and pepper and the sunsets here are stunning too.

 

Have you been to the Island of Hawaii?  Are there places that you revisit often, or when you go, do you try to see new things?