We had SUCH an amazing time on our recent vacation on the Big Island! We’ve been to Oahu and Maui previously (see our Maui itinerary for more info if you’re headed there), but this was our first time going to the Big Island. Unfortunately there is no more active lava since the volcano eruption last year, but don’t despair! There is still SO much to see, do, and eat on this incredibly special island. We found incredibly cheap tickets via our Dollar Flight Club Membership ($280/per person on AA with 1 stop in LAX on the way going, straight flight on the way back). The drawback was that between our jobs/summer schedules and the flight specials only being on certain dates, we only got 3 days/4 nights to see the Big Island. We got a lot of comments and weird looks from people saying, “that’s not enough time”, but let me tell you, we did SO much in 3 days and have absolutely no regrets. We won’t let our jobs/PTO/cost get in the way of us getting an adventure, however short it was, and I highly recommend taking advantage of any amount of time you can to get away and explore! That being said, we wanted to share our itinerary with y’all for you to get an idea of what you can do with 3 full days. Scroll down to the bottom if you want to see the summary of our Big Island trip!

Day 1: Arrive late from mainland.

We arrived on the Big Island around 8:15 PM from LAX. We packed light with carry ons only, so we could exit the airport quickly. We headed straight to the rental car shuttle and were in our car by 8:45 PM. We made our way to our first Air Bnb in the Captain Cook area located on a mango farm, about 35 minutes from the airport. We highly recommend the Air BnB route for a cheaper option than the expensive resorts. We did some stargazing, showered to get that plane grime off, and got to sleep by about 10 PM.

Day 2: Tip – take advantage of your jet lag!

We woke up around 4:30 AM due to the jet lag (about 9:30 AM Dallas time), decided to get dressed and get our things together for snorkeling at Kahalu’u beach park. Luckily the sun rises early, around 5:30 AM. We stopped at a cute local coffee shop called Kaya’s on the way as we were starving. Note that they do not feed on you the flight from LAX to HI. They had great coffee plus homemade scones and pastries (with plentiful gluten free and vegan options) and open at 5:30 AM. After that pitstop we continued up to Kahulu’u park and got to snorkeling! We had the whole park to ourselves! There were a TON of fish, sea urchins, and coral reefs. It was a really great way to start the trip. After drying off, we headed back to our Air BnB, making a pit stop at Kealakekua Bay to snap some photos.

Back at our Air BnB, our hosts were kind enough to give us a tour of the farm. They have 6 different mango varieties, plus papaya, banana, limes, and so much more! It was fascinating learning about how they maintain the farm and the importance of all the things they grow. They even let us take some mangos and papayas for our Big Island road trip!

• 

• 

By 10:30 AM, we were all packed up and started making our way to Heavenly Hawaiian Farms for our Big Island Kona coffee tour! We did register on their website for the tour (although not required). Tours start on the hour every hour and are free and include generous coffee tastings. The drive up there is gorgeous and the tour was so informative. We ended up signing up for their monthly coffee membership (1 lb of Kona coffee shipped via 2 day shipping every month so it arrives fresh) so we didn’t have to worry about squeezing pounds of coffee into our carry on bags. Highly recommend!

• 

• 

Next, we headed to Da Poke Shack for a quick lunch break before getting on the road to our next Air Bnb. We LOVED the poke at this highly recommended spot, they charge about $14 for a bowl, which was plenty for each of us.

Next, we started driving on to Pahoa where our next Air Bnb was booked. We made a couple stops, first at the Punalu’u Bake Shop for their famous Malasadas (Portuguese donuts). We got a box of 6 (LOVED the Lilikoi glazed one and the traditional) and munched on a few on the road, and saved the rest for breakfast the next morning. After the bakery, we headed to the Punalu’u Black Sand Beach nearby. We got lucky as there were a pod of about 8-9 Honu (Sea Turtles) napping on the shore! We did not get in the water here as it was cold and a little overcast, but do recommend stopping to at least see if you can catch a glimpse of the turtles.

• 

• 

Following this stop, we headed straight onto Pahoa. We drove through the Volcano national park, but decided not to stop. We heard mixed things – but given the short trip and that there’s no longer any active lava, we decided to skip. If we had one more day, I think we would have definitely stopped to see the changes that have happened since the recent volcano eruption.

We met our gracious Air Bnb hosts and checked in around 4:30 PM. We unpacked a bit and made our way to see the Mermaid Pools (recommended by our hosts). It’s extremely hard to find, but there’s a green gate along the Government Beach Road (right before 14-3945 Government Beach Road). You can park right on the side of the small road and walk down the path about 10 minutes until you reach the lava cliffs. We watched the sun set from here and were just amazed at the beauty. We also had the area all to ourselves except for a couple fishermen. Very impressive spot.

• 

• 

• 

Next, we headed to dinner at Kaleo’s Bar and Grill in Pahoa. We absolutely loved this spot. I had the fish special that night which was a panko crusted Ono with a lychee vinaigrette (spectacular) and Marcelo had the coconut crusted shrimp, also delicious! We both had cocktails, shared the kalua pork wontons for appetizer, plus the two entrees for a total of $75! A steal in our books. We headed back to the Air BnB for the night and got to sleep early.

Day 3: Relaxation!

We had our leftover malasadas and fruit with coffee at the Air BnB and left Pahoa early, by about 7:30 AM. We made our way up to Hilo and stopped to check out the Farmer’s Market. We bought some delicious jams from Steve’s Akaka Falls Farm! Then we stopped over at Rainbow Falls, which is within Hilo, for a few pictures. This is a quick stop (hardly any hiking as the falls are right off the main road). We hopped back in the car and headed to Akaka Falls next! There was a $2 fee to enter and a short hike to the falls (about 5-10 minutes if you take the short loop). What a gorgeous view though! We even got a little rainbow!

• 

• 

• 

• 

After checking out the falls, we continued up north taking the scenic routes when available, and stopping at the scenic lookouts that are conveniently marked along the road. We made our way to the Waipio Valley Lookout next, for a little view of this gorgeous valley. This was probably the most picturesque spot we found. Highly worth the stop. If you have the time, you can hike down to the beaches below, but fair warning, it is a VERY steep hike. We got back to the car and made a pitstop in Waimea for lunch at The Fish and The Hog – great fish tacos and BBQ pork! Then we headed to our hotel for the last night, the Fairmont Orchid.

• 

• 

• 

We wanted to end our Big Island stay on a note of relaxation and thoroughly enjoyed our night at the Fairmont. We were able to check in early (thanks to our Amex Platinum booking!) and quickly made our way to the pool and grabbed a cocktail.

• 

• 

• 

For dinner, we opted to check out Ulu Ocean Grill at the Four Seasons resort (about 30 minutes away). We heard good things about Brown’s Beach House at the Fairmont as well, but really wanted to check out the Four Seasons property a bit. We made our reservation for 6:30 PM to take full advantage of their unobstructed beach sunset views, as the sun sets around 7PM. Fair warning, the prices are steep here, but incredibly worth it given the view we had. The food was impressive and we loved every dish we ordered.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Day 4: Last Day

We woke up early again, and headed to the breakfast buffet (also included with the Amex booking) which was excellent before heading to the beach. We loved the little bay that is situated on the property, as the waves are almost nonexistent and the snorkeling was excellent. We also rented a kayak via the hotel ($50/hour) and went out a bit further, spotting a sea turtle and more gorgeous fish. We grabbed lunch at the Hale Kai restaurant within the hotel and had an excellent fish sandwich and BBQ pork sandwich. We relaxed for awhile longer near the pool before enjoying our late checkout at 4PM and heading back to the airport for our 5:45 PM flight.

• 

• 

• 

Summary:

Day 1: Arrive late from Mainland late, get rental car and drive to Air BnB

Day 2:

• 5:30 AM: Breakfast at Kaya’s
• 6:00 AM: Snorkeling at Kahulu’u Beach Park
• 8:30 AM: Tour of Mango farm at Air BnB. Then pack up.
• 10:30 AM: Head to Heavenly Hawaiian Farms for Kona Coffee Tour starting at 11 AM.
• 11-12 PM: Coffee Tour
• 12:30-1PM: Lunch at Da Poke Shack
• 1:00 – 5:00 PM: Drive to next Air BnB in Pahoa stopping at Punalu’u Bake shop for malasadas and Punalu’u Black Sand Beach for sea turtle watching
• 5:00 PM: Check in at Air BnB
• 5:30 PM-6:30 PM: Check out Mermaid Pools on the way to dinner
• 6:45 PM-7:45 PM: Dinner at Kaleo’s Bar and Grill. Drive back to Air BnB.

Day 3:

• 6:30 AM: Breakfast at Air BnB with leftover Malasadas and fruit
• 7:30 AM: Checkout and drive to Hilo.
• 8:15-9:15 AM: Check out the Farmer’s Market
• 9:15-9:45 AM: Check out Rainbow Falls nearby
• 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM: Drive to Akaka Falls Park and check out the falls
• 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM: Continue driving along the coast, taking the scenic routes when possible, heading towards Waipio Valley Lookout
• 12:00-12:30 PM: Explore Waipio Valley Lookout area
• 12:45-1:30 PM: Lunch at The Fish and the Hog
• 2:00 PM-5:00 PM: Check in at the Fairmont, relax at pool
• 6:30 PM: Dinner at Ulu at the Four Seasons

Day 4:

• 6:30 AM-7:30 AM: Breakfast Buffet at the hotel
• 8:00 AM-10:30 AM: Snorkeling/Kayaking in the bay
• 10:30 AM-12:00 PM: Relax along beach or pool
• 12:00 PM-1:00 PM: Lunch at Hale Kai
• 1:00 PM-3:00 PM: More pool/beach time or consider massage at the spa
• 3:45 PM: Check out and head to airport

This post contains some Affiliate links, which means that each time a product is purchased from a specific link on this blog I may make a small commission.