April 2018 I spent a few days on the Big Island of Hawaii at the Hilton, Waikoloa Village. This was an all inclusive five star resort that included canal boats, huge swimming pools with slides, bed and breakfast, swimming with dolphins, and absolutely amazing views. I loved staying here, the only critique I could give is the food options. The food options definitely catered toward families, where most of the restaurants offered hamburgers, pizza, and chicken fingers type of meals. Definitely recommend staying here if you plan on coming with a family. There were many activities you could do throughout the island. Including zip-lining, snorkeling, hiking, visiting a volcano, and many more. One thing I will note, if you are going to the Big Island of Hawaii, be sure your stay is long enough to enjoy the entire island. Just to drive across the island takes 1.5 hours. Doing a single activity on the other side of the island could take up pretty much your entire day. I don’t recommend going on any boat to snorkel if you are known to get even a little motion sickness. I went on a snorkel boat ride that had half the customers sea sick throwing up the entire time just to get to a location that stops on the side of a cliff with 10 foot waves. If you want to snorkel, find a nice cove/beach to do so. Don’t waste your money.

Recommendations

  1. If you’re traveling with family, and you can afford the price, stay at Hilton, Waikoloa Village.
  2. If you’re traveling as a couple, and want to explore the island together, don’t stay at Hilton, Waikoloa Village. Again, this resort caters to families who do not plan on leaving the resort very much at all, as the resort itself has enough activities to keep the family entertained for a few days. I enjoyed the ambiance of Hotel Fairmont Orchid as a better couples resort option.
  3. Enjoy a sunset dinner at Lava Lava Beach Club. Be sure to call and make reservations early, the place gets pretty packed. There is a great hangout area here as well to keep you occupied while you wait.
  4. Visit Hotel Fairmont Orchid for a spa day. Get a message here looking over the beach, you wont regret it.