More Kona Adventures

Island Breeze Luau

Attraction | "Third Time . . . Still a Charm"

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I had previously done the Island Breeze Luau with my girlfriends Heidi & Cathy (April 06) and hubby David (September 07) . . . but never bore of the enjoyable evening out at an island luau. Some may say they are cheesy, touristy and just mediocre as a dining experience, but for me, I do not see how anyone can come to Hawaii and not experience at least one luau!Since this was Pam's first trip to Hawaii . . . and perhaps her only one . . . I felt I owed it to her to give her a proper Hawaiian luau. While clearly the economy has played a role in the downsizing of the entertainment and menu, the experience was still very good and of decent value for visitors to the Big Island....Read More

I had previously done the Island Breeze Luau with my girlfriends Heidi & Cathy (April 06) and hubby David (September 07) . . . but never bore of the enjoyable evening out at an island luau. Some may say they are cheesy, touristy and just mediocre as a dining experience, but for me, I do not see how anyone can come to Hawaii and not experience at least one luau!

Since this was Pam's first trip to Hawaii . . . and perhaps her only one . . . I felt I owed it to her to give her a proper Hawaiian luau. While clearly the economy has played a role in the downsizing of the entertainment and menu, the experience was still very good and of decent value for visitors to the Big Island.

I had bought our luau tickets via one of my favorite eBay sellers Hawaii Savers. Paying essentially half price for the two tickets, I did go ahead and upgrade our seats to VIP ($15pp) so that we would have a front row stage-side seat. VIP also meant being seated first and having the opportunity to go through the food line first as well.

The pre-dinner activities included learning the hula, cracking a coconut the way the natives do (without kitchen knives!) and weaving coconut leaf fish. The presentation of the imu pig is always a photo op favorite and Pam enjoyed her front row spot for that.

The menu had been slightly downsized with no fresh fish on the entree menu. All of the other expected items were provided including the imu pork, chicken and teriyaki steak. Salads and fruits, along with the sliced purple sweet potato and poi rounded out the dinner selections. Desserts included the obligatory coconut gelatin along with regular jello and two cakes (orange and white). A note of something good . . . no downsizing on the free mai-tai "canoe" which is open from 6:00-7:30pm. There are both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions available for guests, plus an open hosted bar for beer, wine and cocktails.

The entertainment was significantly downsized, although I do not feel that negative affected the quality of the storytelling of the various Pacific Islands. I think there were probably four male dancers plus three women, since they seemed to all be doing multiple dancing shows. The arrival of the Royal Court was no longer by boat to the shore but rather a walking procession along the grounds. The Wedding Dance was also eliminated from the program, which for me, has always been a favorite. That would be my only personal disappointment.

Still, the show lasted about an hour . . . and included the always entertaining circle of flame dance. He did quite well in spite of what became an increasingly strong rain as the evening went on.

For the total price of about $110 for the two of us, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I do not believe anyone needs to pay full price of a luau (approximately $75 per person) as many of the timeshare sales offices offer them free for your 90 minutes to listen to their sales pitch. Additionally, check out Hawaii Savers on eBay . . . or the Hawaii Entertainment book for discounted tickets.

The luau is staged at the King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, which is a very nice waterfront location in the Kailua-Kona bay. More information may be found at: http://www.islandbreezeluau.com/.

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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 2, 2025

Island Breeze Luau
74-5599 Luhia Street, Suite E5
Kona, Hawaii 96740
(808) 329-8111

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Sea Quest - Rafting and Snorkeling Adventure

Attraction | "Whatta Blast!"

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I have been to the Big Island several times and done many of the snorkel boat tours (including Fair Winds and Body Glove). This trip with Sea Quest Adventures, however, was the best by far of any of them! We did the five hour adventure which departs the harbor at Keauhou Bay at 8:15am. Included in our adventure was three snorkeling spots, plus a morning fruit snack and a picnic style lunch.The first snorkel spot was in the Honaunau Bay, also known as the Place of Refuge or "two step" by locals. As we pulled into the bay, excitement grew as spinner dolphins were spotted off towards the shoreline. They were small, many appearing to be less than three feet in length. We were told that ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on April 29, 2025

Sea Quest - Rafting and Snorkeling Adventure
Leaves from Keauhou Bay Pier
Kona, Hawaii

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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Attraction | "Following Madame Pele Over the Years"

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I have been fortunate to visit and explore Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the surrounding area many times over the past ten years. On my first visit to Hawaii in August 2000, I remember not knowing what to expect as I landed in Kona only to see the expansive landscape of old crusty lava throughout the area. I have read many travel reports from visitors arriving to great disappointment to not see the lush white sand beaches that most associate with Hawaii. This is the Big Island, however, home to Madam Pele, the Goddess that continues to create and expand the land beneath our feet. And a trip to Hawaii cannot be considered complete without a visit here, where it has continued to happen since ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 7, 2025

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Highway 11
Hilo, Hawaii 96718
(808) 985-6000

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Bamboo Restaurant & Gallery

Restaurant | "Enjoyable Lunch Experience"

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When vacationing in Hawaii, it is always a challenge to find a leisurely activity on the day of check out since you have to be out of your resort in the morning and typically do not have a flight off the island until that evening. For us, we decided to take a northerly road trip up the Kohala Coast and to Hawi Town for lunch. The Bamboo Restaurant lived up to its much ballyhooed reputation from locals and visitors alike.We arrived at around 1:30pm on a Friday afternoon. They still had a pretty good flow of dining guests in the restaurant. We were immediately seated and greeted by a server with a pitcher of ice water. After our three hours on the road, the water was very quenching....Read More

When vacationing in Hawaii, it is always a challenge to find a leisurely activity on the day of check out since you have to be out of your resort in the morning and typically do not have a flight off the island until that evening. For us, we decided to take a northerly road trip up the Kohala Coast and to Hawi Town for lunch. The Bamboo Restaurant lived up to its much ballyhooed reputation from locals and visitors alike.

We arrived at around 1:30pm on a Friday afternoon. They still had a pretty good flow of dining guests in the restaurant. We were immediately seated and greeted by a server with a pitcher of ice water. After our three hours on the road, the water was very quenching.

Given that most of their dishes have Thai influence, I had to carefully evaluate my options since I had once had a rather unpleasant dining experience with food that was too spicy for me. While I noted that they did have burgers and fries (which looked fabulous going by our table), I felt it would be a crime to not indulge one last meal of island flavor . . . which meant seafood or fish.

Pam was apparently of the same mind as she opted for the catch of the day sandwich, which was mahi mahi on foccacia. With island slaw and rice, she had a complete meal. My lunch selection was the grilled shrimp (four of them) served with a ginger Thai sauce (on the side) along with steamed veggies (carrots, maui onions, broccoli and cucumbers) and rice.

Our meals were outstanding! While I was a bit concerned with the Thai sauce, there was just enough of a blended sweet and spicy that I thoroughly enjoyed it on my shrimp which were plump and tender.

I had read several reviews of the Bamboo citing them as "ridiculously expensive". I found their prices to be very fair and reasonable, and not particularly more than most places of similar choices and quality. My lunch was $15 and Pam's was about the same. With soft drinks and tip, our dining experience was $40. I guess I am accustomed to paying $20 per person for a wonderful lunch!

We would both very happy with our meals and the experience and would recommend them to anyone doing the north shore Kohola road trip to or through Hawi.

A word about desserts . . . they do offer the $1.95 sample sizes of many of their offerings. We had been advised back in Kona, however, to enjoy lunch at the Bamboo Restaurant and then go across the street for the sweets which include locally made Hawaiian ice cream and homemade fudge. We were both full from lunch however, so we took a pass on desserts altogether.

For more information including hours (they are closed on Mondays) and menus check them out at: http://www.bamboorestaurant.info/restaurant.html .

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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 2, 2025

Bamboo Restaurant & Gallery
Hwy 270
Hawi 96719
(808) 889-5555

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Daniel Thiebaut Restaurant

Restaurant | "As Good As It Gets"

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I had been to Daniel Thiebaut's before, so this was a "must stop" during my week long vacation with my sister. Daniel T's did not disappoint . . . it truly is as good as it gets! The atmosphere feels like you're set back in Old Hawaii, as the building is a renovated general store that served this ranching community until 1995. Many of the antiques and artifacts are original to the property dating back to the early 1900's.Located about an hour from Kailua-Kona visitors should plan on adding this to the end of a day of journey and exploration of the Big Island. For us, it was a wonderful ending to the road trip we took from Kona over to Hilo, and across the eastern side of the island, en...Read More

I had been to Daniel Thiebaut's before, so this was a "must stop" during my week long vacation with my sister. Daniel T's did not disappoint . . . it truly is as good as it gets! The atmosphere feels like you're set back in Old Hawaii, as the building is a renovated general store that served this ranching community until 1995. Many of the antiques and artifacts are original to the property dating back to the early 1900's.

Located about an hour from Kailua-Kona visitors should plan on adding this to the end of a day of journey and exploration of the Big Island. For us, it was a wonderful ending to the road trip we took from Kona over to Hilo, and across the eastern side of the island, ending up in Waimea for dinner at 5:30pm.

It was clear we were a bit early for dinner, but that was OK with us. It was nice to have the personal and attentive service of Ruby Lynn. She was very helpful as we navigated our way through the menu and many specials of the day.

We started with appetizers to share, including the fried calamari and the tomoto, sweet onion and goat cheese salad (enough for two). It was surprising that we both choose the fresh catch of the day, which was Ono, prepared on the grill with fresh vegetables and served with risotto. We were a bit disappointed that they were not able to do any of their dishes with "mac nut" encrusting. Chef must have forgotten to go to market that day.

Dinner was outstanding, but we did leave enough room for dessert. I had forewarned Pam that their signature dessert was reason enough to drive the hour from Kona to come dine at Daniel T's! We ordered Waimea Strawberry Millefeuille which is as far as I'm concerned a "must" along with an exquisite phyllo wrapped banana treat that was served with fresh rum mac ice cream. Of course we shared these delights as well.

Our meal, which did not include alcohol, came in at a whopping $115 including tax. This is probably one of the more expensive restaurants on the Big Island and may be considered for those special occasions (wedding anniversary, birthday, etc). Of course, we also went all out with our dining choices, ordering a couple of appetizers and desserts to share. The catch of the day was $33 which some might say is a bit on the high side for Ono.

If you are dining on a budget, I would encourage you to look up Hawaii Savers on eBay and try to score a discounted dining certificate. Generally, they have $50 gift certificates for $30-$35 which will help to get your overall cost down.

Check them out on the internet at: http://www.danielthiebaut.com/.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on April 29, 2025

Daniel Thiebaut Restaurant
65-1259 Kawaihae Road
Waimea, Hawaii 96743
(808) 887-2200

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Kenichi Pacific

Restaurant | "Outstanding Asian Dining Experience"

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Admittedly, I am not much on sushi or other Asian food preparations beyond stir fry, but dinner at Kenichi Pacific exceeded my expectations! They market themselves as "Japanese/Pacific Rim fusion cuisine" although I do not really know what that means.We opted for making dinner out of appetizers and sushi, although Kenichi has a very nice menu with outstanding lamb, duck and fish. You can even get a good steak if the mood suits you.Pam enjoyed an order of tuna sushi (2pc for $8); salmon sushi (2pc for $7) and thei Kenichi Special Roll ($12) which had tuna, snow crab, cucumber and avocado with sweet roe. She said it was some of the best she had ever had; very fresh and flavorfu...Read More

Admittedly, I am not much on sushi or other Asian food preparations beyond stir fry, but dinner at Kenichi Pacific exceeded my expectations! They market themselves as "Japanese/Pacific Rim fusion cuisine" although I do not really know what that means.

We opted for making dinner out of appetizers and sushi, although Kenichi has a very nice menu with outstanding lamb, duck and fish. You can even get a good steak if the mood suits you.

Pam enjoyed an order of tuna sushi (2pc for $8); salmon sushi (2pc for $7) and thei Kenichi Special Roll ($12) which had tuna, snow crab, cucumber and avocado with sweet roe. She said it was some of the best she had ever had; very fresh and flavorful.

I had the calamari which was marinated in ginger and fried, served with a green onion aioli along with their crab cakes (three) which were wrapped in crispy phylo dough straw served with saffron pickled ginger sauce. The calamari was $9 for a large portion while the crab cakes were $13 for three rather small pieces. I also added a side of white rice for my meal.

We enjoyed dining out on their patio which faced the center court area of the Keauhou Shopping Center where there was a local group performing native island songs. It was a lovely atmosphere out in the pleasant island evening breeze.

The staff was very pleasant and the service outstanding. This is one of those places that if you do not know about it from a referral or someone local, you might miss it altogether. This will definitely be on my return list of favorite restaurants when David and I come back to the Big Island.

A side note . . . they do have a full service bar and very extensive wine list. Of us, after a full day at the beach, we took a pass on this visit. I could see me, however, enjoying an island beverage while relaxing outside on their patio.

More information, including menus and hours of operation may be found at: http://www.kenichihawaii.com/. They do recommend reservations and accept all major credit cards.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on April 29, 2025

Kenichi Pacific
78-6831 Alii Drive
Kona, HI
(808) 322-6400

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Wyndham Mauna Loa Village

Hotel | "Another Wonderful Wyndham Timeshare Resort"

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Our timeshare ownership has gotten us into beautiful resort accommodations in Hawaii over the past eight years. This year's resort, Mauna Loa Village, was another outstanding location with great amenities.We were here for a week, Friday to Friday, and found the resort staff to be very accommodating and helpful. More importantly as a seasoned timeshare traveler, I found them to not be offensively pushy in getting folks to attend their sales presentation on timeshare ownership. Yes, even existing owners often receive aggressive and obnoxious sales people. Here at Mauna Loa Village, there was none of that.We had a two bedroom unit, with each bedroom having its own full bath. T...Read More

Our timeshare ownership has gotten us into beautiful resort accommodations in Hawaii over the past eight years. This year's resort, Mauna Loa Village, was another outstanding location with great amenities.

We were here for a week, Friday to Friday, and found the resort staff to be very accommodating and helpful. More importantly as a seasoned timeshare traveler, I found them to not be offensively pushy in getting folks to attend their sales presentation on timeshare ownership. Yes, even existing owners often receive aggressive and obnoxious sales people. Here at Mauna Loa Village, there was none of that.

We had a two bedroom unit, with each bedroom having its own full bath. There was an additional half-bath in the living area which was an especially pleasant bonus. There was also a full kitchen and mini-laundry machines in each unit making a week's stay very comfortable. We especially made good use out of the kitchen, eating in for breakfast and making dinner "at home" two nights.

Most of the units were two-levels with the living room, kitchen and dining area on one floor and the bedrooms and baths on the other. We had a single level unit which seemed to provide more overall space. Someone staying in an adjacent building confirmed this for us. With our unit on the ground floor, it was especially nice to be able to walk out from our patio to the gas BBQ grill to fix dinner one of our nights there.

Each cluster of units had their own pool and hot tub (eight in total) which made it very convenient to go to the pool without having to schlep across the entire complex. The pools, however were somewhat small and the hot tub seemed at capacity with two or three people. Never the less, we enjoyed our one afternoon poolside!

The only downside to this resort was the parking situation. There was no parking near or around the timeshare units. Rather, there was a parking deck and underground lot which was inconvenient when coming home with groceries or when lugging a lot of stuff to and from the beach. We made due by doing a drop off at the top of the walkway to our cluster of units. They were also accommodating by allowing guests to park in the check-in area if that is more convenient (it was for us), but only to load/unload your vehicle.

All in all, we had a wonderful stay at the Wyndham Mauna Loa Village and would stay there again.

P.S. Just remembered to add that while some of the Wyndham resorts provide free WiFi, this resort charges through ATT ($29.95+tax) for the week. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 2, 2025

Wyndham Mauna Loa Village
78-7190 Kaleiopapa Road
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740
(808) 322-3466

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