5-Day Big Island Hawaii Family Itinerary: What We Did vs. What to Skip

We just returned from our family vacation to Hawaii’s Big Island! It was a fantastic mix of relaxation and outdoor adventure. We’ll walk you through our itinerary with honest opinions on hits and misses. If you’re short on time, feel free to jump to the bottom of this post to see our curated, perfect 5-day family itinerary based on our real-world trial and error.

Day 1: Kona Resort and Infamous Manta Rays Snorkeling

Old Kona Airport Park (YES): With every travel, I wanted to capture professional photos to remember our trip. Then for the rest of the trip, I take quick snapshots on my phone here and there, reassured that I’ve taken care of the professional portraits that will go on our wall. 🙂 Our photoshoot location is Old Kona Airport Beach. It is gorgeous with unique Hawaiian vibes, distinct from the Bahamas. There are so many lava and rock formations. And seashells! The kids loved playing in the sand and whirlpools. There are shaded palm trees too. While we didn’t visit during sunset, we hear the sun set here is amazing! Definitely a sight to behold in Kona.

Island Lava Java (SKIP): Breakfast here was overpriced and underwhelming. Skip the hefty bill and eat elsewhere.
Kahalu’u Beach Park (SKIP): Touted as the best place to snorkel, but we say skip it. The water was surprisingly freezing (even in summer!), the currents were strong, and it was packed. It’s true that there are plenty of colorful fish to see here, but the crowd, strong currents, and cold temperature make it overwhelming for young kids.
Royal Kona Resort (YES): We headed back to the resort pool to unwind with a book (and mocktails) while the boys swam. We were also blessed with an ocean view from our balcony. Absolutely loved waking up to a beautiful sunrise and falling asleep with the ocean waves as our soundtrack.

Snow Island (YES): As the afternoon sun hits, we cooled off with bingsu at Snow Island. Absolutely recommend! I’m not even a bingsu fan but I love the Kona coffee bingsu here. The kids devoured their pineapple & mango bingsu.

TK Noodle & Hot Pot (YES): A great family dinner! I was pleasantly surprised with how good the beef rib pho was. Thanh also enjoyed his garlic shrimp dish.
Manta Ray Night Snorkel (SKIP): Our most anticipated excursion, touted as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, turned into a huge letdown. Swimming in the middle of the ocean at night, with very strong currents, is entirely different than swimming in our backyard pool. One manta ray passed by and many people missed it because they weren’t fully prepared to snorkel yet. (We were lucky enough to witness it as it swam right by Khang.) And that was it. One manta ray. 30 minutes later, my teeth were chattering and I finally understood Jack’s pain while clinging onto Rose’s wood panel. 😛 Our kids (armored with wet suits) were fine with the experience but every adult on that boat expressed major disappointment. At least we can say we swam in the middle of the Pacific Ocean at night. Overall, the experience exerted a lot of energy for very little return. The promised wild adventure was more a strength and endurance exercise.

Day 2: Mauna Kea Beach & Stargazing

Mauna Kea Beach (YES): Access is free, but you must arrive before 8:30AM to secure a parking pass. The crowd control makes it feel like a private beach. With shaded trees, calm waters, white sand, blue crabs, and amazing snorkeling, this was our favorite beach day. When the kids were done building their sand castles, we climbed atop the rock formations and were rewarded with a majestic, panorama view of the Pacific Ocean.

Hilton Grand Vacations Club in Waikoloa (YES): The kids loved the pool slides, hot tubs, man-made beach, and continuous flow of strawberry slushies. There was even a dolphin cove! We also encountered sea turtles and seals while walking around the resort. Ultimate relaxation and fun. The Queen’s Gourmet Market also offered many quick and delicious dining options.
Mauna Kea Information Station Stargazing (SKIP): This was my second most anticipated activity. We drove an hour up for sunset and stargazing (under 13s can’t go to the actual summit). Unfortunately, it was frigid, incredibly windy, and dusty. While the sunset was beautiful, everyone was too busy huddling to truly take in the moment. And stargazing was mediocre compared to the summit views you see in postcards.

Day 3: Pastries, Views, and Local Hits

Patisserie Nanako (YES): Since we did one excursion after another upon arrival at Big Island, our third day was a slower pace. On our way to Waipio Valley Lookout, we stopped by the famed Patisserie Nanako. The line was out the front door! The Japanese cheesecake and nan (savory pastries) were worth it.
Waipio Valley Lookout (YES): It is not vast (not on the scale of Grand Canyon for example), but the brilliant blue is breathtaking. You can’t tell where the sky meets the ocean. The kids had fun pretending we were looking at the waterfall from Jurassic Park even though they knew that would be geographically inaccurate. 😛

“World’s Cutest” Fruit Stand (YES): On our way down from Waipio Valley, we stopped by a fruit stand on the road, nicknamed the world’s cutest fruit stand. Remarkably fresh fruit with a picture-perfect setup! Absolutely loved it and totally worth the stop. On your way up to the lookout, you’ll see multiple fruit stands. This one is the closest to the lookout and we agree it’s the world’s cutest. 🙂

Two Ladies Kitchen (SKIP): Famous for their mochi, but a skip for us. The butter mochi is no different than grocery store versions. The fruit mochi is a great concept (and we love fruits!) but they didn’t pair well. We’d rather just eat fruits by themselves.
Panaewa Rain Forest Zoo & Gardens (SKIP): While Panaewa is the only rainforest zoo in the US, it was small and underwhelming, even for our animal-loving boys. Skip unless you need to kill time with toddlers.
Mokupapapa Discovery Center (SKIP): It’s a cute afternoon play space for kids. But we’d gladly drop this from our itinerary.
Liliuokalani Gardens (SKIP): A 30 acre Japanese garden, but felt sparse compared to other Japanese gardens we’ve visited in Texas and Minnesota.

Dinner at Pineapples (YES): Delicious local dining! The teriyaki flank steak is incredible.

Day 4: Ziplining Thrills & Akaka Falls State Park

Ziplining over Waterfalls (YES!!!): I’m a total scaredy-cat who hates fast rides, but this was our favorite activity (hands down!) of the entire trip! Ziplining through rainforest canopy and over waterfalls is surprisingly serene and relaxing. While we reportedly went 45 mph, it did not feel fast at all. How blessed we are to have this experience and to be surrounded by such natural beauty! I love that each station (and there were 7 total) has a fun fact. Also, it was raining almost the whole time and we still had a blast! If anything, the rain added to the experience. I would do this all over again in a heartbeat. And I’m sure we will go on more ziplining adventures in the future!

The Hive Cafe (YES): Fantastic place for lunch. The boys marveled at all the edible flowers. 🙂 What we also love is that most dining experiences in Hawaii is a covered “porch” concept where you’ll still shaded, but get a lovely breeze and can still experience the outdoor. In fact, geckos keep visiting our table. 🙂

Akaka Falls State Park (YES): Despite the drizzling rain, I love hiking through the rainforest. We all felt it was much too short and the view of the falls was underwhelming considering the spectacular views we had during ziplining. 😛 But overall, this is a quick and easy activity that everyone in the family would enjoy.

Poolside Dinner in the Rain (YES): The boys spent hours swimming at the hotel in the rain, watching planes fly overhead, while we ordered dinner delivered right to the pool deck.

Day 5: Volcanoes National Park & Black Sand Beach

Volcanoes National Park (SKIP): When the volcano isn’t actively erupting with lava, you mostly just see steam vents and barren, hot trails. The best view, ironically, requires no hiking at all. Just walk behind the Volcano House hotel/restaurant. Unless an active eruption is happening, skip the long drive.

Punaluu Black Sand Beach (YES): It’s definitely unique! The boys loved playing in the black sand and trying to catch a glimpse of the sea turtles. There were many, but none went ashore. We did have fun watching them riding the waves.

Outrigger Kona Resort (YES): We checked in last minute and were welcomed with a great luau and fire show. There was also the promise of seeing manta ray feedings but we had to accept that we were just not fated.

Day 6: Final Splash & Coffee Farms

Final Splash: We’d be flying home this evening. The boys spent the morning at the pool hotel/man-made beach and 200-foot ocreanfront water slide.

Sunset Kai Lanai (YES): Outstanding lunch before our flight. Everything we ordered tasted divine. Even the kids’ menu was delightful. Khai had two servings! haha. He also had a kick out of eating at a restaurant named Kai. 🙂
Kealakekua Bay (YES): Unfortunately, the local crowd informs us they haven’t seen spinner dolphins for a long while now. It is still a very picturesque spot that we’d recommend if you want to add sight seeing to your itinerary. The landscaping here is so gorgeous with abundant flowering trees. It’s also located near coffee farms with free tours.

Greenwell Farms (SKIP): This is among the biggest coffee farm and was a recommended spot in Fodor’s travel guide. Unfortunately, a recent storm flooded the property and so the tour was more “let’s use our imagination” as opposed to seeing the actual farm. I did appreciate learning how coffee is made and the work that goes behind achieving the perfect cup of coffee. But the boys were less impressed. 😛

Our Recommended 5-Day Big Island Family Itinerary

The Volcanoes National Park along with the manta ray excursion and stargazing at Mauna Kea were the reasons why we chose Big Island over Honolulu and Maui. These are unique experiences that you can’t get anywhere else. I’ve also been to Honolulu and Maui and we wanted to try something new – more wild and less commercialized. Unfortunately, all the three activities that we most anticipated fell right to the bottom of our recommendation list. Would we still recommend Big Island? Absolutely! If we were to do it all over again, this is the exact streamlined itinerary we would follow to maximize hits and cut out the flops:

Day 1: Get adjusted to the timezone difference and enjoy a relaxing day at your resort. (We love both Royal Kona Resort and Outrigger Kona Resort.) Head to Old Kona Airport Park for amazing views and experience a beach that’s uniquely Hawaiian. Cool off with Kona coffee bingsu at Snow Island. Dine at TK Noodle & Hot Pot if you want Asian flavors. (The beef rib pho is fantastic!)
Day 2: Arrive early (before 8:30AM) to claim a parking pass at Mauna Kea Beach. Enjoy calm waters, snorkeling, and the majestic view of the Pacific Ocean. Head to Hilton Grand Vacations Club Kings’ Land in Waikoloa. Spend the afternoon riding the pool slides, relaxing in hot tubs, and perhaps book a dolphin encounter at the dolphin cove. Check out Queens’ Gourmet Market for both delicious and convenient dining options.
Day 3: Drive north toward the scenic Hāmākua Coast. Grab savory nan pastries at Patisserie Nanako before taking in the breathtaking views at Waipio Valley Lookout. Stop by the roadside fruit stand right near the lookout for farm fresh local fruits. Take a drive south to Punalu’u Black Sand Beach to marvel at the rare black sand and watch wild sea turtles playing in the surf.
Day 4: Head to Honomu for Hawaii Zipline Tours. This will easily be the highlight of your trip! Grab a fresh, easy lunch right in historic Honomu town at The Hive Cafe. Take the short, easy rainforest loop hike at Akaka Falls State Park to see the 442-foot waterfall. Head back to Kona. Enjoy a sunset dinner at Sunset Kai Lanai.
Day 5: Drive to Kealakekua Bay for stunning coastal views, then tour nearby coffee farms to learn how Kona coffee is grown and processed. Enjoy more resort time before your flight home.

Only have 4 days in Big Island? You can cut out Day 5 and still would have experienced the best of Big Island. 🙂

Even though our most anticipated excursions did not go as planned, the Big Island still won our hearts. Ziplining through rainforests, catching sea turtles in the surf, and unwinding poolside made it an unforgettable family getaway. We hope you have a blast following our recommended itinerary for the ultimate balance of wild island adventure and true Hawaiian relaxation! But don’t forget to carve time for spontaneous fun. Something completely unplanned may be your vacation’s highlight. 🙂