068 How to Make the Best Memories in Kona, Hawaii

What makes Kona, Hawaii a great family vacation destination? Let me share our family’s Kona experiences with you and guide you to discovering wonderful activities that you can do together while experiencing this island paradise. Learn about our favorite activities that you won’t want to miss like visiting an octopus farm, doing a night snorkel with manta rays, kayaking with dolphins, and more! I’ll share all of the details about what you need to know about each activity and will even share where to find amazing shave ice!

With so many wonderful options for your family in Kona, it can be overwhelming to choose the best experiences for your family. Let me guide you through what our family loves in Kona and hopefully that will springboard you toward one of your most memorable vacations yet.

Listen in to this podcast where I share all of the details about each of the activities listed below. I’ve recapped the episode in the show notes with links to all of the companies that we used while on our vacation.

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“Choose a couple of higher-priced activities that your family really wants to do and then plan free/inexpensive things to fill the rest of your time. Beach time is free and that’s always a great option in Hawaii!”

— Lisa Andrews

Things to Do

Octopus Farm: The Kanaloa Octopus Farm is both educational and exciting. This is a facility that is focused on aquaculture research and sustainable farming. You learn about the life cycle of an octopus and you get to interact with a variety of octopuses in their tanks. Many of the octopuses were friendly and suctioned to our hands and and were playful. It was a unique experience that we highly recommend.

Kayak at Kealakekua Bay: This was a highlight of our time in Kona. The house we stayed in was right on this bay and it included kayaks. If you aren’t staying in those areas, you can still drive over here and rent kayaks right at the water’s edge. The dolphins were out spinning and jumping all around us two different days of our vacation. It truly was magical. I suggest skipping the big tours from Kona that take you to Captain Cook Monument and this bay and drive over yourself so you can launch far away from the hoards of tourists and have a peaceful time on the water with your family.

Since we had kayaks at our rental, we didn’t need to rent them. But here are two great looking places we checked out while we were there. These are in a great location which will provide a quiet ride in the bay away from most tourists.

Ehu and Kai Adventures

Islander Kayak Rentals

Night Manta Ray Snorkel/Scuba: This was another trip highlight! Getting to snorkel and see the manta rays up close was so cool. We were all surprised by the large size of the rays. They average around 12 feet across in Kona.

There are several companies that offer these night snorkeling trips. We used Jack’s Diving Locker and were very happy with their service. They were very professional and made sure that we all had a great time.

National Historical Park at Pu’uhonua O Honaunau: This is worth a stop if you are going to be in the area. It is very close to Kealakekua Bay. A beautiful historical site right on the water’s edge where you can learn some history and see some interesting totem poles.

Luau: Consider doing a luau at least once on a visit to Hawaii. We found one that included some games, crafts, an all-you-can-eat buffet, plus a show with dancing. It can be pricey but is something fun to do that gives off great island vibes and a bit of a history lesson too.

We went to the luau at Royal Kona called Voyagers of the Pacific.

We purchased basic seats and were happy with that choice. There are options for VIP seats that get you in early and you sit closer to the stage. The extra $20 - $30 per person was not worth it to us.

Electric bike rental: This is a fun activity for ages 12+ as the bikes do go up to 25 mph, you need to use your best judgment knowing what your kids can handle. We rented bikes from Murph E-bikes for a few hours one afternoon. They normally just offer guided bike tours but they let us just pay to rent the bikes on our own for a few hours. This is a unique way to get around. The bike rental also includes snorkel gear which we used at a stop at a beach.

Accommodations

There are a lot of nice-looking resorts right in Kona but we chose to stay about 40 minutes south of Kona in a vacation rental (we rented it through Airbnb) that was right on Kealakekua Bay. The location was amazing and we would definitely stay there again if we ever get to return. One of the highlights of the house was the included kayaks which we used almost every day of our week-long stay. You can check out the Dolphin Retreat on their website.

We loved being away from crowds and having a beachfront property. One thing to know about this location is that there are not any restaurants nearby. It’s at least a 15-minute drive to any services. We shopped at Costco and ate most meals at the house so that wasn’t an issue for us but it is something to consider if you are going to stay here.

One of our favorite things about staying here was the lanai (outdoor patio) where we sat and enjoyed almost every meal and lots of game time. It’s hard to get a similar space when staying at a hotel. This photo shows the view in the backyard of our Airbnb. Need I say more?

Things to Eat

Shave ice. Don’t miss stopping at One Aloha Shave Ice Co. We’ve been several times and love that all of the flavors are organic, naturally flavored, and taste so good. My favorite combo was macadamia nut ice cream topped with ice flavored with strawberry puree and Tahitian lime. The flavor combos are endless.

Fresh honey. Looking for something sweet? How about a quick stop at Big Island Bees? It’s on the road down to Kealakekua Bay so I’d plan a stop here if you are heading down to kayak in the bay. They do offer tours but we didn’t take one. We explored the gift shop and tasted several different honey samples. I never knew that there was such a variety of honey flavors. We later saw this honey is several gift shops around town and it was always more expensive. So if you are going to buy honey, be sure to buy it right at the honey farm.

Chocolate! Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory: We rode here on our e-bikes and it was nice to have somewhere specific we were going on the bikes. They do offer tours but we were not there during a tour time. They give out free samples, have a video we watched about the chocolate-making process and we went out and looked at a cacao tree. Of course, we had to buy some chocolate before we left!

As you can see, Kona, Hawaii, has so much to offer families! We spent a full week here and by the end of our visit we were already scheming for a way to return.

Have you visited Kona? I’d love to hear about what your did and loved!

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