Decided to do the ATV tour with Aloha adventure Farms. Booking was very easy online and I love that…read morethey stayed in communication with me leading up to my tour date. Day of the tour we were welcomed by and all female crew and they were awesome (girls rock!). Started off with equipment, a safety talk, mini test drive to ensure we can handle things ok. During the 2h tour we got to experience mixed terrain, stop along the way to learn fm our guide who was excellent (drawing a blank on her name). Small group tour made it special and easy to stay involved with the pack.

We really enjoyed the fruit tasting. This exceeded all expectations. I think we probably tasted at…read moreleast 20 fruit - apple banana, ice cream banana, 3 different kinds of sapote, local mango and coconut, and lots of other incredible fruits of which I forgot the names! The staff was really expert and fun. The entire event was very well organized and delicious. Of the 20 fruit we tasted I've only ever tried two or three of them in my life so it was really wonderful and unique. I highly recommend this activity. Most of the fruit are sweet and tropically yummy. There were a few "interesting" items just for fun including cacao seeds and durian. The staff tells you what to do and then you have fun with your knife and cutting board (they help if you ask but doing it myself was very exciting). The surroundings are gorgeous and lush with all sorts of things growing even in the parking lot.

I booked this tour for my husband birthday and he loved it…read more First of all, the location is amazing with incredible view of the ocean! The whole property is just stunning! It was a wonderful experience where they showed you the whole process of making coffee from picking the coffee bean and ready for sale. Also got to try all different kinds of coffee, which was the best part! There is also a gift shop where of course had to buy coffee. The tour guide Ben was very knowledgeable and friendly and just awesome!

We enjoyed the tour and Cooper was an outstanding guide, especially for a last minute fill-in. He…read moreknew the land and all the growing, harvesting, processing and roasting processes inside and out (promote him?). You could tell they run a tight farm by hiring the right people and keeping the property and all the equipment well-maintained. I must admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Kona coffee from what I tried at Heavenly and at other local spots, but for what it is, Heavenly makes a good product. I wish they would have let me take a to-go cup of coffee after the tour, especially after paying for two tickets + $70 of bagged coffee, but they unfortunately limited me to the little sample cups with no lids. That's the only thing keeping this from being a 5-star review.

We stopped by in October 2018, after randomly spotting this on Google Maps…read more Pros: Lovely, diverse, beautiful plant life! Free! (We donated, and they really do seem to need funds for upkeep) Neat arrangement of flora by region of origin, segregated into distinct "terraces" Where present, the captions/plaques were interesting Quiet Cons: The labels for the various trees/shrubs were, at best, confusing. The silhouettes on the diagrams look long obsolete, and need a "you are here" pin to make sense if you're botanically challenged. Flying insects of the annoying, landing-on-humans variety everywhere (possibly the vegetation attracts them?) Not much in the way of shade, we both wilted in the October heat and we're from California

The gardens are very nice. However, when I went to stop by and take a photo, I had to take it from…read morethe upper pavilion parking and seating area as dogs are not allowed into the gardens. At no point did I intend to take my dogs into the gardens or try to walk down the stairs into the gardens. Nevertheless, a lady came rushing out of the building with very hostile energy telling me to get out of the parking and seating area, and to go to a dog park instead. It was a very hot day and I needed to get out of the sun before I walked to the car, so I stayed in the paved upper parking area, and she treated me like I brought a couple of basset hounds off-leash to tear up the plants! The interaction was very rude. I just don't think they like visitors very much. Here is the seating area I was at, that needed to be protected from dogs I guess.

This place was fantastic. I very much enjoyed the BYOB aspect of it. I didn't know that that was a…read morething very happy that I found out it was. Considering this is an arcade, it's not what you would ever expect. It's not overly huge but a great collection considering you're on an island in the Pacific Ocean. Also, the floor isn't sticky and there aren't 200 kids running around so that's a fantastic thing. I would absolutely be back. The owner was very fun to talk with and chat with. We had a blast going through and playing all of the games that we could wish that we had something like this back in Alaska.

Have visited this gem multiple times on each of our last two visits to Kona. What a treasure to the…read morecommunity. Chris keeps machines in great condition. Location is also BYOB and food which is very convenient as there is a convenience store next door and free popcorn and reasonably priced snacks and drinks on site. Great for people of all ages. This will allow you to remember the games of your youth while introducing the games to a younger crowd. Convenient FREE parking and easy to find as well. Monthly scores (via Stern Insider connect) are kept for the three STERN games currently on site, Pokemon, Dungeons and Dragons, and King-Kong. Time well spent! Was just $15 for all the games that you can play.

This was one of my favorite moments from our recent visit to Hawaii. I swear that we were…read moreliterally treated like ohana. Leslie and her small staff were so kind and welcoming. There is something to be said about the view and the fantastic coffee!!!! Wow was it top tier! It feels like a custom tropical treehouse. We sat around her concrete table as we sipped sample after sample of award winning Kona coffee. On the TV we watched a live feed of the volcano. It was such a genuine experience all the way through. She took the time to walk us around the farm and explain the entire process. So much effort goes into making such a delicious cup of coffee. This place is highly recommended. It has extremely limited hours so be sure to be mindful of that .

A fantastic and personal tasting and tour that was so gratifying and wonderful. Leslie and Etsi…read morewere wonderful and really made us feel like old friends! We were served several tastings of the coffee (7 or 8 small cups) and every cup was delicious! My favorite was the SL34 and I purchased a purchased a pound and half of it. After the tastings, we were taken on a tour around the farm and processing areas and it was so great to see Leslie treat the workers with love and respect. It was genuinely the best coffee farm we had been to...and we've been to several! The view is beautiful as well. The hours are extremely limited so make sure to make plan to come.

We went for karaoke. Never been to "hostless" karaoke. They just leave the karafun software on and…read morepeople bar code in. All the mics had dead batteries, and the place wasn't set up when we showed up at published start time. Then the system wasn't remotely calibrated or balanced. The bartender that helped us was doing his best but some boss somehow expected this poor kid to bartend in one room and set up karaoke simeltaneously in another. I wouldn't go back especially since there are so many friendlier, nicely run karaoke places in Kona. My friend grimaced at the house wine: it's a bowling alley I laughed ...you wanted a good chardonnay?

At Chubby's diner, inside KBXtreme:: Great, friendly service from the two sweet ladies at the…read morecounter. AMAZING Traditional Hawaiian food!! We had Kalua Pork & Cabbage with fried rice & macaroni salad and Loco Moco with Kalua Pork with white rice - both were SUPER DELICIOUS!! Also enjoy the banana lumpia - yes, I said banana lumpia! - for dessert! Very casual atmosphere, food & service were top-notch! FULLY RECOMMEND!

Beautiful property with fruit trees and coffee trees galore. The property has a winding downhill…read moreroute from the parking lot and is a picturesque stroll across the way. We arrived on an early weekday afternoon, an hour and a half before close. We spent a good half hour exploring along the route and taking pictures to and back. They offer a shuttle service as well, but they run at certain times. The shuttle times are posted on a sign at their gift shop, which is located at the end of the route. It is also recommended to pay $5 cash at the top but you can also pay the entrance fee at their gift shop. Last time allowed in is at 2 pm, an hour before close. If you make it in before that time, they will keep the gates open. If no one is in the property around this time, they will close the gates.

Wow this place is beautiful! We went when it wasn't crowded so we got to take a nice walk down and…read moregot to enjoy a lot of what the grounds offered. When got to the end, there was fresh coffee for tasting for blends they sell. English was limited with the owners but were so sweet and helpful still. They offer shuttle to go back up as its steep hills back. Great service by the staff as some of us went walking back and they offered umbrellas to use as it might rain. Really lovely place with fantastic coffee!

Very popular tour at The Vanillerie and it was probably my first time checking out a vanilla farm…read moreof any kind, at least in the whole state of Hawaii. Luckily, The Vanillerie is located only about 5 minutes away from Kona International Airport. Our tour guide was Candee, and she was very friendly and knowledgeable about the history behind vanilla and what it is and isn't. I absolutely learned a lot of things about vanilla that I hadn't known before. Now the farm itself is relatively small, but there are 4 greenhouse-like structures where the vanilla beans and plants grow. There is not much walking or hiking that you have to do, but be mindful of the uneven surfaces. And at the end of the tour, we all got real vanilla ice cream, which I absolutely loved! Highly recommended if you love food!

First time visitor to the Vanillerie. Across the highway from Kona Airport. Tour guide was…read moreextremely knowledgeable, answered all questions thoroughly, and good sense of humor. Very informative tour. Very nice gift shop with a ton of vanilla products. They gave us a sample of the vanilla ice cream and it was delicious. Highly recommend this tour.

Small yet perfect place to entertain young kids while on the big island…read more I was visiting my sister on Big Island and wanted to treat my niece and nephew (5 and 11yo) to a fun day. They had been to the Fun Factory before and requested that we go there. The place was much smaller and a bit old-school compared to what we'd find at Dave & Buster's but the kids still had a blast. There is no kitchen, so there is no food or drinks, but plenty of prizes to trade in for tickets won. Reload cards work on a tier system - I forget the details but the more often you go, the more you'll be rewarded (discounted games etc). I would definitely take the kids there again.

I had such an amazing time and took my nieces. Chester helped us and gave us such an amazing…read moreexperience. He went out of our way the whole time to give us our money's worth. He is a quality employee. We loved our time here and not only was it clean and quality, but we had quality family time! Thank you Chester. See our pic!

I had heard the storied history of the Kona Brewers Festival since moving here, but never had the…read moreopportunity to go. I'm glad I waited as this year, I had a weekend filled with beer! Arguably, this is the best beer festival to which I've ever been! The festival is primarily a charity event, with all the proceeds going to local and Big Island foundations and groups. It's all volunteer run, from the set-up, clean-up, staff, and pourers; they're working for free and don't get to join in the fun! The festival is located at the King Kamehameha Hotel, a Courtyard Marriott right on the Kona bay. The beach is right in the middle of the festival and provides a beautiful foreground, while the mountains and trees provide a picturesque landscape beyond. For 2019, the weather was overcast and kind of cool, yet humid and hot at the same time. I was glad to wear sunscreen and a hat, you'll need them in the afternoon sun! The festival offers various ticket choices from the high tier Connoisseur's Lounge, to VIP, and General Admission. There are also so many complimentary or discounted levels for groups that assist in the planning of the event. The Connoisseur's Lounge includes an extra hour of special tastings and food in the hotel's restaurant area with music and air conditioning. Their badge was also a piece of koa as a keepsake. VIP was allowed onto the grounds up to an hour early, but no tastings were allowed until the start of the event (basically a skip-the-line deal). The General Admission line snaked around the pier in the hot sun, but people looked happy to be coming in. The festival was arranged around the beach with brewery tents interspersed with food, merchandise, and information booths. All ticket tiers got a wristband with 10 tickets to try 10 beers, more tokens could be purchased for $2 each, again with all proceeds going to charity. Food was unlimited, which means it went fast! All the volunteers were extremely friendly and having a great time interacting with the crowd. It was very crowded, but easy to walk around without feeling cramped. The main stage at the end of the pier had live musical acts and the Trash Fashion Show among other draws. Restrooms and portapotties were everywhere, so that was less of a worry than I thought beforehand. It was fun talking to random people, trying new beers from new breweries, and munching on delicious local foods. For anyone that can, be sure to attend this festival. Organization is second to none! Mahalo to the organizers for providing the homebrew judges with discounted passes!

This was a well-organized, albeit crowded event - I totally understand its popularity: what's not…read moreto love? 30 plus brewers from across the US pouring their best brews, unlimited food samples from dozens of vendors across the island, and to top it off, it all takes place at a picturesque setting right on the water in Kailua-Kona Town, on the lawn of the King Kamehameha Hotel. Online ticket sales sold within 15 minutes and I ended up having to go to Kona Brewery's location in Hawaii Kai (Oahu) to purchase our tickets the same afternoon. I'm glad I did because they sold out completely later that evening! Upon arriving at the event, there was a long line extending across the pier to enter the grounds of the event. Thankfully, the line moved swiftly and we collected our souvenir tasting mug and fork/spoon for tasting. The event aimed to be 100% eco-friendly, thus the reusable utensil, mug and food was being served on either ti leaves or compostable plates/bowls. Brewers' tents and food tents were scattered throughout the grounds with an impressive array of food and drink to last FOUR HOURS! I could barely stand by the end of the event! By the time the last couple of hours of the event rolled around just a couple of the most popular brews were tapped out and several food vendors were down to their last, although by this time I think everyone was stuffed to the gills and drink tickets were waning. The wristband you are given upon entry had 10 tasting tickets, once those were exhausted and you still want to drink more? Tasting tokens were being sold for $2 each. This year, Sig Zane designed the logo for the festival and I thought I'd wait til later to purchase a shirt to commemorate the event, which turned out to be a bad idea! The popular sizes and colors sold out quick, so no t-shirt for me to wear once and shove in the depths of my drawer forever. Hm... that's actually a great thing! I'm already stoked for next year!