So what's the big deal about this street and the enormous trees?…read more These old, gargantuan and unusually shaped trees that lined a street in the Waiakea Peninsula in Hilo, Big Island, is known as the "Hilo Walk of Fame." The trees thrive in Hilo's moist air since it rains a lot on this side of the island. We passed through a lot of lush greenery and vegetation on the way here. As we approached the "drive" the canopy of trees became more prominent and blanketed most of the entire drive with shade. Yeah, while you might say that they're just a bunch of trees on the road, it's interesting to note that many of the trees were planted by celebrities (politicians, actor, musicians, historic figures and other famous personalities) to commemorate their visit: FDR, Louis Armstrong, Babe Ruth, Amelia Earhart, Richard Nixon, etc. The trees dated back to 1933 when film director and producer, Cecil B. DeMille and his cast were filming in Hawaii and planted the first set of trees... the last tree was planted in 1964 by a first female politician from the Big Island. It is also amazing to learn that these resilient trees have survived many storms and tsunamis that devastated part of the Big Island. Also, I had no idea that the banyan tree is the national tree of India. Review #2282

Hilo as a town is a pleasant surprise: it's historic, it's beautiful, and it's verdant. It rains a…read morelot, leading to beautiful greenery everywhere with parks and trails galore. One such area is Banyan Tree Drive; a planned road around which many of the major hotels are. All along this road are huge old Banyan trees. Each tree has a plaque on the ground with the name of the politician, actor, or musician who planted it in the 1950s. In that 70 years, they've grown and aged well. The road is very shady and comfortable. Green vines are everywhere. The trees are the perfect habitat for vibrant birds and vocal coquí frogs, which come alive with song at night. There are beach and bay parks around the drive, with the Queen Liliuokalani Gardens at the far end. If you're on a driving tour of the island, it's worth your time to come here. I personally had a wonderful time running around the loop a few times on my visit; the sidewalk is large and safe away from the traffic. This would be a great place for an evening walk to just appreciate the trees and read the signs along the way; you may find one belonging to favorite movie star!

Beautiful Serene atmosphere. Situated inside the Hilton…read moreComplex, Was a 15-20 minute easy walk from the main road.

This is a great place to just relax and enjoy the peaceful ocean breeze and views. It has always…read morebeen breezy on each of our visits. There are a lot of funky weird sculptures all over the grounds but the most popular is the giant Buddha. We just in lawn chairs for about an hour and let time slip by. I'm thankful to have been able to visit here. It is a calm place that i really enjoyed.

A very short walk to this sea arch. A bit underwhelming given how far the overlook is from the arch…read moreitself, but still cool to see the waves crashing against the rocks. An incredibly view coming down Chain of Craters Road. Park at the end and use the restrooms: it is an 1hr drive back. It's about 0.3mi to the sea arch overlook. If you have time, keep walking to the end of the paved portion of the road. There is a gate but it's for cars. Walk around for some great photos of lava.

I was blown away that the popular Hōlei Sea Arch wasn't on Yelp yet! I hate to break it to you but…read morethe sea arch itself wasn't all that spectacular. What makes it special is that this lava rock formation stands about 90 ft. high and was created by a lava flow about 550 years ago. Oh and the fact that it is a natural creation from lava cliff that constantly becomes eroded due to plummeting ocean waves that an arch is formed. Whether good or bad, each photo you take of it becomes history since the waves will eventually crumble it to a simple column then nothing at all. Perhaps after many years several other sea arches will form. What made this particular stop worthwhile for me was the drive along the Chain of Craters Road. The views of the ocean with recent and old lava flows were breathtaking--especially at the wayside stop of Kealakomo. However, you probably wouldn't venture out this far unless it were to capture a sea arch photo. The Chain of Craters Road ends here with a turn around and parking on one side of the street. Only native Hawaiians can continue on the existing road and fish here. Side fact: The word "hōlei" comes from a small endemic plant in the milkweed family.

Bigger of an operation now compared to back when I was growing up in Hilo. But they have always…read morekept the fact that you can walk in and see the workers hand dipping cookies and whatnot. They've not changed much besides having newer items here and there. They've classic chocolate dipped shortbread cookies are always a winner. Best part about visiting is that you get samples of their products if you just ask kindly! The staff are always so friendly and helpful. I wish they would bring back the Peanut Butter Crunch Bars!

Make sure to check this place out if you're in the area! We stopped by around 8:30 AM and honestly…read moreweren't even sure it was open at first--the building looks pretty dark from the outside because of the tint. But as soon as we walked in, we were warmly greeted by the wonderful staff, and the whole vibe completely changed. Inside, the space is bright, inviting, and thoughtfully set up. We were offered samples of their Kona coffee along with a couple of treats of the day, which was such a nice touch. As you walk around, you can actually watch them making their delicious goodies, which makes the experience even more fun and tempting. The shop was beautifully decorated for the upcoming Easter holiday, and they also had some really lovely gift boxes--perfect if you're looking to bring something home for family or friends. There's also a small area where you can grab drinks (and possibly ice cream too). I ordered a green tea latte, and it was absolutely wonderful. Overall, such a cozy, welcoming spot with great treats and friendly service. Definitely worth stopping by--whether you're craving something sweet or looking to pick up a thoughtful gift!

The hours were kind of confusing. The park website has it as 3pm- 9pm for the viewing area but we…read moredidn't want to drive back to Kona in the dark so we took the chance going there around noon. Another review mentioned being stopped by the ranger before the opening viewing time? Maybe we were lucky because there were a lot of people there even at noon and we didn't see any rangers stopping people from walking or biking on the public paved road. We parked and started our trek. Advantage of hiking from Kalapana side is we didn't have to pay for parking. The hike itself was very easy. Flat road but it was really hot and about 8 miles round trip. Saw a lot of people hiking with exposed skin. Being Asian, I had a long sleeve shirt on and I wished I had packed my hiking pants because it would have come in handy as my legs ended up getting kind of dusty and being the clumsy walker that I am, I ended up getting some dried up lava on my legs. At the end of of the road, you have to carefully go down to the viewing area. Once you get there, the lava flow was so amazing!! I'm glad we did it during the day so we didn't have to deal with carrying a flashlight and end up falling since I'm clumsy like that. Bring a lot of water if you plan to do an earlier hike as it was super hot.

The Kalapana flow is active again. Luckily, I happened to be on the Big Island at the time. This is…read morenot at the volcano. This is where the lava flow meets the ocean; follow the signs to Kalapana to get there and you'll run right into it. Upon arrival, you'll see a parking lot and pass a few souvenir tents and tents renting bikes, which are permitted on the hike. Let's back up a bit. The first choice you have to make is whether you're going to make this 9-mile round trip hike and when you'll do it. We wanted to see the lava in the dark so we left at 5pm or so. Our group was made up of 4 adults of varying ages and one tween. It's often hot there so you'll have to carry all the water you'll need. About 2.5 miles in, some of the tiny house owners that live in the lava field may be available to sell you beverages like coconut water, water, and soft drinks. However, you should plan on bringing all the liquid you need. You can find more advice about what to wear and bring online. The path is the old emergency evacuation road. It's gravel. There are portable toilets along the way. As I mentioned earlier, there are bike rentals or you can bring your own bike. Biking on this terrain is not easy but you have to decide whether walking or peddling is better for you. Depending on the weather, this can be a very hard hike. I'd have to say that it's worth it. Seeing the lava enter the ocean in the darkness is something I'll remember forever. Do it!

Well, we went here based on reading how we could explore, however, there are signs posted all along…read morethe highway "no parking" and "keep out". Plus, they built up sort of a wall out of lava rocks to prevent you from being able to climb down. What a bummer. We were hoping to get down there and explore inside. At least I got a pic.

So cool to experience!! Brought my family and my daughter at 5 years old had no problem :)read more

I highly recommend this as one of the best chocolate tours!…read moreWe took the two hour tour with our family - it was a nice small group of six in total. Mike was not only an expert in all things chocolate, but he is easy to understand, he takes time to teach you and answer any questions and he has a great personality! It was pouring down rain the day we went, yet the tour was still a great success. We started out at the farm and then concluded down at the shop. You get to taste fresh cacao, nibs, cacao tea and kakao brew - of course at the shop are the full chocolate bars. Mike clearly loves what he does and enjoys sharing that love with his customers. The only down side is that after listening to Mike you will be ruined forever on eating any other general retail chocolate. So long Hershey and friends!

Experienced the VIP cacao tasting tour and enjoyed every last second of it! Mike was an amazing…read moretour guide. He built his cacao farm from the bottom up and it was amazing to witness his progress ever since 2017. He walked us through the seed germination process, the growing process, the fermentation process and everything before, in between and after that.. from seed all the way to chocolate bar. This tour is meant to expand your knowledge and change your perspective on how you think about, taste, and experience chocolate. At the end of the farm tour, you drive down to the gift shop (about a 3 min drive from the farm) to make any potential purchases as well as taste even more chocolate! What an amazing and unique experience in Honaka'a and 100% recommend adding this tour to your Big Island itinerary. P.S. my favorite chocolate bar is the barrel aged bourbon bar!! Notes of dark cherry with a bourbon finish :)

Halema'uma'u Crater was steaming but not erupting on the day we visited but it was still amazing…read more we walked from steam vents to Uekahuna and found that the Kilauea and Uekahuna overlooks were the best views.

Wow! Seriously! This IS a must see place on the planet! I was in between eruptions but it is…read morestill amazing! Take a tour as the drive up and down can be a bit unnerving for some. Then once you get up there, and you've taken in the crater rim, take the hike down to the visitor center. You can enjoy the steam and gasses coming up through the cracks!

Puna Chocolate Company is one of my favorite local chocolate artisan shops, conveniently located in…read moreDowntown Hilo. Since my time away, they have beautifully renovated the interior to have a sit-down booth area. I love the abundance of nene decor honoring our state bird, along with high quality chocolates made in Hawaii. The store clerk was very knowledgeable and described how each cultivars of chocolate differ in their taste profiles. We had the horchata 50% milk chocolate bar, and I don't have a picture because we devoured it in one sitting! Overall, Puna Chocolate Co. is an elegant, delightful, and elevated experience that rivals big names like Big Island Candies and Dandelion Chocolates in San Francisco. Highly recommend in stopping by!

I stopped by Puna Chocolate Company for an afternoon coffee and ordered an espresso. It wasn't…read moreterribly busy in the store so my drink was prepared in minutes. The espresso was strong, not overwhelmingly bitter, and had a good consistency to it. While sitting at the bar, I noticed that they had a Day Drink menu with a bunch of coffee and chocolate cocktails, including an espresso martini and a cacao old fashioned. For $14 and $13 respectively, these seemed like very reasonable prices. Definitely something I'll check out on my next visit. On the right side of the store is a gift shop, while the left side has a bunch of seating for patrons. I noticed there were a few people here with their laptops out, so I can only assume it's also a good place to work as well. The store seemed pretty quiet, street parking outside was easy, and the staff I interacted with here was friendly. Puna Chocolate Company is a good rest spot to stop by to escape from the busyness of Downtown Hilo.