Hawaii 70.3 trip recommendations
After listening to everyone after IMAZ talk about the best 70.3 they had done was Hawaii, I decided to sign up with @DAVID RICHMOND in 2020. I have already purchased my airline tickets and planned for plenty of time to explore before and after the race. Now I'd like your input. Many of you have done the IMWC and the 70.3 Honu races.
Input on the following:
- Where did you stay? Hotel, AirBnb, and what did you prefer about it?
- What are your top 10 tourist things to see/do?
- Do you need/want a rental car or is Uber a good value?
- Other advice for a first time visitor. I've been to Oahu a few times but never Kona.
It would be great to race with some more ENrs so look at your calendar and come join us.
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I just did IM Kona and my family stayed at what is the host hotel for 70.3 - The Fairmount Orchid is a beautiful resort and if you also want to reward your support crew then stay there. The race is just over 25 miles away from downtown Kona so Uber will get expensive fast so I would rent a car.
@Gary Lewis My family and I stayed at this VRBO just outside downtown Kona last summer. https://www.vrbo.com/461817 It's a ~3,000 sq ft, 4-bedroom, 4-bath house with a pool and legitimate, working AC. We found it to be clean, in good working order, and in a nice neighborhood. The owner's name is Rachel Donnell and she was very friendly and responsive. She calls the property Melelina Hale.
It may be too far for this 70.3, but perhaps a good option for those that KQd for 2020.
I will tune in more. to start.
We stayed in Puako. in an old condo. quiet dead end community. about two miles from the swim and T1. liked it.
@Gary Lewis my wife and I are signed up for Hawaii 70.3 in 2020. We get in Thursday and are staying at The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort through Saturday and then we move to an apartment on Ali'i Drive until we fly out following Tuesday.
Let's stay in touch (@DAVID RICHMOND too) and can compare itineraries and maybe meet up on the island. We've been to Kona a few times but this will be first time for the 70.3. (My wife has competed twice in WC and this will be my first time competing on the Queen Q.)
We've always had luck with Booking.com and generally go with that. VRBO is a good option, especially if you prefer to get away from hotel life, like to cook own meals, etc. I would recommend renting a car. The 70.3 is further north up the coast than the WC and if you want to experience the island having a car is highly recommended in my opinion.
We haven't explored everywhere, but my Top 3 spots so far include Two-Step (great for snorkeling - easy to get in but a little tricky to get out), Magic Sands Beach (best waves - our kids stayed & played for hours) & the Volcano National Park. We plan to do a little more exploring up the coast toward Hawi this trip.
to all Kona regulars (@Coach Patrick @tim cronk @robin sarner @Al Truscott ) what airline do u use, and wich one is bike friendly... just went on the Hawaiian Airline site and they charge 200usd per bike per leg... crazy!!!!
@DAVID RICHMOND I just looked at flights and it seems there is no direct flight to Hawaii for you other than on Hawaiian. Since you are international you get two checked bags with no fees as long as its in the size weight limits. If you take any other airlines, the ticket is triple the price, so $150 each bag after your first two is your best way to go. They do not charge extra for sports equipment of if its in the size limits. I have ruster hen house so it fits both of those criteria.
@Gary Lewis HA has 1 flight a week to and from HNL on saturday so I have to go for 2 hole weeks for a saturday race so not an option. I have to go through LAX ;)
Some thoughts on tourist things to do:
Restaurants including Lava Java, Kona Brewing Company, the shaved ice place right down town are all fun things to do.
Swim the IM Kona course. Go to the pier sometime in the morning. Buoys are up year round. I’d swim out to a couple of them then come back. Couple loops if you prefer.
Get your running shoes on and run up Pallini Drive from the pier to the Queen K to say, yeah, I did that :)
For family stuff, the beach at the Westin Hapuna is the best on the island. You don’t need to be staying at the resort. Sand is excellent, it’s protected, there are turtles - enough said!
Take an evening cruise on a sailboat. A glass of wine or two and a chance to talk to locals for a while. Really fun.
if you’re up for a drive and a Michelin starred restaurant, Merrymans in Waimea is worth the drive. https://www.merrimanshawaii.com/
Best breakfast on the island, also in Waimea http://hawaiianstylecafe.us/index.html
Great views, in Kona and more family affordable :) Sam Choi’s http://www.samchoyskailanai.com/
Manta Ray dive has been on the list for a while, but haven’t done it yet. https://bigislanddivers.com/
This was fun; snorkel adventure. https://www.bodyglovehawaii.com/
More ideas if you like!
Tom
@DAVID RICHMOND that explains why you would fly all the way to LAX. American and United allow bikes at no extra charge if they meet the size requirements.
We are on United and flying 5/26 and 6/4, but traveling through San Francisco because it had the least stops, and goes direct to Kona.
@Tom Glynn keep them coming, more choices are better. Did you go to the Hilo side?
Some great suggestions above. If you want to sit at the resort all day, I'd Uber as rental cars can be pricey. But if you want to explore, rental car is a no-brainer. I usually stay in Kona proper (2x at Kona Reef, 1x in a house just S of there), but have also stayed in Waikoloa (at the Marriott) and would definitely stay N for the 70.3. Waikoloa has more hotel options, good dining and lots of shopping. The beaches in Waikoloa weren't that nice (better for snorkeling than sand), so we drove down to Kua Bay couple of times (between Waikoloa and the airport - when you see the sign pointing up the mountain for the Veterans' Cemetery, turn toward the water) - spectacular scenery, sand and snorkeling (parking is limited, so early > later).
Driving on the Queen K can be a bit scary late at night between Kona and Waikoloa if the moon isn't bright. You literally see nothing but pitch black and the white lines of the road illuminated by headlights. Almost like a video game. My wife hated it.
Volcanoes weren't real active when we went over there. Really wanted to see orange, but no way I was getting the lady afraid of a dark road to crawl into a helicopter.
We typically surf each time we go, but good waves are hard to find. And the good spots usually involve coral and urchin encounters, both of which suck.
I've done the night manta dive. Pretty incredible. Those things are huge, and you're up close and personal with them. But many of us got a little sea sick on the way back to shore because it was pitch black and rolling swells (weird, swells off the coast of Kona?). I've been diving to a few other spots in Kona as well, but it honestly isn't as nice as Cozumel, Grand Cayman or sites in the Indian Ocean.
In Kona, Huggo's and Kona Inn are nice restaurants right on the water, great for sunset dining. Lots of cheap souvenirs in Kona, but there are also some cool shops if you're patient and seek them out. For tee shirts, Kona Brewing has some great ones, and we also buy a few tanks or shirts from the Big Island Running Co each time we go. It's right behind the sand volleyball court next to Humpy's (you can also buy a "I got crabs at Humpy's" tee if that's more your style).
I've also golfed several times. I don't like paying $$$ for golfing, but the cheap golf courses are cheap for a reason. Pretty disappointing. So, we spent stupid $ (i.e., more than $250, but that included rental clubs) golfing the King's Course in Waikoloa (not on the water, but the lava fields for hazards and world class conditions almost made it worth it). Just as nice was the Francis-something course on the ocean, also in Waikoloa.
Enjoy.
MR
@Gary Lewis
Couple of ideas not mentioned:
Walk down to and around this steep isolated valley:
Get this book:
dropped all those prices. Worth digging in...
check out the various historical sites. National. State. Local. You might be particularly interested in these.
Heiaus.
City of Refuge south of Kona.
etc.
I fly Alaska but I live in Seattle and have a lot of direct flight options with them. No extra charges for bikes, just the normal bag fees. First bag is free if you have their credit card.
We rented a house in Wiakoloa Village when I did the Alohaman. It's up higher and so it's a little cooler than down on the beach. Great house for a family. The trade off is you have to drive to get down to the beach and T1.
There are a lot of condos for rent in the Wiakola area near the beaches and the resorts. We rented one in Wiakoloa when I did IM Kona a few years ago. It wasn't all that convenient for Kona but it was nice for other reasons.
Lava Lava Beach Club is a favorite of our family in Wiakoloa.
There is a place on the way to the observatories on Mauna Loa where local astronomy clubs set up telescopes for star viewing. If it's clear and the protectors are gone, then going up there is fun if you like star gazing. (The protectors are demonstrators camped out on the Saddle Road to protest the construction of a large telescope on Mauna Loa. they've basically shut down the mountain access.)