ARGH! The more I read about the different areas on the Big Island, the more confused I get, so maybe it%26#39;s time I ask some (stupid) questions. Go easy on me please. My husband, 6yr. old and I would like to spend a month on the BI (?) this winter. Since we live in a funky, rainy little town in S.E. Ak it seems no wonder that I was innitially drawn to Hilo, whick sounds like a funky, rainy little town also. Then Kapoho caught my eye, and the tide pools look irresistable, especially for a 6 yr. old. Since we are not resort types, the possibility of renting a house in a neighborhood is appealing. (This is usually what we do when we travel) We are not very shiny, and don%26#39;t mind a little bug poop, etc. Human poop is another story though and after reading through lots of Kapoho posts it seems like swimming might not be the best option in this area? Is there another area on the BI (is this the right way to refer to the Big Island?) that you could recommend that isn%26#39;t too resorty (read affordable) but would still be fun for an energetic child?
Also, I have some questions about legel rentals, but there are some great posts on this issue so I can start sorting this issue out on my own, any advice in this area would be appreciated as well. This is my first post, so I look forward to hearing from readers.
Kapoho rental for a month?
Don%26#39;t know too much about that area, but one thing I do know is that other than the tidepools, there are not a lot of swimmable beaches there in winter. If you could state your budget, it might be easier--there are houses/cottages in Puako and in Kona, also lots of condos in ';resort'; areas but those are not like Miami Beach or Waikiki--some are pretty laid back and just residential feeling where the condos are.
Kapoho rental for a month?
Do you want to stay in one place the entire time or would you be open to moving and doing 2 weeks on one side and 2 weeks on the other side? You might enjoy Volcano Village for 2 weeks, lots of little houses/cottages and you can do all of the wonderful things on that side of the island and move over to Kailua-Kona for 2 weeks. There are many little houses/cottages that are not oceanfront near town and they are affordable...
Hilo is not a funky littel town it is the second largest city in the state... a busy industrial port, shopping malls, government offices, factories.. not a quaint village in the tropics
Kipoho is on the fringe about an hour out of town. and the nearest attraction is an hours drive, the nearest safe beach 3 hours drive. there is a very alternative complextion to the area,. SInce there are no sewers or septic... sewage seems to seep into ponds and bays.....The area around is very rueal and noted for high crime ......there are no resorts within 100 miles.... and the rain will be warmer than AK. an month......wow thats a long time there.
I would suggest staying south of Kona or in Keauhou near Kahalulu bay....snorkel, littel beaches Kona is a littel village of 24,ooo that in NOT resort at all.....but way cleaner and safer. Little rain, crystal clear water...sunsets...tons of short day trips to do...
If I was going to go to the Big Island for a month, I would spend a few days near the Volcano and check out the national park, Hilo, and all the East side attractions...even a spend a day at the Kapoho tidepools if desired. The rest of the time I%26#39;d either find a house/condo in Puako (which looks good and is close to our favorite beach --- Hapuna) OR I%26#39;d stay at my favorite condo complex in Keauhou --- Keauhou Surf %26amp; Racquet Club. Our accomodation budget is in the $200 range per night and so most of the fancy condo complexes and resorts aren%26#39;t on our radar so I can%26#39;t help with that. We are always looking for a waterfront (not beachfront) house or condo. We like KSRC best because we can get a 2nd or 3rd floor condo with 180 degree views of the crashing waves and sunsets. It is about a 10 minute walk to a good snorkeling beach with some gravely sand --- Kahalu%26#39;u. Our favorite beach, Hapuna, is about 45 minutes north.
Thanks all for the quick responses. I feel like you have given me a pretty realistic view of the areas I%26#39;m interested in. I%26#39;m not sure if this is the way you answer back to posts or not (I seem to be replying to myself) but I guess if it isn%26#39;t I%26#39;ll figure it out.
Thanks again
yes, you are doing it the right way!
When you say a month in one place, can you get a substantial discount for a month stay? That would be an incentive, otherwise I would go a week per rental.
Kapoho is the sunniest area in East Hawai%26#39;i during the often very rainy winter. It is 45 minutes from Hilo and 15 minutes from Pahoa for groceries and other needs. Pahoa used to have no good grocery shopping, but that was then, now it does.
There is a cool farmer%26#39;s market near Pahoa every Sunday. It would be ideal to arrive shortly before market day and stock up on fresh produce.
I recently read that the tide pools tested quite clean. They fill and refill every day. Going in when they are newly refilled rather than after they%26#39;ve been sitting and used is best.
If you can get a place on the oceanfront facing the pools, I would go for it. It is truly beautiful watching the pools change, seeing the moon rise over them (full moon is best), seeing rainbows, and sunrise. I lived there for a month last year, but it was high summer, so I can%26#39;t say how winter conditions are.
The water will be less warm in winter. It was quite warm in July.
Kapoho is a very special place. It is so fresh and rural, with the papaya farms and the beautiful coastline, and the freshest air in the state. You sound like a good fit for it.
Now here is a bit of a caution. When there is high storm surge this area, Kapoho Vacationland, can flood under the homes. They are built up on 12 foot post and pier, at least the one I stayed at, and it certainly didn%26#39;t flood, but the carport went awash and the road flooded one day ... this was after Hurricane Flossie came close.
After the surge there was temporarily debris in the water, and I wouldn%26#39;t swim then. I mean, I did swim, because it was my last day there, but I felt kind of ill afterwards.
I would ask the owner of the home what the conditions are like --typically -- during the time you plan to come, whether it%26#39;s common to get surge across the road.
We are currently staying in the Mika Kai Alua (for a week) just a 3 minute saunter to the official entrance to the Wai Opae Tidepools in Kapoho. My husband and I are seriously trying to figure out a way to come up with enough $$$ to buy the place lock, stock and barrel :). It is very inexpensive but high end in everything else. We met a lady from California in the tidepools who said this was their second trip back to their rental house in front of the tidepools; they stay for 2 weeks and then a week in the West Coast.
If it is raining or cloudy 10 miles away, it will be sunny in Kapoho or the full moon will be out at night. We haven%26#39;t run out of things to do--you don%26#39;t even have to go into the water to see the exotic aquarium full of fish in the tidepools--just looking in on one pool, you can probably see 20 kinds of fish and we have had fun trying to ID them in our reef fish booklet. The house has a pool and hot tub, but we have gone to the warm spring pool; to the black sand beach (some nudists); night lava viewing (stupendous); done the runs of the waterfalls north of Hilo; the Hawaiian Botanic Garden; today we are going horseback riding in Waipio Valley. The other day, we drove to Hapuna Beach in Kahala and just the drive alone was a great trip--the views were worthy of any tourbus trip--all the microclimates/different types of vegetation to go through. Incidentally, there was a lot of VOG in the west coast and the horizon was very hazy; and at the time,there was a lot of ominous cloud cover and rain in Kona.
We went to the Catholic church in Pahoa last Sunday--and the welcome from the community at the beginning of the mass was so warm and so genuine--it is a small community and are very welcoming of new faces.
I could go on but staying here has been one of the best vacation my husband and I have been on and we have gone to a LOT!!!
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