I recently went to Hawaii in the first week of January, to the Big Island (Hawai'i) and had a lovely time. I was on a budget and was traveling with my mom. We also did not rent a car and still had a good time. So I figured that a lot of you who might find yourselves broke, ambitious and vegetarian may find this useful!
Firstly, when you see pictures of gorgeous beaches in Hawaii, they are probably from the more popular islands of O'ahu, Maui or Kaua'i, from what I heard those are the touristy islands with beaches, resorts and definitely more hostels. In that sense, the Big Island is more like countryside. It might help to just read up on the Hawaiian Islands before you go, each island has a nickname and legends associated with it :) For instance, what happens on Niʻihau and why can't people go there?
Coming to the Big Island, it's well, the largest island in the United States and has five volcanoes on it and one that's dead in the ocean, of which three are sort of active and two are taller than Mount Everest (from the ocean floor) but you can also drive up to their peaks (so I did drive up to the peak of the tallest mountain in the world that is also a million years old and I didn't need any special gear). But that's not it, if you choose to see the entire island like we did (in a 12 hour circle tour of the island), you will come to appreciate how these volcanic mountains support drastically different climate and vegetation in different parts of the island. We saw sunny beaches, arid lava rock-scapes, turtles on black sand beaches, rain and fog, lush green valleys and horses and coffee plantations all in 12 hours. I highly recommend the Roberts Hawaii tour even if it's super touch-and-go (if you don't have a car but also, if you aren't self-motivated enough to drive around the island to see every bit of it). This isn't a sponsored recommendation.
Stay
So, where should you live on the island? Some might tell you that Hilo (East coast, more residential, greener) can be quieter and not fun. I didn't stay there but it looked really pretty in the daytime. There's also hostels and more affordable Airbnbs on that side. The West coast is Kona-Kailua (both Hilo and Kona have their own airports) and we chose to stay there because I had to go up and down the West coast for my conference (oh yeah I was there for work ha ha).
We stayed at the Kona Beach Hostel on Walua Road which is at a perfect location, a 7 minute walk from the touristy downtown and the main street - Ali'i Drive. Their website says that dorms are 45USD but I think there's a price difference if you call and land up (it's cheaper). It's quiet, clean, has excellent community support and places to eat nearby.
Eat
Food on the island is expensive because I am assuming it comes from outside. So, most of us in the hostel went shopping to the ABC store nearby and got bread, cheese, butter, fruits, yogurt. You can also get burritos, Indian food and Thai food on Ali'i Drive at walking distance from the hostel (remember, mainlander Vegetarian traveling with her mom). I ate fried pork rind by mistake because Hawaiian people are really generous and shit happens but that's a story for another day. Macadamia nuts are delicious. Macadamia Nut pancakes at Huggos were also delicious (to be shared by at least 2 people - huge portions). Kona coffee is delicious, drink it. There's Walmart and KMart, go there and stock up for the week or day.
See/Do/Get Around
I already mentioned the Island Tour. Since we had no car, we were going to rely on Ubering, buses and kind strangers. Ridesharing is still not very popular or reliable so plan in advance. The public buses are called Hele-On buses, they look old but are really cheap (2USD/ride) and take you really far. It takes some effort to find the bus stops and locals will tell you they aren't reliable. It's true but it's not so bad. Trick: Call the Hele-On customer support and they will give you updated information. Once we figured it out, we took the bus twice, all the way from Kona to Waikoloa Resorts in the North (1 hour by bus, 2 hours if you dare take a scooter - don't). Buses also go only once a day on some routes. Taxis are super expensive, obviously. Hitch-hiking is totally an option if you have time.
Snorkeling with Dolphins
First of all, it's really hard to swim with dolphins. They are fast, the sea is dense and it's really a matter of good luck if you find enough dolphins and good weather. We signed up to go with a company called Hang Loose and our experience wasn't that great unfortunately. I've been on snorkeling and dive excursions before and
Volcano Visit
Trolleys
Also, freshwater caves
Firstly, when you see pictures of gorgeous beaches in Hawaii, they are probably from the more popular islands of O'ahu, Maui or Kaua'i, from what I heard those are the touristy islands with beaches, resorts and definitely more hostels. In that sense, the Big Island is more like countryside. It might help to just read up on the Hawaiian Islands before you go, each island has a nickname and legends associated with it :) For instance, what happens on Niʻihau and why can't people go there?
Coming to the Big Island, it's well, the largest island in the United States and has five volcanoes on it and one that's dead in the ocean, of which three are sort of active and two are taller than Mount Everest (from the ocean floor) but you can also drive up to their peaks (so I did drive up to the peak of the tallest mountain in the world that is also a million years old and I didn't need any special gear). But that's not it, if you choose to see the entire island like we did (in a 12 hour circle tour of the island), you will come to appreciate how these volcanic mountains support drastically different climate and vegetation in different parts of the island. We saw sunny beaches, arid lava rock-scapes, turtles on black sand beaches, rain and fog, lush green valleys and horses and coffee plantations all in 12 hours. I highly recommend the Roberts Hawaii tour even if it's super touch-and-go (if you don't have a car but also, if you aren't self-motivated enough to drive around the island to see every bit of it). This isn't a sponsored recommendation.
Stay
So, where should you live on the island? Some might tell you that Hilo (East coast, more residential, greener) can be quieter and not fun. I didn't stay there but it looked really pretty in the daytime. There's also hostels and more affordable Airbnbs on that side. The West coast is Kona-Kailua (both Hilo and Kona have their own airports) and we chose to stay there because I had to go up and down the West coast for my conference (oh yeah I was there for work ha ha).
We stayed at the Kona Beach Hostel on Walua Road which is at a perfect location, a 7 minute walk from the touristy downtown and the main street - Ali'i Drive. Their website says that dorms are 45USD but I think there's a price difference if you call and land up (it's cheaper). It's quiet, clean, has excellent community support and places to eat nearby.
Eat
Food on the island is expensive because I am assuming it comes from outside. So, most of us in the hostel went shopping to the ABC store nearby and got bread, cheese, butter, fruits, yogurt. You can also get burritos, Indian food and Thai food on Ali'i Drive at walking distance from the hostel (remember, mainlander Vegetarian traveling with her mom). I ate fried pork rind by mistake because Hawaiian people are really generous and shit happens but that's a story for another day. Macadamia nuts are delicious. Macadamia Nut pancakes at Huggos were also delicious (to be shared by at least 2 people - huge portions). Kona coffee is delicious, drink it. There's Walmart and KMart, go there and stock up for the week or day.
See/Do/Get Around
I already mentioned the Island Tour. Since we had no car, we were going to rely on Ubering, buses and kind strangers. Ridesharing is still not very popular or reliable so plan in advance. The public buses are called Hele-On buses, they look old but are really cheap (2USD/ride) and take you really far. It takes some effort to find the bus stops and locals will tell you they aren't reliable. It's true but it's not so bad. Trick: Call the Hele-On customer support and they will give you updated information. Once we figured it out, we took the bus twice, all the way from Kona to Waikoloa Resorts in the North (1 hour by bus, 2 hours if you dare take a scooter - don't). Buses also go only once a day on some routes. Taxis are super expensive, obviously. Hitch-hiking is totally an option if you have time.
Snorkeling with Dolphins
First of all, it's really hard to swim with dolphins. They are fast, the sea is dense and it's really a matter of good luck if you find enough dolphins and good weather. We signed up to go with a company called Hang Loose and our experience wasn't that great unfortunately. I've been on snorkeling and dive excursions before and
Volcano Visit
Trolleys
Also, freshwater caves
