Hawaii Big Island rec?

A two weeks stay on the Kona coast [Waikoloa area] is coming up in a couple of months. I`m looking for golf, snorkeling and food and wine suggestions. Thanks in advance.

subscribing as possible visit within next 18 months as well.

If you are in Waikaloa, there is a “food mall” across from the big hotels. It’s the usual suspects like Roy’s, etc. Kona is the only nearby town and some of the chains are there, but also a good micro brewery (Kona Brewing). Waiamea (sp?) is a bit of a hike, but there are some eateries there.

For golf, there are seaside courses in the area; ask at the hotel. I went to one that was 5 miles or so north. Be prepared to play in the wind if near the ocean. The tour has one event in the area and even the pros stuggle.

While perhaps not as good as it once was since outlets have opened on other islands, Merriman’s in Waimea is definitely worth a visit.

Blake it has been a number of years, but I did enjoy the Hapuna golf course. Not sure about the current rates, but I did the replay so I thought I got a great value. A fun course built on a hillside.

For golf, the MUST play of the resort courses is Mauna Kea, which was just renovated a year or 2 ago. If you have the connections however, an ultra-private club, Nanea is incredible. Mauna Lani is also good, but not close to Mauna Kea, imo. The Hualalai course at the 4 Seasons is a flat, windswept boring course and way over-priced. Waimea is a great value and a local favorite. It is a higher altitude there so always much cooler and the course is lined with pine trees and the like. Kona CC is also good.

Merriman’s in Waimea is always a great stop for dinner, other than the drive back down the mountain afterwards. Harbor Grille and Seafood Bar in Kawaihae Harbor is a nice find if you want to get away from the resort type over-priced restaurants.

I also recommend Merriman’s. I thought it was quite good. Never been myself, but some friends loved the Surf, Sand and Stars Seafood Buffet at the Four Seasons. I would pass on Brown’s at the Fairmont. To be honest, the Big Island isn’t really a hotbed for cuisine. My favorite meal of my entire trip was eating KFC in Volcano National Park that we picked up in Hilo on the way. FYI, there’s really no food in VNP so pick up something and eat lunch surrounded by epic surroundings. I don’t know if you plan on hiking but to me the Kilauea Iki crater hike is a must and the highlight of my trip.

We really enjoyed The Canoe House at the Mauna Lani resort, and I think they have a nice wine list as well.

If you like Indonesian food, try this place right in Kona.

Thanks to all who have so far responded. Many of these suggestions are exactly what I was looking for. For any others, keep the recs coming? Much appreciated.

In my experience, Canoe House can be GREAT (when considering both food and setting), but has also been disappointingly inconsistent on too many occasions, given the $$$$ involved. While the wine list is nice…the markups are huge (a recurring problem in Hawaii, to be fair). That’s why we like finding off-resort restaurants with better QPR. Of course, on vacation, QPR is a bit less important and we eat plenty of meals on resort (which is how Canoe House became one of our resort favorites). If you are staying in Hualalai, the Residents’ Beach House is a great place as well. Wonderful location on the beach a short stroll from the 4S with excellent seafood and massive cocktails.

I just received an email from a local friend and winemaker who has connections with and is strongly recommending the Four Seasons Hualalai and Beachtree restaurant and the recently opened ULU!

Anyone have first hand experience?

Been to the Big Island three times. Twice we stayed at the Marriott Waikoloa. They had luau dinners there Wed & Sun BTW. There are a couple shopping centers nearby so we ate there often: Roy’s & Macaroni Grill. One of the markets there has a wine bar attached.
Outside of that area the places we went to more than once were The Coffee Shack above Capt Cook (for lunch or brunch) and the Kona Brewpub. Good pizza, pulled pork & spinach salad at the pub. Say hi to Jesse at the growler shack if you go. lol
Restaurant at the Marriott was way overpriced (surprise!), but the bar was very nice and had decent food.

+1 on the Coffee Shack. Great view.

We own a place at Mauna Lani and travel there often. Golf: Kona Country Club and Mauna Lani South Course. We usually do not do a lot of fine dining but Roy’s and the Canoe Club are nice. We are so close to the Fairmont that we eat there too. I do enjoy the Sushi restaurant there. We also usually eat one casual dinner at the beach side restaurant at the Fairmont. Nice having dinner and watching the sunset.

Our routine when getting to Kona is: Get car, go to Kona and eat at Killer Taco’s, hit Costco and then up to our place. We have also eaten at the Pinetree Cafe which is on your left hand side of the road between the Kona airport and the road to Costco.

Again, thanks to all of you who have provided some recs. I`ve just added an additional request on this thread for ideal snorkeling spots near where we will be staying.

Blake, I’m a Big Isle fan, though Kauai is my favorite. I’ll come up with some reccos over the next week. However, you should get the Wizard Press “Big Island Revealed” book. The restaurant reccos therein are only so-so, best for lower key spots. But the general info is great. I’ve learned a lot about various islands through these, including some beaches,hikes, etc that are not covered elsewhere. The books are also mapped and organized well.
Off the top of my head my favorite snorkeling spots are Kahaluu Beach Park (a must for extremely easy snorkeling and a lot of turtles), Captain Cook, Honaunau, and even the south side of the beach at Mauna Kea.
Some cool, not too busy beaches: waialea, kiholo, makalawena.

John, your suggestions are right on. I leave early tomorrow for the 2 week stay and will use many of the recs provided herein. Thanks to you and all.

I did not see when you were going to be there. I just got home, wife and kids still there. Hapuna Beach has turtles right off the beach in about 10 feet of water.

Also, there are probably 40 threads about Hawaii with Big Island info in them already, including info about where people ate and drank on their trips. I know John and I have posted a few ourselves over the years.