Kona Brewing Co. pub in Kailua Kona is a must. Excellent beer and food. Huggo's is right on the ocean and a pretty cool place for sunset food & drinks. It's all pretty touristy in Kona.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is a
cannot miss item for Hawaii Island. It is my favorite place in the world. I spend a lot of time hiking and photographing the volcanoes. Kilauea is erupting. This eruption started in 1983. There is no lava flowing where one can walk up close to it at this time. The only way to see lava directly is by helicopter or on
HVO webcams, but that could change at any time. Read the daily
Kilauea Update here. Even though you can't get right up next to flowing lava at this time there is a ton of cool stuff to see in the park.
The National Park is about a 90 mile drive from Kona, but it is an awesome drive with lots of things to see and do along the way. DO NOT MISS IT!
My favorite coffee farm is
Holualoa Coffee Company at Kona Lea Plantation up on the side of Hualalai above Kona. They have tours and tasting Monday thru Fridays. You need to keep an eye out for their sign on the winding road up there in Holualoa. Well worth a trip up to see.
If you get to Hilo there is a restaurant right on Hilo Bay near Banyon Dr. called Nihon. Japanese food. Very local place. They have good sushi/sashimi and Unibroue beers in the bottle. As well as a good sake selection. They make very yummy shave ice too. But the real clincher is sitting out on the lanai watching the sunset across Hilo Bay behind Mauna Kea. Great sunsets from the east side of the island! How can that be? Hawaii!