Todd Wickersty Todd Wickersty
January 21st, 2022

The Big Island

Travel
The Big Island

I’ve been playing golf for over 35 years now. I’ve followed the PGA Tour for almost the same amount of time. Besides the majors and the Players, the only other professional golf tournaments that I try to watch every year are the season-opening events in Hawaii. The golf always takes a backseat to the scenery in Hawaii, and here I am watching the Champions Tour event from the Big Island, which has provided me with the spark to finally write a travel guide for … the Big Island.

Back during the first year of the pandemic, when I naively thought it would be the only year of the pandemic, Lisa and I decided to plan a family vacation to the Big Island with close friends for my 50th birthday. We had never been to Hawaii, but our friends are veterans and they put together the perfect itenirary for our 10 day vacation that we took last August. It was just too good not to share.


Our trip consisted of three main destinations: Waikoloa Village > Waimea > Hilo with several day trips in between.

The first four nights of our trip was spent at the Hilton Waikoloa Village located about 20-30 minutes from Kona International Airport. Waikoloa Village was the perfect place to start our Hawaiian adventure. Located on the sunny side of the Big Island, it’s the quintessential Hawaiian resort. Whether you are seeking some R&R or outdoor activity, you can’t go wrong staying here for a portion of your vacation.

View from the Hilton Waikoloa Village

When we weren’t poolside, we explored nearby Kona and enjoyed two amazing snorkling outings in Kealakeua Bay.

Fair Wind Kealakekua Snorkling Tour

This was our first full day in Hawaii. We took the morning tour. The views above and below the water were amazing. On most vactions, this would have been the best day of the trip. Don’t get me wrong — it’s well worth it. I’d go on this snorkeling trip again in a heartbeat, but compared to the rest of the trip, it barely cracked my top 5.

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