Post #40780 by laney on Wed, Jun 25, 2003 6:17 PM

I love the Big Island! Where are you staying? We stayed at the King Kamehameha right at the end of Alii Drive (where all the bars, shops, etc. are in Kona) A MUST is right across the street from the Hotel (on Alii Dr. where it starts to turn) a small restaurant/bar called (and I forget the exact name) but it's like "Lucy's almost by the sea" I just forget the name but it's the only place open late (after bars close) There is the best sandwich in the world there! It's called "Kona Gold" and is like a hot crab salad sandwich. Hard to explain but well worth the flight to Hawaii just for this sandwich! You MUST go get one, or two, or three! I think we ate there every day of our trip!

We dove with the dive shop in the King Kam Hotel. They have a night dive where you go out to about 60' and anchor yourself (extra weights required) to the ocean floor around a huge spotlight. Everyone has flashlights that you hold to attract plankton which attracts Manta Rays! We had a special treat-5 Mantas. They come so close to you that you can touch them and they brush up over your head to eat whats in your light beam. They don't let you wear your snorkel because they come so close to your head, they'll knock your mask off! They flip and dance gracefully in the lights. They are huge and look like king size mattresses gliding around. A MUST dive! Absolutely the best dive experience of my life!

And, of course, you must see the lava flow. Spend a day driving around the island it really is amazing how it goes from rain forest like to desert like. Stop between Kona and Hilo because there are many waterfall parks/walks just off the main road! The Big Island is my favorite! I'm so jealous!