A year can be amazing and long, brutal and loving, fulfilling and humbling all at once. Sometimes, this kind of year that shakes your foundations and pushes you out of your comfort zone can leave a few battle scars.
“You need to come out to Hawaii,” my sister said after her move there last year. “The island heals.”
At first, I rolled my eyes as that sounded all too new-agey for me. After that, I let the fact that I have a sister who now lives in Hawai’i register and I decided, while for some reason it’s never been on the list (possibly because I was never a crazy beach person), that I was going to Hawai’i.
Ladies and gentleman. Let me tell you something about Hawai’i. A cluster of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it is very far away. And I know you are thinking “umm of course it is, Namrata”. But really. Its far. Like 15.5 hours to LAX direct from Dubai. After then another 5.5-6 hours to the Big Island of Hawai’i. By the time you get there, you are either ready to pass out or at that stage of exhaustion where you can’t pass out. Especially if you’re like me and can barely sleep on a plane.
Of the eight islands in Hawai’i, only six are populated. The most popular ones are Oahu and Maui – I chose to stay away from them. I was going to hide for a little while and spend time with my sister so I decided to stay on the Big Island of Hawai’i the entire time. Its safe to say I’m now converted to a Hawai’i person and will be back next year, and the year after that (and the year after that).
Here is everything I did and think you should do too if you ever make your way to the Big Island of Hawai’i.
Hilo, Hawai’i
Hilo is on the east side of the island. With a mountain smack in the middle that literally seems to cut weather in half, the east side is rainier and slightly cooler. Carry a rain-jacket or umbrella folks! You never know when the rain’s going to fall! Plush and green, this side of the island doesn’t disappoint if you, like me, are craving trees and grass constantly.
WHERE TO EAT IN HILO
One pretty swell thing to keep in mind is that most of the restaurants in Hilo are local spots. While there are a few franchises, if you want local and fresh, you are going to find it!
Liko Lehua – 177 Kaumana Dr. Hilo
This family run business is known for their pasta. Every day, they have a new pasta dish on the menu so make sure you ask what the special is and order it. The locals I was having dinner with said they never met a pasta dish there that they didn’t like. Outside of the pasta, I would recommend:
Crab Cakes: Panko crusted blue crab with a sweet chilli aoli
Coconut Crusted Brie
Miyo’s – 564 Hinano St, Hilo, HI
I went by with my sister at lunch time and the place was pretty full (we had to make reservations in advance). They are very popular for their bento boxes. Home-style Japanese is what they pride themselves in serving. My sister opted for a beef teriyaki and spent most of lunch telling me how I was missing out on some very tasty beef while I went for the chicken katsu bento box and a side of tuna sashimi. Bento boxes come with a salad, shrimp & vegetable tempura and a hot bowl of miso soup – making one bento box more than sufficient meal. Given I was on holiday and they happened to have soft-shell crab tempura on the specials, I ordered some of that as well. That tempura batter is some of the lightest and yummiest I have had and would highly recommend this place.
Don’t forget to try this most delicious mango cream pie for dessert.
Cafe Pesto – 308 Kamehameha Ave #101, Hilo
To me, a vacation with my sister isn’t complete without pizza. Either really cheap take-out pizza or sit-at-a-table and be fancy pizza. But pizza is necessary. Enter, Cafe Pesto! Located in a historic building in downtown Hilo, this place is popular and with good reason! While I can only vouch for their pizza – I can tell you, that pizza crust was a dream boat!
I chose the Classico (Italian sausage, dry salami, pepperoni and red onions) while my sister went down a slightly non-traditional route and opted for the Chili Grilled Shrimp (chili seasoned shrimp over cilantro creme fraiche, shiitake mushrooms and green onions). Both were good and we kept going back and forth about what we thought the better pizza was.
We ended this fantastic meal with a warm coconut tart. Must.Order! Oh, and if you are sharing, there might be some fighting over the sweet cream anglaise.
Cafe Pesto serves 100% Hamakua Organic Coffee. I recommend ending a meal with a cup of coffee, especially if you are waiting for the rain to stop so you can go back to wandering.
Hilo Farmers Market
Hilo is very proud of its farmers market. Filled with local farmers and fresh produce, it is busy and bustling with locals and tourists alike!
The snack you MUST try if you are at the farmer’s market are the Peruvian style tamales sold by the friendliest Peruvian lady in the far back corner. The salsas she used on them tamales…que rico!
Also – while on an island, ensure you have your dose of tender coconut! 🙂
The Island is beautiful to just drive around! Home to a ridiculous amount of different landscapes, you could be at the mountain, a volcano, a rain forest or a beach in a matter of hours. I would recommend packing up the car, plugging in your favorite road trip playlist, loading up on snacks and hitting the road. If you are interested in a few local snacks in Hilo, here are a few you should try:
Lilikoi Jelly & Pretzels
Lilikoi (green passion fruit) jelly is quite the favourite on the island. It is recommended that you dunk a mini pretzel in some jelly and dig in! The salty pretzel really helps cut through the super sweet jelly.
Malasadas
Portuguese balls of dough that are deep fried like a doughnut. If you find this guy on the side of a highway, he is making them fresh and they are oh-so-tasty!
Now that the car is packed, there are several places you can drive to for a day out! I’ll be writing about a couple of places you should drive to to check out on the Big Island in Hawai’i. Watch this space!
Have you been to Hawai’i? Is it on your travel wish list?