Articles
The Big Island
by Judy Colbert
When life is so busy that you have to make every minute of precious vacation time count, head for Hawaii. On the Big Island you can snow ski in the morning, water ski in the afternoon, and sip a cool drink under swaying palms as the sun splashes brightly into the blue Pacific.
You can also sit by the surf or the pool and soak up the rays. There are nearly unlimited water sports and restaurants to whet your appetite with a variety reflecting the multicultural aspects of the island. Throw in history, island crafts and local foodstuffs — you have heard of Kona coffee — and it's enough to make Jack Lord crack a smile.
You can see almost 90 percent of the stars visible from Earth. And the weather: On the leeward or Kona side, it's almost always 83 degrees. A hot day is 84; a cool day is 82.
And if that's not enough to carry you away from the hassles of your everyday life, you have an active volcano, whale watching (January-April for humpback whales), the largest private ranch under single ownership (Parker Ranch), tropical gardens, petroglyphs, and waterfalls.
Water sports prevail, with sailing, snorkeling, scuba, snuba, fishing, parasailing, surfing and submarine rides as the most popular options. For those who prefer land-based activities, try hiking, golf and tennis.
And take time to explore. You never know what you'll find. On the northern part of the Kohala coast (Kona side), there's a village called Hawi with a bookstore, an antiques shop and artists' galleries full of hand-crafted wooden bowls, vases and frames — perfect for that souvenir to take home to your frazzled colleagues.
Say, maybe they need a big meal after making a trip to a resort on the Big Island, too.