If you’re going to The Big Island, stay here! It’s on the rainy side yes, but it seems to rain mostly at night so you can fall asleep to the pitter patter of raindrops. We found many excellent excursions on the east side (Richardson Ocean Center for snorkeling, boogie boarding and turtle viewing), botanical gardens north of Hilo, water falls galore, Hilo Farmer’s Market, and the town of Pahoa itself is awesome (try Pele’s Kitchen for locally sourced breakfast, and Ning’s Thai). And it’s just a two hour drive back to the Kona area which we did a couple of times. Our week spent at this Pahoa retreat was heavenly!