trip planning advice to see VNP

I would love some itinerary help for our trip in July...

We are flying to the BI Saturday, June 30th (don%26#39;t have flight yet - so can fly into either airport). I have a conference in Kailua Kona Monday-Wednesday. We really want to spend a day at VNP - would you recommend flying into Hilo and spending all day Sunday at VNP and then driving down to Kailua Kona late Sunday night? If so, where would you recommend staying Saturday night near VNP/Hilo? Or, we could also wait until after the conference and drive up Wednesday evening or Thursday morning and spend Thursday at VNP. We are planning on leaving Friday to fly to Maui for the following 9 days.

Thanks!!

trip planning advice to see VNP

fly in to Hilo out of Kona. Stay at Kiluea lodge or volcano house. allow 2. hours to drive from park to Kona

trip planning advice to see VNP

If you don%26#39;t know this island and the roads, DO NOT put yourself in the position of driving cross island at night. It can be dangerous. The visibility can be really poor. There are narrow bridges and other difficult areas that are NOT lit. There is NO highway lighting here, and very little ambient light, and you%26#39;re driving into headlight glare.

I know the roads very well and still avoid doing this.

There are lots and lots of previous topics on where to stay near VNP, and also lots of lodging reviews. Take a look at the old topics ... where you stay is a matter of personal taste. There is no black and white ';you must stay here'; answer to your question ... read the reviews and find what matches your needs and style and budget, also run a search for prior mentions in the forums once you have some candidates.