I've been visiting the Big Island of Hawaii since 1980--almost as long as I've been a member of the Hideaways Aficionado® Club. These days, there's a lot rumbling on the Big Island besides the restless Kilauea Volcano. And unfortunately, more than gurgling lava has gone downhill. However, this biggest island by far of the Hawaiian chain still maintains the pervading mana (spirit) that distinguishes it beyond its size.

While the surge between man and volcano and mana vs. dumb development ebbs and flows, the Big Island still offers an array of experiences that many believe marks it as the most genuinely "Hawaiian" of the Hawaiian Islands.

March 2008