Best island for ocean swimming, food, and limited driving?
Hi!
I'm a college student thinking of going to hawaii following graduation mid-june. This would be my second trip- I went to Oahu once in middle school, and my family refused to leave the resort. The resort was nice, but my favorite parts of the trip were the few times we did leave the resort lol.
One of the main reasons I'd like to visit hawaii is to swim in the ocean! I'm a strong swimmer- I grew up swimming and played water polo at a high level in high school. I have open water experience, but mostly in lakes and rivers. It seems like the open water culture in hawaii tends more towards island-to-island swims, but I'm more interested in swimming along the shoreline and appreciating the scenery from the water.
My budget is about $4k and I could stay a maximum of 5 nights. Driving is one of my least favorite things to do, and I would like to drive as little as possible. I get around entirely by bike on the mainland and I also love public transportation and like taking shuttles to activities when biking isn't feasible.
Outside of swimming, I'm interested in going to grocery stores (one of my favorite ways to get to know a new place!), eating shaved ice, trying locally grown fruits/crossing new fruits off my fruit bucket list, kayaking, and hiking. I know that hiking often requires a car, and I'm open to renting one for a day if needed.
From my own research, it seems like staying in kona on the big island could be a good fit. however, I'm open to the other islands as well- if there's a great open water culture or great spots to swim on other islands, I'm open to others as well!