Ideas for family trip to The Big Island with teens

We were just on the Big Island with two kids (though younger than yours) and we brought our breakfast to the beach and snorkeled every morning at Beach 69 in Hapuna. I grew up in Hawaii and I've never seen fish like that. Definitely not at Hanauma Bay. You need to go early to get parking (we got there no later than 8:30 all mornings) and to get prime shady beach space. This is great to do when jet-lagged. I'm pretty sure most families stayed through lunch and the afternoons, if they packed in enough food. 

In the afternoons, after being out and about, we had access to both pool complexes at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club and the Hilton Waikoloa and that's where we saw teens. In the pool, swimming and going down pool slides, and just hanging out. The Big Island is great; have fun!

My 17 year old son and I just returned from the Big Island and can't wait to go back already! Our favorite things, in no particular order, were:

Night snorkeling with the Manta Rays 

Driving to the southernmost point in the US and watching people jump into the ocean

Eating at Super J's https://bigislandguide.com/kaaaloas-super-js

Swimming at Beach 69  https://www.lovebigisland.com/big-island-beaches/waialea-beach/  We could have spent every day at this beach. Absolutely gorgeous and such calm swimming. 

Eating malasadas at the same beach from the Malasada truck roadside

Driving aimlessly to explore off the beaten track (we went to the northernmost point, southermost point, and westernmost point. We did not travel all the way to the Hilo side)

4 wheel drive was a must for a lot of the places we accidentally found ourselves!

There are a ton of free parks that have ruins of the Hawaiin kingdom to explore and find. 

If I were to go back today, I would have either brought snorkeling gear or rented it for the whole week. Around every corner was another beautiful cove to snorkel. I would have figured out how to bring a beach umbrella and chairs. 

I highly recommend swimming with manta rays. You get to see the beautiful sunset and then hang on the side of the boat while the manta rays swim by your feet. We had an amazing time and I recall there being a few teenagers and pre-teens on our boat. Not sure on cost, because a local friend arranged everything as a gift, but I think it should be affordable. Have a great trip! Stay safe.

Check out the snorkeling trips to Captain Cook, it is a great place to snorkel and we took a trip there in the afternoon that was about 3-4 hours and was cheaper than the morning trips. There is also good snorkeling at Kahaluu Bay just south of Kona. It gets crowded so go early in the day. (Bring water shoes as the entry here is rocky.) Hapuna Beach is a beautiful beach with picnic tables, lifeguards, etc. north of Kona. It is a bit of a drive but was just named "The Best Beach in America" and is a great beach for swimming and playing. ($5 fee to park) I also suggest you download the National Park Service app and (assuming you have a rental car) do your own self-guided tour of Volcanoes Park as the van tours are really expensive, and the app gives you a lot of information about what you are seeing. Stop at Punalu'u Bake Shop on the way for sandwiches and have a picnic. You can also look at the other historical parks on the island which are quite interesting. Just be sure to bring hats, water and sunscreen as some involve a lot of walking around and it can be hot in the middle of the day. Another tip: don't buy sunscreen until you get there as they want you to use only reef-safe sunscreen and that is pretty much all they sell there. Have fun!

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is hands-down my favorite place in the Sandwich Islands.

If you can afford to stay at the historic Volcano House hotel, with a room that overlooks the Halemaumau Crater, it is totally worth doing. There is also a campground.

We have not been there since 2015 and there have been some eruptions of Kiluea Volcano since then, but check to see if the one-mile trail across the caldera is open. You can hike around the crater and across the crater. It is a very special experience.  Nearby, the town of Volcano has restaurants and art galleries. There is also a restaurant in the Volcano House hotel.

If you go as far north as the cattle ranching country of Waimea, horseback riding is available at the famous Parker Ranch. There are grocery stores in the town of Waimea - an inexpensive place to get chocolate covered macadamia nuts to bring home as gifts.

The nearby town of Honoka'a is home to Tex Drive In, where you can get scrumptious malasadas - stuffed Portuguese-style doughnuts - and other fine local delicacies. "Please call 808-775-0598 to get your order placed for pick up. No phone orders after 5:45pm. Check out our great menu! TEX DRIVE IN located on the Big Island, in beautiful Honoka'a."

On the Kona Coast are historic parks with petroglyphs and fishponds; Ahuena Heiau (an ancient spiritual retreat) is a special place worth visiting.  Tours of coffee plantations may not appeal to 14-year-olds, but are fun for adults.

Have fun!

We were there in April.  As other posters mentioned, Hapuna beach is beautiful.  Our resort was right on it.  It's a great swimming beach.  However, my two teen boys felt the waves were too wimpy (at least at the time of year we went) for boogie boarding and body surfing.  We ended up at Kua Bay (aka Manini'owali Beach) and they loved it!  It's one of the smaller beaches, but it has the bluest water, the softest sand, and great waves.  Some local kids brought a giant air mattress and were riding the waves like an intense amusement park ride.  We always find it much cheaper to buy bodyboards and other beach gear at Costco or Walmart instead of renting.  For instance, we paid $29 for Morey boards at Costco in Kona, and it probably would have cost about $20 an hour if we rented.  We then pass our gear along to another random family on our last day.  In the past we have been "gifted" gear from other vacationing families and love the idea of paying it forward.  Have a great time!