Royal Kona Resort

On the Big Island, the Royal Kona Resort, was the place where we hung our hat for four days. When we picked our hotels for the trip, we had no idea that this was the hotel that can be seen from the famous Kailua-Kona pier; the starting and ending point for the Ironman World Championships. Its majestic stature can be seen from any point along the Kailua Bayfront.Swimmers use the Royal Kona Resort as a half way marker during the 2.4 mile swim portion of the Ironman.  The location of the resort is within walking distance of all the shops and eateries in Kailua Village.

My first impression upon arrival was that resort looked a little tired, but then again so am I as I creep up in age. I quickly fell in love with this open air resort. It's as if we stepped back in time and I expected Elvis to show up at any moment. We got an anniversary surprise when we checked in. The staff bumped us up to an ocean front room.  Woo hoo! Welcome to Hawai'i!

The room had a Polynesian feel and we really loved it. In place of curtains were wooden sliding doors. The section dividing the room and bathroom was all wood including the hanging lamps. The sliding glass doors were adorned with sea themed stickers to alert birds or humans from flying or walking into them. The lanai (balcony) was exceptionally large. I had a hard time sleeping in; knowing it was waiting on me and my Kona coffee. The sound of the waves crashing on the lava rocks was peaceful and calming to the soul. The sunsets were spectacular. It's not every day you get to watch the sun go down on the Pacific. 

We look forward to returning in a couple of years and hope our little piece of Polynesian heaven never changes.

Shortbread Cookie

Sometimes there are tourist places that are just gimmicky and sell a less than great product. That is not so with the Honolulu Cookie Company.

I knew this was one of the places I wanted to visit while in Hawaii. They had ads in every brochure we picked up. The cookie base is short bread. Bill & I selected a few after sampling of course to have in the room as a snack. We enjoyed the many flavors of that buttery little pineapple cookie so much, we brought a couple of tins back to give away. 

One of the tins was for my office. I think they fell in love with them too, they are almost gone and they just got them Monday. 

Maui Wow Onion

Crispy, crunchy, sweet, salty, and loaded with Maui onion goodness. That's what these were. I love a good potato chip and you can't beat the entertaining story on the back of the bag. 

Mixed Plate

Bill and I recently adopted something our friends the Galassos' have been doing for quite some time. Splitting meals. Not only does it cut the cost of going out, but it also cuts the food intake and leftovers that sometimes never get eaten.

While in Hawaii, a mixed plate was a great option for us. It would usually be comprised of three different meats, two scoops of rice, and sides. The cost was in the range of $13 - $14. This particular mixed plate was one of the best we had. We found it in the most unlikely place too; The Honolulu Airport! We had some time to kill while waiting for our flight to Maui, so, we chowed down. We knew the place would be good because the line was filled with airport employees. Two other places we had mixed plates were CJs Deli & Diner and L&L Hawaiian Barbecue.

We grew to love the mixed plate option and will miss seeing it on the menus here on the Mainland.

The Journey

The road to Hana isn't about getting to the small town, it's about the journey. Along the way there are many places to explore and photo opportunities to be had. One stop had several food and souvenir vendors. It's hard to pass up a peek inside a place with a cute sign in the shape of a pineapple. 

The little cafe was loaded with several coffee options, small loaves of breads baked that morning, and a section of souvenirs just waiting to be purchased. The coconut pineapple loaf was calling our name.  The vendor included a plastic knife, napkins and a small brown bag to store our leftovers. Assuming one would have leftovers. The loaf was moist and topped with toasted coconut. It was the perfect treat in the middle of our journey on the road to Hana. 

Banyan Treats

When Bill and I decided that Maui was one of the Hawaiian Islands we would explore, we decided right away to visit  a couple from the East Cooper Fishing Club.  Len and Lisa Storey moved several years ago from Mt. Pleasant, to Maui. They own a business in Lahaina, Hawaii called Banyan Treats.  

The colorful store is located on a very busy corner right across the street from the Old Lahaina Courthouse and the largest banyan tree I've ever seen.  

Len and Lisa offer a variety of treats, which are displayed on a huge board in the shape of a banyan tree that they constructed together. I immediately zoned in on the cookies called Honi Kukis (kissed by Maui sunshine.) Banyan Treats is rated number four in the restaurant category on Trip Advisors and many of the reviews raved about the cookies and ice cream. Bill, of course, was all about checking out the coconut ice cream which is sometimes made with coconut pudding called haupi. Over the course of our trip we purchased six different kinds of cookies. My favorites were the Hawaiian Kiss and the Chocolate Coconut. They were chewy melt in your mouth delicious. I would show you a picture, but each time we bought them, they seemed to disappear. 

Thanks to Len, we will get to enjoy the cleverly named cookie Hawaiian Kiss one more time. He graciously gave us a pre-packaged mix to take home with us. 

Surfs Up

Tuesday and Wednesday we were alerted by the hotel that there were high surf advisories in effect. They urged the guest to stay out of the ocean. Surf's up dudes and dudettes! Grab your boards and head to the coast. We explored some of the beaches along the road to Hana after our bike ride. We learned later on that the monster waves could be found at a location called Jaws. If you're like me, anything called Jaws sounds scary. The surfers are towed out by jet skis and the spectators have to hike to a location on a hill.

It was exciting to watch as each surfer sat atop their boards waiting for the perfect wave.

Silverwords

The Silverwords plant is unique to Hawaii. The Hawaiians call this plant 'ahinahina', which means gray gray. I had been on the lookout for this rare gem since our arrival in Kona. There it was, on top of Haleakala in Maui. We were fortunate to see one in bloom. From what I've read, it is similar to a Century plant. It can live up to fifty years and reproduce once. So once it blooms and the seeds are dispersed, the plant dies.

The area around the Visitor's Center was covered in them. Since the sunrise was not visible as expected, I took my time enjoying this silver beauty.

The Road to Hana

The famous Road to Hana was spectacular. Waterfalls, beaches, beautiful views, winding roads, one lane bridges, bamboo forests and so much more. It takes a full day to go thirty miles. We had another beautiful day exploring Maui and learning about the Hawaiian culture.

Haleakala Sunrise

Monday, Bill & I were up when most of you were getting ready for work. We had an excursion with Maui Sunriders Bike Co to watch the sunrise on Haleakala Volcano then bike back down. Check in time at the bike shop was 3:15am and we were approximately an hour away. We arrive at the bike shop right on time and picked out our gear. The shop provided dirt bike helmets, wind breakers with pants and back packs loaded with bike locks.

The elevation was 7000 feet and the temperature was around 50 degrees. Thank goodness there was no wind at the top this morning. We were able to see a little sunrise, but still no orb. Once it got light out, our guide took us just outside the park to let us loose on the bikes. We were on single speed Trek bikes with disc breaks. That's all you need for this type of ride. It was all down hill except for one small incline. Bill used his map my fitness to clock our ride. At one point we were going around 32 miles an hour.

Now we have seen the sunrise and set on a volcano. We enjoyed the sunset more for many reasons.

Drums of the Pacific Lu'au

Friday night was Lu'au night. There are so many to choose from on the Island. Bill had heard that the Drums of the Pacific Lu'au had fire dancers and we wanted to see those. We had heard from several people that the authentic Hawaiian Lu'au to see was the Old Lahaina.  We even met one of the dancers at Local Boys Shaved Ice. We will check them out on the next trip. We were not disappointed in our two and half hour interactive show. They served a variety of food and the quality was great. It was not your ordinary dinner theater show food. It was the real deal. We highly recommend this wonderful Lu'au located just steps from the Pacific.

By Air and By Sea

Saturday we started our day with Air Maui. We weren't going to do this kind of excursion, but it was highly recommended by some friends. I'm glad we did. We saw a part of Hawaii that we would not of seen. Waterfalls, tallest cliffs in the world, and shores where pro surfers boat in to surf.

Saturday evening we took a sunset cruise with Teralani Cruises. We set sail at 3:30 with a thin little girl as our Captain. There was a crew of three running that huge catamaran and serving the guests. They did a fabulous job and we experienced a breathtaking sunset on the Pacific.

We're Hooked

Thanks to our local connection, we checked out Jamba Juice's acai bowls. Contrary to our presuppositions, Jamba Juice is more than just fruit smoothies. Bill & I shared a large acai bowl and it was the perfect size for both of us. It's our new favorite breakfast and we've decided Mt. Pleasant needs one.

Volcanoes National Park

B and C's Corner

This was our main excursion for the day. The Kilauea Volcano was approximately a 2.5 hour drive to the other side of the island. Like all of our adventures, there are side roads to explore.

The first beach was Kahalu Beach Park. This park was was filled with snorkerlers and we saw a sea turtle. We also had our first Hawaiian shaved ice of the trip.

We pulled off at a couple of scenic overlooks and continued on to Punaluu Black Sands Beach Park. The surf was rougher and the black sand was more like gravel. It was pretty hot too. We saw several more sea turtles sunning themselves.

Once we arrived at Volcanos National Park, we headed to the Visitor's Center. From there we took a short trail to the sulfur vents. We crossed the road and there it was. This huge crater with smoke coming out of it. What a site to see!  Our first peak into the top of a volcano. We continued on the loop that was lush with vegetation. We really needed to pay attention on the trail. While walking we discovered many more vents, some the size of a hub cap, on either side of the narrow path.

We had a couple of hours before dark so we checked out the town of Volcano. We use Yelp & Trip Advisor to help us find places with good eats. The pickings were slim but found Cafe Ohia. The menu was sandwiches or dinner plates for $8.75. We chose the pork plate with gravy, rice and potato salad. This little gem of a cafe housed someone who just liked to cook.

After our late lunch / early supper, we headed back to park and made our way to the Jagger Museum where we waited for the sun to go down. As it did, we watched Kilauea change colors. Seeing that glow change from a light pink to a bright red/orange was the highlight of the day.

Life on an Island

I would love to see more stores do away with disposable bags. We were caught off guard when we made our purchase at Target. It seems that just about every store on The Big Island had the same policy.

Local Good Eats

Want to know where the locals eat. Just hook up with a local running community. Bill & I discovered The Big Island Running Company. They had a local run Tuesday at 5pm with several distance groups to choose from. We decided on the 5k. After the run we got the scoop on cheap eats in the area. One place was located right behind the store. It was a sports bar called Oceans. They were having Taco Tuesday. Being the taco connoisseurs we are, we couldn't turn that down. So tacos it was, and they were yummy, considering it was a sports bar.

Post Work-Out Breakfast

After our tough work out at the pier, we stopped in at Island Lava Java. We both ordered the half papaya, yogurt topped with house made granola. We had a front row seat to the bay. While we enjoyed our breakfast, we were entertained by a ukulele player. This place not only had good food, they also served up a good cup of Kona Coffee.

The surprise moment

Tuesday was hang out day. We started our day off with a swim at the famous Kailua-Kona pier. This is the start and finish of the Triathlon World Championships. We always knew the water was crystal clear, because we had watched the race many times on TV.  What we didn't realize was they started over a reef! The view was breath taking. The sea life was incredible. If only we could practice our swims here everyday.

Flying High Tech

What is one to do on a ten hour flight? Sleep was the plan. That option went out the window after discovering this high tech touch screen in front of me. It even controlled the overhead light & showed us our location. The pleasures of being on B767- 400. 

Actually I'm jealous; Bill could sleep. My head just bobbed for about forty-five minutes. Guess  who will be the first one to sleep tonight? So two movies, one Ironman documentary and loads of music later, we are almost there.

Aloha!

The long awaited 25th Anniversary trip is just days away. Since I turned fifty this year, It's only fitting that we are traveling to the fiftieth state. I will be posting about our adventure here on my old/newly revised blog. I hope you enjoy.

Mele Kalikimaka! Oops, I mean - A hui kaua - Until we meet again!

Flower Fan

When you need to replace the fan blades on your ceiling fan, you can do a little updating too. We had some leftover spray paint and thanks to my creative husband, ta -da, we now have a flower fan. It's a perfect design for our screen porch, a.k.a The Mermaid Lounge.

You know when...

You know you're knocking on falls door when these show up in Trader Joe's. I'm not a fan of fall and winter, but I'm fan of all things pumpkin. If you have a Trader Joe's, hurry up and get your bars they go fast. Oh wait, I forgot to tell you, I bought them all. 

My Big Little Sister

My big little sister, not big in size, just taller than me went home this week. The old saying that "time flies" and "all good things come to an end" rang loud Monday morning. As I drove her to the airport, I contemplated a kidnapping, however, the wrath of my brother-in-law came to my mind. He's bigger and badder than me, so I kept the course. 

Departures are never easy for us, especially the older we get.  We never know what tomorrow will bring. So for now, I hold onto the memories. 

As I dropped her off & through  tearful eyes, I could see for one last time my big little sister, with a big suitcase and huge smile turn and wave. A piece of my heart departed this week. Thank you Sissy, I'll keep the note forever. 

Big Year

This year is a big year for me. I turned the BIG FIVE - O.  I'm also celebrating my 25th wedding anniversary. In a couple of weeks, my hunk and I are going on an adventure. This is where I'll be posting all the details. Well, it's an anniversary adventure so I won't be posting the dreamy steamy stuff. Stay tuned.