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.