Island Vacation Part 1 – Big Island

Vacation blues:

I’m sitting by the window with a cup of tea and thinking of my annual vacation already in the 1st quarter of the year. As I look through the window , I have only one question in mind- “Why lord? Why?” The winds gust over 40 miles, the tree branches fall apart and snow flakes start to fall. Oh wait, is there another storm on its way? More on top of what we already have? I don’t think I can handle it anymore. Just when I thought the snow will be melting and the blooms will start to appear, nature had something else instead, never ending snow. Just a few weeks or months ago, the same snowfall seemed so magical, but that magical feel is no longer there. It’s March! My heart cries for fresh leaves and gorgeous flowers. Will there be spring soon? All this freezing weather, makes me crave for a vacation.

Reliving hot days by flashbacks

Wish all the snow was clear blue ocean, the gusty winds were the calming waves, the naked trees were full of beautiful blossoms and the the palm trees standing tall looking up at the blue sky. This all sounds so dreamy and took me back in the moment when I was actually living the dream for 2 weeks. This was during my vacation in the most magical and gorgeous Hawaii.

Now I am again reliving that Hawaiian dream while I edit those photos and write this post for you all to enjoy.  I almost thought that it’s too late for me to post these photos, but had I posted them soon after my vacation, I wouldn’t have been able to relive those moments again when I most needed to; that is in March when winter just doesn’t seem to end.

Here Goes…

So last November my husband and I decided to travel to Hawaii for our annual anniversary vacation. And for the 1st time in so many years,my husband was on leave on our anniversary week, so it had to be special. I am one of those people, who believe that dates are secondary and the celebration can be on any day, anytime and anywhere if you are with your loved ones. However, celebrating something on that very day feels extra special for sure. 

The take off:

So we are in the plane so excited for our vacation, thinking about what we will do as soon as we land, making plans for our special anniversary dinner for the next day, nothing could go wrong. Well, seems I talked too soon. Our travel started with a few bumps. Imagine sitting in the plane, getting all comfortable, making anniversary dinner plans for the next day of our arrival; and suddenly you are asked to deboard! Don’t you just hate that? We had to wait for at least 2.5 hours before the airlines made a decision on the flight and the gate.

Well as always, that 2.5 hours turned to 4 hours before we boarded again. After a 10-hours long flight, we reached Oahu, where we of course missed our connection to Big Islands. The last connection of the night which was taking off in 30 minutes, had only 2 seats left, I couldn’t have felt any luckier. We finally made it to our vacation destination; the Big Islands.  At that point, I literately had no energy and all I needed was a bed to crash. 

Day 1; Anniversary  date

We were staying at the Marriott in Waikola beach, which is about 25-30 minutes drive from Kona. Once we reached the hotel, I remember we did not have our luggage yet, I just jumped on the bed and slept like a baby. The next morning, I woke up in the same clothes that I had been wearing for about 2 days now🙈. I felt kind of yukkie; oh but the view of the ocean from the room and the freshness in the air took away all my frustration and tiredness. It had even slipped my mind that it was our anniversary day.

First meal

The 1st meal we wanted to eat after getting the luggage was the Poke. And the bartender at the resort recommended Umekes restaurant. OMG, the poke there is absolutely amazing. So flavorful and delicious. Now that seemed like a good start for the trip 😊 After strolling on the streets, we had to be back to enjoy the most gorgeous sunsets in the area, which was from our beach resort at the Marriott. Its really the prettiest. There is something about the sun setting over the ocean changing the colors of the sky, it makes the whole scene so surreal and romantic. 

For dinner we decided to go over Beach Tree at Four Seasons Resort. And as the name says, it is like the cutest tree house at the beach with live music. Imagine eating the freshest seafood while watching the ocean waves and listening to live Hawaiian music, life couldn’t have gotten better. 

Shopping! Keauhou Bay Area

Before flying to Big Island, I had to visit a coffee farm and shop tons and tons of Kona coffee and Macadamia nuts for myself and to take back home for gifts. The Greenwell Farms is a beautiful coffee farm and have free tours for coffee. There is coffee available there to purchase, however if you looking for real Kona coffee at wholesale price, there you must shop from Emmerick at Capt. Cook Trading Company. This place is tiny and is at the back of the buildings but you cant get coffee for that price anywhere in the country. They even ship it. I also bought lots of Macadamia nuts and cacao nibs. OMG, I did get crazy shopping there, and who wouldn’t at whole sale price 🙈 

Saving places for next time.

In this area there is a great hike to the Captain Cook. So if you are  big on hiking, you should visit. We had full plans and made it there, it was then that we  realized we had forgotten our hiking shoes in the hotel room. What a bummer! But it was okay, it only meant there would be some things to do for the next time we visited. Instead we decided to enjoy more Hawaiian food. After all vacations are meant for eating and relaxing right? There is a very famous poke shack in the area called ‘ Da Poke Shack’. It was a must visit. We got the plate with quinoa and got 4 different spicy pokes. Super delicious! You could get the box and take it to the beach to enjoy fresh Hawaiin poke by the ocean. There’s nothing like it! 

If you are looking for a secluded and beautiful sunset at the black rocks and sand, then you gotta visit green sand beach. It’s a bit of a hike, since we reached very late, we just hiked 2 miles and watched the sunset near the black rocks. But it was absolutely mesmerizing and definitely worth the 2 miles. 

Hilo and Volcano National Park:

We decided to spend next 2 days seeing Hilo. It was about 1.5 -2 hour drive from the hotel, but the drive is gorgeous and we didn’t mind driving at all. You could stay there as well, but remember, its one of the rainiest cities in the world, so if you are okay hanging out in the misty and wet city, then you can avoid driving back and forth. 

Bucket list stuff

The most awaited places that was in my bucket list during my vacation was to see the active volcanos. I couldn’t imagine what I was about to experience. So there are 2 places you could see, Kilauea Volcanos – one from the Halema’uma’u crater from a distance, and second you could see the lava flowing very closely from the Puʻu ʻŌʻō vent. You could also do Helicopter tour, but this time we decided to experience up close. First we decided to go see the lava flowing. And stopped at the Rainbow Falls to soak in the beauty. There is a cute little eatery close to the falls and the lady sells flavored butter (lime, passion fruit, lychee, etc…) So you can stop on the way and grab the jars to bring home. They store well in your fridge. And this reminds me that I have to bake a Hawaiin pie with the butters I got. 

Kilauea Volcano

Finally we reached the base of the Kilauea Volcano where the most fascinating hike starts. Remember to bring tons of water because if its a hot day, there is no shade at all and imagine waking on the rocks close to hot molten lava. You also need to wear a proper hiking shoes which are meant for rocky terrain. And the most important thing that you would need would also be flash lights. As you would be heading back in the dark on the black rocks, so you definitely need flash light and if traveling in group, then every person including children need their own flash light. It does get really dark and hard to see. Give yourself 6-8 hours or even longer as its 6-8 mile long hike, and the lava flow changes on daily basis.

The 1st 2 miles is loose gravel and dirt road and you could rent a bike or pay for the car ride which would drop you after 1 mile and pick up up at the same place. That way you can save 2 miles going back and forth. The bicycles can go 2 miles until the hardened rock terrain starts. Its only after around 2 miles walking on the lava rocks, you’ll start noticing that the rocks are getting brittle and hotter, you’ll know you are not far from the lava. It gets little frustrating in the start, because you start getting tired and hot; but believe me as soon as you see that lava so close, it all seems so worth it. OMG! That is one of a lifetime experience. The lava watching is definitely thrilling and totally epic. Mother Nature is amazing. 

Other eruption watching points…

The other way to watch the volcano eruption is at the crater. The whole crater rim drive at the Volcano National Park is pretty amazing to drive. There are few view points to stop and enjoy the eruption. There are multiple steam vents and during the day it feels like smoke is coming out of the vents. But the best time to view the eruption is after sunset. The view from the Jaggar Museum is simply breath taking. If the sky is clear, which was in our case, you can see the sky glowing with the blood red color of the lava. Absolutely surreal. I could stand and watch the eruptions for hours. It does look beautiful than you can ever imagine.

Nahuku.

Thurston Lava Tube also known as Nahuku, is a quick trip from the crater rim drive, but totally worth it. The drive to the tube itself is so beautiful and green. As soon as you reach the tube, the parking is on the road side and there is about 15-20 minutes walk. But that walk is through the lush green forest just like a rain forest and you can hear so many birds chirping. It totally feels like a magical land. There is also Holei Sea Arch at the ocean if you keep driving pass that tube. But we didn’t see that, we don’t like to rush and do too much in one trip plus we had seen so much amazing scenery for one day, we just had to absorb that first. And like I said earlier, that there should be some things left to enjoy in your next visit 🙂

Back to Waikoloa Beach :

The last few days on the island we decided to just enjoy some Beach life, good food, short drives, and relaxation- in short, a typical island life 🙂 We did drive up to Mauna Kea visitor center. Mauna Kea is the dormant volcano and is the highest peak in the state of Hawaii. It felt pretty cool to actually drive from the sea level to 9200 ft above the sea level in just few hours.

The summit is at an even higher altitude which is about 14000 ft. However we didn’t drive to the summit because of the weather conditions as the road is very steep and some parts are loose gravel. Also at that high altitudes oxygen level is low so people with breathing issues or kids in general are not recommended. And you do need a 4×4 wheel drive if you do plan to go till the summit. Make sure you check the rental car agreement before you plan this trip. The views of the island is spectacular from above and its the best place for star gazing. We might try to drive up to summit on our next visit. 

Lava Lava Beach Club

Just 5 minute away from our resort was this stunning restaurant – Lava Lava Beach Club right at the ocean. It is extremely busy especially on a nice sunny day, but we decided to take a chance and go real early as soon as it opened, to get the proper table on the beach. And yesss we got successful 😊🙌🏼 Their salads and mai tais are pretty good. I just felt like everything tastes great if you sitting under the clear blue sky with sun shining, feet touching the sand and watching the ocean doing a wavy dance. 

And then came the last day at the island. Sad, happy and mixed feelings, we wanted to spend time at the beach and enjoy some good food close by. Decided to take a stroll at the Hapuna state park, which is one of the nicest beaches in the area. Walking on the white sand by the warm ocean water felt nothing like a dream. If you looking for some real beach time, this is the place to be at. And to end our trip, we decided to go to Ulu Ocean Grill at Four Seasons Resort. If you want to experience one of the most romantic Hawaiian setting, right along the ocean surf, eating the most freshest pacific flavors, then this restaurant will definitely be beyond your expectations. You would definitely want to reserve an early table to be right at the surf. It was definitely an impeccable evening and the last night at the island couldn’t have gotten any better. 

Mahalo for now!

The only thing I wished in this whole vacation there was that, the resort we stayed in had a nice restaurant. Its very sad to experience a great stay at a beautiful resort with no good restaurant. Other than that the whole trip was fabulous and I am definitely visiting this island again, to explore more hikes and the beautiful mother nature. Not to forget the coffee and the nut shopping woohoo!😜

Hope you enjoy all the imagery and hope you plan your Big Island trip soon. If you have already visited the island for a vacation and have some recommendation for my next travel, I would love to hear and make notes of. 

We took a very early morning flight to my favorite places/island in the entire country – Kauai this was to continue with the rest of our vacation. This island has so many memories that I want to share in a separate blog post. So stay tuned for Part 2 of this blog. Untill then Mahalo!!