Big Island Finale + Oahu Debut
Wednesday 1/23: Waipi'o Valley Road Trip
Short Zumba workout in the room for me followed by beachfront yoga class again. Then we hit the road to try out the new Starbucks during its grand opening to begin our road trip up to the north eastern part of the Big Island. Destination = Waipi'o Valley. Our outbound route took us up along the coast, following 19 north and east until we met up with 240 to head west.
We found a parking spot along the road near the trail down to the valley floor. Before tackling the very steep 25% grade route, we enjoyed the panoramic views from the lookout point at the top of the cliffs.
The path downwards is a paved road but only accessible with 4-wheel-drive vehicles due to the steep incline and bumpy conditions. At the bottom, we started with a quick walk to the left that led us to a horse encounter and a view of an impressive waterfall. We then headed back along the road and took the right branch of the fork that leads to the beach. Despite the rather rough surf and swells, several swimmers and surfers were out in the water.
The ascent was quite challenging and sweat-inducing, regardless of what our Lonely Planet guide claimed!!! By the time we got back to the top, we were both rather moist. I'm glad that the path was mostly shaded and that the temperature wasn't too hot, or the climb would have been miserable! I changed clothes in the car, and we stopped at nearby Honoka'a Country Market for lunch. Great service from the cashier but disappointing sandwiches when the kitchen staff promised dijon mustard but instead delivered massive amounts of dijonnaise. Not. The. Same. Thing. Arrgh!!! We used napkins from the car to wipe off as much of the offensive substance as possible and agreed that future orders should just always indicate sauce-on-the-side, no matter what.
We took a different return route to Kona, following 190 across the middle of the plains, and that led us directly back to the hotel when the route becomes Palani Road as it meets up with Kailua Kona. A final dinner at Honu's and then packing up to prepare for our departure tomorrow.
Thursday 1/24: KOA > HNL
I had a final morning of room Zumba and beachfront yoga before we finished up the packing and headed off to Starbucks again for breakfast on our way to the airport. Some of our meal was DIY to finish up the awesome huge local avocado we had bought a few days ago at Greenwell Farms, along with the orange for Mr. E's cocktails and the wheat thins from ABC.
At the airport, we had no problems this time around with the rental car return or checking in for our flight (unlike what we experienced six years ago when long, slow lines caused us to miss our flight...). However, we did have an unexpected and unwelcome fee for our checked bags. *sigh* Another strike against Hawaiian Airlines, and Mr. E will need to contact United for some sort of compensation.
The flight from Kona to Honolulu was quick and on time, and we had arranged for the local Charley Taxi service to pick us up and take us to our hotel, The Laylow, which is part of the Marriott family of hotels. We arrived around 1:30pm, so our room wasn't ready yet since the official check-in time is 3pm. With our bags safely left at the front desk, we sought out lunch at the awesome new Duke's Lane Market & Eatery next door, which contains several different eateries along with a rather upscale ABC Store, so we can continue to accrue points for our purchases towards special gifts. Nice!
We then spent some time browsing at the next-door Nordstrom Rack before returning to the hotel just after 3pm. Room still not ready. Boo. And no ETA or explanation. We whiled away a bit more time on the open-air terrace near the hotel bar and restaurant, and then Mr. E took up the late room issue with the Front Desk Manager, who finally explained that the previous guests had taken advantage of a late check-out, which is why the room wasn't yet cleaned and ready for our arrival. She offered us a $50 credit for the inconvenience, and we also received two $15 food coupons per day along with an additional one-time $10 food and beverage credit thanks to Mr. E's status with Marriott. Very useful to help keep our food costs lower, for sure.
When we finally got into our corner room on the 16th floor, we admired the amazing views of the ocean, fronted by the iconic pink Royal Hawaiian Hotel, along with the unmistakable Diamond Head silhouette.
The room has two lanai, providing a lovely cross-breeze when we open the sliding doors. We unpacked and got settled, and then Mr. E did a short workout before we grabbed Happy Hour drinks at the bar and came back upstairs to try to catch the sunset from our room. Just missed it. Oops!!! We still enjoyed our drinks on the lanai along with the music from the nightly 6:30pm hula show at the International Marketplace, which is just below and behind our hotel.
We spent time reviewing some of our tourist info and the Lonely Planet guide to make plans for the next few days, including a reservation with Hawai'i Nautical for a "guaranteed honu" snorkel lunch cruise on Sunday. We did this same activity two years ago and had a great time, and as repeat guests, we even got a 20% discount on the price. Sweet!
For dinner, we headed down to the hotel restaurant, Hideout, to use our daily vouchers. Manchego and veggie flatbread for me, and Piggy Marley burger for Mr. E. Yum! Very filling on both counts! Then we finished up the day as usual with wine and TV in the room.
Short Zumba workout in the room for me followed by beachfront yoga class again. Then we hit the road to try out the new Starbucks during its grand opening to begin our road trip up to the north eastern part of the Big Island. Destination = Waipi'o Valley. Our outbound route took us up along the coast, following 19 north and east until we met up with 240 to head west.
We found a parking spot along the road near the trail down to the valley floor. Before tackling the very steep 25% grade route, we enjoyed the panoramic views from the lookout point at the top of the cliffs.
The path downwards is a paved road but only accessible with 4-wheel-drive vehicles due to the steep incline and bumpy conditions. At the bottom, we started with a quick walk to the left that led us to a horse encounter and a view of an impressive waterfall. We then headed back along the road and took the right branch of the fork that leads to the beach. Despite the rather rough surf and swells, several swimmers and surfers were out in the water.
The ascent was quite challenging and sweat-inducing, regardless of what our Lonely Planet guide claimed!!! By the time we got back to the top, we were both rather moist. I'm glad that the path was mostly shaded and that the temperature wasn't too hot, or the climb would have been miserable! I changed clothes in the car, and we stopped at nearby Honoka'a Country Market for lunch. Great service from the cashier but disappointing sandwiches when the kitchen staff promised dijon mustard but instead delivered massive amounts of dijonnaise. Not. The. Same. Thing. Arrgh!!! We used napkins from the car to wipe off as much of the offensive substance as possible and agreed that future orders should just always indicate sauce-on-the-side, no matter what.
We took a different return route to Kona, following 190 across the middle of the plains, and that led us directly back to the hotel when the route becomes Palani Road as it meets up with Kailua Kona. A final dinner at Honu's and then packing up to prepare for our departure tomorrow.
Thursday 1/24: KOA > HNL
I had a final morning of room Zumba and beachfront yoga before we finished up the packing and headed off to Starbucks again for breakfast on our way to the airport. Some of our meal was DIY to finish up the awesome huge local avocado we had bought a few days ago at Greenwell Farms, along with the orange for Mr. E's cocktails and the wheat thins from ABC.
At the airport, we had no problems this time around with the rental car return or checking in for our flight (unlike what we experienced six years ago when long, slow lines caused us to miss our flight...). However, we did have an unexpected and unwelcome fee for our checked bags. *sigh* Another strike against Hawaiian Airlines, and Mr. E will need to contact United for some sort of compensation.
The flight from Kona to Honolulu was quick and on time, and we had arranged for the local Charley Taxi service to pick us up and take us to our hotel, The Laylow, which is part of the Marriott family of hotels. We arrived around 1:30pm, so our room wasn't ready yet since the official check-in time is 3pm. With our bags safely left at the front desk, we sought out lunch at the awesome new Duke's Lane Market & Eatery next door, which contains several different eateries along with a rather upscale ABC Store, so we can continue to accrue points for our purchases towards special gifts. Nice!
We then spent some time browsing at the next-door Nordstrom Rack before returning to the hotel just after 3pm. Room still not ready. Boo. And no ETA or explanation. We whiled away a bit more time on the open-air terrace near the hotel bar and restaurant, and then Mr. E took up the late room issue with the Front Desk Manager, who finally explained that the previous guests had taken advantage of a late check-out, which is why the room wasn't yet cleaned and ready for our arrival. She offered us a $50 credit for the inconvenience, and we also received two $15 food coupons per day along with an additional one-time $10 food and beverage credit thanks to Mr. E's status with Marriott. Very useful to help keep our food costs lower, for sure.
When we finally got into our corner room on the 16th floor, we admired the amazing views of the ocean, fronted by the iconic pink Royal Hawaiian Hotel, along with the unmistakable Diamond Head silhouette.
We spent time reviewing some of our tourist info and the Lonely Planet guide to make plans for the next few days, including a reservation with Hawai'i Nautical for a "guaranteed honu" snorkel lunch cruise on Sunday. We did this same activity two years ago and had a great time, and as repeat guests, we even got a 20% discount on the price. Sweet!
For dinner, we headed down to the hotel restaurant, Hideout, to use our daily vouchers. Manchego and veggie flatbread for me, and Piggy Marley burger for Mr. E. Yum! Very filling on both counts! Then we finished up the day as usual with wine and TV in the room.
posted by jms | 5:54 PM
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