JEMS Return to Big Island: Day 5 (End of Trip)

Thursday, September 7: KOA > HNL > SMF

We had one final lovely breakfast on our oceanfront lanai, using up as much of our groceries as possible, before heading to the airport around 10:30am for our noon departure. With a quick rental car return, we had to figure out how to spend our wait time at the Kona airport, which just doesn't offer much in the way of amenities or activities! We managed to get a row to ourselves for the short flight to Honolulu but weren't as fortunate for our connecting flight home to Sac. But overall, travel was smooth and on time, and we were home with the kitties just before midnight.

Our next island adventure will be Oahu for post-Christmas and New Year's Eve. Looking forward to it!

A final snacks and sunset photo to remember the trip...

JEMS Return to Big Island: Day 4

Wednesday, September 6: Hulihe'e Palace, Mamalahoa Hot Tub & Massage, Final Sunset

Another leisurely morning with breakfast on the lanai, again with our amazing oceanfront view and entertainment provided by surfers and folks in the saltwater pool playing with the waves. 

Each day when I got up, I went for a short walk and often explored the different Shoreline Access points that are available to the public in between private properties. This morning, I was a little too close to the water while climbing on some rocks to admire the view and got caught by a wave. Oops. Good thing our cavern hike was yesterday or I would have had very soggy socks and shoes for that adventure!

This morning's destination was Hulihe'e Palace, just a short drive north along Ali'i Drive. We lucked out with a free parking spot on the street to avoid paying the $14 (!) for a public lot. We opted for the self-guided tour of the palace and really enjoyed exploring the two floors and examining all of the objects that denote much of the history of the building and the culture. The site itself is right on the coast, and with all of the windows and doors open, the tropical breeze was quite strong and kept the indoor temperature relatively comfortable, especially since there was a bit of cloud cover.

We had time for a snack and some joint reading time at our hotel before heading to our afternoon appointment at Mamalahoa Hot Tubs & Massage. Our package started out with 30 minutes in a private hot tub for two followed by a 60 minute couple's massage in a lovely outdoor partially covered terrace. The location was quite hidden off a side road with lots of beautiful foliage and landscaping, making it feel very peaceful and tranquil.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at Discovery Antiques to browse and then at Safeway to pick up some fish for our final grilled dinner. Our last sunset with snacks and beverages was the most stunning of all thanks to the continued cloud cover that provided an amazing canvas for the brilliant streaks and patches of color that evolved over time from soft gold to orange to bright pink to crimson and finally to indigo. Stunning!

We did our best to finish up our veges and greens and frozen treats and anything else that we couldn't take along on our return home. I wish we had one more day to stay!!!

JEMS Return to Big Island: Day 3

Tuesday, September 5: Kula Kai Caverns, South Point, Sunset

We didn't have to head out as early this morning, so we had plenty of time to enjoy breakfast out on the lanai with the amazing ocean view.

Our destination today was the Kula Kai Caverns for the "short tour" of the lava tubes. Two other couples (from Germany and the Netherlands) were part of our tour, and they continued on for the "long tour" with our guide, Bryan, to do some crawling through the lava tubes. Maybe next time? We really enjoyed the shorter version, learning so much about the geologic formation of the tubes and admiring the rock and mineral formations inside the lava tube along with the spindly roots of the ohia trees that stretch down through the lava as they regrow on top of the lava field.

Since we were already pretty far south along the western coast of the island, we decided to head to South Point for the awesome panoramic view at the southernmost tip of the United States. We made a brief stop at Miranda Farms Coffee for provisions (Mr. E got lunch from the food truck) and then continued the drive. Very windy at this rocky promontory, and the view was just as amazing as we remembered from our previous visit.

By the time we drove back to our hotel, we were just in time for a quick swim before claiming a spot on the lawn to watch the sunset and enjoy some evening snacks and drinks.

Dinner was salads topped by the leftover fish for me and roasted chicken for Mr. E. Then some reading and some local news to wrap up the day.

JEMS Return to Big Island: Day 2

Monday, September 4: Snorkel, Shop, Lanai Time

Due to the time zone difference, I was up around 5:45am and went for a lovely early walk along Ali'i Drive, followed by my typical travel morning workout (Zumba + yoga). We had to leave by 8am so that we could arrive at Keauhou Bay for our 8:30am snorkel tour with Sea Paradise. 

This was a half-day tour that included light breakfast and lunch and snorkeling at two beautiful spots in Kealakekua Bay. One of the crew started off our snorkel adventure with a moving ritual to honor the sacred space, including Hawai'ian chants and distributing ti leaves for everyone to toss into the water as an offering. 

At the first stop, we were the only boat anchored near the harbor, so we had lots of space to spread out. The second stop was by the Captain Cook monument, and we had more company there but were still able to enjoy exploring. The water was pretty warm, but I'm very glad that I wore my wet suit and a long-sleeved rash guard for extra protection and insulation.

Our boat for the tour, the Hoku Nui, was definitely the nicest catamaran we've been on for any snorkel trip. One of the best features was the fresh water showers available at the back, right above each set of easy-access stairs into the water. So nice to be able to rinse the salt water off my wet suit right away!

After we returned to the hotel to shower and change, we decided to check out some of the shopping area along Ali'i Drive, and I was very excited to find the necklace that F had asked us to buy for his friend. Mission accomplished! We saw some fun cat toys at a pet store but decided that the kitties are most excited by their various mice so we didn't bring anything home for them.

We finished off our shopping trip with a return visit to Safeway to pick up some fresh fish to grill for dinner. Before preparing our meal, we had snacks and drinks out on the lanai and confirmed that unfortunately the other wing of the hotel blocked our direct view to the sunset. 

For dinner, Mr. E took on the protein responsibilities at one of the three grills available near the pool area, and I focused on cooking up some veges on the stove top. The mahi and ono were delicious with just simple seasonings, and we had enough left over to save for tomorrow night.

JEMS Return to Big Island: Day 1

Sunday, September 3: SMF > HNL > KOA

As part of my 50th birthday year, we planned a trip for April to the Big Island of Hawai'i, our first time back to this island since the "beforetimes." However, due to family stuff, we had to postpone and rescheduled for the week of the Labor Day holiday. Our flights on Southwest were excellent -- no delays and middle seats empty on both parts of the journey! We had to wait a little bit for our rental car at Hertz, but then our luck continued when we checked in to our hotel right around 1pm and learned that our room was ready even though we were early. Yay! 

On our previous visits, we stayed at the King Kamehameha Resort, but this time around we opted for the Aston Kona By The Sea, based on my positive experience with an Aston property in Waikiki last August. This is a condo hotel located a bit farther south on Ali'i Drive with amazing oceanfront views, including of the saltwater pool that I had discovered on our first trip to the Big Island back in 2013 and noted in our travel journal. What a coincidence!!! 

The condo was a two bedroom, two bath unit with a full kitchen, full-size appliances (including washer & dryer), tons of storage, and the most well-stocked kitchen of any vacation rental we've ever experienced, with lots of dishes, glasses, mugs, pots & pans, serving items, and a full-on spice rack (but no salt & pepper...!). [Note: I took these photos later in the week in the evening, which is why it's a bit dark and the condo looks rather "lived in."]

We both enjoyed the cozy and homey feel of the furnishings and decor, especially some of the art that featured photos of the property itself as well as two iconic island animals -- honu and manta ray.

After unpacking, we headed down the street to the Coconut Grove Marketplace and had lunch on the patio at Humpy's Big Island Alehouse, overlooking the ocean. We then drove along Ali'i Drive, reacquainting ourselves with the area. We decided to do a little shopping at Ross, and Mr. E found some awesome patterned bath towels, something that's been on our list for awhile. Then we checked out Island Naturals Market in the same shopping plaza and were able to procure some of the items on our grocery list for the week. But we still needed to make a stop at the new Safeway as well to finish off our stocking up, including some sushi and other items for a quick dinner. 

By the time we got back to the hotel and got organized, the sun was starting to set so we went down to the pool area to watch the first of several amazing sunsets. We walked over towards the saltwater pool and had a perfect view of the sinking sun in front of us and the partial rainbow on the clouds behind us. Welcome to Hawai'i! :-)

We ate dinner out on the lanai with the soundtrack of the ocean and waves and then wrapped up the evening at a reasonable time since we were still adjusting to the time zone difference. Aloha! So glad to be here!!!