This year I really wanted experiences in place of “things” for Christmas – both giving and receiving. Mom felt the same way, so in lieu of gifts she decided to book us flights to Kona. She found a hot deal, and who needs more stuff, when you can have an amazing experience? (Yes, I do recognize the fact that I am a very lucky young lady!) It was a quick trip, but in all honesty, it made it that much more relaxing.
Day 1:
We flew out early, and landed in Hawaii by noon. Leaving earlier gave us the opportunity to get some true “vacation time” on our travel day. Once we landed, we headed to the rental car lot to grab our car. Side note – we are convinced that they stick all tourists in bright colored Jeep Wranglers so we are easily recognizable. Not a bad idea when you give my mother a set of wheels, full insurance coverage, and tell her “if you wreck this thing you can just walk away”. Anyway… I recommend renting a car on most vacations, but especially so in Hawaii. It makes it quick and easy to get around, and a necessity if you plan on any adventures (hard pass on the tour buses).
Once we had our car and were on the way to the condo, we found a spot that looked tasty, and it was right on the water, so we pulled in. Huggos On the Rocks didn’t disappoint, and we enjoyed a refreshing margarita, some nachos, and split a burger, all while soaking in the ocean view.
After lunch we finished our little drive to the the condo. We opted for a condo versus a hotel or resort because: the price was right, we wanted to be able to cook some of our own food, and we had no intentions of lounging around a resort or hotel. Over the years, and many trips, mom and I have fine-tuned our vacation experiences. We prefer getting out and experiencing the culture, versus spending time chained to a resort or hotel. The condo property was right on the beach (although our specific condo was on the opposite side of the street), so we had the option to have coffee on the beach, and lounge if we so chose. Win-win.
The only planning I did prior to leaving, was scheduling massages for that evening. Massages are my favorite form of relaxation, and there is nothing better than a massage after a long flight. We scheduled our massages at the Lotus Center, which was just down the road. The massages were great, and an hour and a half later once we were relaxed and zen, we headed to Target to get some food and snacks for the trip. This ended up being one of our best decisions. We could make a quick breakfast (neither of us are big, regular breakfast eaters), and pack a lunch and water for the day. It saved money and time, plus it was one less thing to worry about.
Day 2:
I woke up early and headed back to the Lotus Center for a sunrise yoga class on the beach (I booked this ahead of time when I scheduled our massages). This was a one-on-one class, and one of the highlights of my trip. It was challenging, rejuvenating, and one of the most peaceful experiences of my life. My yoga instructor was a huge part in making this such a great experience; while you can book a class through the Lotus Center, she also owns Big Eye Yoga, so you can drop in on one of her classes or schedule a session directly with her.
After yoga, we hopped in the car and headed to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We rarely take tours these days, we research the adventures we want to go on, and play our own tour guide. We’ve found it to be more fun, flexible, and more of an experience. Plus, there is a cost-savings when you go on your own versus in a tour group, and the money you save can be spent on more adventures. This particular day was a bit rainy and drizzly, but hey, you’re in Hawaii, who cares?! (PS, this is the one of the few places where even rain feels magical.) I found some articles prior to planning our “outdoorsy” adventure, and read that the Kilauea Iki hike was the hike to do if you had a limited amount of time on the Island. Looking back, I am not sure I agree that it is the best that the Island has to offer as far as hikes and scenery go, but it was interesting to walk through a volcano crater and it did feel good to be outside getting some exercise. In my mind I was anticipating a more jungly, green, animal-infused hike, regardless, it was pretty fascinating.
Once we were done with our hike, we cranked the heater, and headed toward Hilo. We packed a change of clothes and some overnight necessities, because our plan was to spend a night on the other side of the Island. (Mom and I also do this quite a bit on vacation – we choose an affordable “home base” hotel/condo, which gives us freedom to adventure and stay elsewhere.) As we were driving to Hilo, we saw a sign for the Pana’ewa Zoo. Yep, you guessed it. We made a quick turn in. I’m so glad we did! This zoo really is awesome. Our favorite was probably the big cats. These beauties put on a show for us and loped around, wrestled, and did cute, cat-like things. If it weren’t for the teeth and claws, I’d have tried to take one home.
After thoroughly exploring the zoo and animals, we kept on driving. We drove along the Hilo beachfront, and were enjoying ourselves so much… we kept on driving (seriously we sound like Forest Gump and his run across the U.S.A.). When something looked interesting, we pulled off the road and explored. I loved this because there is something beautiful about freedom and no schedule. But, before long it was getting dark.
And we were getting hungry.
And we had no hotel prospects.
But we did find ourselves in a little town on the northern part of the Island. We realized we were only an hour or so from the condo, so we grabbed some Filipino street food, and, you guessed it, kept driving… We made it back to the condo safe and sound, and quickly snuggled down for the night. I mean, we’d just driven around the entire Island! (Sort of accidentally…)
Day 3:
We woke up and headed across the street to enjoy some coffee and the sunrise on the beach. I don’t think I need to elaborate on this, except: peaceful and relaxing! I loved this treat each morning. We headed back to the condo and got our things together, and headed down the road to the beach Magic Sands Beach Park. We lounged here for a while and enjoyed the beautiful sand and ocean. This was a pretty busy beach, so we didn’t stay all day. Don’t head to this beach if you’re looking for an ultra quiet experience! After the beach we headed into town to do some shopping, and had lunch at the Kona Inn Restaurant. I loved this restaurant. Not only is it right on the water, and the food is good, but it has a great history. Mom and I both spent some time walking around looking at the old pictures. Once we’d had our fill at lunch, we went the condo’s beach and relaxed. I read, found some turtles, and mom sunbathed.
That night we headed out to try and find a luau. We had heard there was one close by (but really didn’t do much research or planning, it wasn’t a huge priority for us), so we set off to find it. Well, we didn’t find the luau… but we did find a bar (shocking). So we settled in and had some drinks and poke nachos (life-changing!). We chatted with a couple sitting by us, and generally just enjoyed the evening. It was low key and tasty, and completely part of our vacation vibe.
Day 4:
I didn’t get enough of the yoga, so I scheduled another morning of sunrise beach yoga. Same instructor, same place, another excellent experience. I can’t emphasize enough how much I recommend this if you’re looking for an opportunity to recenter and get some physical activity in. I finished up my yoga class, and went back to the condo’s beach to drink coffee, soak in the sunrise, and reflect in my journal. From there, we got our lunch and supplies together, and headed to Kona Boys Rental to do some paddle boarding! This was another highlight from my trip. I had never paddle boarded, but it was on my bucket list. What better place to start paddle boarding that in the ocean, in Hawaii, and, oh, yeah, there was a pod of dolphins swimming around us. AMAZING! Mom opted to kayak, and both of us had a great time. Well, except the part when the wind kicked up and I was getting a little too close to the rocks (cue nervous laughter). Good thing I’ve got the muscle! I guess my recommendation here would be to pay attention, and take precautions! I probably wouldn’t paddle board with kids (unless you stay only in the bay), but kayaking seemed a little easier.
Our last night in Kona, and we opted to have dinner at Kona Inn Restaurant again (I told you I loved it!). We had a great dinner, shared a bottle of wine, and got to watch the sunset over the water. A perfect ending to a great trip.
Day 5:
We took our time waking up, and I headed to the beach across the street to enjoy one last sunrise. There is something so peaceful about sitting with your bum in the sand, listening to the waves, and watching the sun rise… Once I had soaked in all the peace and calming, we packed up and headed to the airport. We had a long day of flying home! The flights really weren’t too bad, and I had the chance to make some progress on my current book Wuthering Heights, so for all intensive purposes I was pretty content!
As I write this, I wish I was back! But it was a perfect trip, at the right time. I’m so thankful that I am able to take these trips with my mom, and that we’re able to create memories versus collect more stuff.
I hope this was helpful, I know I am looking forward to going back and exploring some of the other islands! If you have visited any of the islands and have tips, tricks, or recommendations, drop those in the comments below!
Now, get out and adventure! Cheers.
Beer in a Martini World 