Travel day! We had to be up before sunrise to get to SFO for our 9am flight. Flying economy plus United was fantastic as it was not a full flight and we got the whole row to ourselves.

We landed around noon local time and hung out for a bit in the very tropical airport for Niki and Dave to touch down. It’s a perfect temperature - between 70 and 80 degrees at all times and the humidity keeps it feeling warmer. After grabbing the car, we got some (second) \240lunch in Kona at a local place in a marina and headed to the hotel for check in. No ocean view rooms available but this place is huge and comfortable. I wanted to see the first sunset and it was delightful! Cody’s flip flop broke in transit, so we popped into the Walmart to get some new ones and supplies. It rained on us on the way home and I am reminded how much I enjoy a tropical nighttime rain.

Sunday aka Day 2!

We enjoyed a relaxing morning before heading out for a quick road trip down south towards the Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park. We walked around a bit and enjoyed the beautiful landscape. We also stopped at the Painted Church, which was empty and beautiful. For lunch we headed back north and stopped at a place right on the water and ate more fish! Lots of locals were attempting the waves.

In the afternoon we swam at the hotel pool, which is great! The “no horse play” pool is calm and quiet and has stunning views of the ocean. For dinner we grabbed some stuff from the store and Niki’s friend from college who lives here part time joined us for a simple but tasty meal (she brought the mai tai’s!)

Monday Day 3: overcast but beautiful

We had a slow morning but eventually decided to start moving after a quick morning swim in the nice pool downstairs. The goal for the day: swim in the ocean.

By the time we left, it was lunch time and we headed north from Kona to the lava lava beach club which had incredible views and so so food. But going to the beach with a full stomach was the most important. We decided on Manini'owali Beach (Kua Bay) and it was pretty perfect. No shade, but I stayed protected and the UV rating was low. The waves were super intense and at one point me and the boogie board went a little too far out…but the water was warm and it was overall very nice to just chill and read by the ocean and take the occasional dip. Lots of tiny cute birds.

On the way home we stopped at Costco for a few more supplies (I love Costco) and made a simple dinner when we returned. The beach wore us all out!

Tuesday Day 4

Today was a choose your own adventure kind of day. Niki stayed by the pool, Cody and I went for a walk and eventually met up with Dave. I got to eat clam chowder out of a clam bowl. We got 7 miles in total in and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. We had a nice healthy dinner and went to bed! It was warm out and I stayed sun burn free!

Day 5: another beach day!

With a storm brewing we decided to stay on this side of the island and not face the flash flood warning. We started with a little thrift shopping (I got a new tee shirt) and the hit up Kona Brewing for lunch (fish tacos!!).

Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area ended up being a perfect choice for a beach day. The water was perfect and it wasn’t too crowded. I managed to retain my streak of no sun burn via some intense covering up.

We came back and had an easy dinner at the condo and relaxed. A great day!

Thursday was our planned rainy day. Niki and Dave decided to go see a movie, but I was determined to get Da Poke House so we went for a rainy walk instead. The other side of the island got pummeled (2+ inches of rain) but our side just got a light sprinkle.

It was a lovely walk and the Poke was amazing! We stopped in a little outdoor market for a shaved ice and some fruit and enjoyed watching the locals interact.

After we got back we swam a bit in the pool which was freezing at first but eventually felt great. I wanted to go in the hot tub but it was jam packed and I didn’t want to make new friends that badly…

For dinner we wanted to check out the neighboring hotel that had live music but the wait was insane so we went to a different place that was much more chill. The sunset was amazing! We saw a rainbow! Mahalo 🌺🌴🍹🍍

P.S. everything has pineapple in it but so far so good with avoiding it!!!

Today was our big road trip day! We made the trek across the island to the Volcano National Park. No active lava flow but it was neat to see. We spent about an hour and a half wandering around and people watching the tourists that were clearly on an expedition from the cruise ships that only dock on this side of the island…

We got a late lunch in Hilo and swung by a waterfall before heading back! It was really interesting to see the other side of the island which is so geographically different from Kona.

Cody and I got in one last quick dip in the pool and went out for a quick and easy sushi dinner. It was a great last day!

Travel day home! We made it! An easy and delightfully relaxing vacation. I ate fish every day, sometimes twice a day. The sunsets were amazing and it felt so good to be in the water that much. No sun burns! Packed appropriately.