Nice morning! What else can I say about paradise? Birds were singing, a slight chill in the air, and we were completely rested.
We got up and went downstairs for our morning breakfast. Wendi already had our fruit basket, coffee and juices laid out for us. Our hot omelet this morning was filled with mushrooms, bell pepper, eggs, sausage, and cheese. Yum! A great way to start the day!
Today will be our last day on the Big Island. So, we are trying to cram as much as possible in it. Wendi told us that our checkout time would be whenever we had to leave to get to the airport so we could leave our luggage here.
We started our day by going to arguably the prettiest beach on the island, Hapuna Beach State Park. The turquoise waters with big breakers splashing onto a finely grained sand beach. Exactly what you picture the perfect beach to be like. Sharon ‘frolicked’ in the water with a huge smile on her face.
We then drove over to Pu’ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site. We took the short walk listening to a man chanting in Hawaiian and wondering what the ruins looked like back in 1790. We were walking the path along the water’s edge when we noticed some whales out in the bay! I guess this place was well-named since Pu’ukoholā means ‘Hill of the Whale.’ The site was very informative about early Hawaiian life.
Well, time to head back to the B&B to pick up our stuff. No one was home when we got there so we didn’t say another good-bye to them. We headed out to the airport, turned our rental car in, and got in line to go through security.
Of course, the TSA man, who was looking at our IDs, was making small talk to everyone but when he got to us, he actually paused and said he knew were Richmond was because his brother lives in Rosenberg. Gee. Small world.
Again, Sharon was amazed that the airports have no roof, walls, or windows. We sat down and had a very expensive sandwich before we headed to our gate (not much more than 70 feet away). Sharon made me take a picture of her in front of some statues to prove that the airport really didn’t have any roof!
After a short flight to Honolulu… Well, first off, let me say that Wendi provided us with peanuts, dried bananas, and chocolate covered coffee beans to tide us over on this long and arduous 45 minute flight. When the airplane neared O’ahu, we got to see Diamond Head, Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, Pearl City, and a wonderful view of the cloud covered Ko’olau Mountains! We arrived at the baggage claim just as our bags were appearing. Nice! Headed over to the rental agency and the folks were super nice there! On the bus ride to Enterprise, we met some ladies who were staying on another island and just spent a day on O’ahu. Something for us to think about if we ever come back again.
Anyway, the Enterprise people were great. They handed us some bottled water (and I really needed it!) and gave us a choice of two different cars.
We took the Nimitz to get to our hotel and the drive was really easy. Sharon was in culture shock! Big city! Lots of traffic! In just 4 short days, she had completely adapted to the Aloha culture of the Big Island!
Our arrival at the Hilton was another big shock for Sharon. The Hawaiian Village is a city all by itself. Pools, beach, shops, concierge, and restaurants/bar all over. We got personalized check-in service at the Ali’i Tower and were in our room in a matter of minutes. After a quick freshening up period, we headed out to see this resort.
At supper time, we were back at the Ali’I and decided to try out the Tiki Bar and Grill. Sharon and I tried out a Blue Hawaii and a Mai Tai. For our meal, Sharon had some excellent suishi grade ahi tuna while I tripped out over the awesome fish and chips!
We stopped over at the local ABC (a convenience store, not an alcohol store – well, they did sell beer and wine) and picked up cheese and crackers. We sat our on our private lanai and watched the luau that was on top of the building across the street. Great night!
We got up and went downstairs for our morning breakfast. Wendi already had our fruit basket, coffee and juices laid out for us. Our hot omelet this morning was filled with mushrooms, bell pepper, eggs, sausage, and cheese. Yum! A great way to start the day!
Today will be our last day on the Big Island. So, we are trying to cram as much as possible in it. Wendi told us that our checkout time would be whenever we had to leave to get to the airport so we could leave our luggage here.
We started our day by going to arguably the prettiest beach on the island, Hapuna Beach State Park. The turquoise waters with big breakers splashing onto a finely grained sand beach. Exactly what you picture the perfect beach to be like. Sharon ‘frolicked’ in the water with a huge smile on her face.
We then drove over to Pu’ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site. We took the short walk listening to a man chanting in Hawaiian and wondering what the ruins looked like back in 1790. We were walking the path along the water’s edge when we noticed some whales out in the bay! I guess this place was well-named since Pu’ukoholā means ‘Hill of the Whale.’ The site was very informative about early Hawaiian life.
Well, time to head back to the B&B to pick up our stuff. No one was home when we got there so we didn’t say another good-bye to them. We headed out to the airport, turned our rental car in, and got in line to go through security.
Of course, the TSA man, who was looking at our IDs, was making small talk to everyone but when he got to us, he actually paused and said he knew were Richmond was because his brother lives in Rosenberg. Gee. Small world.
Again, Sharon was amazed that the airports have no roof, walls, or windows. We sat down and had a very expensive sandwich before we headed to our gate (not much more than 70 feet away). Sharon made me take a picture of her in front of some statues to prove that the airport really didn’t have any roof!
After a short flight to Honolulu… Well, first off, let me say that Wendi provided us with peanuts, dried bananas, and chocolate covered coffee beans to tide us over on this long and arduous 45 minute flight. When the airplane neared O’ahu, we got to see Diamond Head, Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, Pearl City, and a wonderful view of the cloud covered Ko’olau Mountains! We arrived at the baggage claim just as our bags were appearing. Nice! Headed over to the rental agency and the folks were super nice there! On the bus ride to Enterprise, we met some ladies who were staying on another island and just spent a day on O’ahu. Something for us to think about if we ever come back again.
Anyway, the Enterprise people were great. They handed us some bottled water (and I really needed it!) and gave us a choice of two different cars.
We took the Nimitz to get to our hotel and the drive was really easy. Sharon was in culture shock! Big city! Lots of traffic! In just 4 short days, she had completely adapted to the Aloha culture of the Big Island!
Our arrival at the Hilton was another big shock for Sharon. The Hawaiian Village is a city all by itself. Pools, beach, shops, concierge, and restaurants/bar all over. We got personalized check-in service at the Ali’i Tower and were in our room in a matter of minutes. After a quick freshening up period, we headed out to see this resort.
At supper time, we were back at the Ali’I and decided to try out the Tiki Bar and Grill. Sharon and I tried out a Blue Hawaii and a Mai Tai. For our meal, Sharon had some excellent suishi grade ahi tuna while I tripped out over the awesome fish and chips!
We stopped over at the local ABC (a convenience store, not an alcohol store – well, they did sell beer and wine) and picked up cheese and crackers. We sat our on our private lanai and watched the luau that was on top of the building across the street. Great night!
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