We're here!! Big Island trip Day 1

Our Hawaii trip is FINALLY here!!! We booked this trip back during the holidays when there was a big airfare sale going on. The fares were too good to miss out on (<$300 R/T!) plus the cancellation policy was very flexible so we figured why not book it and if we need to cancel, we can do so. I'm glad we didn't cancel it because now we are here and it is glorious!

Our flight left Seattle at 8:45 so we were out the door by 6:30am. No one needed to be prodded because we were so excited to be on our way. The flight over was probably about 2/3 full, with most middle rows empty. Nora was my seat buddy for most of the trip, while Daddy and Evie took the other side of the aisle. We wiped down our seats and tray table with a clorox wipe and then watched movies and read on the flight and before we knew it, we were here!

Btw, we all did our COVID tests 72 hours before departure (we are all negative), and then because our 14 day period after our 2nd vaccine shot haven't completed yet, we took another test when we deplaned. It made for a long deplaning process and some folks in front of us got into a tiff about wearing masks, but in general, I'm feeling very safe so far since we've arrived.

Nora is excited to get on a plane

Beautiful beaches next to lava rocks!

She fell asleep towards the end of the ride.

Of course, the first order of business was a stop at Costco to get groceries but then after that, we checked in at our rental unit at the Mauna Lani Golf Villas and headed straight for the pool. The pool is pretty good in that it is shaped in a flower and so each petal ends up being sort of a small private pool. There actually weren't many people in the pool so it didn't matter about social distancing, but it's a nice set up anyhow.

Our rental unit is nice and spacious and looks out on the golf course, which is very relaxing and pretty private. We already used the outdoor grill to make dinner and then sat on the patio for dinner and drinks. All in all, it was a long day and we collapsed in bed that night but it is an excellent start to vacation!