Leg Two of our Hawaii trip was when my parents joined us, and we all moved to a bigger place in the KaMilo complex in Mauna Lani. This was our first time staying at this complex and one of the first things the kids had to do of course was check out the pool! It is ginormous and we had it practically to ourselves that afternoon. The place we rented was also a nice and spacious 4 bedroom townhome that felt very private and worked out pretty well for our families. I especially liked the outdoor patio - we had a brand new grill, and there was enough space for us to all sit outside for dinner!
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| Pool at KaMilo |
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| There's 2 pools - this one is the kiddie pool |
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| Dinner on the patio at our place in KaMilo |
On Monday, we took advantage of my parents still being on west coast hours and made them get up "early" to try out the breakfast buffet at the Four Seasons. The kids went absolutely gaga for all the options at the buffet because there were so many good things to have like home made malasadas and sticky buns, and homemade yogurt and POG juice! We also enjoyed sampling the tropical fruits they had like longon, mountain apple and rambutan. Plus, you can't beat the view! After lunch, we attempted to go to Kikaua Beach but it was closed due to a shark sighting. That's okay because we went to Kua Bay instead, which is beautiful beach with amazing aqua waters. Unfortunately, it was crowded and the waves were rough, but everyone still had a nice time.
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| Kids at breakfast at the Four Seasons |
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| Walking the grounds at the Four Seasons |
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| Grandkids! |
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| Kua Bay |
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| Boogey boarding |
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| Love how the kids are reacting to the waves, and Scott is taking it in stride. |
Wednesday was designated as the day to explore the other side of the island. Big Island is much bigger than you'd think and our place in Waikoloa is situated on the west coast of the island and all the lush greenery and waterfalls that you associate with Hawaii is actually about an hour away on the east side of the island in Hilo.
Our first stop was the Kuamana lava tube caves. The flashlights we brought with us came in handy because venturing into the dark and wet caves was a little spooky. It felt like we were in a real live Indiana Jones movie! We only went in a few hundred feet before turning back when it got super dark and small. Supposedly, they go on for a few miles but none of us save Scott was daring enough to do it.
After the caves, we stopped in Hilo to buy presents and sample goodies at Big Island Candies, then went to Hilo Farmer's Market to look around and eat lunch, and then mosied our way over to the Botanic Gardens for a stroll through their park.
By that time, it was about 4pm and we needed to head over to Volcano! The Volcano National Park is about another hour away from Hilo and we were hoping to get into the park and find a primo viewing spot before it got dark. Well, with all the traffic and the crowds going to see the volcano at night, I guess it's lucky we were able to snag a table at the restaurant at the park (not recommended, expensive for what you get!) however we ran into some issues getting to the trailhead after dinner. Turns out, the main place to see the lava is at Devastation Trail and the trailhead only has parking for so many cars. It took a few tries but we finally got through only to get to the overflow lot. This made the hike to the lava a bit longer (total was about 1.3-1.5 miles one way), but at least it was paved for most of the way. It was quite an adventure walking in the dark. The night was very dark with so many stars out, and you could sometimes see the faint red glow of the lava which was pretty neat. Seeing the lava itself was interesting and I'm glad we did it, but it ended up being a very long night. We left the park around 10pm and then had to still drive 2 hours to get home.
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| Steep steps down to Kaumana Caves |
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| Cave opening |
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| Inside the cave looking back towards the entrance. |
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| Big Island Candies |
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| Hilo Farmer's Market |
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| SOOOOO much great fresh produce! |
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| Buddies at the Botanic Gardens |
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| Palm Jungle |
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| They were having a secret meeting |
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| Lava is hot!! |
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| The lookout at the main lodge in Volcano. |
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| Kids were tired and bored waiting for dinner |
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See? More tired and bored kids
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| This is the same view from the restaurant, this time as the sun is setting so you can see the red glow. |
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| We hiked closer to get a better view! |
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| Tired pups! |
After our long day at Hilo and Volcano, Thursday was a day for relaxing! In the morning, we went to Beach 69, one of our favorites. We lucked out because we got calm clear waters, and even Way went out snorkeling! Afterwards, the dads grabbed all the kids hot malasadas from the food truck. And then in the afternoon, we walked over to the Queens Bath in Mauna Lani to get a foot spa. This is a fun little hidden natural water hole where the little fishes eat the dead skin cells off your feet! Even my parents took part in it.
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| Snorkeling time at Beach 69! |
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| There they go! |
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| Malasada time |
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| This is her Malasada face |
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| Super tickly! |
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| My dad had a lot of customers! |
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| Aloha, Mom and Dad! |
Friday was our last full day with the Hanley's, and at Ian's request, we headed back to ABay so that we can look for turtles and green sand again. This time, my mom came with us and hung out on the beach and put her feet in the water. Scott also tried out snorkeling and snagged some fresh sea cucumber to take home! Later that evening, we went back the Mauna Lani hotel to have dinner at HaLani, their more casual restaurant on site. It was a great spot that opened out onto their lawn and we had delicious meal and got to listen to live music too. It was a fantastic way to send off the Hanley's back to SF!
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| Mamas at the beach |
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| I spy a turtle! |
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| Scott and his sea cucumbers |
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| Nora testing out snorkeling gear |
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| HaLani restaurant |
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| Say cheese! |
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| Fruity drinks! |
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| My parent's got the Kanpachi for two. First course was sashimi which I didn't take a picture of but we gobbled it up! Second course was this - impressive! |
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| I got the grilled Hapu'upu'u (Hawaiian sea bass). |
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