Aloha Time

We made our annual trip to Hawaii a few weeks ago and after 2 weeks of hanging out in paradise, I am itching to go back! Even though this trip was packed full of work getting our new place set up, we were also able to enjoy ourselves and got to share some of our favorite places with Grammie and Grandpa, who joined us for part of the trip. Some highlights from this trip:

Kaloko Honokohau State Park: this is across the highway from Costco so we took a quick detour to eat a picnic lunch there one day when we were running errands. We were really surprised at how great this little beach was, and how many turtles we saw! We'll be back for sure.

Picnic lunch at Kaloko Honokohau Park

Lava Lava Beach Club: Scott often talks in hyperbole but for once, he was spot on about this recommendation! We went twice (once on our own, and once with the crew) and enjoyed both visits. The food/drinks are only ok, but the atmosphere can't be beat.

First outing was a date night for me and Scott.

My lava flow. I would stick to wine next time.

Girls with smoothies.

Great ambience!

Kikaua Beach Point Park: This is the "baby beach" we tried to go to last time that was closed due to a shark sighting! I'm glad we went this time - it was really calm and not crowded. We were even able to convince Nora to snorkel for a bit! She didn't go for very long, but it's a start.

The beach is surrounded by rocks

Scott took Nora snorkeling.

Nora and I also explored the nearby rocks and tide pools

Kiholo Bay: From the highway, we always spot the cluster of palm trees that mark this nature preserve but hadn't had time to hike the 20 minutes it takes to get to this beach. We finally did this but didn't have enough time to really explore. We saw only 3 other parties there and it looked like a great, calm place to snorkel. We'll try again some other time.

Hike to Kiholo Point.

We pretty much had the beach to ourselves.

Secret Pond with Grammie and Grandpa: We always have fun going here and having the little fishies give us a foot scrub!

So Hawaii with all the palm trees in the background.

Smorgasbord

Jellyfish sting: Evie got stung by a jellyfish while we were at Hapuna! We went to the lifeguard station and they sprayed her sting with vinegar and told her to apply heat to it. For the next hour, she sunbathed on her towel to rest her arm on the hot sand. It was pretty funny.

Evie's jellyfish sting.

Resting her arm in the warm sand

Fishing at Beach 69: By far, Scott's highlight was catching a bunch of fish from the rocks on this beach. He (and Nora) caught a bunch of rockfish, a tile fish and a reef fish. We grilled a rockfish and the tile fish for dinner and they were so good!

Scott and his fishing buddy.

Tilefish that Scott caught.

Reef fish

Fileting our catch of the day!

Malasadas: So many to try! This time around, we got some from Tex Drive In, Manuela Malasadas and KTA. My fav was surprisingly the ones at KTA! They did not have any fillings but were chewy like mochi.

Manuela Malasada truck

Malasadas from Tex Drive In. Not worth the drive or hype.

Hilo Day: We made a day of it and drove out to Hilo to do some shopping, go to the Botanic Gardens, see Waipio Valley and get jam from Uncle Ed's. We also made it to the farmer's market just as they were closing but I was able to snag lychees, mangosteens, apple bananas and papayas for days! yuuuuum.

At Waipio Valley

Such vibrant colors at the Botanic Gardens.

My fruit bowl!

Dinner at Brown's Beach House: While our entrees were only ok, I really enjoyed the Poi Bread and the she setting for this restaurant is gorgeous, right on the waterfront at the Fairmont.

Posing in front of the sunset

Nora loves Grammie

Dinner with a view

This kid brought homework with her to the do while we waited for dinner.

All in all, we had another lovely lovely time in Hawaii. Scott and I were so grateful that Grammie and Grandpa watched the kids for a week so we had some time to ourselves, and then were able to join us on the island for a fun family vacation. The kids loved it too, and I think that's the main part - I know they'll grow up having great memories of all the time they get to spend in Hawaii with family!