Quick trip to Hawaii

A few weeks back, I took advantage of awesome flight deals ($215 r/t!!) and jetted off to Hawaii for a girls trip with 2 other lovely ladies. Despite having to work remotely the whole time there because work has been so hectic, visiting Hawaii is always a treat and it was blissful to bask in the warmth of the sand and sun at the end of the day.

We've been so many times now that there aren't a ton of new beaches nearby to try out, but I did get to try lots of new restaurants, especially on the Hilo side. I can't wait to go back and take Scott and the girls to some of them!

Here's some highlights from the trip:

- Lava Lava Beach Club: I hate to admit it when Scott is right, but yep, this is a good place. Food is not stellar but you can't beat the view and vibe for the price. It's the epitome of vacation. Even after trying a few other beach-front restaurants, I go back to this one being a go-to.

- Hawaii Vanilla Farm: The farm is off the beaten path, way up in the hills in Pa'auilo on the east side of the island and honestly, I picked the farm-tour-and-lunch activity to do because its something Scott wouldn't do with me. It ended up surpassing my expectation and was a highlight of my trip! Everything on the lunch menu except the lettuce and tomatoes was infused with vanilla somehow and while that sounds weird, it was a great way to see the different ways to use vanilla! The farm tour after was not much of a tour because we were there in the off-season, but learning about the history and cultivation process was more interesting than you would think. Highly recommended.

- Manta Ray Viewing and Birthday celebration at Mauna Kea: We've been to Mauna Kea for the beach, but have never visited in the evening time before This time, we made reservations at Hau Tree for dinner (bleh, very ordinary, no ambience, food good) so that we can then walk over to Manta Ray point and watch the manta rays swim around. The hotel shines these big stadium lights into the water, which attracts plankton, which in turn attracts the manta rays that feed on the plankton. It was super cool to see the rays and the snorkelers next to them. Afterwards, we walked up to Copper Bar and had yummy desserts to celebrate Emily's birthday.

- Sweet Cane Cafe in Hilo: We went to this vegetarian restaurant on a recommendation from one of Kathy's coworkers, and it was quite tasty! I had a smoky taro burger and an acai bowl - yum! I would come back and try some of their other dishes next time we are in town.

Sunset at Lava Lava.

Vanilla-Bourbon chicken in a Vanilla sweet bread bun with caramelized onions and a vanilla mango chutney aioli. Salad had vanilla balsamic dressing with vanilla-honey pecans. Potatoes had a vanilla southwest spice rub.