The Northern Conway's

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Hawaii day 3

Monday morning we checked out of the Royal Kona Resort and started on our Journey around the Big Island. We headed South which was beautiful! It went from thick beautiful Palm trees to farm land.

Our first stop was Miloli'i Beach park. This was the perfect beach for Lance to really get the hang of snorkeling. The reef blocked the waves and created perfect little calm tide pools that were tons of fun to explore.

We caught some crabs, looked at sea urchins and swam a little bit before making our way down to Honomalino Bay. Honomalino is about a mile and a half hike from Miloli'i bay through coconut trees and over lava rocks. It's a little challenging at times, but definitely Worth it. Both sides of the trail is marked with no trespassing signs and there is even a few graves.

It's definitely interesting. It's a beautiful secluded beach with dark grey almost black sand that is perfect for boogie boarding, snorkeling and swimming.

The hike back was a little more challenging. The kids were so tired. We took our time and didn't rush the kids. I carried Lexie a good portion of the way which is no easy feet since she weighs almost 50 pounds. She was too pooped to walk. It didn't take just a few minutes in the car and the kids were out.

Our next stop was Kalae which is also called South Point. Kalae is the southern most spot in the United States. It is very windy there!! But absolutely breathtaking.

While we were there a few guys the nerve up to jump off the 40+ foot cliff into the ocean. One guy yelled out "ouch" after jumping in.

We stopped at a small little coffee place to grab a snack and buy my dad some coffee. It was a super cute place with a little play area for the kids (who were just waking up from a long nap).

We ate dinner at Hana Hou Restaurant, the southern most restaurant in the United States.

One of our favorite thing about the island is all the super yummy fresh fruit. Lance had papaya

and I had a LiliKou (passion fruit) bar that was amazing! After dinner we were ready for a good nights sleep at Pahala Plantation Cottages.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Hawaii day 2

Sunday morning we woke up bright and early ready to explore.

We had been told that just a few miles down the road was a beach that was perfect for snorkeling. Kahalu'u Beach was beautiful. We seen lots of colorful butterfly fish and even a sea turtle.

When we were there the tide was out which made snorkeling a little bit tricky in the shallow waters. My foot got stuck in between some rocks when a wave came and knocked me over. My ankle and feet were cut up. Lance had the same problem. We then decided that another trip to Walmart for some water shoes was necessary. We didn't stay at Kahalu'i very long before decided to go to a different beach.

La'aloa Bay (white sands) beach park was perfect for us. It had powder soft white sand and nice gentle waves to play in. It was perfect for boogie boarding or for just rolling in the waves (Lexie's favorite thing to do).

We worked up an appetite swimming so we went driving looking for something Hawaiian. We found a great little place called L & L barbecue. The kids were pretty tuckered out so we decided to take a drive.

I found it amazing how fast the landscapes & beached changed. A short drive north of Kona the terrain is covered in large lava rock and hardly anything grows. We visited Kiholo Bay which was really pretty but a little cool and windy so we didn't stay long.

It was back to our hotel, The Royal Kona Resort, to change and clean up for dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

Our day was so much fun. I know we will remember this trip for a long time. This was the perfect age to take the kids on Hawaii trip.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Hawaii vacation day 1

Today started off early. Andrew and I were up at 5 getting dressed and prepping the house for us being gone a week. We dropped the dogs off at a friends house and headed on our way to Hawaii.

We had a short layover in Anchorage. Once we arrived in Anchorage my brother, Matt, called and had some bad news. My grandpa was in the hospital and was fading fast. Grandpa had been in the hospital since Tuesday, but his wife didn't call my and tell any of our family. I know it's got to be so hard for my mom. There are so any emotions right now. I am furious at Louise for how she has treated my mom, sad my grandpa is passing, excited for our family trip to Hawaii and feeling guilty because while I am in paradise my family will be dealing with all that.

The kids are so excited. They can't wait to be on the beach. It wasn't ten minutes after take off and Lance looked out the window and said "look, dad, white sandy beaches!" Andrew just laughed and said "that's still snow".

Our plane landed over an hour early into Kona. It is so beautiful! The kids love all the flowers and cool trees everywhere.

We even seen some wild chickens. We got our rental car & headed straight to the hotel to change out of our pants. We aren't used to being hot.

We ate dinner at On The Rocks. Our table was right in the sand which the kids loved!

After eating we went back to the hotel to change into our swim clothes. I know you're not supposed to swim immediately after eating but we had spent allot of time sitting and needed to burn up some energy.

After a good swim in the hotel pool we changed and went to Walmart to buy sunscreen, beach toys, snacks, drinks and boogie boards for the kids.

Walking back to our room Lexie found this huge snail! I sat Andrew's phone down beside it just to give a size comparison.