Hawaii

A long, snowy winter, a cancelled trip to Oregon, and a substantial case of spring fever lead Abby and B to take an impromptu trip to Hawaii. After years of saving, frequent flyer miles were cashed in for our plane tickets and with the company condo and car provided for a meager cleaning fee, we made it out of Anchorage and to Hawaii for almost nothing. Tickets were booked and off we went!

Our condo was located in Waikoloa Beach, which is about 25miles north of Kona on the island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island. Waikoloa Beach is an oasis-like collection of golf courses, vacation condominiums and hotels located on the edge of a vast lava dessert.

The condo itself was fully stocked with everything you need to make you feel right at home, including 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, jacuzzi tub, 2 patios, washer and dryer, and anything and everything you could imagine needing for a day at the beach.  With double the amount of bathrooms and bedrooms in our current apartment, we were so excited to move about freely without constantly being in each others way. Oh, the magic of a few extra hundred square feet!

B's company condo complex at Waikoloa

Amazingly, the big island is a diverse mix of landscapes and climates. There are dozens of different places to see and activities to do. Since neither one of us had ever been to Hawaii, we were eager to do it all, but before we got started straight into complete tourist mode, we needed a full day to sit back and relax. Therefore, our first day was dedicated to relaxing on the beach with the sand beneath our toes, the sun on our shoulders and a spectacular view of the bluest water ever imagined.

  

 

Day 1 - Breakfast

 We started off the day cooking an  amazing homemade breakfast, consisting of english muffin, ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches, at the condo. After our bellies were full, we headed down to the nearest beach. A short five minute walk from the condo is Anaehoomalu Bay, or simply A Bay.

Picturesque Anaehoomalu Bay

A Bay serves as convenient beach access for the throngs of vacationers in Waikoloa Beach. It has everything from water bikes and paddle boards to sea turtles on the beach. Rich folk in multi-million dollar beach side homes are around every turn and there are regulars staying right on the beach at the Marriot. The area can accomodate a wide range of people on vacation, although in mid April, there didnt seem to be many people there at all.



Laying beachside - Day 1



The beach here is popular for weddings and picturesque sunsets. There is a medium sized stretch of coarse sand, surrounded by lava beach. We quickly secured some of the many beach chairs and established a base point for a day of relaxation. Even though the sun was out, it wasn't convincingly warm by mid morning. We decided to play it saffe, and layered ourselves in a precautionary coat of SPF 30. (It's worth mentioning that Brendan did not pay careful attention when purchasing the sunscreen, and wound up with the spray-on type, which as the time didn't seem like a big deal.)



Swimming at Anaehoomalu Bay



  



Lava trail at A Bay

After about an hour and a half, some clouds moved in bringing a little bit of rain with them. After we had our fill of swimming in the waveless water, and hiking up the beach a ways to watch the surfers, we decided to needed some more excitement and to make our way north to reportedly one of the best beaches on the island and hopefully out of the rain.

The condo had a guest log with endless entries from many of the company employees and their families who have stayed in the past telling their tales of their stays. There were many, many recommendations of things to do and see while on the big island. One place mentioned multiple times was Harpuna Beach. The beach is reported to be one of the nicest on the island, and less than 10 miles from where we stayed. We loaded up the car with chairs, boogie boards, and a cooler and headed north.



Hitting Harpuna Beach





Abby's picture.

 As reported, the beach was perfect - fine white sand and crystal blue water. The sun was shining again and we immediately hit the water to play in the 6-8 ft waves. Abby photographed as B played in the water. It was perfect!



Best waves of the trip!



After about an hour in the water, we made our way back to our belongings to enjoy some relaxation. Almost instantly, we both noticed that we had received significantly more sunshine that we thought. After a very brief discussion, we decided to call it a day.

 

Moments before wipeout



 

The decision to leave the beach was unfortunately a little too late. In the short exposure to direct sun, we both got burned. After a cold shower and a copious application of aloe vera, we headed into Kona for dinner.

The Kona Brewing Company was highly recommended from several sources and therefore and easy decision on our first night. We even had a suggestion - the thai chicken pizza. The wait was long but the beer was cold and the atmosphere was really pleasant. There was lots of outdoor seating and live hawaiian music. After a much needed beer, our table was ready. We chose an appetizer and a round of beers, and waited for our predetermined entree.

While we were waiting, we started talking to the people at the table next to us. One of the guys, who coincidentally was the manager of Humpys Kona, had recently returned from visiting Ireland. He told some outstanding stories of being at the Guinness Brewery on St Patricks Day. Put that on the list!

Before the first taste of Thai



The pizza arrived and we were both excited. The first bite, however, was disappointment and disbelief. The sauce was 100% peanut butter. If there was anything besides peanut butter and cheese, you wouldn't know it. It was like eating a mozzarella and peanut butter sandwhich. Abby took one bite and said "I'm not eating this." Brendan took several bites just to convince himself of the fact that this was pizza and it was not good. To our pleasant surprise, our waitress gladly replaced the peanut butter surprise with a reliable buffalo chicken pie. All's well that ends well.



Humpy's Kona







After Kona Brewing, we made an obligatory stop at Humpy's Kona. Humpy's Alehouse is somewhat of an Anchorage landmark. The 50+ beers on tap, weekly trivia nights, live music, and a central downtown location make it a stop on almost anyone's visit to Anchorage. A few years back, the owners decided to open a second location on the big island of hawaii, and so while we there, we had to. The outdoor seating right on Ali'i drive was wonderful. The highlight of the visit was the Wailua Wheat made with passionfruit. It was dee-lish!!