The Big Island of Hawaii

Green sand, black sand, and white sand, life really is a beach! 

We are thankful to call the Big Island of Hawaii our home. We live on the phenomenal Kohala Coast which has some of the best beaches and best weather available. 

Just name your color!

Hapuna, white sand. 

Punaluu, black sand. 

Papakolea,  green sand. 

Hapuna Beach

http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/hawaii/index.cfm?park_id=44

Punaluu Beach

http://www.gohawaii.com/big-island/regions-neighborhoods/kau/punaluu-black-sand-beach

Papakolea Beach

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papakolea_Beach

Because of the Big Island's diversity, during certain times of the year, we can snowboard on Mauna Kea and scuba dive at Holoholokai Beach on the same day. Mauna Kea is also great for star gazing and sunsets. 

http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/visiting.shtml

The Big Island has it all from boogie boarding to big game fishing to hunting. From the top of Mauna Kea down the waterfalls of Waipio Valley to the deep blue waters and sandy shore of Hapuna Beach, the Big Island is our paradise!

http://www.letsgo-hawaii.com/waipio-valley/

When big game fishing, Mike fishes with Captain Neal on the Anxious. Captain Neal is a wonderful captain and friend. 

http://www.alohazone.com/

Kahaluu Beach Villas is a great spot to stay for those wanting to stay in Kona town. It is a new facility right across the street from Kahaluu Beach Park, one of the easiest snorkel spots on the Big Island. 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60592-d2005406-Reviews-Kahalu_u_Beach_Park-Keauhou_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html

The Waikoloa property (Hilton or Marriott) is a great place to stay for those preferring to be out of town. Waikoloa is about a half hours drive from Kona. This property has great beaches, Kings Shops and Queens shops (dining and shopping). The Queens Shops offers many fun activities,  (hula shows, lei making, coconut painting) at various times. 

Our favorite resort is The Mauna Lani Resort because they have the friendliest staff on earth. It is a very nice, small, quiet resort. 

http://www.maunalani.com/

In our opinion, The Beach Tree is the best overall dining experience. The food, service, and atmosphere is absolutely second to none. The Beach Tree is much like a lanai (deck) quite literally right on the beach. Watching for whales as the sun sets is one of our favorite pastimes. 

http://www.fourseasons.com/hualalai/dining/

When eating in Kona, we always go see Sam at Krua! 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60872-d1503725-Reviews-Krua_Thai_Cuisine-Kailua_Kona_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html

A drive from Kona down the Saddle Road to Hilo is where we drive to see Rainbow falls. Akaka falls is our favorite waterfall because it has a nice hike. Again, we have small children so their safety and well being is always a priority. This is a very easy hike. 

http://www.gohawaii.com/big-island/regions-neighborhoods/hamakua-coast/akaka-falls-state-park

We recently took a helicopter tour with Blue Hawaiian helicopters where we saw numerous waterfalls and flew over Volcano National Park. That flight is a trip of a lifetime. Blue Hawaiian knows how to tour Big Island!

http://www.bluehawaiian.com/bigisland/tours/

Earlier this year, we spent the night at the Kilauea Lodge. It is a very beautiful lodge and the food, service, and atmosphere was amazing. 

http://www.kilauealodge.com/

We are so thankful to live on the Big Island. The Big Island is a much slower pace than Oahu and Maui. We often talk about how living here is like living on vacation. We've had so many great opportunities to travel and live in various places, for us the Big Island is the best of the best!

A few fun videos:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vWGL8pY6N1w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPUttL15fKA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Moving Down The Chain

Lanai

I have been to Lanai once and Mike has been twice. Our first trip was when Mikea was three months old. We flew by private charter plane to Lanai from Oahu so that Mike could compete in a shoot at the Lanai Pine Sporting Clays during a National Wild Turkey Federation Banquet. The Lanai Pine Sporting Clay facility is top notch.

The island is beautiful and the weather is amazing! We spent the whole time either at the shoot or at the banquet and we stayed on personal property so I don’t have any beach or lodging information for Lanai. It is a quaint island, a kind of step back in time, having no traffic lights.

Molokai

We’ve been to Molokai once. It was during winter time and when we called the surf report to determine where the best diving would be for the day, we discovered better than ideal conditions for taking our boat from Oahu to Molokai to camp! It was truly the best camping trip ever!

Friends met up with us and we headed for Molokai for a weekend of adventure! We did nothing but scuba dive, collect bugs (lobsters), and spear fish! We ate extremely well that weekend! The trip over and back was full of humpback whale and dolphin sightings! The ocean was the calmest we had ever seen it. Truly a trip of a lifetime!

Kahoolawe

We’ve never visited Kahoolawe; however, Mike plans to volunteer soon. I found some very interesting facts at this link.

http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/hawaii_today/2009/12/18/how_to_visit_Kahoolawe

Maui, The Valley Isle

We've spent a lot of time on Maui. We spent so much time there when I was pregnant with my youngest, we named her after Makena Beach. 

We enjoy staying at the Maui Coast which is right across the street from a very nice beach. The last time we were there, we saw an injured green sea turtle swim up on the beach. Moments later, the lifeguards instructed us to get out of the water because a ten foot tiger shark had been spotted. A few moments later, we saw him swimming back and forth near shore. He wanted the rest of his turtle meal! 

Sugar Beach, not far from Kihei, is another really fun beach for walking, relaxing, and sunning. 

Lahaina is harbor town full of buzzing excitement, activities and history. When on Maui, we make one trip over and enjoy the buzz then head back to Kihei. 

We've gone on two Pacific Whale Foundation Eco Tours to the Molokini Crater and I must say, these guys really know how to show people a great time! A trip with them during whale season almost guarantees humpback whale sightings. They supplied us with juice and muffins for breakfast and then grilled chicken and provided pasta salad for lunch. They took us to snorkel the crater and then pulled anchor and headed to a second snorkel spot. Their Eco tour is a must when on Maui!

One of our favorite trips on Maui is seeing Haleakala at sunrise. It is like standing on the edge between heaven and earth waiting to hear the angels sing! I'm not generally a very emotional person, but the first time I ever saw the sunrise on Haleakala, I teared up. Wear very warm clothes and prepare yourself for a majestic nature show!

We also enjoy the AKL Lavender Farm upcountry Maui. It is a great photo op of beautiful flowers. 

My favorite spa of all time is the Grand Wailea. To say the Grand Wailea is grand is an extreme understatement!