Hawaii Family Vacation: Kona!!

Our first full day in Kona we ate breakfast at the house and ventured out to some beaches down the road.  The first beach had a great spot for snorkeling.  It was a little tough to get out past the rocks, but once we did, we got to see a huge sea turtle and some really neat fish!  We went to another spot down the road hoping to find one more suitable for swimming and skimboarding, but it actually was closed for an hour because there was a shark sighting.  So, we went back to the house to eat lunch and swim in the pool.

In the afternoon we went back to the beach that was closed and it was a popular spot.  The kids enjoyed boogie boarding and we saw another sea turtle.  It was a lot of fun!  We had to go back to the house to get ready for the luau that evening and then we were off!

The luau was nice, but unfortunately, the weather was not on our side.  It was raining and they gave us ponchos, but it made it challenging to eat dinner while raining.  There was a beautiful rainbow!  It stopped for a while and the performance started, but it the rain picked back up and eventually the luau ended 45 minutes early when it became unsafe for the performers.  

Wednesday morning we went out to breakfast at delicious spot with these to-die-for cinnamon rolls.  We came back to the house and swam for a while before we had to get ready for our snorkel boat cruise.  The boat cruise was fantastic!  The four of us snorkeled with my brother and Ana.  My mom even got in the water and used one of those "floating boxes" to see the fish underwater.  My dad opted to stay on the boat.  The boat even had slides and a diving platform.  They served snacks and drinks after we snorkeled for an hour and it was tasty.  We saw so many cool fish!  I'm so glad we went!

We caught the best sunset back at the house while we were showering and getting ready to head out for a late dinner.  It was Eric and Ana's last night at the house as they were flying home the next morning.  So, we went to dinner at Kona Brewing Company and it was good!  

Eric and Ana left the following morning after a breakfast cooked at the house.  It's always sad saying goodbye.  After they left, we decided to drive about 45 minutes away to go to a different beach and it was a beauty!  Evan could finally skimboard (the other beaches by the house were rocky).  The color of the water was amazing.  We stayed for a few hours and then drove back into Kona and did some shopping before grabbing an early dinner at the Cheeky Tiki, which was such a fun place with some really yummy drinks.  

We enjoyed our last sunset at the house.  We played games and made the last of the taquitos that Eric had bought from Costco as a late night snack.  It was fun.  In the morning we packed up the house, went to breakfast one last time out at the same restaurant with the yummy cinnamon rolls.  We drove to a coffee farm to learn about the coffee beans.  The boys tried coffee, with lots of cream and sugar.  We went to the Farmer's Market in Kona to shop for a bit.  We stopped at Ola Brewing and then ate at Kona Brewing Company again before it was time to head to the airport for our evening flight.  We left just at sunset for a flight to Denver where we had a small layover.  Then, on to Detroit! 

We had the most wonderful time in Hawaii with family and we are so grateful for my parents making it possible for us to go.  I hope one day we can come back!!