Last week our family spent time on the Big Island of Hawaii at our favorite spot. Yes, I know we just got back from vacation in April and we also went to Hawaii in January, too. Well, just like any great extreme miles-and-points hound, C was able to sneak in yet a second Hawaii trip this year for all of us! And good for him, because we really needed the R&R; summer’s been even busier than the previous school year ever was!
Good morning from the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii!
Flipping good times on the Big Island at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort!
I got back on the SUP (stand-up paddle board) this trip! I missed out last time as the lagoon was SO crowded. Of course, I am back to wanting one of these badly.
T hangs 10 off the SUP with C… the little dude is fearless!
T driving the boat at the HWV with his buddy Crystal. Shaka!
T chasing a turtle… as C says, this is why he chases airline miles and points… for moments like these.
OMG, C, a turtle just photo-bombed you!
This looks Photoshopped, but I assure you it’s not. And not because I don’t know how to do all those tricks (which I don’t, ha!), but because we were here last week at the lagoon at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort!
In other news, T got a job at Na Hoku in King’s Shops in Waikoloa during one of our mall outings. OK, really, we stopped in here as the mall ran a special from July 1-8, 2013, that for each dollar spent you received two Hawaiian Airlines miles with receipts turned in at Na Hoku! Of course, C was all over this, so we swung by and redeemed a nice little haul from our various happy hours and purchases. PS – those miles can transfer into American Airlines miles, just one tip for anyone looking to enter the OCD world of extreme miles and points.
This time we stayed just five short nights at the Hilton Waikoloa Village; in fact, we didn’t even rent a car for this trip. No, we didn’t miss not having a car, nor did we miss paying the exorbitant rental, parking, and gas fees we avoided as well (easily $400+ saved). We just lazed at the resort doing our favorite things such as SUP’ing, riding the boats and the trains, hitting the lagoon for some snorkeling, shopping, and bumming at the pools and slides.
We snuck this photo of T with some “Vacation Friends” while he was off on his own. I cannot believe we are at the age that we’re letting him go off by himself, but rest assured it’s in small chunks and he was excellent about checking back with us if he left the area(s) we agreed he could go.
As we lounged, T played off on his own with some other boys (at that railing there) in the pool. Thank god he is water safe now; it’s opened up so many opportunities for all of us!
This was the first trip we also allowed T to venture off on his own, and not just on his own but on his own to make vacation friends IN THE POOL. Yes, T is so water safe now that we can trust him alone in the pool as we chaise lounge nearby, or around the corner as it were on this trip. I only have one person to thank for this: Bob Hirschhorn. Again, for anyone in Long Beach or surrounding areas, if you need swim lessons for your little dudes or dudettes, please contact him. He is the magic man when it comes to making the water not just safe but FUN for everyone (parents included). He’s also not too bad up on stage either.
Sushi and poke from Island Gourmet at the Queens’ Marketplace in Waikoloa. No, not entirely dirt cheap, but much less expensive than going to any restaurant for this high of quality and volume!
Mahalo to our hotel for this nice amenity our second day of the stay (PS – best mac nut cookies EVER!). T ran into one of the staff members who remembered us from our last trip and somehow arranged for this to be sent up! When we wondered how she could have known our room number, T volunteered, “I told her!” Yep, no secrets when you have a five-year-old in tow, but at least he gave up the info to someone who was generous, right?!
Sandy Toes cocktail at Lava Lava Beach Club.
Macadamia Nut crusted Ahi at Lava Lava Beach Club.
Yummy 1/2 Hawaiian Spam-1/2 wild mushroom pizza from Dona and Toni’s at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. I think this was the one dinner we had on-property, and it was a great choice for us (price point, atmosphere, family-friendly).
T enjoys his “breakfast” – it’s not much of the hearty variety, but we tend to snack on-off all day when we go to Hawaii anyway, so why not start early?
We also DIY our own cocktails when on vacay whenever possible.
As for food, we did a lot of in-room dining, but not like that. Are you kidding?! Please. Room service is way over-spendy for us; after all, we’re traveling on the cheap-free here! We went to our favorite grocery store and took away some of the freshest and most delish sushi we can find anywhere on the planet. We also ate a lot of breakfasts in-room, too (well, if you can call a combination of various snacks and fruit breakfast!). We dined by the pool for lunch on such delicacies as hot dogs, chili-cheese nachos, and liquid libations (blissful if not low-cal… the detox started Saturday, RMT’ers, ha!). We also were graciously gifted with a couple of in-room amenities (mahalo to HWV Transportation for the cookies, milk, and wine!). But we also made time for two nice dinners out at our favorite restaurants in Waikoloa: Lava Lava Beach Club and Aloha Wine Bar.
My happy, sandcastle-making T at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island, Hawaii.
Thems some happy, relaxed boys!
Me in my new (as in that day purchased and wore it out of the store) dress from the Macy’s at Kings’ Shops.
Four thumbs up for the Big Island!
I think I am pretty relaxed here, yeah?!
OK, T ftw on relaxation!
I don’t have a lot more to say about our trip other than it was well-timed, fantastically enjoyable, and much-needed. We miss the Big Island already, but we shall return. And I have no doubt that my OCD husband can figure out another way to get us back on the Big Island sooner than later.
The sun setting on our vacation and at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort.
Finally, the boys went out and put together a coral-and-rock message! Yay for daddy-and-a-boy bonding times!
We are three happy and relaxed Big Island vacationers!
In the meantime, Big Island, “Mahalo, a hui hou malama pono.”
For more photos from our Hawaiian adventure (which was not all that adventurous but it sure was relaxing, ahh!), you can go to my album on Facebook. Mahalo for reading/looking!
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