Turtles and Beaches and Beer, Oh My!

Aloha! We recently took a much needed vacation to the Big Island of Hawaii. 9 days allowed us to circle the whole island. Snorkeling, Volcano hikes, beautiful beaches, waterfalls, and sea animals galore... Hawaii has it all! If you have never been to the Big Island, we definitely recommend it.

While we enjoyed many meals out (see below for our favorites!), we also took advantage of the abundance of fresh ingredients to cook a few meals of our own. One of our favorites was done entirely on the grill, something we never get to do in San Francisco. And of course, we drank lots of yummy beer. After all, isn't that what vacations are for?

Here are some of the highlights from out trip...We can't wait to go back.

Mahalo!

First Stop: Kona Brewing Co!

Sunrise the first morning. With the time difference, we were up for the sunrise most mornings, with a big cup of Kona coffee of course. 

Hiking in Volcano National Park. We were able to hike out to the 2003 lava flow that now blocks the road. We found this Road Closed sign among all the lava!

Night tour of Mt. Kilauea, a volcano that is currently erupting. 

 

Kulaniapia Falls- the private water fall at one of the B&Bs .

The Inn at Kulaniapia Falls was on a Macadamia Nut orchard. We learned how to pick them and crack them open. 

After driving around the island for a few days, we settled into our condo in Kona. We got some yummy local fish (Ono, aka Wahoo) and steaks and BBQ-ed by the pool. 

Lindsay's FAVORITE place.. Kukio Beach. One day we saw a total of 8 sea turtles while walking the beach. Some eating algae off the rocks, others  relaxing on the beach. 

 A few of our favorite things:

Macadamia nut waffles at Inn at Kulaniapia Falls (must be a guest, but we recommend that too!)

Pacifier IPA and pizza from  Kona Brewing Company

Poke from Da Poke Shack

Kukio Beach for turtle sighting and relaxing on the beach

Kealakekua Bay near Captain Cook Monument for snorkeling with dolphins

Tour of the Mauna Kea Summit by Hawaii Forest and Trail