Archive for the 'Hawaii' Category

Early in the trip, we tried out a couple snorkel places on Big Island, and on days 5 and 6 we did more – one of which was very memorable!

Day 5: morning and night snorkels

In the morning, my family and I headed to one of the most popular snorkel places on Big Island: Honaunau Bay aka Two Step. Not only does it have wonderful coral reefs and fish to look at, it’s also known to be a place where sea turtles and sometimes even dolphins hang out.

View of Two Step

Getting in and out of the water might be hard for beginners because it doesn’t have a beach to ease you in. You use two natural steps carved into the volcanic rock (hence the name “two step”) and time your entry and exit with the waves. Once you’re in, it’s an easy and clear swim!

Sadly, we didn’t see any dolphins, but it was still a great snorkel because there were lots of fish to look at and even a couple sea turtles. The reefs in this area are also more interesting than the other spots we checked out earlier in the trip.

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Back when my husband and I visited Big Island in 2013, we went to Volcano National Park, but we made the mistake of not leaving enough time to fully explore it. This time, we went again with my family on day 3 of our trip, and we made sure to arrive earlier!

Like last time, we planned a couple of stops along the way. The first was Punaluu Black Sand Beach, which is known for both being a black sand beach and also being a place where sea turtles like to come up and bask. When we arrived, there were no sea turtles to be seen! We thought we were really unlucky this time around.

We stuck around for a bit though, taking photos and checking out the beach. That paid off because while we were there, a sea turtle started to come on land!

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To those who have been following along for a long time, you know that I’m no stranger to Hawaii. This was my fifth trip there! After me and my husband’s fourth trip in 2015, we were determined to take a long break from it. You know, get some variety in our vacations.

However, my parents really wanted to have a family vacation, and at the time, I already knew I was pregnant (but they didn’t). I suggested a few places that I knew I could manage and enjoy while pregnant, and everyone seemed to like the idea of Hawaii. So… we took our fifth trip to Hawaii with my parents, brother, and sister-in-law!

Our first destination was the Big Island of Hawaii, which is one of my favorite islands and my second time visiting it. Of the four major islands (Oahu, Maui, Kaui, Big Island), it’s one of the quieter ones, and like its nickname suggests, it’s the largest one.

Day 1: checking in

My parents live near me, so we flew together to Big Island, while my brother and his wife flew over from Pennsylvania. There’s two major sides to the island: Kona in the west and Hilo in the east. Kona is the dry side of the island and where most hotels are, so that’s where we stayed.

After arriving, we tried to check into our hotel, but our rooms weren’t ready yet. We passed time at a nearby farmer’s market and then just relaxed around the hotel property until they were ready. At night, we had dinner at Teshima’s, which has comfort Japanese food. I got an omurice (omelette fried rice)!

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