Hawaiian jump-off
In late January, early February, we started to discuss taking a holiday later in the year. Because of the stress of the past thirteen months, we really wanted to come up with some epic ideas just to help us move past that disaster. We had been able to sneak off to Montana, and although it was pretty awesome, it was a more of an escape before I spiraled off into the throes of a nervous breakdown, quitting my job, and school, in the process. As a result of that brief respite from COVID, I was mentally in a better place, and we hadn’t used all our earmarked vacation funds. With those remaining funds, and the money we had allotted for this year, the consensus was that we go all out. Europe was out of the picture (even Ireland unfortunately) thanks to COVID. After some discussion and internet research, the two places we had come up with were Alaska, or Hawai’i. By March the decision was made, and we chose the Big Island of Hawai’i because we both wanted to relax, completely disconnect, and see something new and different.
With COVID still complicating things, we did our research, booked our flights (with insurance) for mid-May on American Airlines, and hoped for the best. To get to Hawai’i we were required to register with Safe Travels Hawai’i, which was the States method of tracking visitors to the island to contain the spread of COVID. It wasn’t too difficult to follow the rules for entry, we just had to fill out paperwork, and get a COVID PCR test (from a trusted testing partner, Walgreens in our case) within 72 hours of departing our home state. If you neglected to register, didn’t get the test, or failed the test, you had to quarantine for ten days upon arrival in Hawai’i. Our flight wasn’t a round trip, as there is no way I could sit on a plane for fourteen hours straight. Having a few stops was rough, and made for an even longer day, but at least we could stretch our legs in-between flights. We flew from Albany (at 0630) to Philadelphia, Philadelphia to Phoenix, and Phoenix to Kona, landing at 1630 Hawaii-Aleutian standard time.
Shortly after landing at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport, we picked up our rental car from Dollar. Originally, we had booked a VW Jetta, but were pleasantly surprised to find we had been upgraded (at no charge) to a 2020 Ford Edge. Now it was time to make our way to the hotel and settle in. Thankfully, it was a straight shot and an easy 20-minute drive from the airport. It took us a little longer because we were constantly looking out the car windows at the landscape. On the left we had old lava fields that descended from the mountains shrouded in clouds, and on the right, there were more lava fields on the coastline, with their black rocks contrasting starkly with the azure ocean. It was a sight to see, especially after a day stuck in airports and on planes. We were both strangely reminded of Iceland, which, although a good 40 degrees colder than Hawai’i, shared some striking similarities…Volcanic landscapes, old lava flows, mountains, and black sand beaches with crashing waves.
Finally, we made it to our hotel, the Royal Kona Resort, nestled on the western coast of the Big Island in the town of Kailua-Kona. The hotel was very nice and in decent shape especially if you consider that it had just reopened in early May after having been closed since the end of March 2020. Our room had a sea view, with the sound of waves crashing on the rocks, it overlooked the pool, AND gave us a good view of the amphitheater where they had the luau three nights a week! That saved us at least a hundred dollars a person since we didn’t have to buy tickets.
We quickly changed into our swimsuits, grabbed sunblock, snorkels, and headed out. Our first stop was a lagoon on the hotel property, which was an easy five-minute walk across the resort. The lagoon was a tide pool anywhere from 2-6 feet deep, mostly protected by large rocks, but with plenty of room for the tide and waves to crash in, bringing in fish and a fresh turnover of water. It was quiet there, with only a few people floating about, so the water was calm and crystal clear while we snorkeled, watching the fish as they meandered about the rocks and ocean floor. I’d snorkeled in the past, but only in Adirondack lakes, so this was quite a different experience to say the least! We floated around for a solid 45 minutes before drying off and making our way back to our room.
After a quick shower it was back downstairs to the hotel restaurant for dinner. The restaurant was literally 20 feet above the ocean with a buffer of giant lava rocks in between us and the water. Needless to say, the view was excellent. Since neither of us had eaten much all day, I was hoping the food would match the view, and I was not disappointed. Choosing the “Island Style Poke”, was the right move as I was presented with a plate of fresh ahi, cubed, marinated with seaweed and spices, along with rice and veggies. After dinner, we stayed in the restaurant for a bit, enjoying the view and plenty of semi-frozen “Lava flows”, which were exactly what we needed after a long day of travelling and before heading to bed.
The next morning, we were up and out early. We walked to Kailua Pier, which is where the Ironman World Championship race begins. Here we saw some women loading up sea canoes for a five-mile practice race. As we stood on the pier and watched them paddle off, a pair of dolphins leapt out of the water, as if on cue, creating a perfect photo op…except our cameras were in our pockets…oh well. We had passed a few restaurants on the way to the pier, and chose The Fish Hopper, for a nice breakfast (including a pair of bloody Mary’s), before making our way back to get our stuff and heading off to the beach for the day.
The plan for the day was to relax by the beach and take it easy, and with the temperature at roughly 30°C/86°F, that was fine with me. Mahai’ula Beach was 30 minutes away in the Kekaha Kai State Park. It was an easy drive…until you got 100 yards into the access road, and then it was narrow, unpaved, littered with rocks of all sizes, with potholes and ridges large enough to take out the underside of your vehicle if you weren’t careful. There was no shoulder either, as the road itself was carved out of an old lava field. If you have a car, I’d say park and walk in, otherwise, get a truck.
The beach was only a few minute’s walk from the parking lot, and thankfully sheltered in a bay because the wind was coming in pretty strong off the ocean. The sun was blazing down as I made my way across trail, through the lava field and into the sand. I was able to find a shaded spot underneath a small tree to provide some protection and lay out my towel. The place was so peaceful and pretty. The water was crystal clear and full of fish, while the sand was white with shells and lava rocks scattered about. I snorkeled for a bit before leaving my gear on the beach so I could swim…and of course with the snorkel gear on the sand, a sea turtle appeared, swam right underneath me, and made its way down the shoreline. Is me not being prepared going to be a recurring theme? First the dolphins this morning, and now the sea turtle. LOL. The rest of the day was spent napping in the shade, with breaks for snorkeling or swimming. It was nice to just take it easy, with not a care in the world or a thought about work or school.
After a few hours we called it a day, packing up our stuff and going back to the hotel. This was a successful first full day in Hawai’i, and we really could not have asked for anything better than sun, sand, and the sound of the ocean.