We technically arrived in Kona yesterday afternoon, but all we managed to do was check into the hotel, get some dinner, and do a little exploring around the sprawl of the Hilton grounds in Waikoloa. Body clocks were still askew, so we woke up this morning around 5:00, which gave us just a little time for more exploring before sitting down to enjoy our $29/person continental breakfast (good thing Hilton “gold” members get two free continental breakfasts!). Did we mention, things are expensive here in Waikoloa?
The pictures below show several scenes from walking around the grounds. We got to watch the trainers feeding the dolphins, and saw a couple of sea turtles swimming in the local lagoon.
After breakfast we went to the pool for some swimming and sliding. There are several pools here on the facility, so we’ll do more exploring in future days. That left us only partially sun burned, so we decided to take a break and go grab some lunch off-site. We drove up to the little town of Waikoloa Village, which is where Lara and I stayed in a condo the last time we were on the island in 2005. Not much had changed in this neck of the woods.
Then we went to Hapuna State Beach to complete our “Day 1” sun burns and test the waves. This was the first time in the Pacific for the boys. Evan jumped right in with body surfing and wave diving. Alex was a little more reluctant, but got the hang of it after first burying himself neck deep in the sand. Time to sign off now. Tomorrow we head to Hilo for a helicopter tour of waterfalls and Volcanoes National Park. We can’t wait!
