Our 3rd Polynesian Dance Show

After we went to Hawaii I had always thought it would be fun to learn how to hula dance...I just thought I'd take a class or two...later on in life when I had the time and could actually find hula dance lessons. I had NO clue that this little thing written on my list would turn into what it has. I had no idea that my toddler daughter would be able to do this with me, I had NO notions of us dancing in a show...and certainly not 3 years in a row!  I just love how these items on my LIFE LIST can unexpectedly turn into something wonderful that becomes a huge part of my life. My LIFE LIST is really my LIFE CHANGING LIST.

Click HERE to see the pictures from the first 2 years! 

36 things to do on the Big Island

Ho’I Hou Ke Aloha

1. The Black Sand Beach 

2. Akaka Falls 

3. South Point 

4. Attend a Luau 

5. Stay at the Kona Village Resort

6. See an active Volcano 

7. Swim with Sea Turtles 

8. Snorkel 

9. Eat at Huggos on the Rocks

10. Drive the King Kamehameha Highway around the entire Island

11. Drink a Mai Thai

12. Drink Kona coffee

The things I WISH I would have done...and will be sure to do next time!

1. Swim with Dolphins
2. Go Horse Back Riding
3. Take a Helicopter Ride over the Island
4. Eat Spam
5. Stay one night at the Volcano Hotel
6. Night Dive with Manta Rays
7. Take a Surf Lesson
8. Write something on the Black Lava
9. Hula Dance on the Beach
10. Hike to the Green Sand Beach
11. Buy a large hand carved turtle
12. Carved Tiki statue
13. Get a lomi lomi massage
14. National Historic Park
15. Botanical Garden
16. Hulihee Palace
17. Mauna Kea Observatory
18. Sea Horse Place
19. Akatsuka Orchid Gardens
20. Kula Kai Taverns
21. Submarine Dinner
22. Go hiking on the volcano
23. Have a picnic on the Black Sand Beach
24. Get a Hennah tattoo

Have you been to Hawaii? What was your favorite thing there?

what a place...

This was our hale all to ourselves for one amazing week

It's been a few weeks, but I am going to finish this soon! When we went to Hawaii in 2009 staying at the Kona Village Resort was definitely the highlight of our trip, I know that we would not have enjoyed our trip had we stayed elsewhere. This place is magical and one post would not have done it justice in any way, I have already written about the private beach at Kona Village, the gourmet food and what makes this my favorite place on Earth. After this post today, I still want to share deserving pictures and stories of the staff, the grounds and the cocktails!

Today I'm going to tell you about the 'hale' (thatched roof hut) we spent a week in. When I was planning this trip I knew what I wanted, something very Hawaiian and I found EXACTLY what I was looking for at the Kona Village Resort.

I am not a thrifty traveler and do not stay at budget hotels. Everyone has specific things that are important to them....for me it's the hotel or resort that will make or break your trip. I like to stay at unique, one of kind hotels/resorts which will not only enhance my trip but that will make it unbelievable. With champagne taste and a beer bottle budget this does limit the frequency of my vacations and that's just fine with me! This is how I look at it- I could eat McDonald's every day for a week or I could save my money all week by eating simple meals at home and then reward myself at the end of the week with delicious food at my favorite restaurant....but with resorts...I could care less about food...I literally could eat Salteen crackers all day every day and it wouldn't bother me.

Everything I have to say about this enchanting place was pre tsunami, the village has been closed for the past 2 years and under construction. I have no idea what kinds of changes will be made but I sincerely hope they are minimal. The resort is due to reopen in late 2014, there is no doubt it will book up quickly as many of their loyal visitors are eager to return to paradise. 

In the Village, everyone has their own thatched roof hut or 'hale'  There are several different styles, sizes and locations. Ours was one of the smaller ones in the Village-though much bigger and nicer than an average hotel room.

Comfy bed and sheets. The entire room was completely spotless. Every night we would return to our hale to a complete turn down service-they would close the blinds, turn down the bed and turn on the lamps. I felt like King Kamehameha.

Our sliding doors going out to our patio which faced the lagoon.

I loved it all, the walls, the wooden shutters, the plants- it was simple but perfect. 

I took this picture because I loved the wood on the ceiling, but this is a good opportunity to mention that the hales are not air conditioned.  We were there in August, one of the hotter months and there was only one night where I actually felt too hot-so I took a quick, cool shower which cooled me down and I slept like a baby. With the ceiling fan, the windows open and the nearby breeze from the ocean..I promise you will not miss the A/C...but again, there may be changes being made as we speak. Oh yea, no TV's either. Trust me, when you're in Hawaii, the last thing you want to do is watch TV.

AAAHH...this just makes me smile. This is how you take a vacation.

The view of the lagoon from our balcony.

This was taken in the bathroom, I wish I had a full picture for you, instead you will have to trust my description. It was a large bathroom with an all glass shower, full bubble tub and over sized counter tops. The tub came in use to me...it was the perfect place to cool my sunburned body and the shower was fabulous. You know how most hotel showers are kind of gross and you don't like to linger in them and you certainly don't want to accidentally bump into the shower curtain-this was probably the cleanest and nicest shower I've ever been in...and I loved being in it because the Awapuli shampoo and conditioner they provided you with each day smelled amazing. You were also given a lotion with a similar scent. I still have some that I don't use, I just like to smell it sometimes to take me back.

Each hale is complete with a 'privacy coconut' when you do not want to be disturbed just set this little coconut outside on the steps to your door. 

Across from this little table was a mini fridge, coffee maker and signature Kona Village coffee mugs. Every day they replenished our supply of Kona Coffee, bottled water and choice of soda, for me it was Diet Coke...this was back when I knew it was bad but wanted to remain in denial. It was so wonderfully convenient.

 I think I had a smile on my face the whole time I was writing this. Below are some more of my stories and pictures from this wonderful trip back in 2009.

Related posts

Attend a luau

Snorkel

See a black sand beach

Stand in the Southern most tip of the United States

Akaka Falls

Active Volcano 

The Ultimate Life List is now on facebook....please sway your hula hips on over there and LIKE it!

A beach to spend a lifetime on

            Aloha kekahi i kekahi 

         

It is so bitterly cold in Michigan right now, I am enjoying reminiscing about our wonderful trip to Hawaii. I thought that since we woke up this morning to everything covered in ice it would be nice to share some pictures of the exclusive beach at the Kona Village Resort. I think the pictures say it all but I will simply note that this beach was always quiet, clean, extremely private and during our time there in the month of August there was always few people on the beach. The Village offered several activities that complimentary such as snorkeling, kayaking and the use of the paddle boards. They also offered activities for an additional fee such as rib craft rides and surf lessons which we unfortunately did not take advantage of.

Seeing sea turtles on the beach every day was such a bonus for me!

A little further down the beach.

That is the Hale with the pointed roof is where we ate breakfast daily

If I am not mistaken this is the location where the wedding ceremonies are held.

The beach is horseshoe shaped which makes it very easy to get some great photos.

As you can see...there's not a lot of people in the background.

Related posts:

my favorite place in the world

the best food I've ever had

snorkeling

black sand beach

South Point

Volcano National Park

swim with sea turtles 

Akaka Falls

see a Hawaiian Luau 

take Polynesian Dance class

a cat named Kona 

The best food I've ever had

                         E’AI KAKOU

The very first thing I ate at Kona Village....wasn't exactly a shabby way to begin our vacation.....

A few days ago I told you about my favorite place in the world and decided there was no way I could describe this unique slice of heaven in just one post....it's going to take a few. I chose to start with the food we were fortunate enough to indulge in at the Kona Village Resort. Though, I know I will not be able to convey the absolute deliciousness of the food we enjoyed at the Kona Village Resort on the main island of Hawai'i, but I'm going to give it the ole college try. I guess I ought to start by saying, this was the best food, presentation, and service I've ever had-the bar will forever be set awfully high. I know I will see more beautiful places in my life, eat other meals that are enjoyable and stay at other luxury resorts....but I cannot imagine any of them will surpass the tremendous quality I found here.

Here's how the meal plan worked-(with our package anyhow)

• All 3 meals were included in the price of our package. 
• This included an appetizer (for both of us). 2 meals and 2 deserts.
• If you were going to be out for the day they would pack you a meal or provide you with vouchers for selected restaurants. We preferred to eat at Kona Village since the food and scenery could not be beaten and we had quickly fallen in love with the employees, but at the same time it was nice to be able to experience some restaurants in Hawaii.

Oddly, I have some sort of disorder where I cannot for the life of me sleep while I'm on vacation! While we were in Hawaii, I was ready and rearing to go by 5h a.m. which means that I was easily wide awake by 4h.  I'ts like my body is pumped so full with adrenaline it doesn't want to waste a moment sleeping. Of course I was not going to wake my husband and force him to start having fun so early in the morning. Luckily hot coffee and pastries were prepared and laid out for the early risers. I would grab a cup of coffee and a little treat and sit on the very quiet beach or just leisurely walk around the village. I am always looking for places that would be 'a great place to drink your morning coffee'...clearly sitting on the warm beach in Hawaii watching the waves roll over the sea turtles on the beach is at the very top of the list and I did not take a moment it for granted!

We were always the first to arrive to breakfast which awarded us the best seat in the house...or outside rather. We could chose from the buffet or we could order anything we wanted. I always went with the buffet. I'd get one plate just filled with fresh fruit and then one with eggs and bacon-bacon like I've never had in my life, thick and tasty...then I'd dip it in coconut syrup! On our table was our own coffee pot which was hugged in a Hawaiian floral print fabric. I could have sat there all day drinking coffee, staring at the ocean and listening the peculiar call of the franklins...the goofy little while birds walking around.

This was our view from our table every morning at breakfast.

For lunch there were several options that we took advantage of since we wanted to try out everything. Once or twice we ate at the 'Talk Story' hale (a bar type hut at the Village)-while also enjoying our afternoon mai thais. We preferred this location because while the food and drink were terrific, we also had the pleasure of being entertained by the bartender Chad. 

That's the Hale Talk Story behind Joel.

 On two occasions we used the lunch vouchers given to us by the resort when we were out seeing the island. The first restaurant was a mile outside of Volcano National Park. The restaurant called Kilauea Lodge did not wow me in ambiance but it was on a volcano which was good enough for me. In my opinion, doing anything on a volcano is totally noteworthy. Another time we ate at this very 'Hawaiian' restaurant called Huggos on the Rocks-and it was ON the water. I loved this relaxed atmosphere, the servers were bare footed, wore their bathing suits and definitely exuded the 'Aloha spirit'. 

Just a stunning painting inside the bathroom at Huggos on the Rocks....no biggie.

It was fun to experience these other restaurants but our favorite, as far as the food itself was concerned, was the buffet style lunch on the Village grounds. I have to be honest I am not typically a fan of any sort of buffet....but a Kona Village-it's not a buffet, it's a work of art and an experience rolled into one. Their version of a 'buffet' is one of which every buffet in the world should be modeled after, for theirs includes fresh crab and just picked coconut. I loved the idea of having sliced coconut every day with my lunch and ate as much coconut as I get my hands on while I was there. Not to mention, the very lovely way in which this buffet style meal was prepared adorned with fresh orchids made my heart swoon. As a floral designer I can assure you that it is quite a luxury to decorate your food with one of the most exquisite and expensive flowers in the world....and on a daily basis no less!

Location of the buffet style lunch.

There was also several dinner options, 2 nights were dedicated to the pig roasts with luaus following. Again, the food was out of this world! The buffet was long and offered all sorts of different dishes including a whole table of traditional Hawaiian dishes. My wooden platter was more than full by the time I reached the pig servings but I ended up with a heap of meat that somehow managed to stay on the plate on the walk back to our table. The pork and crab were delicious but forget all that...there was some sort of macaroni salad that was so tasty that I went back more than once for a refill! And then Joel got me some another time. 

The pig roast.

 Then one evening they held a paniolo night was right held on the lawn in front of the ocean. After we ate dinner that evening we got to see manta rays swimming around the rocks on the shore. 

A manta ray.

 We only ate at the more quiet/romantic Hale Samoa once, it was wonderful...however unfortunately that night I was stupidly wearing a pair of linen pants that were a littttttle too tight. So I ate quickly and lite because I eager to get out of my bottoms! 

  These were the frightfully tight pants that did not allow me to enjoy my dinner! Since I've lost so much weight this same pair of pants was actually so big this summer that I ended up just donating them. I completely missed the window where these actually fit! I'm not complaining....I could have worse problems than my pants being too tight while we were at our luxury resort in Hawaii and that I've lost about 25 pounds since then so now they're too loose....yes, I could have problems that were much much worse.

The other two evenings we ate at the same Hale Moana (restaurant on the Village grounds) where we had breakfast each morning. I have had 5 savory meals in my life that are totally UNFORGETTABLE-this is where I had one of them-duck, with a shrimp appetizer. We loved this Hale not only because of the insanely yummy food but the view was-perfect.

Hale Moana 

Kona Village friends-what was your favorite meal/place to eat at the Village?