Hearts in Hawai'i
Our Trip to Hawai'i (2007)--Day 11
5/3/2007
Off To The Big Island!
Up again at 6:30 to eat a quick breakfast and finish packing. I found myself a little grouchy this morning because first, I despise having to do this just to change islands--it's a pain...packing, checking out, driving back to the airport, turning in the car, getting the shuttle to the airport, waiting in the ticket line, going through security, waiting at the gate to board the plane, flying to the next island, getting the new rental car, driving to the new hotel, checking in, unpacking. Get the picture? It's a lot of crap to do, and it essentially blows an entire day. Second, the small (17") bag we brought for our checked luggage is filling up fast with all the stuff we're acquiring/taking. We need a bigger bag for our next trip, no doubt. So, we got the car back to Budget and then we're shuttled to the Aloha Airlines check-in. We found out we could take an earlier flight (10:15 instead of 12:30) at no additional cost.
Constantly looking out the window (I nearly always try to secure window seats on flights), we saw the Big Island for the first time. Rocky beaches (we're approaching the dry leeward side of the island) instead of sandy. In fact, the landscape was mostly covered in black volcanic rock. It's interesting but not what I'd call pretty or anywhere close to beautiful. The landscape was rather bleak and desolate. The exceptions were found where landscaping had been done, such as in Waikaloa.
It was cloudy, warm and humid here today. We got our new rental car--a Chevy Malibu, and hit the road bound for Keauhou. We found our way easily (hey, there's only one way to get there from the airport), and cruised down Ali`i Drive. There are tons of restaurants, hotels and rental places stretching along the coast from Kailua-Kona south to Keauhou. Finally, we arrived at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort, located seven miles south of Kona. To our surprise, the room was ready (it's only noon) so we got checked in, found the room and settled into our new quarters.
The room was quite nice; spacious with a mini-fridge, coffee maker and room safe. Likewise, we liked the bathroom nice with a large tub/shower combination but the tub floor was badly chipped. A large chunk of the porcelain had been scraped clean!
After getting some stuff unpacked, we explored the hotel and grounds--very green and nice! Our room is over a tide pool close to the ocean. No sea turtles in sight yet. There are six tennis courts (two are lighted), and also two double hammocks overlooking the tide pool and ocean. It's an expansive area and noticeably quiet after all the noise of Waikiki.
We'd been led to believe it's nearly always sunny here, but the clouds prevailed today; a couple folks we subsequently talked to have told us that it's sunny in the morning but clouds up each afternoon, due to the mountains and the usual prevailing air currents.
Room at the Outrigger Keauhou Resort
Grounds at the Outrigger Keauhou
Previous: 5/2/2007--Our Trip to Hawai'i (2007)--Day 10
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