We went to Hawaii ( the Big Island). This was the first time for us for this island. We were a little unsure of what to expect from this island and a little worried that we wouldn't love it as much as we are smitten with Kauai. This island is definitely different from Kauai or Maui. It has so many different climates and landscapes. It is beautiful though, and it is Big!
We like to travel around when we are on vacation and not just sit by the pool at the hotel. Don't get me wrong, we do that quite a bit but we also love to get a feel of the area in which we are visiting.
We stayed at the Hilton at Waikoloa Village. I highly recommend this hotel. It is huge and gorgeous.
It has 4 pools (one of them an adult pool), many shops on site, and many different restaurants. They also have a Dolphin Quest on the property, where you can schedule to actually get in the water with the dolphins and touch and kiss them! This is something that my kids got to do and it was the highlight of their trip I think.
There is no beach access from the hotel but there are some beautiful beaches just a short drive away.
A view of one side of the Hotel on a pretty lined walkway around property.
View of the Lagoon Pool/Beach, where you can snorkel, paddle board, kayak and swim.
Green turtles everywhere!
A view from our room. That is the Dolphin Quest lagoon, so we could watch the dolphins swimming all day. To the far back is the ocean and the other side of the hotel's property.
Another view from our room. There's a nice grassy area, large checker board, and to the far left is a shallow sand pool for toddlers, and a huge pool with hot tub, grotto, waterfall, and slide past that toddler pool.
Some fun decor things in the room I thought I'd share. This was a fun "Hawaiian" style carpet.
Loved these textured handles on the closet.
Grasscloth wallpaper and the frosted sliding door to the shower was a nice touch.
This is the view we woke up to everyday! We were so lucky to score this room, and this view. Perfect!
This was the view from the door coming into our room. That water transports a boat shuttle around the hotel property. There is also a train like tram, that runs all day/night to shuttle you around too. I am serious when I say this hotel property is HUGE!
Finally the day came of meeting the dolphins for my girls.
This was a little wallet cruncher but so worth it for the look on their faces!
Priceless.
I love that the dolphin looks like he's smiling.
The beaches were beautiful and I definitely recommend you going to Kua Bay (the pics with the white sand beach) if you visit this Island. Gorgeous clear blue waters! All of these pictures don't do these beaches justice. They were breathtaking.
We couldn't not visit the Volcano National Park. It was fun and interesting but wasn't the highlight of our trip.
Another thing I recommend... the Lava Flows. SO yummy!
That pretty much sums up our trip. I have more pics but don't want to bore you with all my family shots. If you are thinking of a Hawaiian vacation you need to check out this resort. There are more beautiful photos on their site.
If anyone from the Hilton happens to read this and want to offer us some sort of discount to come back... we would not hesitate! We had a wonderful trip and dreaded coming back home.
Until we can visit again, I will have to use my memories of the warm weather, gentle ocean breeze, and the beautiful sunsets to get me through all the laundry, cleaning and cooking that is now my reality. Aloha!
