Hey There, Friends!
Thanks so much for all the great feedback from the podcast yesterday. We really appreciate the feedback and are so thankful you’re spending time to listen.
Today, Shay and I are sharing Part 3 of our Hawaii Spring Break 2020 trip!
So far we’ve covered…
We’re gonna pick up right where we left off. We went to bed in Maui and woke up in Hilo!
Thanks to that concierge stateroom I’ve mentioned before we had access to this dining room where there were always plenty of tables for our big party of 12. We ordered our breakfast every morning right here.
These three girls were ready for a FUN day!
For our Hilo day, we booked a private tour with a big shuttle van that seated all twelve of us. Once we met up, our guide helped us customize the day just for our ages.
Shay and I noticed over and over again how on this trip the kiddos often paired up differently. Britt would let Kensington “baby” her but if Ebby Lee tried she wasn’t having it.
This was such a cool way to get to see a variety of things on the island.
Our first stop was to see an area of the island where an earthquake had erupted leaving behind lots of lava.
These Texas kids couldn’t believe it.
Don’t even ask me what I was doing in this picture. I mean…WHAT am I doing? We laughed and laughed after our guide took this. One of the best reasons to hire a private guide when checking out a new town is this right here….no other tourists were in this location.
In certain spots, you could still see the steam.
Our guide pulled over to the side of the road so we could feel the warm steam rising up from the ground.
Next stop was the Mauna Loa Factory.
This factory produces a wide variety of macadamian nuts. Our crew of twelve came in a bit hungry and we’d never tasted anything so delicious. We bought bags and bags of nuts for us to take back to Texas.
Can you tell these two were fans?
Stop #3…lunch at a local hang out.
Right before this picture Bowen pulled his tooth. How many kids can say the tooth fairy visited in Hawaii?
We ordered a couple fun drinks and let the kiddos share.
These amazing waterfalls were stop #4.
The whole crew!
Who taught Britt to do this?
Then we saw the Kaumana Caves, a super long lava tube created by a flow many years ago. Can you spot Britt and Tab walking down there?
The stairs were really slippery and pretty steep.
But it was super cool to see.
How cool is that, right?
The view from the inside out.
And our last stop of the day was this cool spot where lots of locals camped and enjoyed the beach. We just took a little stroll near the water before heading back to the ship.
Awesome views so we took it all in for a bit.
Sorry, for all the pics in the same spot. 🙂
After a fun-filled day, our guide dropped us off at the ship and we were having a snack before dinner.
It appears like I didn’t take a single picture that night. 🙁
The next morning we woke up in Kona!
And we tendered over to the island.
I’m pretty sure Tab, Andrea, and I thought Shay might get sick so we put the kids beside her. Ha!
After a non-stop day in Hilo, we made our Kona day super chill.
We got off the ship for the day and spent our day at the Waikoloa Beach Resort.
This resort was stunning…there was a beach entrance where these girls spent most of their day.
The ocean views from the resort.
The pool was amazing!
Don’t mind my finger-but wanted to show you what was in the cave.
And a water slide or two was built right into the landscaping.
We had the BEST day!
When we got back on the ship, this was the view from our balcony.
Dinner was extra sweet with these girls.
And these three as well.
And on our walk back to our stateroom, we caught this view.
It really felt like each and every day were so special. Lots of amazing memories were made!
XO
What a great day! I love how you used the ship’s facilities and the different things on the island too!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Erika!!! That was such a fun two days in Hawaii!!! I would repeat both days in a heartbeat!!
My goodness this was an awesome trip!
FUN FUN!!! I remember Hilo and Kona were really cool places. gosh I know I say it every week but this brings back so many memories.. I WANNA GO BACK ASAP! 🙂
Britt's romper at dinner might be the cutest thing I've ever seen!! Love these recaps.
That cave looks so neat!! What a lovely resort and that view from the ship with the rainbow is just stunning.
Ooohhh that last picture is pretty!! Loving the recaps!!
That Inspired Chick
Aww I loved your trip!! If I was here( I live in hilo hawaii) I'd would've done those same things…maybe stopped at bird park or punaluu beach honus are always relaxing catching some sun 🌞 on the black sand beach but you folks did have a time limit, also in kina checking out a cocoa-coffee farm or Octopus 🐙 tour,or Ellison Onizuka museum at Kona international Airport. Next trip, honaunau's city of refuge Beach, captain cooks point(snorkeling in Kealakekua bay) next time y'all come I can give you folks a tour "Da locals FAVE spots 2go" we go Waimea honokaa Kahala coast….
Who did you use for the Hilo tour? It looks so fun!
A private company…I don’t remember the name. :(. Sorry!