Big Island 2011, Day 1

So here we are on the Big Island, a mere 2 hour time difference from home, and weather pretty similar to home. We met some people last night who had barely made it out of Maine (via Boston) to get here, a true paradise for them!

We haven't planned anything in advance for this trip beyond our lodging. Our first 5 nights are at Tiki Island Hawaii, http://tikiislandhawaii.com/, a one bedroom apartment which is the first floor of a two story house on the hill above Kailua Kona. It's filled with tiki decor, a view to die for, a pool and lush gardens outside our door. We are a short 10 minute drive to the beach.

Day one, we visited Place of Refuge, ancient Hawaiian ruins, and snorkeled just around the corner at Two Step. It was an amazing snorkeing experience, we saw a turtle, many, many colorful tropical fish, many types of coral and I saw an eel. Then a picnic at the gorgeous, quiet, and somewhat secluded Place of Refuge picnic area.

Place of Refuge picnic area

In the evening we drove down into the tourist area of Kailua Kona and witnessed a beautiful sunset over mai tai's at Don the Beachcomber. I'm not too impressed by the tourist zone...but you can't beat the location:


Sunset at Don the Beachcomber's