Blogs from Hawaii, United States, North America - page 140

From the gorgeous beaches to the mountains, Hawaii is just as beautiful as I had imagined. I am struck by the brilliance of the colors. Even the rainbows are more vibrant here than ones I've seen at home. Driving along the side of the mountains is incredible, even humbling. Their large scale and abundant foliage are really stunning. The beaches on Oahu are beautiful, of course, and there is a lot to do in the surrounding areas, though I think I have enjoyed Kailua and Lanikai more than Waikiki because they are a bit more remote. The views at these beaches are lovely, and the water is almost emerald in color. If you are ever on Oahu, you must eat at Haleiwa Joe's. I highly recommend it! We went to the location in Kaneohe. The restaurant ... read more

Hilo, the true Hawaii... Hilo is 2 hours drive on the other side from the Kona Coast. There is not a single top-resort, it rains here more than anywhere else in Hawaii, and most of the tourists are day-trippers from the Kona Coast. So why do we spend so many days here? Well, thanks to Marty, Chris and their two daughters, we are going to discover the true Hawaii. Marty is one of Ma'ri sisters, so this is also for me my first family visit. Guys you are great, we had an amazing time with you and hope to see you again very soon. Thanks for your warm welcome and to have make us discover your little corner of paradise. As I say Hilo is more rainy than Kona, but this also mean much greener. Over ... read more

The next day I had a 6 am wake up and headed on foot from the hostel to Jacks Diving Locker for my first day of scuba diving. Scuba in California was freezing so I decided to give it another shot in Hawaii. Even before we left the marina I saw a guy pulling out a huge swordfish from his boat to load into the back of his truck, it was crazy. On the way to the dive sites (High Rock and Freeze Face) we saw a bunch of dolphins playing in the water too. There were various skills I had to complete on Dive 1 and 2 for my open water cert. All went well except I ended up with mild barotrauma and had to miss out on day two. But that didn't stop me ... read more

Mokulele Airlines....the name alone says it all! Honolulu is only a short flight from Kona...but once we land, we are in a different place. The lava fields are all over...not the red one for those who don't know, but the lunar landscape is already all over us. Another cool car...this time a little Mustang...we love the sound they do...and ready for our first stop, the Four Seasons Hualalai. Let's say this is pure spoiling. An amazing place...if you take out the guests who arrive there by private jets. Not us, but didn't stop us to enjoy the place. First stop, one of the pool, or should we call it a pond, or even...paradise. A huge salt water lagoon, in which you can snorkel with two white spotted eagle rays. The pics speak for themself. We were ... read more

Doesn't it sound hardcore? Well, it wasn't so bad... We're alive... and so is the four year old kid we also saw clambering over the cliffs, so no need to worry! The pictures speak for themselves, so we'll let them do most of the talking... To sum it up: it was 25 miles (40kms) of cliff-side hiking through dense jungle, over sheer, rocky cliffs, and to a semi-permanent "hippie-colony" where naked people let it alllll hang out - a great hike, spread over four days. We were a little worried about it - The Kalalau Trail along the Na Pali coast - seeing its 9/10 Sierra Club difficulty ratings, and words used to described it including: treacherous, challenging, grueling, "one mis-step could be your last" etc - but it was not nearly as worrisome as we ... read more