Day #52 - Dining with Dolphins

Our first full day in Hawaii and we awoke to glorious sunshine - sun so bright it really did require sunglasses first thing! This was a stark contrast to last night's wet welcome. It does feel a long time since we felt the warm sun of Florida and while San Francisco was bright and sunny, it didn't give us that lovely relaxing warm hug that this tropical sun does. 

Our agenda today was to have no agenda! We were going to just see what the day brought and explore our surroundings. So after the usual morning routines, we headed out to walk our new neighborhood and enjoy that morning sun. 

Our hotel is located right on the shoreline and has a beautiful little beach to the front. This makes for a spectacular early morning view and serves of a reminder of where you are in the world. The grass hut you see is a 1970s reconstruction of the residence of King Kamehameha I. It is one of the most important historical sites in all of Hawaii, this is where Kamehameha I lived out the remaining years of his life and instituted some of the most constructive measures of his reign. Additionally, this is the spot where the first missionaries to reach Hawaii came ashore in 1820. Here, they received permission from the king to remain in the Islands.

We strolled along the ocean front road lined with small shops, bars and restaurants on one side and the Kailua Bay on the other. There is a low sea wall and on the other side, black volcanic rocks, teaming with sinister crabs. The rocks act as a sea defence and the waves crash right up to  the wall, resulting in the occasional spraying of pedestrians! Being Sunday, there was not much activity, but we didn't mind since we were just enjoying the relaxed vibes that infuse this place. 

Once we reached the far end of the bay, we naturally turned around to head back to the hotel, not before stopping off for a spot of lunch at one of the bar/restaurants we went to last night because the food we had was so delicious. This time we had a healthy dish of steak (James) chicken (me) served with mash and lovely vegetables and although the desserts were tempting, we were good boys!

Back at the hotel we took full advantage of the amenities and spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool and hottub (which was very hot!).

For the evening, we decided to jump in the car and visit another hotel that Aunty Sue had recommended - the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Kohala Coast. This hotel is a 62 acre complex sat in a purpose built resort area with shopping malls, condos and various leisure facilities. Quick holiday tip: never miss an opportunity to go and look around (and eat) at other hotels; don't be confined to just yours. 

We parked up in the first car park we found and then wandered along the shoreline to the hotel. The evening's sunset did not disappoint and James and I practised our photographic skills by trying to out do each other with the best sunset pictures. Since I am writing today's post, you get to see my photos!

The hotel itself is breathtaking in its scale of vision - complete with meandering waterslides, a thrilling water playground, and a mesmerizing underwater world teeming with marine life! The hotel did remind us a little of a Disney hotel since it has its own small monorail and a river boat to transport guest around the resort! Naturally we had to ride both of these as we searched out somewhere for dinner. 

We found a nice bar located next to the dolphin pool. Yes, you read that right - they have dolphins. While we were a bt concerned about the relatively small size of their enclosure, we were assured by the information boards that the dolphins were well looked after and are part of a wider conservation project on the island. It was quite something to be dining next to these creatures that somehow captivate us and appear to have a natural affinity with humans. 

One the way home,  we stopped off to pick up our friend Jose at the airport who we saw in San Francisco and is joining us for a few days in Hawaii. Really nice to see him again.