Hawaii Happenings

I'm trying to play catch-up so brevity works best . . .  my parents have asked for pictures so here goes:


The boys couldn't get enough of the pool at the Kings Land in Waikoloa.  

 

 

 

[fruit we think we came from this poolside tree near Jake's favorite water slide]

I highly recommend it - the pool is solar powered, has salt (no chlorine to hurt the eyes or the skin) and has amazing water slides . . . not to mention a TV and bar poolside that gave a whole new meaning to watching football on Thanksgiving (and a Costco, Target and Safeway nearby to stock your room with essentials).  Oh yeah - the gym overlooks the pool and has a first class locker room so you can get all of the sand off your kids, fully showered without bringing any remnants of the pool into your room.  Priceless!

 

The Hilton Waikoloa Village resort that is a shuttle ride away has all kinds of never-ending entertainment - a monorail and boats (bought from the old Storybook land from Disneyland) to transport guests from one end of the resort to the other . . . yes, it's that big . . . and amazing restaurants!

Peter's favorite restaurant ...  is known to the locals as KPC (not CPK or KFC as Aunt Marcy feared when she first heard). This is the view from the front of the restaurant: 

   

The  back gives you a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean and the best possible sunsets imaginable.  

 

There is black lava everywhere so spray paint doesn't work well.  Instead, the locals use white rocks to spell things out.  PJ enjoyed the opportunity to make his very own "graffiti" - Big Island style.   

 

  
Dolphin Quest is part of the resort too.  Both boys talked Aunt Marcy into taking a dip with them (Peter and I had our share last time).

  

We also had to take Aunt Marcy to one of the  that's also part of the resort.  

 

Dinner was authentic Hawaiian . . . 

 

We watched the dancers and the boys even got up on stage and danced (much to their chagrin, dad has it on video).

  

We had a lot of fun and Jake called the girls "important."

 

We didn't have to venture out of Waikoloa, but we did . . . there was a beach at a nearby bay that had hermit crabs and sea turtles.

   

PJ and Dad even swam out to a boat anchored nearby . . . just because they could.

 

But we didn't have to leave the resort . . . it had its own lagoon for building sand castles and you didn't have to schlep any chairs.

 

The lagoon even had humu­humu­nuku­nuku­āpuaʻa (yellow fish below) -- yes, the boys can say it (but probably not spell it) ...

and sea turtles in it (see the one with the had poking out near PJ and Dad?)

Would we do it again?  Peter is already trying to figure out when . . . but maybe not always during Thanksgiving break.  We did miss the traditional fixings.  Okay - that wasn't brief.  : )