Big Island
I return again to Big Island this year with family. I joined the family flying out on Delta Airlines. The airline had the only evening flight out to Hawaii and I was looking to leave after work. I haven't flown an actual Delta flight in a long time and was able to snag the flight on points. I did not enjoy being in regular economy, making me miss my Economy Plus access but I did like the free TV. The snack options was interesting, it was a trio snack bags of pretzels, almonds, and biscotti cookies.
I had a four hour layover in the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport overnight and opted to work in the airport rather than looking for hotel lodgings. The Wi-Fi was intermittent and I ended up snagging a somewhat stable connection through the Prada store. I don't know why, the cellphone hotspot wasn't working well for me. Normally, you can walk from the main terminal to the inter-island terminal but not overnight. It doesn't open until 5 am. Unfortunately for me, my Hawaiian Airlines flight was at 5 am. On a side note, the only thing that stays open in the airport is the Starbucks.
Luckily, I was able to walk out and into the inter-island terminal in 15 minutes. Even though I did not get TSA precheck with Delta, I was tagged at Hawaiian so I was able to get through relatively quickly at 4:30 am. Another side note, TSA precheck opens at 4:30 am.
After landing in Kona International Airport, I got into the HGVC Waikoloa Village Kings' Land. I had booked the two bedroom plus in this latest Kings' Land building (22). It is smaller in size compared to the other buildings but adequate for our group.
During our time in the Kona side, spent the day napping given that my overnight trip in HNL was so exciting. Afterwards, had breakfast at the timeshare and was sad that there were no Portuguese sausage. I did enjoy my coconut pound cake so that was a plus.
After breakfast, wandered around the Hilton Waikoloa Village and enjoyed a lava flow from the pool bar. Afterwards, caught some college football on TV and had dinner a la Costco in the timeshare unit. The family had gone to Costco earlier in the week and bought spinach salad, bulgogi, and poke.
The next day, had breakfast at the Coffee Shack on our way to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Having had a large dinner, I opted for the Papaya Special. It consisted of a half papaya with fruit mixed with yogurt, scrambled eggs, and slice of coconut pound cake. I didn't think it would be much but the coconut pound cake was so good that my companions ordered more slices to go. They also make their own bread and it was very tasty.
Spent the day at the park before heading over to Hilo. Went by Big Island Candies to restock on my favorite shortbread cookies. Checked into the Grand Naniloa Hotel. The staff was friendly and the hotel room was sufficient. They recently renovated and the furnishings were simple and modern. I liked that the rooms come with a microwave as I intended to eat my leftovers (I didn't). For dinner, I enjoyed cheesy garlic fries, onion soup, and a dynamite fish bowl at Pineapples. I also had a pineapple POW which is a cored pineapple with an alcoholic drink inside. Fun to order, drink was ok. I also tried their Haupia Dream which closely tasted like a coconut flan. It was good but interesting texture with the shortbread crust.
The next day, went to Ken's House of Pancakes. Most of the group thought their dishes were ok, I enjoyed my lup cheong omelette and coconut pancakes. Walked around the Hilo Farmers Market down the street. The farmer's market has their own space in town and are scheduled on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It seems pretty popular and there were many vendors. Steve's Akaka Falls Farm offers interesting jams and what really bowled me over was the kona coffee butter which tastes like butterscotch.
After dropping the family off at Hilo International Airport, headed back to the Hilton Waikoloa Village to spend the night. With all the leftover lunches and dinner, it was an easy night in and plowing through the food at hand.
The next day was a relaxing day. It was entirely a resort day starting with breakfast at water's edge. It has been a long time since I've been a guest at Hilton Waikoloa and the diamond lounge being gone, we were given continental breakfast at the restaurant. If you are going to eat at Water's Edge, the upgrade of $15 for the full buffet is worth it. If you were thinking of going to a local grindz eatery, I would say forgo the free continental and spend that upgrade towards a plate. It costs the same but tastes better.
With many of the guests leaving and/or unwilling to be in the pool/lagoon area due to high winds, it was easy to rent a cabana. Is it worthwhile to spend $100 for two to sit? Depends on your needs but it was nice to have a safe as well as a covering to buffer the winds and sun. The waitress tends to go by often as well if you wanted to get drinks from them.
Checked into the Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa for the last night of the trip. With the SPG promotion going on, I needed a stay with Sheraton and opted to stay in South Kona for a change of pace. It helped that it was also cheaper than the Hilton. The room was nice, I was able to snag an oceanfront room promotion that was cheaper than regular room rates. This is the first hotel to surprise me as I walked into the door. I normally expect to see a room but I walked into a side atrium space that was easily half the space of the actual room. I wonder if you can bbq in this area? :)
Walked to the actual hotel room door to find a spacious hotel room like at the Hilton and the view covered both the ocean and pool. It can get a little noisy with the people in the pool area but I'm not fazed by noise.
Had a fast dinner at McDonad's since Sunday nights are really slow in Big Island and I was already in WalMart grabbing some souvenirs.
Reflecting on my stay at Sheraton, a few things come to mind. It is significantly less windy in the South Kona side, likely due to the proximity to the cliffs and how the resorts sits in the bay. It also explains the tsunami signs as I'm sure this is one of the first places that will get hit. It is absolutely gorgeous but not as sunny as Waikoloa. Again, likely due to the geography around here which helps kona coffee beans grow. The pool facilities are fantastic, one of the longest and largest pools I've seen on a resort with a very big slide and a sandy bottom pool area at one end. (I've been told the Kings' Land hotel has the largest one on the island.) Like most resorts on Big Island, no beach but the trail on the outskirts of the resort lets you see a very pretty coastline. The rooms are very spacious although the bathrooms are slightly dated. The resort fee includes a list of items one gets but it doesn't always happen. I did not get a welcome lei shell, complimentary elixir drink, or a tote bag as stated in the list that the front desk makes a point to mention. The club lounge is nice but not worth the $50 upgrade fee. The appetizers are pretty simple and the free bud or bud light with wine isn't quite enough for me to think that it is worthwhile. The breakfast offered was nice but I'd rather go out to eat, even at the hotel restaurant for the $50. I like the SPG VIP parking spots for self park, it is a nice touch that Hilton has tried to do at some properties.
Went out for lunch at Broke Da Mouth Grindz at 74-5565 Luhia St, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 with a pit stop at Costco to refuel. Grabbed a few garlic chicken musubis for the road as well. I tried the garlic ahi belly special and it was delicious and very filling. For $14, it was the best meal all week.
Jumped onto my Hawaiian Airlines flight to Honolulu to grab a quick dinner with friends before heading back to the mainland. We ate at Soon's Kal-Bi Drive-in at 848 Ala Lilikoi St, Honolulu, HI 96818. The food was good and the company was pleasant. Be prepared to tailgate at your car if no tables are available.
I had a four hour layover in the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport overnight and opted to work in the airport rather than looking for hotel lodgings. The Wi-Fi was intermittent and I ended up snagging a somewhat stable connection through the Prada store. I don't know why, the cellphone hotspot wasn't working well for me. Normally, you can walk from the main terminal to the inter-island terminal but not overnight. It doesn't open until 5 am. Unfortunately for me, my Hawaiian Airlines flight was at 5 am. On a side note, the only thing that stays open in the airport is the Starbucks.
Luckily, I was able to walk out and into the inter-island terminal in 15 minutes. Even though I did not get TSA precheck with Delta, I was tagged at Hawaiian so I was able to get through relatively quickly at 4:30 am. Another side note, TSA precheck opens at 4:30 am.
After landing in Kona International Airport, I got into the HGVC Waikoloa Village Kings' Land. I had booked the two bedroom plus in this latest Kings' Land building (22). It is smaller in size compared to the other buildings but adequate for our group.
During our time in the Kona side, spent the day napping given that my overnight trip in HNL was so exciting. Afterwards, had breakfast at the timeshare and was sad that there were no Portuguese sausage. I did enjoy my coconut pound cake so that was a plus.
After breakfast, wandered around the Hilton Waikoloa Village and enjoyed a lava flow from the pool bar. Afterwards, caught some college football on TV and had dinner a la Costco in the timeshare unit. The family had gone to Costco earlier in the week and bought spinach salad, bulgogi, and poke.
The next day, had breakfast at the Coffee Shack on our way to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Having had a large dinner, I opted for the Papaya Special. It consisted of a half papaya with fruit mixed with yogurt, scrambled eggs, and slice of coconut pound cake. I didn't think it would be much but the coconut pound cake was so good that my companions ordered more slices to go. They also make their own bread and it was very tasty.
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| Coffeeshack - the magic oven that makes all their deliciousness |
Spent the day at the park before heading over to Hilo. Went by Big Island Candies to restock on my favorite shortbread cookies. Checked into the Grand Naniloa Hotel. The staff was friendly and the hotel room was sufficient. They recently renovated and the furnishings were simple and modern. I liked that the rooms come with a microwave as I intended to eat my leftovers (I didn't). For dinner, I enjoyed cheesy garlic fries, onion soup, and a dynamite fish bowl at Pineapples. I also had a pineapple POW which is a cored pineapple with an alcoholic drink inside. Fun to order, drink was ok. I also tried their Haupia Dream which closely tasted like a coconut flan. It was good but interesting texture with the shortbread crust.
The next day, went to Ken's House of Pancakes. Most of the group thought their dishes were ok, I enjoyed my lup cheong omelette and coconut pancakes. Walked around the Hilo Farmers Market down the street. The farmer's market has their own space in town and are scheduled on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It seems pretty popular and there were many vendors. Steve's Akaka Falls Farm offers interesting jams and what really bowled me over was the kona coffee butter which tastes like butterscotch.
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| Hilo Farmer's Market - Steve's Akaka Falls Farms |
After dropping the family off at Hilo International Airport, headed back to the Hilton Waikoloa Village to spend the night. With all the leftover lunches and dinner, it was an easy night in and plowing through the food at hand.
The next day was a relaxing day. It was entirely a resort day starting with breakfast at water's edge. It has been a long time since I've been a guest at Hilton Waikoloa and the diamond lounge being gone, we were given continental breakfast at the restaurant. If you are going to eat at Water's Edge, the upgrade of $15 for the full buffet is worth it. If you were thinking of going to a local grindz eatery, I would say forgo the free continental and spend that upgrade towards a plate. It costs the same but tastes better.
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| Hilton Waikoloa Palace Tower - Balcony View |
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| Hilton Waikoloa Palace Tower King Room |
With many of the guests leaving and/or unwilling to be in the pool/lagoon area due to high winds, it was easy to rent a cabana. Is it worthwhile to spend $100 for two to sit? Depends on your needs but it was nice to have a safe as well as a covering to buffer the winds and sun. The waitress tends to go by often as well if you wanted to get drinks from them.
Checked into the Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa for the last night of the trip. With the SPG promotion going on, I needed a stay with Sheraton and opted to stay in South Kona for a change of pace. It helped that it was also cheaper than the Hilton. The room was nice, I was able to snag an oceanfront room promotion that was cheaper than regular room rates. This is the first hotel to surprise me as I walked into the door. I normally expect to see a room but I walked into a side atrium space that was easily half the space of the actual room. I wonder if you can bbq in this area? :)
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| Sheraton Kona - Exterior view of pool and coastline |
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| Sheraton Kona - King Ocean Front Room |
Walked to the actual hotel room door to find a spacious hotel room like at the Hilton and the view covered both the ocean and pool. It can get a little noisy with the people in the pool area but I'm not fazed by noise.
Had a fast dinner at McDonad's since Sunday nights are really slow in Big Island and I was already in WalMart grabbing some souvenirs.
Reflecting on my stay at Sheraton, a few things come to mind. It is significantly less windy in the South Kona side, likely due to the proximity to the cliffs and how the resorts sits in the bay. It also explains the tsunami signs as I'm sure this is one of the first places that will get hit. It is absolutely gorgeous but not as sunny as Waikoloa. Again, likely due to the geography around here which helps kona coffee beans grow. The pool facilities are fantastic, one of the longest and largest pools I've seen on a resort with a very big slide and a sandy bottom pool area at one end. (I've been told the Kings' Land hotel has the largest one on the island.) Like most resorts on Big Island, no beach but the trail on the outskirts of the resort lets you see a very pretty coastline. The rooms are very spacious although the bathrooms are slightly dated. The resort fee includes a list of items one gets but it doesn't always happen. I did not get a welcome lei shell, complimentary elixir drink, or a tote bag as stated in the list that the front desk makes a point to mention. The club lounge is nice but not worth the $50 upgrade fee. The appetizers are pretty simple and the free bud or bud light with wine isn't quite enough for me to think that it is worthwhile. The breakfast offered was nice but I'd rather go out to eat, even at the hotel restaurant for the $50. I like the SPG VIP parking spots for self park, it is a nice touch that Hilton has tried to do at some properties.
Went out for lunch at Broke Da Mouth Grindz at 74-5565 Luhia St, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 with a pit stop at Costco to refuel. Grabbed a few garlic chicken musubis for the road as well. I tried the garlic ahi belly special and it was delicious and very filling. For $14, it was the best meal all week.
Jumped onto my Hawaiian Airlines flight to Honolulu to grab a quick dinner with friends before heading back to the mainland. We ate at Soon's Kal-Bi Drive-in at 848 Ala Lilikoi St, Honolulu, HI 96818. The food was good and the company was pleasant. Be prepared to tailgate at your car if no tables are available.
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