Stan and Kiyomi went first to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii (the "Big Island"), intending to stay at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, HI 96738 but they had overbooked so we stayed just down the street at the Outrigger. They are both deluxe hotels with all the amenities, located on the Kohala coast about 20 miles north of Kona. There is a live Web Cam, if you want to see what it's like right now. We took enjoyable walks along the beach and around the area, seeing the mysterious rock petroglyphs, walking past luxury condominiums, viewing the tide pools, and later watching the sunset and subsequent nightfall. For the first time in longer than I can remember, we saw the Milky Way gradually become visible in all its splendor as the light faded to black, while snacking on crackers & cheese, sipping wine, and enjoying a delightful warm breeze.
On September 11 we were told about the terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon. It was hard to believe. We decided that we couldn't do anything about the attacks, and so we continued with our plans. We looked at possible property for investment, concentrating on vacant lots. Unfortunately, everything was pretty expensive, although we saw some sites we'd really like to build on. We switched to the Village Building of the Royal Kona Resort on Alii Street in Kona, overlooking Kailua Bay. Now we were in town, so walked around taking in the sights. We sipped a beer while watching the sunset from the Windjammer Lounge and enjoying a hula show.
While in Kona, we ate at some very enjoyable restaurants: The Kona Brewing Company microbrewery, where we had Hawaiian beer; Oodles of Noodles, which serves noodles from many cuisines; and Bubba Gump's Shrimp Factory. We stocked up on Kona coffee, including some real "Bad-Ass Coffee" (yes, that's really the brand name! - Mail order available 1-800-297-5155).
Due to airport closure, we could not leave on Thursday as we'd planned, but spent another day (there are worse places to be stranded...). We took a trip south to the National Historical Park in Honaunau, HI 96726 (the Hawaiian name is Pu'uhonua O Honaunau), and also north up to Hawi, then looped back on the mountain road, where we had awesome views of Hawaii, and down through Kamuela.
We finally got to Maui on Friday, the airport delays and hassles were not as bad as expected, actually seemed better than usual. We stayed at the Outrigger Wailea Resort Hotel & Conference Center, 3700 Wailea Alanui, Wailea, Maui HI 96753 (the the southwest coast). It's a beautiful hotel with an incredible view in the upscale town of Wailea, surrounded by other luxury hotels, condos, golf courses, and of course the ocean. There is a long trail along the beach that has the native plants named and some historical information posted. It's great in the early morning, just after sunrise (because of jet lag, it's easy to get up early - but don't plan on partying late!).
We looked at property, homes and condos in Kula (part way up on Haleakala's slope) and Wailea. Saw a lot of interesting places that would not be hard to come home to!
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