
Paradise!! Remarkable untouched beauty! I could go on in this vein. But I would still fail to capture the essence of
Hawaii. Captivatingly beautiful and serene, it takes you back in time when everything was so pure.
We took our first trip to Hawaii this February. The minute our feet touched the tarmac it felt like we had finally reached paradise- god’s own home. We had booked a six day trip to Big Island.
We stayed at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort. The Sheraton property is beautiful. We stayed in a room with partial ocean mountain views. The views were awesome. We felt transported to a different world – away from all the daily hustle bustle of city life.
On our first day there we simply took it easy- acclimatizing (we went from 20 degrees below to 80 degrees with the sun shining high above us). We just relaxed and caught up on the Super Bowl game.
The next day began with breakfast in our hotel room balcony. It was awesome. We had coffee and light breakfast while watching the sun rise from behind the mountains. It was simply beautiful. This became a ritual for the rest of our stay. We actually came to relish the dawn-early morning time when the world slowly came to life while we enjoyed delicious Kona coffee. We then set off to explore Big island.
Our first stop was a coffee plantation. We were staying in the Kona area on Big island. This area is famous for its coffee and macadamia nuts and has plantations and nut farms spread throughout. We took our tour, picked some fruits, ground some coffee beans and tasted some of the best coffee I have had. If coffee were a religion, Kona would be a temple.
Later we went for an authentic Hawaiian Luau with the Imu presentation, the luau dance and mai tai's. We were called on stage and the host sang a hawaiian song especially for us while we danced. It was so special!!
The next day after our morning breakfast (with delicious kona coffee), we headed north on the big island for some sightseeing. The landscape on Big Island changes dramatically as you move from one area to the next. Infact 11 of the 14 known climate zones can be found here. So the scenery changes dramatically from desert lavascapes to tropical rainforests to beaches to snow peaks!! We saw some stunning valley lookouts, beautiful waterfalls and small hilly villages. It just seemed to be straight out of a picture!
In the evening, we took in a whale watching tour on board the fastest speed boat on the island. The whales came out and put on a jolly good show.
The next day, we went off to see Mount Kilauea, the most active volcano in the world. On the way, we checked out beaches which were quite unique- one with Green Sand and another with Black Sand!! The views all the way were awesome. The volcano itself was such a beautiful experience. We rode on the rim of the crater, saw some steam vents and some famous craters. We went inside one of the lava tubes and came out near the most beautiful rainforests i have seen. It was awe-inspiring.
We spent the next two days taking in more of this vast hawaiian island and its breathtaking views and its beaches. At the end of it all, we still hadn't managed to take in all. We wished we could settle down there permanently. There are some places on earth which manage to give you a taste of heaven and Hawaii certainly is one of them!!