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Waikoloa Beach Resort

Pololu Valley

January 15, 2019 by 4 Comments

Pololu Valley Big Island of Hawaii

Although it has been months since our trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, I still have more photos to share. My goal has been to space out the posts so they don’t become overwhelming. Compared to the other Hawaiian islands, the Big Island is quite large (hence its name). In fact, if you combined Rhode Island and Delaware into one land mass, the Big Island would still be about 1,000 square miles bigger.

We stayed in Waikoloa Beach Resort on the west side of the island. If you drive an hour along the western coastal road up to the northern tip, the road dead ends at Pololu Valley. Although it’s a main highway, it’s also a residential street, and parking is limited, but the view from the lookout point is more than worth waiting for a spot. There are no large centers along the northern side of the island, but there are several small towns that are just darling. The nearby towns of Hawi and Kawaihae have great art galleries, ice cream and smoothie parlors, and coffee shops.

Pololu Valley Big Island of Hawaii

If you have your walking shoes or sandals, you can hike 20 minutes down to the black sand beach. The path was steep and a little muddy, but we took it slow and snapped lots of pictures along the way.

Pololu Valley Big Island of Hawaii

Pololu Valley is the first of seven valleys along the Big Island’s northern coast. The seventh is Waipi’o, which has a history even richer than its lush, green vegetation (photos of that one coming later). There is a long hiking trail that connects all seven valleys, but it is an overnight trail that is known for being treacherous.

Pololu Valley Big Island of Hawaii

The view along the shore is gorgeous, but the view behind the beach (towards the south) is even more breathtaking.

Pololu Valley Big Island of Hawaii…

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Filed Under: Hawaii, Travel, U.S. Tagged With: art galleries, Big Island of Hawaii, black sand beach, coffee shops, Hawaii, Hawi, hiking, ice cream, Kawaihae, Pololu Valley, smoothie, Waikoloa Beach Resort, Waipi'o Valley

Ancient Hawaiian Petroglyphs

June 8, 2018 by 10 Comments

On our trip to Hawaii’s Big Island, we stayed in a vacation village called Waikoloa Beach Resort, located on the west side of the island, about 30 minutes north of the town of Kailua-Kona. Most tourists book hotels and condos on the west side because it has the best beaches and the driest weather. The east side is beautiful and worth a day trip or two, but Hilo is known as one of the wettest cities in the United States, and the rain can easily put a damper on vacation plans.

Waikoloa is located in the middle of a lava field, which covers a large part of the west side of the island. It is home to well over a dozen condo complexes and hotels, and the groundskeepers have done a wonderful job creating a lush, green oasis in the middle of such desolation. (Don’t get me wrong, the lava fields are beautiful and unique and are one of my favorite parts about the island, but places like Waikoloa tend to feel more tropical.)

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Filed Under: Travel, U.S. Tagged With: Big Island, Hawaii, Hilo, Kailua, Kings Road, Kohala, Kona, petroglyphs, Waikoloa Beach Resort

Green Sand Beach

April 24, 2018 by 38 Comments

Mr. Handsome and I just returned home from a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. It was a long journey  (two, five-hour flights each way) but we had a blast. We booked our trip months in advance and were able to find some fabulous deals. (Stay tuned for a post with all the details of how we saved money during our travels.)Our first full day on the island was our busiest. We rose early because of the five-hour time change, ate a quick breakfast, and threw together sandwiches for lunch. From where we were staying at Waikoloa Beach Resort on the west side of the island, we drove south, past the town of Kona and around the southern tip of the island, which is also the southernmost point in the United States. It is appropriately named South Point (or Ka Lae, meaning “the point” in Hawaiian).

Although the area is extremely windy (you can see windmills in the distance in the photo below) and secluded, there are a decent number of cattle ranches.

Located near South Point is a beach, but not just any old beach. This beach has green sand! The mineral responsible for the color is olivine. Apparently it is one of only four green sand beaches in the entire world….

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Filed Under: Hawaii, Travel, U.S. Tagged With: 4WD, Big Island of Hawaii, Green Sand Beach, Hawaiian, Ka Lae, Mahana, Papakolea, South Point, Waikoloa Beach Resort

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EllieMr. Handsome and I married three years ago and moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Between recipes, photos from our travels, money saving tips, DIY suggestions, and more, our lifestyle blog features a little bit of everything. Read More…

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