King's Pond

Our hotel has a large salt water pool that is carved of out natural lava rock. It is stocked with 3,500 fish. There must be at least 50 different kinds of fish in the pond. Our favorite is the spotted eagle ray. In the morning kids can feed the fish and in the afternoon there is a special feeding for the eagle rays. They come right up and eat out of your hand. This is also a great, very safe place to snorkel. K spent hours and hours snorkeling.

Can you see the flowery flounder by K's foot?


Here are 2 flowery flounders-they really blend in with the rocks

Torch Guy

The highpoint of dinner every evening was when torch guy (as we call him) would fly by as he was running though the resort lighting all of the torches. He stops after each torch and blows into his shell. The place where we stayed is lit entirely by torches with a few small lights that illuminate the footpaths. It is magical when you arrive at night. The drive to the resort from the Kona airport is very dark and once you turn off the main road there are no lights. The first time you visit it is a little eerie because it is so dark and all you see are the torches. Once your eyes adapt is so beautiful and truly relaxing.

Tide Pools

One of our favorite things we did in Hawaii was take a tour of the tide pools. Our guide grew up in Hawaii and was very knowledgeable. She told us when she was little that she and her friends used to chase each other with sea cucumbers and use them as squirt guns. They would squeeze the sea cucumbers and water would spray out. We didn't try it.

This poor sea cucumber was stuck in this crack but when we went back to check on him the next day he was gone so he must have gotten out. Sea cucumbers are very heavy!

There were pink and black spiny urchins. You can pick them up if you are careful.

Big Waves

We survived the tsunami but then had two days of crazy wind. It made for some really great waves! It was so windy we couldn't even go to the beach-being pounded by the sand felt like some kind of spa treatment. Hoping our skin looked baby soft after our walk on the beach.

Tsunami!

With the way things have been going in my life recently it came as no surprise that there was a tsunami warning the first day of our trip. The hotel was evacuated to a golf club in the mountains for the day. Everyone was entertained and well fed and returned safely to the hotel in the afternoon.

K loves the lei greeting

Very early morning beach walk