Day 1 - December 30, 2006
Our morning began early--really early. Dave had trouble getting to sleep and therefore, got about 3 hours of sleep before the alarm went off at 3 a.m.
The winter storm that was supposed to hit seemed to miss the Midwest and we didn't hit any of the delays we expected getting out of Pittsburgh. Our flight to Chicago was a quick hop and we were ready to go! Also of note, both directions on this trip, for once Jill was not pulled aside for extra security checks!
The flight from Chicago to Honolulu was a bit long, leaving Chicago at 9 a.m. and taking a bit over 9 hours. By the time the flight was over, we were more than ready to get out of the plane.
We de-planed in Honolulu and took our time in getting from the International Terminal to the inter-island terminal. There were people giving us direction the whole way-maybe we looked lost? The airport was interesting but had more poured concrete walls than I would have ever expected. After lunch at Stinger Ray's, we headed to the gate to board for the flight to Kona.
Upon deplaning in Kona, we were pleasantly surprised at the airport-it is pretty much all open-air. You walk down the stairs from the plan and it looks like a small village of hut roofs-with few walls. Most of it was landscaped with wooden fencing and shrubs. The fresh air was a welcome change from being cooped up in the plane. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping and were in Hawaii!
We claimed out bags, found the Speedi-Shuttle rep and after about a half-hour waiting for the driver, were on our way to our hotel. The driver was very nice and courteous and we got almost a guided tour of things we passed. He pointed out everything from the best places to eat to the bugs (the Hawaiian red cockroaches are in the Guinness Book of World Records for being able to run over 80mph), to the story behind a 1940s woody that was pulling out of another hotel in front of us. By the time we reached the hotel, we were certainly entertained and dusk was falling.
Upon getting out of the shuttle, we met our first big surprise-no door on the hotel. No exterior walls either. The lobby sat under the hotel but was pretty much open-air. It was lovely. The hotel is perched on the rocks right at the shoreline, right over what some consider the "turtle beach," or officially, Keauhou Beach. We checked in at the desk and headed to our room, the explored the hotel for a bit before heading in for the night. Our room overlooks the beach and we had a wonderful view of the snorkeling spot next door. We did get to admire the beautiful colors of a Hawaiian sunset from our balcony.
Our morning began early--really early. Dave had trouble getting to sleep and therefore, got about 3 hours of sleep before the alarm went off at 3 a.m.
The winter storm that was supposed to hit seemed to miss the Midwest and we didn't hit any of the delays we expected getting out of Pittsburgh. Our flight to Chicago was a quick hop and we were ready to go! Also of note, both directions on this trip, for once Jill was not pulled aside for extra security checks!
The flight from Chicago to Honolulu was a bit long, leaving Chicago at 9 a.m. and taking a bit over 9 hours. By the time the flight was over, we were more than ready to get out of the plane.
We de-planed in Honolulu and took our time in getting from the International Terminal to the inter-island terminal. There were people giving us direction the whole way-maybe we looked lost? The airport was interesting but had more poured concrete walls than I would have ever expected. After lunch at Stinger Ray's, we headed to the gate to board for the flight to Kona.
Upon deplaning in Kona, we were pleasantly surprised at the airport-it is pretty much all open-air. You walk down the stairs from the plan and it looks like a small village of hut roofs-with few walls. Most of it was landscaped with wooden fencing and shrubs. The fresh air was a welcome change from being cooped up in the plane. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping and were in Hawaii!
We claimed out bags, found the Speedi-Shuttle rep and after about a half-hour waiting for the driver, were on our way to our hotel. The driver was very nice and courteous and we got almost a guided tour of things we passed. He pointed out everything from the best places to eat to the bugs (the Hawaiian red cockroaches are in the Guinness Book of World Records for being able to run over 80mph), to the story behind a 1940s woody that was pulling out of another hotel in front of us. By the time we reached the hotel, we were certainly entertained and dusk was falling.
Upon getting out of the shuttle, we met our first big surprise-no door on the hotel. No exterior walls either. The lobby sat under the hotel but was pretty much open-air. It was lovely. The hotel is perched on the rocks right at the shoreline, right over what some consider the "turtle beach," or officially, Keauhou Beach. We checked in at the desk and headed to our room, the explored the hotel for a bit before heading in for the night. Our room overlooks the beach and we had a wonderful view of the snorkeling spot next door. We did get to admire the beautiful colors of a Hawaiian sunset from our balcony.
Welcome to Hawaii