The Big Island Hawai'i Part 1
It’s always wonderful to check into your hotel room and find a trail of roses, some snacks, and 2 nice bottles of Prosecco! It’s even nicer if it was for the people who got upgraded to a suite and never checked in to your room. Happy days indeed. See the note below and our thanks and congrats to Brittney and Dillon.
A great start to week 2 the Big Island Kohala Coast at the Westin Hapuna Beach. This is likely the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in. A giant property that feels very small. Most if not all rooms have some Ocean/Beach View and what a Beach it is. Hapuna Beach is among my favorite beaches in the world. Large white sand beach, great waves, just absolutely beautiful. The Hotel nicely shares the Beach with the public (not the case with all hotels). I don’t think you could be crowded if you wanted to be. My last post I spoke of the Restaurants at the Westin. The Meridia an upscale Mediterranean restaurant which I would highly recommend It also has a lovely bar area. We enjoyed dinner there twice during the week. There is also a nice pool/beach restaurant Naupaka Beach Grill which we enjoyed on a few occasions. Fantastic Burgers, Fish and Chips, and seafood tacos were among our favorites. An excellent bar as well.
For Breakfast Ikena Landing served the basic Westin breakfast menu. The pastries were excellent and the fruit tray always had a “surprise” local fruit.
Sitting out on a hotel lanai the Piko Coffee + Bar was a great place to get out of the sun and enjoy a refreshing beverage. Usually, they had a complimentary treat as well.
While at the Westin I got the chance to tour The Mauna Kea Beach Resort ( a sister hotel to the Westin) and the Mauna Lani resort which has recently had a $200 million dollar refurbishment, and the grounds of the Hilton Waikoloa Village.
The Mauna Kea Beach Resort shares billing, beaches, and resort charges with the Westin. It is a lovely hotel with extensive ocean view rooms. This hotel does have a number of pool or garden view rooms as well. There are 4 restaurants on-site and a Luau. We enjoyed the casual Copper bar-restaurant for lunch. Food choices at the resort run from beach fare to the more elegant Manta for contemporary Pacific Rim dining.
The Mauna Lani is an exquisite property that has received a much-needed and wonderful refurbishment. The grounds are spectacular from Ancient fish ponds to glorious white sand beaches. It is part of the Auberge Resorts Collection. Giant turtles relax on the beach, snorkel, and see the famous Hawaiian state fish the Humuhumunukunukuapua’a.
For a dinner to remember forever try the Canoe House, beachfront dining to die for. In my next blog, I will talk about things to do and places to see on Hawai’i.
