Hawaii 2006
October 30 2006 - November 2 2006
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Monday - October 30, 2006.
This year we decided to take a different flight – Flight 3. It flies non-stop from Chicago to Maui then on to Kona. It’s a pretty long flight, although we did have some strong headwinds, which slowed us down. All in the all, the flight was pretty uneventful. It was very empty though, so the trick may be to fly out on Mondays. We touched down in Kona at 4:27pm HST. As usual, Mark went off to get the car and I stayed for the luggage. Mark picked me up luggage and all by 4:57. We think that’s got to be some sort of record. 30 minutes from touchdown to car.
We went straight from the airport to Kona Brew Pub. Traffic was bad, right around Honokohau, but we’re really not sure why. There is some road construction (lane widening) going on, but they are actually building the new lanes out of the way of the existing lanes. But, we made it to Kona Brew Pub by 25 minutes. Another delay was that they changed the entrance to KBP. I guess all those years of fighting with the other shops in that shopping mall will finally come to an end. To get to KBP now, you got down Kaiwi street and turn on Paiwi. But the small wait was worth it. Mark got his usual Pele’s Own and I got the Paniolo. Both were good, although this time they put red bell pepper on the Pele’s own. The season brew today was Pipeline Porter, made with real Kona coffee. It wasn’t bad and would probably be good if I really liked coffee. They are going to have 2 new seasonal next week – a ginger beer and a stout – so I’m sure we’ll go back for more.
We then tried to withdrawal money from our savings account, but was told our card is invalid, so we’ll have to go to the bank on Tuesday. It’s a bit of a hassle but not too big of a deal.
Things have also changed at the Bay Club. There is now one check in location for both the Bay Club and the HGVC at Waikoloa Beach Resort. They also have free wireless access in all rooms. We didn’t know, but we actually got a villa to stay in. It’s very nice and big! With two separate master suites! Plenty of room for us, this is the type of unit that would be nice if we had another couple with us. Oh well.
Tuesday - October 31, 2006.
What a beautiful lazy day. We went for our walk then headed down to Kona for lunch. We decided to go to Cassandra’s, which gave us Mileage Plus dining points and a great view of Kailua Bay. Mark had the gyros and I had the Greek Salad. We also had the Feta and Olives appetizer. Afterwards we headed to Safeway to do a little grocery shopping. After we got back and put the groceries away, we went to the pool for some sun and relaxation. We decided to eat in and made some Ribeye steaks and some au gratin instant potatoes. Then we ate and watched some shows. Super realaxing.
Wednesday - November 1, 2006
We went for our walk again today and decided to take the shoreline route. It was really beautiful. Unfortunately, we had a little trouble when we got back. Our key no longer worked in the door and we were locked out. So we walked down to the check in building to get it fixed. The lady there had a few issues herself and then said, it was working, so we walked back. But, the key still wasn’t working, so I tried to call, but the phone kept ringing and ringing for a full 7 minutes! We were almost all the way back by the time they answered. They gave us a new key which finally worked. We decided to go down to Kona again for lunch and ate at Pancho & Lefty’s. It was much better than we remember. I had the Pancho nachos and Mark had the Chili Verdi. Of course we both had the Lefty’s margarita’s. Afterwards we stopped by Jack’s Diving Locker to see what they thought we should do if we wanted to try diving again. Basically, they thought we should do a refresher course which is $25 and then go diving the next day or so. Right now that’s our plan for February, but it’ll be expensive, so we’ll have to save a little money for it. A 2 dive trip is $125 + rental fees of $7.50 each for regulator, BCD and wetsuit.
We came back to the condo and lazed around until about 5pm, then walked to Waikoloa Beach Grill for dinner. It was a little expensive, but very tasty. I had the Uku (grey snapper) special served with a sesame butter and basmati rice. Mark had the catch of the day which was Opah served in an asian broth with vegetables. We also had a 2005 Morgan sauvignon blanc which was also very good.
Thursday - November 02, 2006
Well, another lazy day in paradise. We went for our walk taking the shoreline access route for the beauty and the breeze. Saw a turtle in the water. We went out later than usual, and it was quite humid and warm. After our walk we went to Café Pesto for lunch. We both decided to try their pizza again. Mark had the mushroom and artichoke pizza, I had the southwest pizza, which has chipotle chicken, cilantro pesto, red onion and goat cheese. Both were pretty good, but we both prefer Kona Brew Pub pizza better. Afterwards we went grocery shopping again and picked up a few items to cook in a few more nights.
Before dinner we went to the pool for a while, but a storm was blowing in, so we didn’t get much sun. Met a couple from Wisconsin and a couple from Minnesota.
Then we came home and made the Kajiki (pacific blue marlin) and grilled that with the same rub we used for the steak a few nights ago. (McCormick Roasting Rub – Cracked peppercorn herb – very tasty). We served the fish with some wild rice and Caesar salad and of course, wine. We picked up a Kendall Jackson 2005 Sauvignon Blanc for $11. It was pretty good. I think the total dinner probably cost us about $25, which would have been a bargain just for the fish and rice at just about any restaurant. We watched a movie last night – Black Widow – because part of it was set in Hawaii. Seems like pretty forced acting to me, but I remember when it came out I really liked it! Oh well, at least the Hawaii scenery was nice.
Friday, November 3, 2006
We started the day like we have been all week, by taking our morning walk along the ocean. We walked over to the spot where we got married. It was very nice. We came back to the condo and showered and headed down to Kona. We decided to have lunch at Pancho and Lefty’s again, because we needed one more MP dining then we’d be eligible for 10 miles per $1 spent. And since we plan on going to Daniel Thibault’s, we thought that would make it worth while. Again, our meals were good at Pancho and Lefty’s. I had the Burrito Verdi and Mark had the Carnitas. We also had the regular margaritas instead of the Lefty’s margaritas. They weren’t bad and were $2 cheaper. Afterwards we walked around downtown Kona and Mark bought a couple of new shirts from Honoloa – they were on sale.
We then headed back to the condo – via the scenic route. We decided to take 190 home because 19 was getting backed up, but I think even with the traffic it was a lot further, but at least it was something different and much cooler. After we made it back to the condo, we made some more margaritas and headed to the pool for a little while.
We decided to eat in and made chicken pesto and served it with Beringer Chenin Blanc, we had picked up for $6. It was okay with food, but nothing special by itself. We tried to watch tv, but we had a heck of a time with our dvds and computer. For some reason our dvd player stopped working, now, no matter which dvd we try to put in there, it tells us it’s bad, which is complete nonsense. And Mark tried to download new drivers for the computer and we wound up doing nothing for about 90 minutes and by the time he got it working again, it was about time for bed! I made us stay up and watch Red Dwarf, just because, then we went to sleep.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Slept in a little today, but still went for our walk along the ocean, we decided to walk through the Hilton Waikoloa Village and see what that path was like. It’s amazing how huge that hotel complex is. We walked along the ocean and through a new complex of homes, which is aross the street from The Bay Club.
We decided to eat at home, so we had our leftover Café Pesto for lunch. Then went to the pool for some sun. Unfortunately, it’s been clouding up in the afternoon. We did bring our margaritas though, so that helped. J
We had dinner at home again – steak with stuffing and of course wine. We watched a few things on tv, then went to bed.
Sunday, November 5, 2006
Wow, we’ve been here a week already and really haven’t done too much but relax, but I’m not sure that’s all wrong. The Bears game was on at 8am, so we didn’t take a walk, but sat down to watch the game. Unfortunately the Bears (specifically the offense) played bad. Rex Grossman had 3 interceptions and a fumble. And there were 2 other fumbles. All of the points the Dolphins came from turnovers, so if the game wasn’t quite so sloppy the Bears may have won. It was their first loss this season and it was to a team that was 1-6! Although in 1985 the Bears’ only loss was against the Dolphins, so hopefully this game was a little foreshadowing.
After the game, I took a nap while Mark watched more football. Then we went to the pool (it was cloudy again) and hung out at the whirlpool for a bit. When we got back we decided to go to go to Roy’s for dinner. I had the Shutome with mashed potatoes and Mark had the Jumbo Sea Scallops and Shrimp with Risotto. We also had Chateau Zind Umbrecht Pinot D’Alsace, which was really nice. And of course we topped off the meal with the Chocolate Souffle which was yummy as ever.
Came back, watched a little tv and went to bed.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Went for a hike down the Kings Trail, which was very hot and very hard. We only lasted about 45 minutes. We came back and decided to go to Hapuna to do some boogie boarding. Unfortunately the waves weren’t really up for the challenge. So we were only out there for an hour or so.