hawaii


Aloha Kona

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wearing: sunglasses / pearl earrings (similar here) / summer lipstick / black v-neck tee (old, prefer this one) / woven handbag / blue floral scarf / blue bracelet / summer nail polish / black pants / black espadrille mules / gold ankle bracelet /

There is always something bittersweet about the last day of vacation. While vacations are fun, there is always a slight urge to go home by the end of the trip. Of course, you always want to make the most out of your trip.

On our last day in Kona, my son was tired, and just wanted to relax on our last day in Kona. While he was tired, my husband and daughters were ready to take on the world. So, Rob took the girls kayaking and snorkeling, while I took my son on a little walk, and some quiet time.

giant connect four game kona

We started the day by playing games by the pool. We played foosball, and he beat me three out of four times. Then we played a giant connect-four game, where he beat me on every game. Perhaps he took mercy on me when he suggested we stop playing games, and start sight-seeing.

We walked over to see Mokuaikaua Church, which was the first Christian Church on the Big Island. It was under renovation, so we weren’t able to tour the whole building, just peek through the door. It looked nice, too bad we couldn’t see more!

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Then, we grabbed some ice cream before lunch. Shhh-don’t tell my hubby I gave our son sugar before lunch! Hahaha, is that a hashtag mom fail??

After our walk, we went back to the hotel to meet the girls and my husband for lunch poolside. We enjoyed fruity smoothies, and yummy food by the pool. Ah-relaxation time.

billfish poolside bar and grill kona

My son was tired, so the girls and my husband went back to the beach for more, and my son and I returned to the hotel room for a nap.

We all met back up again for dinner, this time at the historic Kona Inn. It’s an incredible building with a rich history. Although it no longer serves as an Inn, it still holds it’s historical significance as the first hotel on the Big Island; and as a place where celebrities flocked. How fabulous are these old school fans? It was quite an elaborate pulley system!

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The view from the restaurant was incredible. If it hadn’t been storming outside, we would have had a beautiful view of the sunset, but we were OK with missing another sunset, after all,  we had already seen an incredible one earlier in the trip.

Shop my Hawaiian sight-seeing outfit:

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel in a tropical rain storm. Thunder and all! I truly believe the sky was crying because it was our last day in Hawaii. Aloha Kona. Maholo for the memories and the kindness; we will return someday.

Thanks for stopping by!

Aloha,

Cathy

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Striped wrap dress for sight-seeing on the Big Island

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wearing: sunglasses / pearl earrings (similar here) / necklace (wearing top strand) / summer lipstick / stripe wrap dress (avl in several colors and under $100) / pearl bracelet (similar here) / summer nail polish / woven handbag / ivory wedge espadrilles /

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed I eat sushi a lot! It’s my favorite food outside of pasta, so naturally I planned on a fabulous sushi dinner while in Kona. Sushi Shiono is a sushi restaurant in Kona which has won awards, and comes highly recommended by my OpenTable app. So I knew ahead of time it would be worth the half-mile walk from our hotel.

I decided to wear this fun striped wrap dress for dinner and sight-seeing on our sixth day in Kona. We walked around downtown, and enjoyed a delicious sushi meal at Sushi Shiono. It was worth all the hype! This was very good sushi. I had a Lobster Roll, and Ikura nigiri, which were both equally yummy.

After dinner, we walked over to the historical Kona Inn to watch the sunset. Unfortunately the clouds blocked our view, but it was nice to enjoy the view with my family anyway.

Shop my stripe wrap dress, Hawaiian dinner outfit:

Thanks for stopping by!

Aloha!

Cathy

dresses under $100


Maka’eo Botanical Gardens walking path

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wearing: pearl earrings (purchased in Hawaii-similar here) / sunglasses / summer lipstick / print dress / multi-strand bracelet / woven handbag / summer nail polish / espadrille mules / gold ankle bracelet /

One of the beautiful facts about Hawaii is that they have large, beautiful flowers! Our hotel was located in a rather urban setting, but one mile away, there was a botanical garden filled with samples of all the beautiful flowers and plants native to the Big Island.

We put on our walking shoes and walked a little over a mile to the Maka’eo Botanical Gardens. It is a beautiful walking path adjacent to the Kailua beach. This is a beach area which attracts locals instead of tourist, so the path and beach were quiet and serene. My son even found a coconut on the beach! He was so happy!

The flowers were really pretty, and my son loved all the different types of cactus. We had to keep reminding him not to touch the needles!! Eeeek! Haha

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After touring the beautiful gardens, we walked along the beach before heading back into town for lunch.

My favorite beer to buy a case of back home is from Kona Brewing Company. So I was thrilled to learn we were so close to actual brewing company! On our way back to the hotel from the gardens, we stopped into Kona Brewing Company for lunch.

kona brewing company beer flight

There is nothing like tasting beer straight from the brewery. It is smooth, fresh, and puts anything bottled to shame. I enjoyed a four beer sampler with my lunch, which was incredible. My favorite beer was the Porter which was made with 100% Kona coffee beans! I could taste the coffee, and the smell was out of this world. If you ever visit Kona, don’t miss tasting beer at Kona Brew Co.!

Shop my Hawaii sight-seeing outfit:

This outfit was perfect for walking two miles round-trip to Maka’eo Botanical Gardens, as well as walking in the gardens and along the beach. It kept me cool despite the humidity, and these shoes were just as comfortable to walk in as a pair of sneakers. Yay for comfy and cute shoes!

Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned for more from our Hawaiian adventure!

Aloha!

Cathy

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