travel style

Beautiful white sand beach on the Big Island of Hawaii

 in General Fashion / Travel  tagged beach / hawaii / hawaii big island / outfits / summer 2019 / swimsuit cover ups / swimwear / travel / travel style / travel tips / vacation outfits by

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Our trip to Hawaii’s Big Island was filled with a lot of sight-seeing, but we also made sure we had time to relax on the beautiful beaches near Kona. Since we were looking for beaches which were both relaxing and beautiful, we did a lot of research! We learned that one of the most beautiful beaches in Kona is Manini’owali along Kua Bay. It has white sand, black lava, and promises turtle and dolphin sightings. The beach is relatively straight, and offers an incredible view of the crystal clear blue waters of the Pacific Ocean.

This is a well maintained beach with restrooms, showers, and free parking. The sand is white, the water offers beautiful shades of blue, and the lava creates a fabulous contrast between the white sand, blue waters, and black rocks. The parking is along the road into the beach area, so be sure to wear flip flops or shoes from the car to the beach.

beach flip flops

There isn’t very much shade, but if you are lucky, you can grab a spot under the one tree we could find. It was directly in front of the picnic benches when you walk onto the beach, you can’t miss it! We sat there with two other families, and it was perfect!

The waves at Manini’owali Beach get stronger as the day progresses; so it’s calm in the morning, but after lunch, don’t try to swim or boogie-board unless you are an experienced swimmer. While there were plenty of visitors at the beach, I did not see a life-guard on duty. Make sure you can handle being in the water; especially with waves!

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While we didn’t spot any of the promised turtles or dolphins, there was a seal lounging on the beach, living his best life. The rangers even made sure his area was blocked off, so he could truly live the VIP life on the beach. Must be nice to be a seal! Haha

I was feeling a little bit tired, so while my husband took the kids swimming, I took a nap on the beach, under the tree. It was incredibly relaxing.

Shop my Hawaiian beach outfit / tankini and cover-up:

Sometimes when you go on vacation, you just need to relax! That is exactly what we did at Manini’owali Beach. We swam, napped, and lived our best lives; just like the seal. We just didn’t have the roped off, VIP area like he did. haha

Thanks for stopping by!

Aloha!

Cathy

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The perfect Hawaiian sunset

 in General Fashion  tagged family / hawaii / hawaii big island / outfits / summer 2019 / travel style / vacation outfits by

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wearing: pearl earrings (purchased in Hawaii, similar pair here) / sunglasses / summer lipstick / floral top / black pants / summer nail polish / woven handbag / black mule espadrilles (super comfy!)

The sun sets every night in Hawaii, but it isn’t always visible. Some of the nights we spent in Hawaii offered us a cloud cover instead of a sunset. The missed sunsets were a moot point after viewing the one incredible sunset we experienced at Sam Choy’s just south of Kona.

We stumped upon this restaurant on our way back to our hotel after visiting Volcanoes National Park. We took the highway along the coast to travel the two hours back to our hotel, and along the way we passed huge flowers, macadamia farms, and no restaurants in sight! Haha

It was like an oasis appeared when we saw a large golf course and condo complex. Just beyond it we could see what appeared to be a small shopping center. We turned into the center and the first building we saw was Sam Choy’s! I could tell by the way it was perched upon the hill, the views would be incredible. I didn’t care what type of menu they might have, that was where we would eat; executive decision made!

No-one complained as parked and walked into the restaurant. It had a 230 degree view of the ocean; perfect for viewing a Hawaiian sunset. The hostess was really nice, and gave us a table with a view for dinner. We ordered our meals and ate slowly, so as not to finish before sunset. We needed to waste a little over an hour!

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We got lucky! The food was delicious, and after our meals, we ordered dessert. The desserts were equally divine, and kept us dining until sunset. The views of the sunset were unreal.

If you are planning a trip to the Big Island, be sure to pop into Sam Choy’s for dinner one night in order to enjoy the incredible sunset from your dinner table. It was heaven on Earth!

Shop my Hawaiian dinner outfit:

The rest of the trip we enjoyed clouds hiding the sunsets. We were so thankful for this beautiful view of the sunset over dinner at Sam Choy’s. It was the only sunset we needed to see.

Thanks for stopping by!

Aloha!

Cathy

sunset sam choy's hawaii kona

Stripe jumpsuit for summer 2019

 in General Fashion / Travel  tagged hawaii / hawaii big island / outfits / summer 2019 / travel style / vacation outfits by

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wearing: pearl earrings (purchased in Hawaii-similar online here) / bold silver necklace c/o Chico’s / stripe jumpsuit (sold out, also love this one) / sunglasses / summer lipstick / multi-strand bracelet c/o Victoria Emerson / summer nail polish / woven handbag c/o Chico’s / ivory wedge espadrilles /

One of the biggest trends this summer is the jumpsuit. While this style has been trending for a few years now, it really has exploded for summer 2019. So, when I was planning my outfits for my Hawaiian vacation this summer, I knew I needed at least one jumpsuit in my suitcase.

I was thrilled to find this stripe jumpsuit. It has enough color to work on an island adventure, yet offers dark enough colors that I can urbanize it for back home. Love versatility!

For Hawaii, I paired my jumpsuit with my comfy espadrille wedges, and this fun bag which has tons of island vibes. It was really comfortable, and looked put together for a beachfront dinner. When we arrived at the dinner location we had reservations at, we learned they only had a buffet option for dinner, and it wasn’t going to work for the kids. Why couldn’t we just order off the regular menu?? Ugh, so we cancelled our reservation and walked one block to a cute little sushi place tucked behind another building.

best sushi kona

Seiji’s Sushi was so good! They only had three tables, a few bar stools, and a really small menu, but it was ok. The chef made chicken katsu special for my son, and they were very attentive. The food was delicious, and we are so thankful we found Seiji’s Sushi! If you visit Kona, be sure to pop in for some sushi! You will love it!

My jumpsuit is sold out, but they have plenty of other cute jumpsuits in stock. I put my favorites in the shopping widget below.

Shop my Hawaii dinner outfit / jumpsuit look:

I am looking forward to re-styling this jumpsuit back home. It will look chic during the day with a black Givenchy Antigona and black sandals, as well as a small Chanel shoulder bag and heels for evening occasions. Love versatility!

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

Aloha!

Cathy

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