travel

The most beautiful beach on the Big Island

 in Travel  tagged beach / family / hawaii / hawaii big island / summer 2019 / travel / travel tips by

aiopio beach hawaii travel guide hawaii big island beaches

One of the most beautiful sights to see in Hawaii is the large network of beaches. So when I was planning our family vacation to Hawaii, I knew I needed to research where to go, and plan ahead!

In the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, there is a beach which is not only beautiful, it is sacred ground filled with history. What we thought would be a hike through lava, turned out to be a short walk to a beach that was hidden behind a marina; and has to be the most beautiful beach I have ever seen in my life. Ai’opio Beach, you have to go there!

best beach hawaii historical beach hawaii

After walking on a trail, and almost overheating, we suddenly came upon the beach. We knew it was there, but we had no idea how dreamy it would be. There was a hut, which we later found out was a sacred and historical fishing hut. In the water, there were what appeared to be short walls made from lava rocks. They turned out to be ancient foundations for sacred buildings and fishing huts.

There was also a short wall which was an ancient fishing area that fishermen used to trap fish, and then capture them with nets. It was a  beautiful little cove, and the ancient foundations and history made it all the more beautiful.

It’s always fun to learn more about the local history of the places we visit. It is not only educational for the kids, it helps us understand the local area; plus it’s super interesting!

aiopio beach kona hawaiiturtles beach hawaii

In addition to history, we had a turtle sighting! There were two swimming in the water where it was really shallow. One of the turtles stuck it’s head out when we were watching it; as if it were saying “Aloha!” We were so excited to see the turtles.

Shop my Ai’opio Beach look:

If you are traveling to the Big Island, this beach is a must-see! You can park in the Marina, and then follow the signs to the shore which will lead you on a path to this amazing beach. It’s a must-do!

Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned for more Hawaii coverage!

Aloha!

Cathy

fishing hut hawaii beautiful beach hawaii

Kona coffee farm tour

 in General Fashion / Travel  tagged family / hawaii / hawaii big island / summer 2019 / travel / travel tips by

kona coffee farm tour mountain thunder coffee farm kona

One of the crops the Big Island is famous for is coffee. Kona coffee is arguably some of the smoothest, most luxurious coffee in the world. If you are a coffee connoisseur, you know what I am talking about! While I don’t drink coffee often now, when I used to drink it all the time, Kona coffee was always my favorite. So visiting a Kona coffee farm while visiting the Big Island was a no-brainer.

Now, when I say Kona coffee, I mean 100% Kona coffee. Not the coffee found in most supermarkets and big box stores which claim to be Kona coffee. If you look closely at the boxes of those mass-marketed brands, you will find they only contain 10% Kona coffee. The rest of the beans are from other countries, and are inferior to the premium beans grown in Kona. There is a huge difference! Don’t pay for Kona coffee marketing, if you are going to pay for Kona coffee, be sure to read the fine print. It must say 100% Kona to have that Kona coffee deliciousness.

mountain thunder coffee farm tour family friendly coffee bean processingbest kona coffee farm tour

Although my kids don’t drink coffee, and I only drink it occasionally, I thought it would be cool to take my kids to a coffee farm and see how it is produced. After all, it’s one of Kona’s biggest farming industries; and they are famous for it!

There are many coffee farms in Kona which offer tours. Some tours are free, while others are not. I was thrilled to find Mountain Thunder Coffee Farm in Kona while googling. They not only offered free tour, they were a quick fifteen drive from our hotel. That’s win-win!

The farm is small, but the tour is broad and informative. For forty-five minutes we learned about Kona’s coffee industry, coffee history, and how coffee is produced. We toured a few plants, saw machinery, and learned so much! The farm is family owned, and they take their business seriously. After the tour, we were able to taste all of their coffee varieties, and they were so good! My favorite was the organic followed by the French Roast. If you love coffee, this is the farm to tour!

kona coffee tasting

My kids tasted a little bit of coffee too, but they really enjoyed the chocolate covered coffee beans. Um, so did I! They were delicious! If you visit, buy a can of them! You will thank me when you taste them . Yum!

You can learn more about Mountain Thunder Coffee Farm in Kona on their website.

My Kona coffee farm tour outfit:

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to stay tuned for more coverage from Hawaii!

Aloha!

Cathy

family coffee farm tour kona

Family friendly luau on the Big Island

 in General Fashion / Travel  tagged chicos / children / family / hawaii / hawaii big island / mens outfits / outfits / summer 2019 / teens / travel / travel style / vacation outfits by

luau outfit ideas what to wear to a luau

My luau outfit: bold silver earrings c/o Chico’s / prescription sunglasses / summer lipstick / convertible silver necklace c/o Chico’s / palm print dress c/o Chico’s / summer nail polish / woven handbag c/o Chico’s / ivory espadrille wedges (I own these in 3 colors-love!)

One of the must-do’s while visiting Hawaii is to attend a luau! Luau’s can be expensive, so when I researched which luau to attend on the Big Island, I wanted to make sure it was both family-friendly, and really good! There were several reports from all over the internet which suggested the Island Breeze Luau, on the grounds of the Courtyard by Marriot King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, was one of the top five luau’s on the Big Island. Thankfully, it was located at our hotel! Win-win!

When I realized our hotel played host to one of the best luau’s on the Big Island, I needed to make sure it was family friendly before dropping several hundreds of dollars on tickets. Thankfully, I could tell from their website that they were a great luau for families. Score!

There are two types of tickets you can buy for the Island Breeze luau. They have general admission, and then there is the Hanohano upgrade, which is basically VIP. Oh you know I am all about VIP! So of course, I made sure to buy the upgrade. If you plan on attending the Island Breeze luau on the Big Island, I highly recommend getting the upgrade. It allows you to enter the luau first, and sit in the front. This is key when you have kids who cannot see over the heads of adults. My kids loved being able to sit front row! In addition to sitting front row, you get to line up for the buffet first. VIP all the way bay-bee! You can book it online here.

family friendly luau big island teen outfit ideas luau hawaii best luau big island hawaii

On my husband and kids: Men’s Hawaiian shirt / little boys Hawaiian shirt / floral dress on my teenager / white dress on my tween /

There were so many fun activities to do at the luau. They had games on the lawn, live music, and the last hour consisted of a hula show which showcased hula dances from all the Polynesian islands. It was really well done, and my kids loved it! If you ask what they enjoyed most about Hawaii, they will tell you the luau. This luau is top notch!

best luau big island hawaii kona island breeze luau family friendly luau kona big island hawaii

Of course, when attending a luau, you have to look the part! This dress from Chico’s was perfect. The exclusive palm leaf design was right in theme with the Hawaiian luau. I also made sure my kids and husband had in-theme outfits as well.

We also made sure we put lay’s on before entering the luau. I mean, did you attend a luau if you didn’t wear a lay? It’s a must-do! You must also try poi, I really liked to dip my fish into the poi, I thought it had a nice flavor. Yum!

Shop my Hawaiian Luau outfit:

Shop my husband and my kids outfits:

Have you been to a luau before? Which one did you attend?

Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for more Hawaii coverage!

Aloha!

Cathy

luau outfit ideas