Although this post is not about Alaska, it is about a place Alaskans love to go during the winter. Pam and I have been taking an annual trip to the Hawaiian Islands every year since we moved back except for during the great COVID pause. We have visited four of the main islands and find ourselves partial to Hawaii and Kauai.
This year, we returned to Hawaii and stayed in Kona-Kailua on the sunny side of the island. Both our sons joined us, and we had a really good family trip. One of our highlights was a night snorkel with Manta Rays on a tour guided by My Kona Adventures. For several videos, head over to the Alaskan Outdoors YouTube site.
We also tried a couple of restaurants we hadn’t hit before. Two really stood out. Big Island Brewhaus and The Fish and The Hog, both in Wiamea, are great places to visit. Big Island Brewhaus had some really good beers which aren’t widely distributed. The Fish and The Hog had outstanding barbecue. If you’re passing through Paniolo country, I’d highly recommend stopping by one or both.
After our boys left, Pam and I went on a snorkel excursion with Sea Quest Hawaii. We went to the site of Captain Cook’s demise, saw his commemorative statue, and had an excellent snorkel experience with tons of reef fishes. Shortly after returning from the trip, we did some final shopping and boarded our plane for home…..great way to end a great trip.