Scott and I just got back from our vacation in Hawaii. We decided to experience the Big Island, Hawaii and arrived last Friday. Our first day was a little trying as we were delayed in Houston for two hours due to mechanical issues and then ended up being too late for our booked flight from Honolulu to Kona. However, once we finally arrived at Kona, the rest of the trip was amazing! Hawaii is truly a dream. Unless you have been there, you cannot explain the natural beauty of the islands. From the smells to the dramatic landscapes, Hawaii is truly gorgeous, especially Maui (our personal favorite). The Big Island is unique in that it is rich in history and believe it or not, has 11 of the 15 climates. Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain on the island and it has snow where people can snowboard and ski. Hilo is surrounded by lush vegetation and gets rain very often. Past Hilo is the active volcano. Kona is on the other side of the island and is surrounded by tons of volcanic rock and is more desert-like.
We flew into Kona and drove 20 miles to our resort, The Fairmont Orchid, where we stayed the entire trip. On one of the days, we spent the entire day driving around the whole island. We experienced many different temperatures, walked on the black sand beach, visited the World Gardens, drove through the Volcano National Park, and did some snorkeling. Next time we travel for fun, it will be with Avery. We found that many couples are traveling with babies now so we are really looking forward to traveling with her.
We took hundreds of pictures! Here are a few as thumbnails. Simply click on them for larger sizes.
The pictures are below are while on the Fairmont property. The bay at the far left was excellent for snorkeling.
Vast landscape from volcanic rock to lush rainforests to snow-capped mountains:
The first fishy was very curious and always coming right up to us. The Honu or green sea turtle are protected and endangered. We saw quite a few of them, including on the beach at the Fairmont. We enjoyed the sunset while at dinner in Kona.
hi,
i stumbled across your blog when searching for babymoon in hawaii. i am pregnant with my second and my husband and i are planning to make it to hawaii before we become a family of four. my parents are going to watch our daughter, so we will get to travel alone. any tips? ive never been to hawaii and am confused and want to make the most of our time. what activities were you able to do, etc? i will be 7 months along by the time we go, which will be april.
thanks,
sarah
Hello,
I, too, googled babymooning on Kona and came across your blog.
I was curious about the helicopter ride…
did they have any special restrictions for pregnant people on the helicopter ride? or anything about the fumes over the volcano that are harmful to the baby? thanks so much!