Travel Tuesday: Kona & Kocktails, April 14-15, 2025

After one last dip in the ocean (and an amazing veggie scramble at a place called Sunny's Local Grind) we said goodbye to Oahu and flew to Kona. The flight was short but gorgeous.

aloha Honolulu!

aloha, Hawai'i

As usual nowadays there were some delays in picking up our rental car, but we were soon at our beautiful hotel: The Royal Kona Resort. 

We scurried up to our room and admired the view from our balcony as well as the great mid-century details. 

Then we headed to Don's Mai Tai Bar, finding a great table on the water and settling in for a sunset. Of course we had mai tais. And then, because I couldn't decide which version to have, we had a mai tai flight. 

The resort had a lot of beautiful carvings and decor, so we enjoyed wandering around on our first night on the Big Island.

We of course mourned the closure of Don's Tiki Grill. The next morning we were poking around and the staff kindly let us in to view the old space -- it was AMAZING. A big central carved stone pillar and what would have been open "windows" 2/3rds of the way round. Sadly it's currently being used for storage, but I've heard that Trader Vic's is coming to Kona, so maybe this is their future home? 

Later we went on a 3.5 hour small group "Snorkel and Sea Cave" trip with King Kayak. The water was pretty choppy -- so choppy that a mother and daughter asked if they could go back, mid tour. That was a little awkward; the other 6 of us sat in our kayaks while the guide took the pair to the shore, told them how to get back to the hotel where we got in the water, anchored their kayaks, and came back to us. I'm not sure how he could have handled it better, but I think we all found the experience a little weird. 

Anyway, we paddled a couple of miles, stopping at a spot where we could cliff jump. I don't think I would have minded the jump, but the climb looked crazy slippery and I was not interested. The youngish kid scampered right up and -- after a brief hesitation -- jumped in, and we all applauded. 

brave kid, mid jump!

We also stopped at a "Dragon's Breath" cave, where you could see spray come back like smoke. We paddled in two at a time to see it. 

Somehow, on the way out, we got turned sideways and I got dumped out of the boat. I couldn't pull myself back in, so the guide had to drag me by my life vest. I felt a crunch and I think I had a badly bruised rib for the next couple of months. But I got back in, bruised rib, bruised ego, and all. 

Eventually we were almost back at the starting point, and got out to snorkel for a little while. Was it great and full of multicolored fish? No. Was it nice to kayak and snorkel in Hawaii? Of course. 

Back to the hotel to clean up, and we walked into town to have lunch at Huggo's on the Rocks. Again, we got a perfect table on the water, plus great food and a delightful Big Bamboocha Mai Tai. Why, yes, we do have the signature cup!

Then back to the hotel for a dip in the pool and some relaxation. 

Soon it was time for our second excursion of the day -- a night snorkel with manta rays. 

We got to our providers -- Sea Paradise -- and had a pre-sail safety briefing, explaining in great detail how everything would work, and were given our wetsuits. 

I remember this boat being larger....

We were told the story of the "Manta Village" area -- that a hotel was built on the water, but the guests wanted to see the surf at night so they shone floodlights onto the water. This had the unintended consequence of attracting plankton to the area.... which in turn attracted manta rays. 

Once on the boat -- in very choppy seas -- we were given more instructions while they put the "light floats" into the water. We would jump into the water with our pool noodles and dog paddle directly to the nearest float. Then we would move down along the float as far as we could go. We were told to keep our hands on the float the whole time, and never to touch a manta. We had snorkels and masks on to keep our faces in the water. Some people had life vests. 

all manta photos from Sea Paradise

If anything, the sea got rougher and rougher. We were told we could raise a hand and ask to be swum back to the boat if we wanted to. Just stepping off the boat into the water was a little scary, it was rocking so much. But I am a strong swimmer, so I wasn't worried. 

Full disclosure: the water was so choppy that I had an absolute death grip on the float bars so that I didn't get flung off. I have no photos of my own. But we saw great big gorgeous manta ras that were so massive I could scarcely believe it. Like, 12 feet across, swimming beneath us. They would swim under, then "back flip" and swim, mouth open, belly up, directly underneath us -- so close that their "wings" sometimes brushed against us. It was amazing. 

It was also very, very rough. I could hear people panicking and saying they needed to go back to the boat within a few minutes of us getting into the water. As people left, they had us group up and move back along the float. Eventually there were only 7 of us still in the water. It was glorious, but cold, and then our time was up. 

We paddled back to the boat, timed our attempts to get back on the stairs (rough!), found our stuff, and then found a place on the rail to dry off and warm up. People were looking pretty miserable -- I drank some 7-Up and then (as per usual) threw up over the side. I was not the only one. 

I think everyone -- especially the crew -- were happy when we were back at the dock. They had handled everything extremely well, but I could tell by some heavily coded language and some high-pitched "calm" voices that they were feeling challenged. 

Would I go again? Absolutely. Would I recommend it to others? Absolutely!

Oh, and here's that amazing veggie scramble from Sunny's Local Grind in Honolulu!

Travel Tuesday is a project I'm working on to get old photos and memories out of notebooks and onto this blog.

Travel Tuesday: Honolulu Cocktails, April 12-13, 2025

We're not good at being tourists -- but when we travel, we do like to check out cocktail, especially tiki bars.

During our time in Honolulu we visited 5 bars, each distinctly different. 

I. Authen-tiki: La Mariana Sailing Club

Such a strange little place -- we went there right at opening on a Saturday lunchtime and joined a small, eager crowd. 

We sat at the bar and I had a very fine Mai Tai while Wil had a classic Zombie. 

The place was pretty empty -- the 6 parties all choosing different sections of the restaurant. I suspect there is zero foot traffic -- the area around the restaurant has gotten really industrial, which was a little odd. But I'm glad the bar itself (and the tiny private marina) has survived.

The decor was really lovely -- crik tiles, bamboo, pandan mats, lava rock, wooden carvings, flotsam and jetsam. Fun fact: La Mariana was featured in multiple episodes of the original Hawaii Five-O, including a blink-and-you'll-miss-it dance scene in the show's theme. 

II. Modern Classic-tiki: Skull & Crown Trading Co.

Skull & Crown is drop dead gorgeous. Inside is a little overwhelming -- interesting oddities wherever you look. We had an opening-time reservation so we could grab a bite to eat and a cocktail (or two...) in the early evening. 

The restaurant rapidly filled in around us, but we were too busy enjoying ourselves to really notice. If we lived in Honolulu, this would be our celebration place, I think. 

We had drinks, a noodle dish that doesn't seem to be on their menu anymore, and potato nanban. Everything was delicious and the presentation was exquisite. 

I couldn't bear to leave, so we ordered a second round -- a Skull & Crown Bowl for the two of us. 

Ten out of ten, and shame on me for not remembering what cocktails we ordered!

III. Quirky-tiki: Yours Truly

Our final stop of the night was Yours Truly, a themed cocktail bar that is housed in an old post office. 

The front bar is chic, but the back room is a compact tiki oasis with a twist. 

When you arrive you are given a PO Box key. You write your order on a postcard and drop it in the "mailbox". 

When it lights up, you open your PO Box and receive your drinks. 

We had a P. Sherman and a Titah Bun -- tasty drinks in interesting mugs -- but frankly the vibe (stationery? postcards? post office? AND tiki drinks?) was better than the drinks. 

We did, however, very much enjoy the photobooth at the end!

IV. Celebra-tiki: Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai Bar

I had thought, for a very long time, about how I wanted to celebrate completing my 50 states challenge. And, really an amazing mai tai on the beach was exactly what I wanted. So after running the race and getting a little cleaned up we headed over to the pink palace and made our way out to the Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The tiki gods were smiling on us and we were seated at a perfect little table right on the beach.

Wil told the server about the race and the project, and she fussed over us like crazy. I told her I had been thinking about a mai tai on the beach to celebrate for YEARS. 

I couldn't decide WHICH mai tai to order. I didn't think I needed a $40 Alii Mai Tai (I don't think I would have really appreciated the rums), but I was torn between a Royal Hawaiian and a Vic's 44. I mentioned my dilemma ... and my hankering for the coco-loco foam ... and was presented with a White Wash. And it was glorious. 

V. Dive-tiki: Arnold's Beach Bar

Later that day we had a decidedly different vibe at Arnold's Beach Bar. Super relaxed, free popcorn, and stiff drinks. I had a Blue Hawaii because when else am I going to drink a Blue Hawaii in Hawaii?

The other folks in the bar were very chatty and fun; mostly locals. The bartender was so nice we had another round. Of course I had a mai tai. Were they exquisitely crafted cocktails? No. Were they strong and tasty and inexpensive? Absolutely yes. 

Travel Tuesday is a project I'm working on to get old photos and memories out of notebooks and onto this blog.