The Roaming BoomersDolphins Playing From our Deck
This is a view of Spinner Dolphins from our deck this morning.
Coming Up: Hawaii’s Volcano National Park
We are just back from a day in Hawaii’s Volcano National Park. Stay tuned for our recounting of the experience.
The Fairmont Orchid on the Big Island of Hawaii
The Fairmont Orchid is a magical place of romance, beautiful turquoise waters, endless activities, or simply an incredible place to relax and let your spirit calm.
From the moment we drove up to the front door, we could instantly tell that we were in for a memorable experience which all began with huge smiles, and beaded leis from the doormen.
After a brief informative tour of the lay of the land from our bellman, we found ourselves almost giddy as we stared at each other behind the closed door of our beautiful room on the Fairmont Gold Floor.
The Fairmont Gold Floor was a wonderful addition to our stay as we had our own private concierge, a place to have breakfast just down the hall without having to get all gussied up, wonderful free refreshments throughout the day, a business center, and a place to intermingle with other travelers from all over the world.
After a wonderful breakfast we donned our tennis shoes and went for a delightful two hour walk on the beach. As we hiked just north of the resort we found the Holoholokai Beach Park & Puako Petroglyph Preserve, surfers riding the waves, and lovers walking hand in hand enjoying the ocean breezes, and the countless vistas that lie around each bend of the trail.
After our hike, we changed into our swimming suits, and set about to enjoy a full day on the Fairmont Orchid’s beautiful black lava beach. To do this in high style, we decided to rent our own private cabana right on the ocean. For hours we enjoyed each other’s company, read good books, watched the waves crash on the black lava in front of us, were catered to by the hotel’s friendly staff, and even occasionally, to Carol’s delight, spritzed with Evian water by the hotel’s Beachboys, to keep our skin from over-heating in the warm tropical sun.
After a delicious lunch in our cabana, we headed to the sandy beach area to snorkel with the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles that have made this particular beach their place to hang out, and sun themselves each day. What an incredible experience to be swimming in the calm bay waters with a sea turtle looking you in the eye only 10 feet away!
This was a most enchanting day! However, as 5:00 drew near, it became time to clean up for our evening of beachfront dining at the resort’s award-winning Brown’s Beach House restaurant (which I will showcase in another separate post).
Carol and I have had the opportunity to stay at a fair number of beautiful resorts. The Fairmont Orchid not only stands shoulder to shoulder with the very best of the best, but they also go greatly out of their way to assure that your experience is second to none.
If you are planning a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, we highly recommend that you make the Fairmont Orchid your home away from home.
Disclosure: this resort experience was hosted by The Fairmont Orchid
Big Island Hawaii’s Mauna Kea Visitor Information Center
When you visit the Big Island of Hawaii, one of your must do stops should be the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Center.
Mauna Kea is the largest mountain on the planet at a staggering 32,000 feet! What makes this mountain unusual is that only 13,800 feet of it is above sea-level.
Because Mauna Kea is also surrounded by thousands of miles of ocean, it also presents the cleanest air on earth making it the world’s most coveted spot for astronomers.
The Mauna Kea Visitor center is located 9,300 feet up the mountain, and every night you can enjoy a spectacular sunset, and once it becomes dark you can also enjoy looking at the night sky from one of the darkest night-time spots on the planet.
Making these evening skies even more amazing will be the dozen or so telescopes set up to help you peer into God’s great universe.
Plan on a 90 minute drive from the coast-line, and plan to arrive at the information center around 6:00. This will give you time to hike up the hill to observe the sunset, and then traipse back down for the evening’s program put on by the park staff.
You should also plan for cold weather. It was 45º when we made our trip, and with the winds it was bone-chilling cold.
When it got to be 7:30, and completely dark, we were absolutely awe-struck by the stars that we never get to see in areas with far more ambient light.
I promise you, the trip up this mountain will be a memory you will cherish for a life-time. Nowhere on earth can you see the stars from such a dark, unobstructed sky.
Here is a view of the sunset from above the clouds at Hawaii’s Mauna Kea:
We Arrive at the Fairmont Orchid on the Big Island of Hawaii
Today we relax and enjoy the beautiful Fairmont Orchid Hotel on the beautiful Kohala Coast.
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