It took some maneuvering but our four day girls’ trip to Hawaii came off with a blast! It was truly everything I hoped it would be!
The Big Guy & I have been traveling internationally for the last two plus years looking for our piece of paradise to settle down but it was time for Momma (me) to chill with the a girls’ trip to Hawaii. The Big Guy & I were scheduled to fly to the continent of Africa end of March & I just felt I needed a play day or two with my girls! It took some strategy to get the four of us from various states to arrive approximately the same time in Kona but we did it! Carrie, my daughter, flew in from Atlanta. My oldest grand-daughter, Ashley, flew from Indiana into Konai with her momma, Candi – all within 30 minutes of each other!
Although unplanned & definitely not free, the girls decided to rent a car for the first two days! Melvin at the Hertz car rental was instrumental in our Hawaii dream trip coming true! After talking with him regarding what we wanted to see – free – he gave us a list of things we MUST see on the island & the order to see in order to get us all around the perimeter of the island while we had a car!
Follow this list & you will drive & see some spectacular sights FREE. “We saw all of these things in the first day of car rental but of course if you wanted you could stretch them out. Here’s what we saw – FREE.
1] Greenwell Coffee Farm
This was a great beginning to our day trip around the island. The tour was informational & very interesting with Matt walking us through the process of planing, selecting beans at picking & drying to selling, teasing us with a free cup of coffee at end of tour.
2) South Point Park
This photo says it all. Amazing views took our breath away! Heading South from Kona we drove to the southern most point of Hawaii.
3) Punaluu Bakery
We were told specifically to stop here & try out the Malasadas & they did not disappoint! This is a Hawaiian favorite Portugese fried donut, usually rolled in sugar & stuffed. We tried the chocolate iced/pudding filled & apple filled & they were delicious! This was a good call by Melvin on this yummy treat for a break in our journey!
4) Punaluu Black Sand Beach
This beach was amazing! Black sand made from exploding lava makes this beach one of a kind. With the black sand & lava rock, tender feet beware. We went here just to see turtles & we did. They would come close enough for us to check them out but you are not allowed to bother or touch them. It was worth the trip & entrance was free.
5) Volcano National Park
This was last on our list but when we pulled up there was a huge sign $30 per car. We immediately just turned around & left as we were not expecting a fee. Melvin had told us it was free. Later we wished we had just paid the fee to see the site but we were out of time by then. If you want some info about this site, check this out. We really screwed up on not paying to get in…lesson learned – sometimes we can be too “cheap”. Ha!
The Girls’ Trip to Hawaii Would Not Have Been Complete Without This!
A Luau
A Luau! This is something we all agreed had to be done! The girls researched & picked this one & boy was it a good choice. A full meal dinner came with free drinks & great storytelling by music, song, dance & performance against the Hawaiian sunset with performers from Hawaii & South Pacific islands! Well worth the money we each paid!
Memory Tattoos!
Three of the four of us got matching tattoos in memory of our trip! Simple design but cute – palm, sun, water, sand.
In Closing…
By time the fly out day came, we were all pooped but happy with the memories (& souvenirs) we made. On the days we did not have car we walked to the Sunday market which lined the main street along the water front & spent some time at the beach by hotel. We definitely stayed on our feet!
I don’t know if or when we will be able to do another ‘girls trip’, I do know I have a happy heart that I was able to spend quality time with my girls. Making memories….that is what it is all about!
Here are some misc photos of our girls’ trip to Hawaii!
