Sunkissed Vacation: Kailua-Kona

Coming back from a wonderful island vacation is always bittersweet.

I spent 10 days on Hawaii's beautiful big island. 

I hadn't been to Kona before, only Oahu; and found that although

it still is bustling with tourists and there's tons of great stuff to do,

it has a much more laid back feel to it, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I, of course, took a ton of photos! So I wanted to share some of them...

Aloha!

Got in our rental car, and immediately rolled down the window to
smell the fresh ocean air.

Hibiscus everywhere

My niece enjoying her first shaved ice & the bottom photo was the view from my condo!

New fave swim cover up from Vicki's

My adorable niece, Scarlett, getting used to her ocean view at the Castle Kona Reef Resort. 

Lounging by our gorgeous pool.

Sandy Toes

The sis dipping her toes. 

First wonderful beach day; except for the fact that the water was crawling with jellyfish!
Snorkeled here and saw a beautiful school of fish, tons of other fishies, eels, gorgeous reefs,
and accidentally ran into a giant sea turtle...oops!

Never could resist a good palm tree photo-op.

GIANT avocados? Yes please!

New sarong, from the Farmer's Market.

Gorgeous pond behind the wedding we attended. My dream wedding destination!

Gotta love those fresh Hawaiian leis. 

Yummy drinks at Huggos. The tables are set right near the water, on the sand.
Who doesn't love feeling the cool sand on your toes while your enjoying
delicious food and tropical cocktails?

Took me 20 minutes to create this little rock swirl.
The black lava rock is covering most every beach, so when you find sand, you take advantage of it. :)

Scarlett gettin some love from mama.

So many beautiful, fresh flowers at the Farmer's Market. 

Fun day at Kua Bay.
It was a little cloudy, but as soon as the sun came out from
behind the clouds, the water became picture perfect.

New B.Swim bikini from a great swimwear shop in Kona called Mermaids by the Sea.
They have tons of suits, all different brands, and all totally mix-and-matchable!
The material is super soft and these bottoms are seamless, so they contour
perfectly to any body type/shape.

Breakfast and coffee almost every morning on my lanai. 

Me and my sista soaking up some rays.

Gorgeous sunset at the Outrigger at Kanaloa Kona Resort.

My friend took me to the marina after a long day in the sunshine.
I tried poke (pokee) for the first time, which was raw ahi marinated in soy sauce and onions.
So sweet and delicious, it melted in my mouth. The giant, ice cold schooner was a great addition!

Scarlett enjoying the view.

Went to Humpy's for lunch one day, and ate the
best calamari I've ever had! It was so tender and the pieces were bigger than I've ever seen before.
The tartar sauce was something delicious as well!
Another great place to eat with a perfect view of the ocean, right on Alii Drive.

Just couldn't get over the view from our pool.

Mini bananas from the tree in my friend's back yard.
How lucky she is to always have fresh, ready to pick bananas right outside!

If you go to Kona, you MUST go to the Tiki Lounge.
They have delicious appetizers (pupus) and the best cocktails I've ever indulged in!
This one was a Pahoehoe, that came out with a flaming lime!
It has lilikoi and other heavenly flavors; so fruity, cold and enjoyable.

Well, the sun had to eventually set on my perfect, island vacation. 

Wonderful memories and experiences; I couldn't have asked for a better getaway.

I WILL be back soon Kona!

Until next time, keep dreaming. xoxo

Kailua-Kona on Dwellable