Monday, June 4, 2012

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!


hawaii, kona, vacation, palm trees, driving
Got in our rental car, and immediately rolled down the window to
smell the fresh ocean air.

hawaii, kona, hibiscus, vacation, pretty, flower, island
Hibiscus everywhere

hawaii, kona, vacation, shaved ice, hibiscus, palm trees, ocean, beach, hotel view
My niece enjoying her first shaved ice & the bottom photo was the view from my condo!

hawaii, kona, beach, ocean, palm trees, nature, beauty

beach cover, dress, victorias secret, embellished cover up sweater
New fave swim cover up from Vicki's

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

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Lounging by our gorgeous pool.

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Sandy Toes

hawaii, kona, beach, ocean, castle kona reef resort, bikini, vacation, sunshine
The sis dipping her toes. 

hawaii, kona, beach, ocean, sea, sunshine, laying out, umbrella, sarongs
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!

palm trees, hawaii, kona, sunset, beach, ocean, sea, vacation
Never could resist a good palm tree photo-op.

hawaii, kona, avocado, giant avocado, fresh produce
GIANT avocados? Yes please!

beach, ocean, boat, sail, sea, nature, beauty, hawaii, kona, vacationsand, sandy, legs, ocean, beach, sea, laying out, sunny, sunshine, tan, toenails, kona, hawaii, vacationbeach, ocean, gorgeous, sea, hawaii, kona, vacation,


kona, hawaii, vacation, castle kona reef resort, sarong, bob marley, farmers market, kona farmers market
New sarong, from the Farmer's Market.
hawaii, kona, beach, bob marley, tuff gong, vacation, sarong, ocean view, castle kona reef resort

hawaii, kona, hotel, vacation, wedding destinations, palmtrees, pond, view, serene
Gorgeous pond behind the wedding we attended. My dream wedding destination!

hawaii, kona, castle kona reef resort, lei, palmtrees, ocean, sea, beach, view, sunset
Gotta love those fresh Hawaiian leis. 

hawaii, kona, huggos, restaurants in kona, dining, vacation, cocktails, tropical drinks
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?

sand, rocks, reef, hawaii, kona, beach, ocean, vacation, swirl, nature
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.

kona farmers market, hawaii, kona, flowers, flower market, tropical flowers, island flora, pretty
So many beautiful, fresh flowers at the Farmer's Market. 

hawaii, kona, vacation, beach, water, sand, bikini, toes, feet, waves, kua bay

hawaii, kona, kua bay, beach, sea, ocean, sky, laying out, sunny, sunshine
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.

bikini, swimwear, bswim, b swim, mermaids by the sea, kona, kona shoppping
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.
castle kona reef resort, breakfast, kona, hawaii, fresh fruit, coffee, beach, palmtrees, view, morning
Breakfast and coffee almost every morning on my lanai. 

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Me and my sista soaking up some rays.


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Gorgeous sunset at the Outrigger at Kanaloa Kona Resort.

hawaii, kona, marina, schooner, beer, vacation, poke, ahi, raw fish, dining,
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!

hawaii, kona, beach, cute baby, sand, ocean, sea, chillin, vacation
Scarlett enjoying the view.

hawaii, kona, vacation, sand, feet, toes, beach, ocean, waves, walking in the sand


hawaii, kona, calamari, food, fish, dining in kona, vacation, humpys kailua kona
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.

castle kona reef resort, hawaii, kona, pool, sunset, view, beach, palm trees, ocean,
Just couldn't get over the view from our pool.

hawaii, kona, bananas, fruit, mini bananas, coffee, breakfast, photography
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!

hawaii, kona, alii drive, pupus, cocktails, tropical drinks, pahoehoe, okolemaluna tiki lounge, vacation
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.




sunset, hawaiian sunset, kona sunset, castle kona reef resort, beach, vacation, ocean, palm trees, evening,


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






2 comments:

  1. Nicole!

    I'm interested in featuring your blog on my travel site...I can't find a way to contact you, would you please email me at
    jane (at) dwellable (dot) com

    Sunkissed Dream is AWESOME!

    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much Jane! I actually just emailed you. Can't wait to hear back!

    ReplyDelete