My happy place is anywhere there is sun, a beach, and warm, clear, blue water. I'm a sucker for anything tropical. I can't help it, I'm an "island girl".
So here are some island vibes to listen to while reading this blog post (shoutout to my friend, Miti, for sharing more Islander tracks with me).
For this trip to Hawaii, we visited two different islands: Honolulu on Oahu and Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. What was supposed to be a quick New Year's trip turned into a standby flight disaster. While there are many benefits to flying using discounted tickets, the largest trade-off is that we are subject to loading as "standby passengers" which can be very stressful, especially for a large group like my family.
We couldn't catch flights home because they were packed with people returning back to the mainland US from vacation. And on top of the already packed standby lists, several flights kept getting canceled making it even harder for us to catch any flight off of the island. We were trying flights to Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, LA, Phoenix, Dallas, Portland, and Seattle on several different airlines. We were running back and forth between terminals at the Kona International Airport for 4 days without our luggage (which was already in San Francisco) before eventually catching separate flights to Sacramento, San Jose, and Oakland.
But, aside from the flight disaster, we had an amazing time exploring these two islands. We spent 3 days on Oahu before flying to the Big Island. For our time in Kona, we were lucky enough to befriend a Filipino taxi driver who took us on a private tour of several locations for a day rate. (11 day vacation)
On Oahu, in addition to exploring around the hotel area, we took a snorkeling trip to Hanauma Bay, ate fresh and delicious poké bowls at Foodland, and watched the Magic of Polynesia show.
Top photo: family selfie after a fun day in Hanauma Bay. Bottom row (left to right): it's a perfect, peaceful day in paradise, me taking a break from snorkeling, Alfonso learning how to snorkel to see the fishes in the water
Top row: we got matching family outfits to wear at the Magic of Polynesia show. Bottom row: pictures with some of the performers from the night
In Kona, aside from spending time on the beach and pool, we ate at Bongo Ben's Island cafe, went to a volcanic rock site, visited Greenwell Coffee farms, went whale watching, stopped by the local farmer's market, and ate at Fish Hopper Grill.
Clockwise starting from top left: mirror selfie before going out, taking a minute to look out at the ocean during our mid-day snack break, posing with some palm trees after taking a dip out in the ocean, happy hour during golden hour
Top row (left to right): enjoying a "Hopper Pineapple" at Fish Hopper Grill, breakfast Acai bowl on our hotel balcony, brunch at Bongo Ben's Island Cafe. Bottom photo: the 4 kids sharing shaved-ice after an afternoon of swimming in Kahaluu Beach Park
Because of this trip, I think we learned our lesson about taking standby flights during the Christmas-New Year's time, and that we should not try that again. Or if we do, expect the large amount of people that will be trying to get flights home too.
We also have briefed my younger brother and sister that sometimes they may have to sit next to strangers on the plane. But before they get seated, we make sure to tell them which one of us is located the closest on the plane. And we also tell the adult next to them where one of us is located just incase they need anything. Thankfully, my younger brother and sister are good with instructions, are polite and well-behaved, and can entertain themselves with their iPads, coloring/art books, or small toys in their backpacks, so they are okay with flying with that set up. We have also told them that if they are polite, most of the time the people sitting next to them will always be willing to help if they need something.
Although flying standby can be a huge hassle sometimes, my family understands it is a trade off to flying with discounted tickets so luckily, we all have learned to be patient with our flight arrangements. But I can't explain to you the relief we felt to finally catch flights off of the island. While normally we wouldn't complain about spending a couple extra days in Hawaii, this time we were more than happy to finally get home.
Left: the kids entertaining themselves during our long days at the airport. Right: the kids and my mom stopping for a quick picture as they finally board the plane to get home
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