Hawaii : Kailua Kona

Kailua-Kona is maybe the place I recommend to stay at, provided you travel to the Big island.

It's sunny year-round (unlike Hilo, where it gets dramatically rainy in winter - literally pouring tropical style) it offers entertainment in the form of open restaurants and cafés serving organic acai bowls, local coffee (yep, Kona coffee) and ukelele songs that come for free with a cozy dinner beside the tough breaking waves. It's nice for the driver as he can drink his beer, without having to take the car back home and conveniently close to the major snorkeling spots, diving schools & shopping districts.

Here's where Kamehameha The Great spent his last year, worshipping at the stunning Ahu'ena Heiau and when his son, right after he had died, broke an important kapu (taboo) by allowing man to dine together with women, letting girls eat long-banned-foods such as pork or banana.

Have you watched that Simpson's chapter, when they travel to an island in the Pacific and essentially destroy it by getting the islanders into gambling and beer-like drinks? Well, that's more or less what happened for real in Hawaiian history, when around 1820 the huge amount of rules that had dictated behavior since the early days akakapu was abolished.

First things first, let's take a walk downtown!!

We were at Royal Kona Resort. That room is maybe the most relaying place I ever stayed at. It was huge and the only thing I could hear at night were the waves, breaking once and once again, against the rocks laid by the coastline. Really, really nice. Obviously old-fashioned but conveniently located a minute walk from ABC store, the açai bowl place Basik Cafe, Huggo On the Rocks & Lava Java, was really a perfect place for us.


Perfect NYE breakfast. By the sea, listening to the Ukelele, enjoying Kona coffee & goodies at Island Lava Java.


Free WiFi!! YAY!


Salmon & croissant

Huge swell those days, which made us re-plan the whole trip… Just to make the Manta Ray Dive

Xmas Ukeleles

Tiki statues at pretty much any restaurant



"My name's Forrest Gump. People call me Forrest Gump. "





Metal Mike's Twisted Pretzels - Just try. He makes them plain, filled with cheese&jalapeño, chocolate&macadamia or anything else. Friendly guy, great pretzels selling at 4 bucks!


Guess where we had our NYE dinner? Thai place, not fancy but never disappointing - after last year this starts to become tradition!