Hawaii Sunday
We spent our last sunday in Hawaii yesterday. It was a very nice day…
We spent the afternoon snacking, reading and playing in the waves at Hapuna Beach State Park.
And then we went to Merriman’s (our second time there) for supper.
Those are two things you really should mark on our calendar if you make a trip to the big island… There are a lot of others…
First a couple things about those two. Hapuna beach is crowded on weekends, but not so crowded that it’s not enjoyable. Weekdays are great. Also, rent an umbrella (they have umbrella, chair, boogie board, etc rental). It’s worth the 10 dollars for the day.
Merriman’s is _excellent_. Their speciality is local food. 90% of what they serve is from the state of Hawaii. Also, the cooking techniques and flavors are from Hawaiian cultures (both native and imported). The food is excellent. Even their brocolli yesterday was the best I ever had it was just fresh with some lemon. Only thing is, SAVE UP. It’s not cheap. Appetizer, entree, drink and desert for two people can easily make it to 100 dollars. But it’s worth it for a one time special evening out. We actually took Emma, and after one short warning about not complaining before going in (she started to, she didn’t want to go to a restaurant), she was great! And loved the food… especially the brocolli.
Other things:
Stars! You have to go to the observatory visitor center and the observatories. You just have to. If you think the stars are great viewing in your country side/mountain/beach, you haven’t been on Mauna Kea. That’s why the observatories are here. WOW. Not only are the stars about an inch away (or so they seem), they are nearly at your feet. You don’t have to look up to see them, you just have to look… they are all around, even eye level.
Hints: make sure you plan your trip on a new moon or after moonset. Full moons here are gorgeous, but the wash out the stars.
Children under 16 can go to the visitor’s center (at 12k), but not the observatory tours (14+k feet).
DRESS WARMLY! It’s cold up there.
Volcano! Go to the national park, it’s a great and strange landscape. Also, there are some current lava flows. Sometimes you can see them by hiking to them, other times you need to take a helicopter tour (around 200 a person… budget breaker for some).
Richardson’s beach. Free 
. It’s a small (I mean it) black sand beach, but great for kids. Waves are small and you can go snorkeling and see some great fish.
Hint: Go at 4pm. That’s when most people are starting to leave AND it’s when the sea turtles start to swim up to shore to feed (easy to spot, they swim right next to you!.. just don’t touch and disturb them).
Blane’s Diner: opposite extreme of Merriman’s. Local food, but more like “Korean” bento boxes with fried meats, Spam sushi and the like than fancy dishes and organic produce. Get a local flavor
Farmer’s Market in Hilo: great fruit fruit and more fruit. And shrimp, and fish… and if you go on Wednesday or Saturday you’ll get handicrafts, clothing and the like.
There’s more, but i’ll list some later (and put up links for these too).
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I’m glad you had a good time!
Hi! I have been reading your blog for awhile now. I check in regularly but have never posted a comment. I have to tell you, though, that Hawaii sounds GREAT. We’ve travelled quite a bit with our boys (twins adopted from Haiti 2.5 years ago), but have never had any interest in Hawaii until now that I’ve been reading about your trip! It sounds just heavenly! Also, I should say, I just love your blog! Thanks for blogging,
Heather