Our Low Key Hawaii Vacation

We stayed at a hotel along the Kohala Coast, which is set on Hapuna Beach.  We had a room where we could walk right outside directly to the beach.

This is the view from our room.  We had breakfast there every morning, Kona coffee and malasadas.  Malasadas are a bit like Hawaiian donuts, but not as heavy and not quite as sweet.  We also had sliced pineapple from the local store.

Hapuna Beach is perfect for swimming, snorkeling and boogie-boarding.  That's our hotel in the background.  It's the only hotel on the beach, and there is a state park at the other end.

This overlook, on the hotel grounds, is called Turtle Point.  They have yoga classes here early in the morning.  I spent a peaceful morning reading here, while my husband played golf.  I saw a couple of sea turtles swimming here.  I love seeing the sea turtles.  Last year, one swam right past me as I was standing in the water.

I took this photo of the beach from the pool area.  You may notice that we spent a lot of time at the beach rather than exploring the island as much as on previous trips.  I was still resting from my recent stay in the hospital.  On previous trips, we drove across the island to Hilo, to Akaka Falls, and to Mauna Loa, which is a very active volcano.

We also drove up Mauna Kea, where there is an array of astronomical observatories used by astronomers around the world.  Okay, now I am going off on a tangent about Mauna Kea.  You can see it from most places on the island and it is often covered in snow.

The most fascinating thing to me about Mauna Kea is the astronomical observatories at the summit.

Because of its altitude and distance from big city lights, it's considered a good place to observe the stars.  
It's possible to take a tour to visit the summit.  I wanted to do that on our last trip, but the tours were already full.  I still want to do it one day.

These are photos from the tour company.  They take you up in a van.  You have to wear warm clothing because it's so cold at the summit.  It's amazing to see the stars from here.  One night I walked out onto our hotel balcony and was astounded by how many stars I saw!

I am fascinated by these observatories at the top of the world.  Sometimes, when you are down below you can see them sparkling up there as the sun hits them just right.

We happened to be in Hawaii for a state holiday, King Kamehameha Day.  As we drove through Hawi, we happened to see this ceremony with flags and drums.

After a while, they invited observers to come in and dance with them.  It looked like a lot of fun.

The rest of the photos are things that caught my eye.  There is so much to see everywhere on this island.

Last but not least is Morris.  He is the official greeter at our hotel.  You can always find him by the front entrance, near the bellman's stand.  We always see Morris when we arrive, and he is always there when we leave for home.