A Getaway Weekend

Happy 35th Birthday Jack!

Each year we plan two get away weekends, one for Jack's birthday and one for our anniversary. Normally we plan our trips to stay at the Keauhou Sheraton resort in Kona, but this year we decided to try something different. This year we went to stay at the Hilton in Waikaloa. Today’s post is going to be all about that vacation. Mostly in picture form. 

Watching a little Peppa Pig on the drive to Waikaloa.

She decided to hide from the sun, and take a nap, lucky Mommy and Daddy!

Arrival 

When we finally arrived in Waikaloa we were greeted by blue skies, but terribly windy conditions. The trees were shaking and dancing in the high winds. Even with all the wind, it is still a beautiful view.

Waiting to Check-In

Our Room

From the balcony of our room

A picture with Daddy!

 Our room was beautiful!  It came with a king-sized bed and a pull out couch, but who wants to see the inside of the room when you can see the beautiful view? We were in the room for less than five minutes when Phoenix started asking to go swimming. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of her in the pool. It was so windy that the second she got in Jack left to go find the towels to get her out again. She lasted about ten minutes in the pool, but she was so happy the entire time.

 My Stud

Jack got some new clothes for his birthday. I think he looks spectacular. He is down a size in his T-shirt, and he is down 6 inches in his waist. Great job, Jack!

Nice Duds, Daddy!

Transportation

The Hilton Waikaloa is so large that they offer two modes of transportation from the lobby to your room. The first is the tram. Phoenix was so excited to ride the train! She always sat on the window seat, and loved watching outside as we zoomed around the grounds. One thing she kept asking for the entire time was for her seat belt. She was so upset she couldn't be safe in her seat. Thankfully the tram runs at less than 5 mph.

Loving the view from the tram.

Relaxing on the tram.

The second mode of transportation is the boat! 

Queen of the boat!

Unfortunately the boat runs even more slowly than the tram, meaning that it arrives every 25 minutes. Also, it only runs from 2 pm in the afternoon until 10 pm at night. We were lucky enough on our last day at the hotel that the boat arrived just as we were getting ready to go to our room!

The Look-Outs

"I love this boat!"

 Dinner at the King's Shops  

We decided to venture off the resort for dinner. Even though it was after the New Year, the Christmas lights in Waikaloa were still up. We were able to get lots of cool pictures with the lights. 

We decided for dinner we would visit the King's shops and stop at Macaroni Grill for some "num-nums" as Phoenix would say.

Can you tell that he loves his dinner?

My dinner was delicious! Chicken Under a Brick!

Phoenix filled up on bread, so she enjoyed her toys during dinner.

Checking out the train and lights after dinner.

They have such beautiful fish! Phoenix wanted to hang out all night.

 Friends Visit

So happy her friend, Kara came to play.

Jeffery, Amanda, and Kara Moss

We consider ourselves so fortunate to have great friends whose family happens to mirror ours. Two working parents (one in each named Amanda) and a 2-year-old daughter in each family! We were so happy to hear that they were going to come out and visit us at the resort on Saturday.

"Where is the train, Mommy?"

Thankfully the weather was so much better on Saturday. The winds had died down, and the temperatures improved to the seventies. For Phoenix that means prime pool time! We found a pool with a slide for her and we had to pry her away from the slide because Jack was worried that she was going to turn blue. Then Jack found the grown-up slide, and he and Jeffery had a great time with that one.

Time for Cake!

We stopped at the local grocery store to pick up a cake before we went out to the resort. That was an interesting adventure! The cake "artist" barely got the word "Birthday" onto the cake! When Jack picked it out it didn't have any writing on it. He gaveit to the bakery worker and she came back with a sealed carton. He didn't think to open it until we got to our room. It was then that we discovered that the "a" and "y" were falling off the edge of the cake! We also discovered that the cupcakes around the outside were very dry. Thankfully, the center cake was moist and tasty, and I am told the frosting was great.

Phoenix enjoyed the frosting so much more than the cake. I don't think she ate more than a nibble of the cake, but she certainly made a dent in the frosting!

Even so, next time I will probably make and bring our own cake.

 This little girl makes us so happy. Normally we would leave her with a sitter for a "getaway" weekend, but we are both so glad she came with us this time.

Other Attractions 

Rubbing Buddah's belly for luck.

Watching the dolphins play for their snack.

Visiting the waterfalls. 

There are so many things to do at the Hilton. Even though most people would sleep in on their birthday, Jack got up early on Saturday and used the workout facilities. When he returned he sent me to have some "alone" time in the resort gym, too! He is such a wonderful husband! He knows that I am happiest when I get time by myself and even happier if that time includes a nice run. 

Outside of the workout rooms, we visited lots of other attractions at the Hilton. Phoenix was fascinated with all of the artwork around the hotel, including the Buddah statue. We also got to visit the flamingos, the dolphins, and the waterfalls. We wanted to see lots of things while we were there, so we ended up spending a little time at each of the places we went to maximize our viewing experience!

Getting Ready to Head Home

Check-out for our room was at noon, but we stayed much later enjoying all the pleasures of the hotel. We are super grateful that we were given a complimentary room go use to clean up and bathe the girls after their pool time. While we were here, Jack was running to the car. Phoenix noticed that Jack was gone and picked up the phone to call him.

Here is what she said: "Hello, Daddy? What chu doing, Daddy? I can't find you, Daddy. Okay, Daddy, Bye, Daddy."

Headed Home

Going up Saddle Road

The drive home was beautiful! The weekend storms brought some lovely snow to the mountain. I say it is lovely, because it looks so pretty from our vantage point. I, however, have no interest in getting any closer to the snow. Growing up in Minnesota means that I have plenty of experience with that cold, wet, white stuff! We do plan to take Phoenix up to see the snow when she gets older. It is quite convenient that we can drive to the snow and then drive to the beach that afternoon! 

Snow on the mountain

Wonderful weekend

In all our weekend was a success. We had a wonderful time doing lots of new fun things. We know that we will go back again, soon. 

Family Photo before we go!