My attitude on staycations has always been a bit negative. I could never understand spending so much money to stay at a nearby resort when
I live here. But...that was before neighbor island airfare doubled. And before I had a son that looooves the action that a certain local mega-resort supplies. We picked the Hilton Waikoloa for a variety of reasons...but chief among them was for their child-friendly features (trains, boats), massive water play areas (3 pools and a saltwater lagoon) and size (it's so large that we knew it would be easy to confine ourselves within its walls and totally unplug from the rest of the world).
So last Saturday morning, we headed north to Waikoloa (a 40-minute drive or so) for our first ever family staycation. Ryan was beside himself with glee. His only 'job' was to carry in his little kickboard, which he clutched in his hands very diligently while I waited in line to check in. As I was being handed room keys, he started jumping up and down gleefully screaming "I love the Hilton Waikoloa!" Though it took a long time to get to our room (the boats no longer run until 2pm, and though the train runs every 15 minutes, it takes another 10-15 minutes to actually get there), we were surprised at how large our room was.
We had a beautiful view of the golf course and a partial ocean view (in Hawaii, this is the cheap seat, since the full ocean view rooms are the ones that go for a premium). But this was still plenty good enough for us (since we see the ocean everyday anyway)!
As soon as we unpacked, we headed down to the pool(s), which Ryan immediately declared "too cold" and quickly hopped out. :-( This was a bit of a let down seeing as how we'd booked this hotel specifically for their pool(s), but
thankfully, thankfully...he loved the warmer, saltwater lagoon. As did we! I particularly liked the abundant amount of soft, white sand (imported, but still lovely), the shower access, the shade-covered beach chairs, and the fact that it's a (man-made) protected cove, which felt very safe for our daredevil little 'swimmer.'
Later we checked out the hot tubs (none of which were close to being even warm) and the Keiki Fountain near the Kona Pool (warm water, nice!). Unfortunately, 11 of the 13 water spouts were not operational, so again, a bit of a disappointment. Again, thankfully- Ryan didn't seem to notice and still had fun running through the water streams. According to a manager I spoke with there, they 'plan' on addressing the hot tub temperatures (it's been a consistent complaint), as well as warming the pool(s) sometime in 2012. But I wouldn't hold my breath...as he was bit vague about when/how they plan to do it.
It didn't take long before someone got all tuckered out and quiet/zen-like, so we carried him back to the room for a long, family nap. The very best kind.
Look at all the flamingoes! [Hint: One of them is actually Ryan.]
The next morning we took a leisurely walk out to Buddha Point for some family pictures.
Once there, Ryan and I decided to get centered...
He was a little disappointed that we didn't let him lie down on the lava and be the letter Y again (thanks, Uncle Joey!), but he loved seeing his name in rocks (again)!
Ride 'em cowboy!!! I'm pretty sure this was exactly the artistic impact/vision the hotel had when they ordered this bronze work for the hotel premises...
I don't care how long you live here...this sight
never. gets. old. The waterway opening under the bridge leads to the lagoon that we went to every single day for hours on end.
Ryan had a terrible time there. He hated boogie boarding. ;-)
We did it! We finally did it! We completely buried our son in the sand. He looooved it. When we told him he could come out (he grunted and grunted but couldn't move a thing other than a single pointer finger)!
That night we met the rest of the 'ohana for dinner (we'd gotten my parents a room for Mothers Day to join us for the second night) at Rich's favorite restaurant...Sansei (it's his Asian genes). We were lucky to have Uncle JJ and Aunty Lynne in town to join us too!
Ryan was given his first pair of practice chopsticks that night, which he figured out how to use so that he could eat his authentic Asian french fries.
Getting chased by Grandpa at the Queen's Shops after dinner and dessert before ending the night back at our room for a second consecutive disco dance party with Uncle JJ and Aunty Lynne (we brought glow sticks).
Waving high and riding the boat with Grandpa on our last day there (and yes, I totally noticed that the lady to Ryan's left has ENORMOUS boobs). Just before checking out, we finally made it over to the parrots so Ryan could hold one. I'd been prepping him for days on what to expect (even pressing down on his shoulder with my fingernails a little bit to emulate the bird's weight and claws), and he was still very excited to hold them. That is, until five seconds before we were about to take the picture. At that point he buried his head in Rich's chest and said, "I don't want to!" and then looked completely traumatized and terror-stricken in every single one of the 15 pictures the photographer took of us!
All in all, we had a
great time. We totally unplugged (I never saw a single TV show or logged on once while there), and were therefore able to totally focus on the relaxing with the family. In fact, Rich and I have decided to make a trip out there annually so we can start a new family tradition for ourselves. :-) Would I recommend the resort to others? If you're newlyweds looking for a quiet, romantic resort to stroll around while gazing at the sunset? Um...maybe not so much. But if you're a parent of a child under the age of 12 and don't mind it taking 15-30 min. to get to and from your room each day, chilly pools and the overall ambiance of a loud, somewhat pricey, Disney-esque resort...have at it. You won't be disappointed. :-)
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