Kona

For Memorial Weekend we went back to Kona. This is by far one of our favorite resorts to visit in Hawaii. As Matthew likes to put it... "you leave feeling so relaxed it's as if your body/muscles are about to fall off your bones." 

We had an actual baby moon planned in June/July but due to Diane's passing this trip became just that. And it was a wonderful and relaxing baby moon we will always remember. 

Waiela

Hawaii happens to be our quick getaway spot for those extended holiday weekends so when President's Day came around we flew on over to Maui. We started the trip off arriving on Valentines Day and were greeted with leis around our necks and roses in the hotel room that Matthew surprised me with. 

The majority of our stay was all about relaxing and unplugging from the world. We ate delicious food, spent time at the spa and soaked in some sun. The big adventure this trip was going on a whale watching boat tour. We went out at 6 am and saw some pretty awesome action and of course the really cool stuff I wasn't quick enough to get on camera. We saw a breach (full jump out of the water) , tail slapping, two males fighting over a female ect. We saw a little bit of everything and felt lucky that we saw so much since these tours can be hit or miss. 

And now for the photo dump...

Kona

In October we took a short trip to the big island of Hawaii for some relaxation and rejuvenation. We stayed at the Four Seasons Resort in Hualalai. The resort was absolutely breathtaking and included multiple pools, restaurants, a full spa and lots of walking trails. Given that the big island was so big, our time so short, and with lots to do at the resort we pretty much stayed there the entire time. One exception was our first morning we took a helicopter tour over the entire island. The highlight of the tour was getting to see some small lava pools on the active volcano on the southern part of the island. The tour also took us through beautiful valleys that were deeper than the Empire State Building is tall and filled with a lush rainforest and breathtaking waterfalls. We enjoyed our resort so much it was hard for us to leave. We will definitely be back in the future. 

iphone pics...

South Maui.

While in Rome, Matthew was tired of being so cold he insisted we book a short trip to Hawaii before starting at his new job. So off we went to Maui for four days. 

We mostly relaxed (massages), ate good food and enjoyed what the resort had to offer. We did venture out one day and took a sailing/snorkel trip to Lanai. We saw whales along away which Matthew loved. During our snorkeling we battled the waves which makes it very tiring and challenging. On the way back to Maui I got a little sea sick and made a nice deposit over the boat and into the ocean. 

And yes, we did thaw out from Italy.