The first of our ocean front dinners on the big Island was at Ulu and the view did not disappoint
My wife tried to do her job as official paparazzi but I was having none of it
We haven’t had oysters in almost 2 years since a very bad experience, but we figured Hawaii was the place to get back on the horse
Mission accomplished! Oysters gone
For dessert, my wife discovered souffle, a decadent dish when done correctly as this one was. YUM
Without a doubt, our favorite thing to do In Hawaii is a day of riding ATV’s
Christina got to drive the first half and I took the second half and there was plenty of dirt to go around
If you’re doing it right, there are moments when you’re going 25 MPH and can’t see a thing!
During the 3 hours, we spent about 90 minutes on the ATV’s, and the other half stopping at gorgeous spots
Sitting on the edge of the Pacific listening to our guide, a third generation Hawaiian, tell the story of King Kamehameha was surreal and amazing
Just how I like my wife…dirty
We hiked down to a gorgeous waterfall at one point and yes, they force you to do the “hang loose,” hand signal or they won’t take the picture
Our guide, who was super cool, also has a sense of humor as he made sure to get a pic of himself before taking one of us
When we got back to the ATV base, the resident cat was “hangin’ loose”
Immediately after the ATV riding, we went straight to restaurant recommended by our guide and loved by locals for our best meal of the week, by far!
We got pulled pork and a hamburger steak plate and were in heaven
This place is so popular they’re literally only open 4 days a week and closed on the weekends and the food shows why
If you’re ever on the big Island, make the trip to Minnie’s on North Shore for the most amazing food on the island
The entire time we were there, Christina kept trying to find me just the right hat. This was a fail
Nope
Ok, enough of this store
Back at our resort, we hit up the Cantina
Birds are a fact of life in Hawaii, no matter where you are
Hey man, those are our chips
It’s as though he’s looking around to see if anyone’s watching
And in he goes
Success.
Back to the hunt for a hat…NO
This is getting ridiculous
What are we doing here?
We have a winner!
We found this great beachside bar called Lava Lava
Lava Lava is all about just having fun and being in Hawaii
Life sized Jenga!
Christina got one of those fun island drinks and loved it
I got a boring old Vodka/soda and was annoyed hers was so much better
So we rectified that immediately!
We swam with the dolphins while we were there…you animal rights activists can keep your thoughts to yourself. These babies are spoiled!
Well of course you have to kiss one!
Hmmmm…hard to say who’s cuter
While we swam with the dolphins, we put our valuables in a locker…our was I1
When the girl behind the counter gave us our key and said “I 1,” I said “yes, I won the day I met her.” Totally corny…but by the time we were done with our swim, it had worked it’s way around to all of the girls at the dolphin park who thought I was the sweetest thing ever. Little do they know
We grabbed lunch afterwards and Christina ordered a Rob-sized hot dog
No problem…she can do that in her sleep (and has)
For our last night there, our view for dinner
And the look on Christina’s face says it all…we’re ready to go home after a week of horrible service almost everywhere
And the look on Christina’s face says it all…we’re ready to go home after a week of horrible service almost everywhere
On our flight home, we finally got an amazing dessert while in first class…truly delicious hot fudge sundaes! That almost made coming back to Sacramento not depressing…almost