All things bright and beautiful: (2019) 9 days in Hawaii --- Day 1 (Monday): Kona coast, Hawai'i (The Big Island)

Sunset at Kona coast

After more than twenty hours of travel, which included a 6-hour wait at Tokyo Narita Airport for the transfer flight, we finally reached the first stop of our 9 days in Hawaii --- Hawai'i (The Big Island). The car rental from whom we had pre-booked a car for five days was a short walk from the Kona Keahole Airport terminal. Considering the large size of the Big Island, renting a car might well be the only practical way of touring the island.

We had rented a resort villa by Kona coast for a two-night stay. The beautiful one-bedroom villa was by far the biggest holiday accommodation that we had stayed in, complete with a well-equipped kitchen and a balcony looking over a shared swimming pool. In the early afternoon, holiday-makers were making good use of the bright January sun, either dipping in the pool or relaxing leisurely on deck chairs, simply catching a tan or reading a book. The villa itself was in perfect condition, very clean and tidy, almost as if we were its first ever inhabitants. It was a pity that we were not staying there longer to enjoy its comfort and make better use of the kitchen.

Comfortable and spacious sitting room in the Kona coast villa.

Dining area and kitchen.

Balcony overlooking a shared swimming pool.

Kona is well renounced for its coffee. Several coffee plantations in the area are open to visitors. As we had never been to a coffee farm before, we decided to go to one as our first place of visit. We picked the Greenwell Farms, which was recommended by travel guides and fairly close-by. This family-run farm has quite a long history dating back to the 1850s. The visit proved to be very interesting and educational, with a short guided tour of the farm. It was also a good place to pick up some packages of authentic Kona coffee beans, both as gifts and for personal consumption. Tasting the coffee back home, I can attest that the quality of Kona coffee truly lives up to its reputation.

Greenwell Farm

Greenwell Farm machinery

A prized coffee tree

Different roast levels of Kona coffee beans, Greenwell Farm

100% Kona coffee, Greenwell Farm

Kona coffee

Hisbiscus at Greenwell Farm

Fruit at Greenwell Farm

Though it was not yet 6pm, we were starting to feel hungry as we actually missed lunch that day. So we decided to have an early dinner. On our foreign trips, we are usually easy-going with respect to our meals. In most cases, we would just go for nearby local restaurants or cafes, trying out the local cuisine. On this occasion, however, we did go to a particular restaurant that we saw recommended on some tourist guide on the web --- Kona Inn Restaurant in Kailua-Kona (the main city on Kona coast).

Maybe because it was still early, we found a parking space right in front of the restaurant. We were among the first customers there for the evening, and were offered a table with a very good view. The wooden table was nicely decorated with a tiny Anthurium flower (flamingo flower). With the restaurant opening out to a beach lined with palm trees and letting in a cool sea breeze as the sun started to set, it was everything one would imagine of a Hawaiian setting. Our selections from the menu were tuna and grilled "ono" (Hawaiian word for the Wahoo fish).