On our way to Kauai today…Good hotel and dinner…

View from the lanai at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.

With horrible construction traffic all over Hilo, we were thrilled we’d arranged a hotel near the airport for this morning’s flight at 10:30 am. The airport is no more than two miles from the hotel.

As usual, Tom will leave me at the airport after checking our baggage while he returns the rental car and meets me after he returns to the terminal when we will make our way to the gate. Hopefully, all goes as smoothly as our past two inter-island flights.

View of the beautiful grounds at the hotel.

The Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, although dated from the ’80s is located on the ocean is clean and otherwise modern. WiFi is free in the common areas with a $10.60 charge for use in the room which was slow with only one of us able to be online. With as little time as we spent in the room, it didn’t matter.

Notice Tom’s red face and forehead from too much sun on Tuesday when visiting with the new neighbors.

The hotel’s rate of $158 for a king room was reasonable for Hawaii. When we checked in at 1:00 pm, two hours before their specified check-in time of 3:00 pm, we were able to get a room with two double beds if we didn’t feel like waiting for two hours.

Having slept in a double bed recently at the “birdhouse” we had no trouble taking the room with two double beds. We had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant which we’d read was good and the reviews were right. 

Views of tide pools near the hotel.

We only brought the duffel bag, pill bag, and computer bag into the hotel, leaving the big pieces in the car which we wouldn’t need to use overnight. We parked close to the main entrance feeling relatively safe leaving our larger bags in the trunk of the car overnight in the lighted parking lot.

On the way to the hotel, we stopped at a recycling facility to drop off my old laptop with the bad keyboard. I’d removed everything I could including the battery and power cord which we’ll have the hotel recycle. 

With the sunburn on Tom’s forehead from chatting with neighbors on Tuesday afternoon by the pool and the cloudy day, we had no interest in the hotel’s pool.

We decided to have dinner at the hotel since the traffic around this area is outrageous. No need to stress my DH who has a tendency to become “overly grumpy” when driving in traffic. We each had a delicious dinner of rib steak with shrimp and scallop scampi for $66.29 including tip, without cocktails, and with only hot tea for me.  The meal easily accommodated my way of eating with a side salad in place of the potatoes.

On Monday night, back at the birdhouse, we met a fabulous couple that had moved in next door to the house we’d also rented in Pahoa. Jenny and Bruce were from New York and were staying for a week. On Tuesday, we spent the entire afternoon chatting by the pool with them enjoying a lively and animated conversation. We couldn’t have enjoyed it more!

Inside the hotel lobby area.

Afterward, we fired up the grill to make our last dinner using what we had left in the freezer which included two burgers for Tom and one small burger and an organic chicken brat for me. Lo and behold Tom dropped my chicken brat on the ground when he was taking it off the grill. At that point, my entire meal consisted of one small burger.

Then, I’d forgotten to take out the bacon I’d cooked earlier in the day to top the burgers. Tom ended up giving me half of one of his burgers. Then, my entire meal consisted of one small burger (of course, no buns), cheddar cheese, and some iceberg lettuce. It didn’t matter. There were some nuts left for snacking after dinner and I’d be fine.

Banyon tree outside the hotel lobby.

After cleaning up the house yesterday morning, washing the sheets and towels, and loading up the car, we were on our way to Hilo by 11:30 am.

We’ll miss the whale watching from the yard, the roaring sound of the ocean beating against the huge lava rocks only feet away, and the easy convenience of the house. But, moving on is always delivers a fair share of anticipation and excitement.

The expansive hotel entry driveway reminded me of hotels on the strip in Las Vegas.

On a few occasions, Tom’s mentioned, in a concerned voice, if we’re going to feel “stuck” in one spot for four months.  Neither of us would ever want to stay put any longer. If the condo is as nice as it appears and Kauai is as beautiful as I recall from my last visit over 30 years ago, we’ll be fine. The owner informed us that he’d recently done $90,000 in renovations we’ll surely appreciate.

With ocean views and the ability to merely walk across the street for closer proximity, the endless white-sand beaches, the convenience of grocery shopping, and a health club (for me only), I’m sure we’ll feel right “at home.” 

The road leading to the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back with photos of our new home, the beach, and hopefully a story of yet another uncomplicated bit of travel.

Have a tremendous Thursday. See you soon.

                                                Photo from one year ago today, January 15, 2014:

No photo was posted on this date one year ago after we’d arrived at the resort at Blyde River Canyon for a three-day mini holiday. The poor WiFi signal made posting tedious, although we eventually were able to post. A photo will follow tomorrow.