Fall in love with the beauty of Hawaii

Have you ever been in an airplane, flying back to your home town and as you look out the window during your final descent you wonder if you can see your house? Is that your neighborhood? It might be, you definitely have a baseball field next to a large road like that. No wait, we don’t have a creek near our baseball field. Growing up and living my life in major cities on the eastern seaboard have caused me to have those conversations with myself more than once. But if you have ever flown into the Hawaiian Islands, there is no mistaking where you are! And for me, after 12 hours on an airplane (6 of which have been over the Pacific Ocean), the landscape of Hawaii as you approach by air makes you wonder why it never looks like this when you are headed home or if you ever want to leave!

Each Hawaiian island has a unique personality and its own sights to behold. Perhaps my favorite of the islands is one that is often overlooked as a vacation destination – the island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island. The Big Island is the youngest of the Hawaiian Islands. A great destination for people seeking adventure and nature, this island offers everything from Hawaiian cultural landmarks to active volcanoes and some of the world’s best coffee farms! Let’s take a look at some of my favorite spots on Hawaii Island.

Kilauea, on the Hilo side of the island, is an active volcano and is still spewing her lava into the ocean.  And the caldera is available for viewing 24 hours a day, my favorite time to be there is right before sunset – you can watch the caldera change from daytime to twilight to evening as she shows off her many colors.

Also on the Hilo side of the island you will find an abundance of waterfalls. I was able to hike down to this waterfall and swim in the small cove it created. But be warned – the water is COLD! That is water is run-off from the mountains, definitely a far cry in water temperature from these next beaches that we will take a look at, although no less breath-taking to look at.

The rocky shoreline tends to be surprise many guests to Hawaii Island but the scenery is simply breathtaking. On the Island of Hawaii you will find the world famous Punalu’u Beach, also affectionately referred to as Black Sand Beach. Here you will not only find the infamous black sand but you are likely to run into some of the beach’s most frequent visitors – honu, or green sea turtles.

And while we are talking about beaches, let’s not forget Papkolea, one of only two green sand beaches. This beach is NOT easy to get to – be prepared to hike to the beach (literally! It is about a 5-mile round trip hike to the beach) but once you get there you will forget everything as you take in the amazing views and stunning sands!

Looking for something more “traditional” for a beach? Check out Hapuna Beach located just north of Kailua-Kona. This white sand beach is consistently rated one of the best beaches in the world. I am not a huge beach fan (I don’t like sand, go figure, I grew up on an island!) this beach was quite possibly the most amazing beach I have ever been to!

Oh, how I wish this website had smell-o-vision. The coffee farms that dot the landscape on the Kona side of the island are beautiful but the magic happens in the small farms where they roast the coffee fresh on site, making it smell as beautiful as it looks.

From exotic flora to unique fauna; from waterfalls to sacred spaces from Hawaiian history – the Island of Hawaii captured my heart in a way that I can’t fully put into words. This is a perfect getaway for people seeking action, adventure, nature, and romance. I fell in love with this island full of raw beauty and sheer power and I can’t wait to visit her shores again.