Big Bend National Park

My first trip of the summer is coming up!

Next week I'll be going to Big Bend National Park. I'll have about 48 hours in the park and my two hopes are to take a ton of pictures and go on some fun hikes. And watch some awesome sunrises. And sunsets. And probably take some naps. Okay, you got me, I have more than two goals :)

I went to Big Bend NP in December of 2004 with Michael. We camped in the park and had a great time hiking around. My favorite hike was the Window Trail and I am pretty sure I'll do that one again since the hotel is right next to that trail head. This picture is of me at the end of the trail at The Window. It's amazing how far my personal camera technology has come in the past 5.5 years.

After Big Bend, I'll be going to Ft. Davis to visit the MacDonald Observatory there. More on that in a later post!

Finished Booking Accommodations

About a week ago we made our final booking for a place to stay in Hawaii. I don't really love hotel hopping, but the big island makes that necessary. For our first four nights on the big island, we'll be staying in an apartment attached to a private home in Captain Cook. It's up the hill a bit from the coast, with a view of Kealakekua Bay, which is supposed to have the best snorkeling in the islands.

To me, this looks like heaven. A quiet place to have a cup of coffee in the morning while I watch the sun begin to light up the water. A kitchen to cook our own meals. A perfect view of orange & red sunsets. A fire pit to keep warm after the light fades.

I daydream about this place every day. I can't wait!

Four Seasons Maui

We did it! We took the plunge last night and hit "submit" on our reservation at the Maui Four Seasons! It's crazy to think that 5 years ago we were just thrilled to be going to Hawaii - who cares where we stay/how we get there/what we do - we were going! And now we've booked the #1 and #2 hotels on Maui according to tripadvisor. I never would have imagined...

There are too many things about the Four Seasons that excite me, so here are a few:

*Free yoga on the beach!

*We got breakfast included in our rate, so we get an awesome breakfast each morning.

*An outdoor cardio area - if I can't find time to run on a trail, I can run on a treadmill while overlooking the Pacific!

*Complimentary snorkel gear.

*Complimentary outrigger canoe lessons.

*Complimentary scuba intro lesson in a pool.

*An adults-only pool!

*Free use of cabanas at the other pools.

*The resort staff will come and SPRITZ ME with water while I lounge at the pool or on the beach.

*From what I read on tripadvisor, they will also offer me sunscreen and offer to clean my sunglasses.

I could just go on and on. We never splurge quite like this, and I'm excited! This will be the perfect ending to Hawaii 2010.

Planning - Summer 2010 - Hawaii

Michael and I are working on our plans for our summer trip this year - we will be visiting the lovely Hawaiian Islands!

So far we have two places to stay booked, one on the Big Island and one on Maui.

We'll be spending 7 nights on the Big Island - 4 nights somewhere on the Kona Coast, and 3 nights in a vacation rental in the town of Volcano, right outside Volcanoes National Park. The rental is surrounded by trees and has a ridiculous amount of windows. There's a fireplace, nice large deck, and sitting areas outside in the yard. We are pretty pumped about this place!

We'll fly to Maui on our 8th day there, and spend 5 nights on Maui. The first two nights will be in the Paia Inn on the north coast. It's a little boutique hotel with only six guest rooms. There's a private beach only for guests!

We'll be staying in one of the smallest rooms there, saving money for the next hotel. It's located right at the beginning of the Hana Highway, so we'll be able to get an early morning start for that on our first full day in Maui. I also think it's a pretty decent starting point for the drive up the volcano to view the sunrise. I think we'll do that on our 2nd day. After checking out the Paia Inn, we'll head south to Wailea and we're 99% sure we'll be booking the Four Seasons Maui.

The Four Seasons is our huge splurge on this trip. We'll be celebrating our 5th anniversary while we're away, so this is like our big present to ourselves. We'll spend 3 nights here before coming back home.