Island of Hawai'i (Big Island) - Hawaii

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Catherine and I went to the Island of Hawai'i, also known as the "Big Island".

Hawai'i is said to have been named for Hawai'iloa, the legendary Polynesian navigator who first discovered it. However, other accounts attribute the name to the legendary land or realm of Hawaiki, a place from which the Polynesians originated, the place where they go in the afterlife, the realm of the gods.

At San Francisco airport waiting to board our flight to Hawaii.

Photos from our plane before we landed. In the background (at the top of the photo)you can see the volcano Haleakala, on the Hawaiian island of Maui and at the botton is the Island of Hawai'i.



In this photo, you can see some of the volcanic rock surrounding the Kona International Airport.

When we landed at the Kona airport, we were greeted by Hawaiian music and hula dancers.

During our stay on the Big Island, we stayed at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.

The entrance to the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.

The view of Hapuna Beach from our hotel room.

The lanai (balcony) of our room.

Our room at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.

There were all sorts of birds on the grounds of our hotel.

Photo of Plumeria blossoms.

Views of the grounds of the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.

Our first night we went to a luau at the Royal Kona Resort.

Removing the pig from the underground oven at the Royal Kona Resort luau.

Desert table at the luau.

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San Diego, California - Part III

The pictures ENLARGE if you click on them.While Catherine and I were in San Diego, we drove to Coronado Island to visit the Hotel del Coronado.

A chandelier in the Hotel del Coronado.

View of the ballroom were King Edward VIII and Presidents had parties.

Ten U.S. Presidents have visited Hotel del Coronado, starting with Benjamin Harrison in 1891. One of the resort's most famous visitors was England's Prince of Wales in 1920. He would later become King Edward VIII, only to give up his throne in 1936 to marry Coronado divorcee Wallis Spencer Simpson. Many have speculated that they may have first met at Hotel del Coronado.

View of the beach behind the Hotel del Coronado.

In 1958, The Del was the backdrop for the comedy classic "Some Like It Hot," starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. Some of the scenes from that movie were shot on this beach and inside the Hotel del Coronado.

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A view of the newly opened Beach Village at the Hotel del Coronado consists of twelve beach front villas.




We had great food while were were in San Diego. This is a meal we had in Old Town San Diego in a restaurant called the Cafe Pacifica.

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We had great Moles at the Cafe Pacifica.

We also had great Mexican food at the restaurant Rockin' Baja in downtown San Diego.




Use the search box at the bottom of this page to find previous postings on London, Amsterdam, Japan, Germany, Austria, Yellowstone, New York, Boston, Switzerland, Alps, Plymouth Mass., Washington DC, San Francisco, Manila, San Diego or Quebec.