I am so glad that I covered up the cactus garden before we left Sacramento. I pondered whether it was worse that they be deprived of sunlight and then decided if the alternative was death-by-frost it was better to starve them from the sun. They seem to be pretty much dormant in the winter anyway. A friend told me the temperatures in Sacramento were dipping below 30 last night. Brrr, that is cold.
Being in Hawaii is no exception. You can freeze to death here, too. I look out my window and see snow on Mauna Loa. Although, to tell the truth, it's in the 80s on the beach. But yesterday we decided to drive to Kohala and tour the "thumb" area of the Big Island. Man, it was raining, sleeting sideways, the temperatures dipped below 65, dark skies, cloudy -- the weather was awful. Yet, we stopped for ice cream in Hawi, regardless.
Here are some photos of Pololu Valley and the Wind Farm to the south by a small airport:
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But once we drove south around the bend, the landscape changed. It rather abruptly moved from wet, green and chilly, back to the arid zone of dry brush and overturned chunks of lava. The good news is we were back in 80 degrees. While I like lush vegetation, I like warm weather more. Which is probably why there are so many resorts on this side of the island. We decided to check a few out, just for the fun of it.
When stopped at the gate, my husband explained that we were scouting out a possible hotel for next year at this time. We were potential guests. Let me tell you, the Mauna Kea may have the most beautiful beach on this side of the island, but the staff were as rude as they come. Not only were they unfriendly, but the hotel was positively ugly. An ugly hotel does not make up for a beautiful beach. Below is a photo of that beach, followed by a photo of the hotel:
After our horrible experience at the Mauna Kea, we stopped at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. The difference was like night and day -- between North and South Kahola. Like the difference between a regular real estate transaction and a short sale. The valet guys let us keep our car in the registration area. We were warmly greeted inside the hotel, even though they no longer employ a concierge -- just an "activities" person.
The second floor hallways were long, dark and sorta spooky, but the grounds were spectacular. They gave us keys to several hotel rooms to preview. The suite was lovely, it was like having your own private condo right there on the beach. In addition to a beautiful sandy beach, there is an infinity pool, and many grassy areas where you can set lawn chairs and relax in relative privacy. I like this hotel. It might not be as luxurious as a couple of other hotels, but it is indeed comparable. I would recommend it.
Here are some photos of the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel:
See? It's beautiful. And to think that we almost did not stop because the entrance was on the opposite side of the road. It was across the street from the beach. Which made us think it was not on the beach, but it is on the beach. The road loops around and goes under an overpass. So, the guidebooks did not lie about is location but they also did not mention how to get there. In case you're wondering, the suites cost around $1200 a day, but that is a comparable rate for similar properties at this time of year. If you just want an oceanfront, those rooms are about $600.
I leave you with this photo I quickly captured when the opportunity presented itself:
All photos by your Sacramento Short Sale Agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, on vacation in Hawaii.
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