Waikoloa Village, HI - Day 1

Saturday, April 3

It’s moving day again! Today, we’re saying good-bye to Kona Coast Resort and heading back to the northern part of the Big Island. This time, we’re staying about 5 miles inland at Paniolo Greens Resort in Waikoloa Village.

Before we left Kona, Andi and I decided to take Andi’s mom, Janie, to the Keauhou farmer’s market across the street from Kona Coast Resort. Last week, Andi and I were super impressed with the amount of fresh fruits & veggies this Saturday morning offered. There’s a farmer’s market happening somewhere on the Big Island everyday of the week, but their offerings vary from fruits to vegetables to crafts to coffee. We like this one because vendor tables are packed with fresh, local produce.

At the market, we picked up some salad greens, beets, carrots, granola, papaya, apple bananas and a black sapote. I also purchased some hot cross buns for our Easter celebration tomorrow. These rolls were made with fresh tropical fruit and custard.

Back at the condo, the five of us worked to load up our belongings into our rental SUV. It went really fast having an extra pair of hands to help. We were all packed up and ready to leave for Waikoloa Village within 45 minutes. There wasn’t an inch of space left in our vehicle! It’s amazing all the extra items we’ve collected — beach chairs, food, paper goods, dumbbells & a yoga mat, plus the addition of Janie’s suitcase.

Days we move to a new condo are long and not very exciting. We had to be checked out of our condo unit at Kona Coast Resort by 10:00am and couldn’t check into our new condo unit at Paniolo Greens until 4:00pm. That meant we had lots of time to kill in between.

Since Hawaii’s big box stores are closer to Kona, we decided to stop at Target and COSTCO on our way north. Janie brought her COSTCO membership card so we were able to stock up on affordable meat and gas there. It was an absolute zoo there on a Saturday afternoon. Yikes! In hindsight, we weren’t sure it was worth the price savings. Aden was happy though — Andi treated him to not one, but two COSTCO footlong hot dogs. This child is eating so much food lately. I have no idea where’s he's putting it all.

The rest of us ate at Broke da Mouth Grindz for the second time on this trip. This restaurant is so, so good! We were smart this visit and called in our order ahead of time. Andi, Janie, Tory and I all shared plates of marinated beef, pork, bbq chicken, kimchee cucumbers, rice, purple sweet potato salad, and crab & macaroni salad. Nothing fancy — we decided it was easier to eat on a shaded patch of grass beside the parking lot than it was to drive to find a park somewhere.

Around 2:00pm, we decided to go to Paniolo Greens to see if we could check in early. Fortunately, they happened to have a three-bedroom condo for us. The living quarters of this condo are smaller than the place we previously stayed at in Kona, but it has three separate bedrooms and enough beds for Tory, Aden and Janie to each have their own.

Part of the COVID policy at Paniolo Greens Resort is that all units wishing to use the pool must make an advanced reservation. We didn't have a reservation for today, but Andi was able to secure a last-minute opening for three people at 4:00pm. Janie offered to take the kids to swim at the pool while Andi and I finished grocery shopping.

Once Janie and the kids left, Andi and I drove to the nearby Waikoloa Village KTA for groceries. Surprisingly, this is the first time I’d been into the grocery store in Hawaii. Typically, Andi does all our shopping and errands while I stay back and do school with the kids. When traveling in a new place, it’s fun to see different food offerings and pricing at the market.

We grilled pork tenderloins for dinner, paired with fresh salad greens, and then watched Heartland together on Netflix before bedtime. Tomorrow— it’s Easter! We’re excited to celebrate together in Hawaii.