A fabulous surprise and bonus day in Kona!

We were just about to head out on a snorkelling expedition to Turtle Beach (Kahalu'u Beach) when we got a phone call from our good friends Tom and Betty who we thought had jetted off in the previous hour bound for Seattle.

Instead of being bound for Seattle they were bound for our place at Alii Lani, as they had been "bumped" off their flight to Seattle! Yeah! Another day and night in Kona! Another day of fun to be had!!!

We kept to our plans to go snorkelling, jumped on the trolley and we all headed to Turtle Beach. We embarked at the Outrigger at Keauhou and had a look around this lovely traditional Hawaiian hotel and its beautiful historical grounds situated in the Keauhou Heritage Corridor, before we headed to the beach next door for some relaxation, snorkelling and turtle watching.

Homeward bound on the trolley we decided to skip going home and head straight to town and plant ourselves on the sand at Huggo's on the Rocks for some cocktails and pupus at sunset!  A great time was had by all! :) Thanks for the fabulous bonus day Betty and Tom!

Relaxing in the lobby at the Outrigger

Before and after the archeological restoration at the Outrigger

The traditional canoe stands proud in the lobby

The lovely grounds and gardens at the Outrigger

The colours and varieties of ginger are beautiful

A Ku'ula Stone - Ulupalakua

The Royal Summer Cottage

Some YouTubers who have enjoyed the snorkelling and turtles at Kahaluu Bay (Turtle Beach)....see what it is like underneath the surface of the Bay..............

2:02 Kona Snorkel at Kahaluu Bayby IslandMultimedia1,949 views

Snorkeling Turtle beach, Kona Hawaii - YouTube

The turtle we watched from the rocks

Turtle spotting from the rocks - there were four feeding on the algae today

The Outriggers "Bar and Grill" has a great position overlooking Turtle Beach and the Bay

Ukulele strumming - added to our relaxation and enjoyment

Net fishing off the rocks

Relaxing and enjoying this lovely location

Off the trolley and onto refreshments at Huggo's after our beaching and snorkelling

Refreshments done.... the sun begins to set....... cocktails are in order..........

A Rainbow Cocktail -  very nice!

Settling in - chatting,  relaxing and ready for another great show.... the sunset.............. 

Never disappoints!!

Music and hula at Huggo's!
Hula - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A great day and evening!

Fond farewells in Kona

Monday is traditionally wind-up day in Kona with everyone bidding their fond farewells to friends, Kona and the Big Island.

Ironman also has its big sale of products and people are quite content to stand in line for 30 mins+ to score a bargain! People are buzzing around Kona Town doing the last minute shop, having their last shave ice, last Kona coffee, last....... before they jet off home.

While in town doing our "last minutes", we met up with our friends Brendan, Erika and Les Brauer from our Wingham days, and it was great to congratulate Brendan on his fantastic result at his first Hawaii Ironman! - 10hrs 4mins on that tough course with really tough conditions this year

We were lucky enough to be able to share Ironman week with some great friends from the USA - Tom and Betty, and their friend Gordon, all from beautiful Bend in Oregon. With everyone leaving lovely Kona over the next few days it was cocktail time at sunset at The Royal Kona, Sushi at Sushi Shiono  and night caps at Huggo's On the Rocks. A great afternoon and evening!
  

Enjoying a famous Mai Tai at Don's Bar, The Royal Kona Hotel

No better place to enjoy a Kona sunset!
Especially with great company!

Perfect!

Sorry to say good-bye to Betty and Tom, but we had a great week and we are planning some more fun and adventures for the future!