Grey-Bruce Boomers Spring 2023

TRAVEL
by Jill Ellis-Worthington
sea creatures, but if they aren’t successful, you are
able to rebook for a second chance to see them. I did
and was rewarded with a beautiful show of leaping
spinner dolphins and a brief sighting of migrating
humpbacks.
Waikoloa Village
A short flight on Hawaiian Airlines took us to Hilo,
on the Big Island, where we rented a car and drove
over the volcanoes to our next destination, Hilton’s
Waikoloa Village. The developer had visions of
Disney because this spread-out resort has both a
monorail and a ‘boat’ taking guests from one end to
the other.
The crashing waves are a
mesmerizing sight.
This type of resort is perfect for completely detaching
and just being – reading, swimming, floating – but
when you’re ready to move, walk the path that leads
past the other resorts to its end. There’s a ‘secret’
cove where endangered Monk seals sometimes
beach themselves to sleep in the sun. There are only
about 1,500 of these beautiful creatures left, so staff
from the adjacent Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute
place cones to let you know to stay back. While we
were watching a large male sun himself, we could see
turtles swimming in the nearby waters.
Walk in the opposite direction on the path and you’ll
reach the marina, which houses Ocean Joy Cruises.
They offer snorkeling trips that guarantee spinner
dolphin and/or humpback whale sightings, along
with snorkeling. Captain Doug and his crew are
friendly and do their best to find these magnificent
Our studio suite was equipped with a kitchenette
(fridge, microwave, coffee maker), so we could
continue feeding ourselves for breakfast and lunch and
indulging in dinner out most days. Disappointingly,
the adult pool is surrounded by a building, so it only
gets sun part of the day. The man-made beach on
the lagoon and most pools are heavily populated
by families, so not ideal for the reading/relaxing
scenario we desired.
A breezeway extends from one end of the resort
to the other and is populated by artifacts, art and
craftworks from the area. We really enjoyed learning
more about Hawaiian history. Walking the resort
took us by the dolphin lagoon; we were entertained
by watching them be fed in the evening on our way
to the lava beach for sunset. Notable restaurants at
this resort include Nui Italian, with its excellent pizza
choices, and the Kamuela Provision Company. The
latter offers beautiful sunset viewing and musical
entertainment to enjoy with your dinner.
We were fortunate enough to visit soon after Mauna
Lua had erupted, so we took the once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to drive into the mountains to see the
still-steaming lava. The arid terrain is a real contrast
from driving the perimeter highway back to Hilo
through the lush jungle areas along the coast.