Our Hawaiian Vacation

We haven’t a taken a true vacation in years. Between our construction project and Covid, this was much needed and so good for the soul. This year, Chris was rewarded with a “club trip”, an honor and privilege reserved for the top performers in his company, globally. His company rewards not only his hard work, but recognizes and includes those closest to him, as they attribute a large part of his success to having the support of his family. We have attended club trips in the past, and last time we said that if we had the opportunity to go again, we would bring Sloane with us. It turned out to be one of my favorite vacations we have taken to date. Chris and I have visited other Hawaiian islands in the past, but this was our first time on the “Big Island”. We stayed at the beautiful Auberge Mauna Lani Resort. The resort was set on a protected Cove with calm, clear waters, soft “salt & pepper” sand and views of the active volcanos around us. This particular piece of land is sacred to the Hawaiian people and the property is adjacent to ancient ponds that have existed for over 800 years. It feels very untouched and pure, and at the same time, we had all the modern conveniences and pampering our hearts desired.

The resort houses a wonderful spa (that I took advantage of for a delightful massage) and even a Goop store, Gwenyth Paltrow’s retail concept with all kinds of interesting finds. We loved the on-site restaurants that served up the most fresh and delicious Island cuisine. We didn’t have to leave the property to enjoy great food. I pretty much like to eat my way through vacation, and the in-house chefs at the Auberge did not disappoint! The gourmet breakfasts with fresh tropical juice and Kona coffee were our favorite. We enjoyed plenty of meals by the pool, while Sloane played and met new friends from all over the world!

The options for activities and adventure were abundant, but we mostly hung out by the pool, lounged and ate! We did take a really long walk around the surrounding areas of the property and scoped out all of the sea life in the ponds, which was fascinating and beautiful. And we did do one more really adventurous thing… surfing!! I grew up in South Texas on the Gulf of Mexico, and surfing was a big part of the beach culture there. I learned to surf in high school and wanted to share the experience with Sloane. The resort had surfers on staff to assist with surfing lessons, and they were so knowledgable. They made it fun and safe for us. Unfortunately, I didn’t get anyone on the beach to capture the footage of me standing up and riding my waves, but I was able to get some video of Sloane and Chris once I finished. We had excellent guides, so we all did pretty well, minus a few minor cuts and scrapes 🙂 Sloane went out there, stood up and rode several waves in. We felt comfortable with our amazing local surfing guides and she wore a life jacket, but I was still shocked by how brave she was (and how brave I was to let her do it!) It was definitely a family memory we will cherish forever!