Featured Activity: Hawaiian Adventure Tours Kona
My wife and I recently joined friends for a whale watching tour out of Honokohau Harbor with Hawaiian Adventure Tours. With more than 25 years of experience providing wildlife tours, Hawaiian Adventure Tours provides a great opportunity to explore Kona’s coast and the wildlife beneath the waves. Their top-notch vessels, experienced crew, and ocean expertise will make your Big Island adventure unforgettable.
As a person that suffers from sea sickness, I was very apprehensive as I drove to the harbor and saw an ocean covered with raging whitecaps. I was sure I would be feeding the fish. But, I had taken the advice that I found on the Hawaiian Adventure Tours website. I took preventative action by taking one Dramamine before bed the night before the tour and another pill one hour before the trip.
Even with the unusually high winds and relatively high seas, the boat captain was able to maneuver us to an area south of Kona where the waters were calm. The boat, called “Those Guys,” was extremely stable and happily any thoughts of seasickness quickly passed.
The tour price was reasonable, and the staff was knowledgeable. See the companyʻs website below for more details about other adventures and their other vessel, Callisto. They offer night manta dives and a range of snorkeling tours, which will take you to a variety of sites along the Kona-Kohala Coast.
https://www.hawaiianadventureskona.com/
Featured Restaurant Hotel: Pacific 19 Kona
Instead of a featured restaurant, this month I would like to share information about a new hotel opening in Kona. I have personally worked with some of the amazing people who have re-imagined this hotel and can say this is truly a Big Island inspired venture.
Big Island Now recently reported one tower of the former Kona Seaside Hotel on Palani Road in Kailua-Kona is reopening as Pacific 19 Kona. The 122-room hotel, which has been remodeled and rebranded, is now accepting reservations for April 1, 2023.
Investment and development firm Nine Brains Big Island LLC acquired the building in 2020 for an undisclosed sum, according to an article in the Pacific Business News. The other 30-room building of the Kona Seaside Hotel is still in operation.
According a press release from Nine Brains, a giant monkeypod tree and lush flora will anchor the open-air lobby entrance. Just outside of the lobby, guests can relax on daybeds, swim laps in the pool, or lounge around one of two fire pits. Additionally, a lobby retail shop will equip guests with essentials to explore the Big Island. Items include coolers, snorkel gear, beach blankets, and more.
All guestrooms include a private lānai and a macro bar featuring snacks and purchasable adventure gear to provide guests with what they need to explore the island.
Pacific Kona 19 sits on the 19th parallel, which draws a line across the Pacific Ocean connecting east to west, hence the name. This Kona hotel is Nine Brainsʻ inaugural project.
The co-founder and managing partner of Nine Brains, Thibert Lussiaa, grew up in Kona.
Guestrooms start at $299 per night. For more information Pacific 19 Kona, visit www.pacific19.com.
The Hawai`i Team would like to thank Big Island Now for letting us know about this great new offering in Kona.
