The travel blog for couples - Written by Melanie Waldman
It’s always summer in Hawaii…or so we like to tell ourselves, once autumn takes hold.
One of my favorite versions of Hawaii, the northeast coast of the Big Island, has lush and frondy jungles, windswept coves, freakishly enormous flowers, tumbling waterfalls — and the comfortable elegance of the Palms Cliff House Inn.
Shipman House Bed and Breakfast Inn, Hilo, Hawai'i
When we saw the Shipman House Bed and Breakfast Inn rising tall, proud and Victorian at the top of a long, manicured driveway, I said aloud:
“Oh, wow. This must have been the finest house in Hilo, back in the day.”
But actually, it’s still the finest house on Hawai’i's Big Island — even now.
Mural in downtown Hilo, Hawai'i, depicting its fishing industry past
In Hawaiian, a hui hou means “until we meet again.”
Rather than say goodbye to Hilo, the biggest small town on the eastern side of Hawaii’s Big Island, I’d rather just bid it a brief adieu. And with new direct flights from Los Angeles to Hilo launching today, it’s a darn safe bet that we’ll be back soon.
If you ask a couple of gardeners, one of the best things about visiting the Big Island of Hawai’i is a chance to see amazing tropical flowers and plants you’ll rarely see anywhere else.
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
We were in full awe of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, on Hawai’i's Big Island. Regular lava flows from the Kilauea Caldera have turned the landscape into its own particular version of Planet Earth: Charcoal-black, undulating and seemingly endless.
But in fact, the park is made up of seven distinct ecological zones that stretch from the Mauna Loa volcano to the Pacific Ocean far below.
Since Hawaii evolved 3,000 miles from nowhere, 90% of what you’ll see here isn’t found anywhere else. It’s as unique as love itself.
